Hello From Nashville
Hello From Nashville
I am in the process, with my brothers help, of restoring my 66 for the 3rd time. I bought the car some 29 years ago when I needed a cheap car to get back and forth to work. I paid $600 for it and it was painted some god awful blue metallic color. To beat that, it had a wrist pin knock that made it sound like someone with a ball peen hammer was banging against the case. It ran very well so I just kept the motor in it and drove it like it was for over a year while I gathered parts to build a new motor. With the first pass, a low dollar repaint and a 1600 built out of what left over parts I could gather I was on the road. I drove it like that for the next 15 years and then went at it a 2nd time. This time It had been parked a bit as I had gotten a truck with AC and did not drive it as often. But, my daughter was turning 16 and needed a car. So I started on the 66. I had done a 71 Ghia for my other daughter that she commenced to trash as it was not a Honda like all her friends drove in the mid 90's. It must be hell driving the only car of its kind in the whole county where you live. I guess it is hard to blend in and it was cramping her style. Teenagers......Another story. So this time on the 66 I tore out the interior and replace with the best I could fine. Re-did all the brakes, built a 1776 with a dual barrel holly carb we used to run on the off-road buddy we raced. I choose it because it was easy to tune and worked very well with the 1776. I also did not want to go to duals as I knew she would have the foot in it all the time. I also did a strip and proper repaint bringing it back to its original glory. The only minor exterior changes were Euro bumpers and some chrome stock wheels. I took it out for a ride and found myself with my foot in it. The speedo needle was bouncing off the stop for about a minute before I realized how fast I was going. That moment I thought of a friend in high school that wrapped his 65 around a pole. He hit is so hard the motor broke and flew 30 feet from the car as it almost touched front to back around the pole. He was lucky. But you never know with girls. Especially redneck girls. I put her in a Mazda 323 with airbags. So, now it is starting it's 3rd rejuvenation. The engine is still good except for a needed cleaning. It will get a freeway flyer and front dropped disks. My brother just finished narrowing the beam by 2 " so the new wheels will fit properly under the fenders. Pan were already done and new metal where needed in the heater channels and such. Another paint job this time in base coat clear coat. And, I will put the AC that it came with back in the car if I can. I know I will need new parts but it's nice dreaming. Sometimes it is a fever that comes back after many years. Mine has been sitting in the back waiting to come up once again. Hell it will be 50 the same time my brother is. Maybe it would make a nice gift to him that year. Don't tell him.