Lookin good man,Im going to say it first "just redo the mechanicals and drive it for a while as is" its only going to be that original once!
I hear ya, but it had a little problem with Pack Rats. Check the inside pic. I'm not getting in there till it's blasted and re upholstered!!
No! the car sat 30 yrs in a shed, the previous owner replaced the steering column and didn't put the rubber boot on the firewall. The rats went in thru there and those are evergreen tree limbs!! The trunk lid was open and they drug branches twigs, shingles in the trunk, it was level full!! BUT! I cleaned the trunk out today, it has ZERO rust, NONE in the trunk or between the trunk floor and the body, (where they always rust.) The floors are super solid, the rockers are solid, the only rust is over the headlights, ( he lived on a dirt road) and one spot in front of the p*** wheel on the quarter, thats it!! They piled stuff in it but it was dry in the shed. I think it's gonna clean up nice. Lippy
Thankyou. I've been looking for a solid car I could build and keep that I could afford since 1972. It's been a good week. I drug my chair out by the car and opened a beer and just sat and looked at it tonight. The neighbors just mumbled, I could just hear them, ...that ****ing nut. LOL. My wife just looked out the window and smiled. She knows ....she knows. I can rest now for awhile, I have my 55. Lippy ( damn near teary eyed) in Ks. I've owned four 55's and had to get rid of em all, I have not owned one since high school. This one will never leave.
Congrats on a great score! Just goes to show that "The sun shines on every dog's *** once in a while"
Not yet. Collecting parts, and getting the thing cleaned out. Here's a pic of one of the little critters dead, hanging on the emergency brake cable!! Remember those monkeys you'd hang by their tail? LOL.
Yet another cool HAMB story that will soon be legend. *****'n car, great story. Keep us updated as it gets renewed.
Ok, today I finally got a break from customer cars and cleaned the 55 out of rat ****. I'd rather be whipped with a horse whip than clean a car out that had rats in it!! Oh well part of the deal I guess. Spent all day, pulled the seats out, headliner, everything!! Good thing is floors are solid, still have paint on them NO rust. Must have been from the 40 yrs in the shed. But what a mess, evergreen tree stuff, rat ****, wood, anything they could get ahold of!! Anyway my truck is half full, going to the dump tomorrow, then start stripping it for a trip to the media blaster. I'm grossed out for today, this car was full!! Gotta do what ya gotta do! I'm just happy she is solid, real solid. Pics next time, I couldn't run a camera and mess with the ****! It was 95 here today and I'm done. More soon with pics. Lippy
I bought a 6 cyl 55 for a parts car and when I opened the hood, all I could see was leaves and limbs. Couldnt see any part of the engine. The rats had filled the engine compartment to the top.
The Jalopy Journal
