Back in the day my wifes favorite uncle had a couple of cool old cars, a chopped and channeled 32 coupe and a near stock 34 coupe. I wanted a new enclosed trailer for my race car and she wanted one of those cars, so a deal was struck. I got the trailer, she got the 34. This was in 1997. Things kept getting in the way of the build, but my wife is patient and I am persistent. Last Saturday was her birthday and we went out of town on a day trip, but yesterday she received the keys to her new car and drove it for the first time. It is still under construction with final paint, interior, and re-chroming to be done. But we are going to enjoy it for a while before proceeding further. When we received the car it was not running, but was near stock. Her uncle had purchased it in 1970 and summarily parked it until we got it. She wanted to keep it stock but drive it a lot, so we compromised on the resto-rod approach. The paint is what was on the car when her uncle bought it in 1970. We had to replace the rear wheel wells, rocker panels, patch panels behind the doors and floor. A recessed firewall was installed to provide engine clearance. The upholstery was also installed in the 60s when the car was repainted. I have kept the dash simple with the original steering wheel and column, stock gauges converted to 12v electric, and an under dash a/c unit. She demanded I keep the glove box intact. Power is from a Ford 302 backed by an AOD. The fuel injection has been removed and replaced by a 650 cfm Holley on top of an Edelbrock manifold. Suspension is MII independent front and four bar link rear with coil-overs supporting an 8 Ford rear end (I know, not too H.A.M.B. friendly). Fatman straightened and boxed the frame and installed the suspension. My good friend Randy Dean did the body work and the stuff that required good welding and fabrication, such as steering column and seat installation. (My welding skills are best suited to creating odd shaped holes or adding weight.) I did the mechanical work, engine, transmission, plumbing, wiring, assembly, etc. After all these years my wife is finally happy, I have moved back into the bedroom from the couch, and am permitted to work on my Model A when it gets back from Randys house. Her birthday turned out to be a good day for both of us.
The Jalopy Journal
