The Dismantling Begins

Last week, my dad called to give me the good news. The engine re builder had finally removed the 440 engine, and Torqueflite transmission from Red, and has started to strip it down, and rebuild it. Dad then delivered the 3 speed transmission to the transmission shop for a rebuild. In no time at all (one day, in fact), the transmission was rebuilt, with heavy duty parts, so it can handle higher horsepower. However, from what I understand, that transmission didn't need much in the way of new parts, as it had been engineered to handle higher horsepower. We'll see.

I have not talked to my dad in several days, so I do not know what kind of progress the engine re builder is making on the 440. Hopefully, it's moving along nicely. On a side note, I subscribe to the Online Imperial Club's email list, so I get all sorts of information regarding Imperials on a daily basis. I have been considering converting from a carbureted system to an electronic fuel injection (EFI) system. Just my luck, someone started an email trail concerning the availability of new EFI kits for Mopars, in particular, for the big block 440. Most Imperial owners, especially those owners with some engine technical background, didn't see the value in replacing a carb with an EFI system, as any gains in fuel economy would not offset the cost of installing the EFI system, and wouldn't provide any real gains in horsepower. The general consensus was 'don't bother with it'.

So I won't. I'll keep it naturally aspirated, and see what happens. It does have four barrel carb, so fuel will not have a problem getting to the ignition chambers. I could go all out, and find a six pack, but I'll keep it as it is now, rebuilt for more performance, and see if I am happy with that.

Back to the body shop. Both cars are now at the custom re builder shop in Lubbock, Texas. Hills Hot Rods on the Loop are currently stripping both cars down, taking the best parts from the two, and then will haul the necessary body parts to Arlington to have them media stripped to see where the problem areas are for rust. It will be interesting to see which car they chose to build with as a basis. While Red's lower body parts are relatively rust free, the roof has holes rusted through, due to the old vinyl top being in very poor shape. Blackie, on the other hand, has a great roof, in spite of the vinyl top, but has rust issues around the bottom of the car (door sills, front and rear fenders). Plus, Blackie's had some body work done in the past, so some of the body panels will probably not be usable. While Hill's is a relatively new shop, they do have experienced car restorers and custom builders in their employ, so at this point, I am not that concerned with quality or workmanship issues. We'll see if this holds true as the project moves forward. You can find Hill's here: http://www.hillshotrods.com .

There is one thing I am including is this restoration, and it's a center console from a 1970 Chrysler 300, with automatic stick shift. The early 1970's Chrysler's shared the same body style and basic body dimensions with the Imperials of the same period. The only difference being the Imperials were longer (longer fenders and hood). The interiors of both Chrysler's and Imperials had the same basic dimensions. The only differences were the trim level (of course, the Imperial had the top-of-the-line interior materials). 36 years later, tastes and needs have changed, so I am attempting to bring the more relevant changes to the restoration and customizing of this car. While there are some nice interior features (there are storage compartments underneath the arm rests in the doors), it is sadly lacking any other storage areas, especially in the floor area, where one would expect cup holders, and another storage area. I am attempting to change that by including a center console, which is from a 1970 Chrysler 300. Since the console also came with a floor shifter for the automatic transmission, I plan to convert the shifter from the steering column, to the floor shifter in the console. I like the idea of the floor shifter, especially since the car is a 2 door coupe. It should add a more sporty feel to the car. I have included pics of the console to give you a better idea of how it looks. Also, instead of the fake vinyl wood grain appliques that were used throughout the interior, I intend to replace those with real wood. The fake wood is supposed to be 'Rosewood'. I intend to replace it with real Rosewood, something like the Madagascar Rosewood sample seen here.

And last, while the decision for rims selection is a ways off, the owner of Hill's Hot Rods suggested this style rim for the car. I have been looking for something similar to these for quite awhile. I really like these, as they are styled for a luxury look, that the usual 'blade' style rims. These are definitely keepers, however, I want either a 17" or 18" rim, not a 20" rim. Mr. Hill thinks 20" rims would fit fine on the car, but I have my doubts. I do not want the rims to over take the overall style and look of the car. We'll see how that works out.

Thanks again for reading. Now that things are moving forward more quickly, the updates to this blog should be more frequent. Especially since both Hill's and the engine re builder promised to take pictures during the restoration process. Once I receive those, I will definitely post them here.

Lubbock or Bust!

I received an email from my dad earlier this week, informing me that he and my mother drove Blackie to the body shop in Lubbock. Dad also said the engine rebuilder is to pull the 440 from Red, and then have Red delivered to Lubbock later next week. I hope this holds true. I am getting a little frustrated that the engine rebuilder is taking his time with pulling the engine from Red, and then rebuilding it. The body shop in Lubbock will not start on the project until both cars are in the shop to be evaluated on which body to build. So I hope next week brings good news as far as Red being towed to Lubbock for the rebuild. *crosses fingers*

On another note, I have been shopping for a limited slip differential, and have found one at Mancini Racing, which specializes in Mopar racing parts and accessories. I also bought a rear disc brake conversion kit from Summit Racing. So the old rear drum brakes will be history. I had thought about installing an aftermarket anti-lock brake system, but as I understand it, no one manufactures after market anti-lock brake systems due to potential liabilities should said brake system fail, so that is out of the picture for now.

Now it's time to research new suspension systems and geometries for better handling characteristics. I do not want this car to be only a straight line runner. It would be awesome to throw it into a curve, or twisty road, and it not feel like its about to tilt on its side. Blackie currently leans like a drunk on a lamp post during Mardi Gras. Stiffer shocks and springs would help, along with wider tires , but the suspension will need more than those 'tricks' to attain the handling characteristics I want.

So we will see what this next week holds. I am hoping for the best. Also, both the engine rebuilder and the body shop promised me progress pictures of the car as it goes through the restoration and customzing process. I will definitely post those once I get those.

Thanks for the read!!

The Road to Restoration, Part 2

With my trip to Texas in April, I delivered most of the car parts I had collected within the past 3 years (please see the below posts) to my parents house, with the intention of handing everything over to the body man that Dad had found, who was willing to work on the car, and start the restoration process. However, the gentleman in question developed health problems, and is now unable to do the body work required for this restoration/customization.

As luck would have it, at the time when I was visiting my parents, the annual antique auto show, held in Snyder, Texas was being held. So dad and I made a trip to Snyder to check out the cars, and talk to the owners of cars which had been restored, to see if they could make any recommendations of body shops who do restoration/customization work. We did talk to a few folks, some who knew of a shop in either Abilene or Lubbock who could do the work, but they did not provide any direct references.

However, there were representatives from a hot rod shop from Lubbock, who were at the Snyder antique auto show, who had brought in a 18 wheel trailer, with cars they had restored and customized. Dad and I immediately started the conversation with both representatives (one does the interior work, the other does exterior work). Since dad and I had driven Blackie to this event, we asked the body expert to walk over with us to the parking lot where Blackie was sitting, and give it a look, to get feedback on what he thought could be done, and I bounced some ideas off of him to get a good feel about his level of interest in this project. I did inform him that I have two cars, and Red does have the better lower body. He did seem interested in taking a look at both cars to see which would work best as the basis for the restoration.

Dad and I have both been in contact with this hot rod shop in Lubbock, and they are willing to do the work, so a HUGE hurdle has been overcome with this chance meeting in Snyder. Dad is scheduled to drive Blackie to Lubbock, and the hot rod shop is scheduled to start dismantling Blackie sometime after that.

Red, on the other hand......

Dad had also found an engine rebuilder in Snyder, who's had experience building, and rebuilding race car engines. Again, while I was in Texas, dad and I had lunch with the engine guy, and discussed what I wanted in the engine rebuild (electronic fuel injections, performance parts, etc) in order to acheive 450-550 horsepower. He said he could do it, and it wouldn't be a problem. We agreed on a plan of action, and dad had Red towed to the engine guy's house for a total engine rebuild. The plan was for the engine to be taken out of Red, and the rebuilder would work on it in his shop, and then Red's body would then be towed to Lubbock to the hot rod shop.

However, as of this posting, the engine has yet to be pulled from Red. Red is still sitting in the engine guy's driveway, waiting for the engine to be pulled. Red was towed to the engine guys place 3 weeks ago. I am not especially happy that it has taken nearly a month to have an engine pulled; but for now, I will deal with the situation as best as I can, and give him a few more days in order to pull it and start work on the engine.

Related to the drive train, dad and I also located a transmission shop in Lubbock, who is willing to rebuild the transmission to handle that kind of horsepower. I was hoping to upgrade the transmission to an over-drive set up, but after the transmission shop looked at Blackies current transmission set up, the transmission bell housing is not configured to accept an over-drive unit, and the suspension torsion bars are located in a position that prohibits any add on equipment to the transmission for over-drive. So I am stuck with a 3-speed automatic, but at least it will be built to handle the additional horsepower. Not the best set up, but at least it will run as it should when the accelerator is punched.

To handle the horsepower conversion to the rear wheels, I have found an outlet who sells the Sure Grip differential, so I will have the differential rebuilt with a Sure Grip differential installed. Then all I would need are new bearings installed on each back wheel to again handle the power transfered from the engine.

There is much work to be done, but aside from the engine rebuild issues, things are beginning to fall into place. I am very excited in finding a reputable shop who can restore and customize the Imperial.

As of now, I will not release any information regarding the hot rod shop, or the engine rebuilder, until the car is complete, and I am satisfied with the restoration. If anything goes seriously wrong with either the engine rebuilder, or the hot rod shop, I will post that information as well.

Sorry that I do not have any pictures at this time, but I have been promised by both the hot rod shop, and the engine rebuileder that they will forward me photos of their progress on this project, and I will post those photos here for you to see.

Now that this project is moving forward, the postings to this blog should be more frequent.

Thanks for your patience, and Happy Motoring!

The Road to Restoration

know this is long overdue, but I have been very busy with other things in my life. Not to say there isn't anything new on the Imperial front. Last October, my dad and I decided to tackle the issue of Red not starting. We replaced just about every component imaginable to try and get it started. We even installed a new starter. No luck. Earlier this year, I asked my dad to tow Red to a mechanic he knows, and see if he could troubleshoot the problem, and get the car started. The car was towed to Tommy's garage, and Tommy started on the work.

As it turns out, the wiring harness for the ignition switch is fried. It was melted to the steering column, and there was no connectivity from the ignition switch to the electrical system to start the car (or at least any good connectivity). It needed a new wiring harness. Unfortunately, an online search revealed the only harnesses available for 1973 Imperials were for the non-tilt wheel ignition switches. So I had to turn to my parts man Bob in Nebraska for a complete steering wheel and column (which he conveniently had in his storage area). I bought the whole assembly, and had it shipped to my place. Earlier this spring, my dad and uncle flew to DC to pick up Blackie, and also the steering column, so the wiring harness could be transferred from the 'new' steering column to Red's steering column. Please see the attached pictures for what I have to work with. So hopefully, the wiring harness from the 'new' steering column will be in good enough shape to work on Red.

Speaking of dad's recent trip to DC, he and my uncle (dad's brother) flew out to pick up Blackie, and drive it to Texas to start the restoration/customization process. This was the final long cruise for Blackie in her current state. She will no longer be the same (if she exists at all) after this process is complete. Blackie has been a wonderful car, and I already miss it. I love cruising around on a Saturday afternoon in her, and all the questions, comments and shout outs from the street. There is nothing like her on the road. However, I know the finished car will be in much better shape from a body/chassis/suspension/handling/engine standpoint. I truely can't wait until the final car is ready to drive (whichever car we use as the base car). Again, I fear Blackie has too many rust issues to use it as the base car, but it will be a very good parts car.

To start the restoration process on my end, I also purchased a complete dash for a 1973 Imperial from Bob in Nebraska. It has all the options I have been searching for (another stereo 8 track tape player, automatic headlights, and headlight dimmer, along with the delayed timer to turn off the lights when you've finished driving). I took this dash apart, and started fabricating new speaker mounts for the new speakers. Again, please see the attached pictures. It took some work to get everything to fit properly, but I think the extra work is necessary to have everything look as stock as possible. I have included 'before' pictures, to show how it looked, and after pictures, on the progress of the work currently performed.

Please note, this is not the dash I will use on Red. This dash is a hideous interior color Chrysler used in 1973 called 'Parchment' Yikes! I am only using components from the dash that I know I will need for Red's dash. This dash is basically a 'mule' to test my fabrications to ensure every thing will work, once they are transfered to Red. Also, check out the amount of wiring included on this dash. The engineers who designed this thing must had a few sleepless nights to make this work correctly.

I have also included pictures of the current state of the dash, and instrument panel. You'll see where the new speaker fit into the old speaker locations, and you'll see what I've saved from the instrument panel to use in Red. I have attempted to label all the wiring and locations of some of the components, so the change over to Red's dash should not be an issue (I hope!).

Next up on this project: I will be traveling to Texas in April to drop off the dash and dual A/C system, and meet the two men who will be working on the cars for restoration. One will be rebuilding the 440 engine, and the other will be doing the body work. However, I do not know when they will be starting on the project at this time. Hopefully by late April, I will have a better idea on the time frame for starting this project, and have more pictures to share of the progress.

Thanks for checking in!

Progress On Red

I thought I would be updating this blog on a more regular basis than this, but due to the holidays, and other issues, I haven't had much to update, until now. Sorry that I have not been more diligent in posting, but I would rather have lots of content and farther (further?) posts in between, than lots of posts, and not have anything to say.

Anyway, for the first post of 2008, I do have some updates. First, I'll start with Blackie. Late last year, I took Blackie in for it's usual oil change. The technician noticed the engine was leaking some fluids. Since I don't want to ruin a good 440 cubic inch engine, I took it into a shop that was recommended to me, which mainly deals with, and works on, Mopar products. I took it in, and after a thorough going over by the mechanic, the shop determined where the leaks were located, and asked me if and how they should proceed. Let's just say Blackie had some issues that weren't readily apparent. I am glad we got to those issues in time. Problems with a 35 year old engine need to be dealt with soonest, it could have been much worse.

The repairs was back in October of 2007, and so far, so signs of any continuing leaking problems. Although it did set me back financially quite a bit (Labor, holy cow!!). Blackie continues to be a great car to drive around. I don't take it out much, except for weekends. When I do drive it, it's always fun.

Now on to Red. This Imperial has been at my parents place for a year now. My dad (the shade tree mechanic that he is) knew the fuel system needed some major repairs before the car would start. He dismantled the fuel tank, and took it to a shop to have it refurbished. He also replaced the fuel filter and blew out the fuel lines from the fuel tank to the engine. He had the carburetor rebuilt, and re-installed the fuel system pieces back on Red.

While those repairs were in progress, he also had the radiator re-cored (it was in very bad condition), and repaired a fan shroud I had purchased, since the original fan shroud was broken beyond repair. Those too were installed back on the car, and now dad has tried to get the car started. No luck.

He has replaced the battery on Red, and put a new coil on the engine, but that hasn't been enough to start the engine. He is currently looking at the spark plugs to see if the gap is correct for the electronic ignition system. I'll keep you posted on that progress.

I have included pictures below of the refurbished fuel tank, before and after pictures of the fan shroud and radiator. I have also included a picture of the roof where we scraped off the old, and badly tattered vinyl. I am still not sure what I want to do to the roof when Red gets the full restoration. Vinyl or Paint?

One other thing; I have been tracking down the original equipment options for this model year car. The Imperials always had a very long list of options, including rear seat air conditioning system, or a rear seat heating system. You could also order (around $350) the Sure Brake system, which was an American auto industry first, as it was a four wheel anti-lock brake system. Yes, anti-lock brakes that were available from 1971 to 1973. Who knew? Other options included AM/FM 8 track player, cruise control, power door locks, tilt-o-scope steering wheel (it not only tilted, but you could push-pull it to fit your ergonomics for driving), automatic headlights and dimmer system, sun roof and another interesting option, a cassette player, with a microphone, so you could record dictation while you were on the road for business travel. Of course, no luxury car would be complete without power leather seats, and you could order a sun roof. This list isn't complete, but it gives you an idea about the range of options for Imperial.

Of the list above, I have found a few of the more desirable options. I have the AM/FM 8 track tape player, the power locks and the rear A/C system (see the pictures below). I have thought about finding the Sure Brake system, but it may prove too rare to find, and too complicated to install. I am also on the hunt for a center console for Red. The center consoles were available on the Chrysler 300 from 1969 to 1971, when they stopped building the 300's. The consoles had the floor shifter, instead of the column shifter, for the automatic transmission, which gives it a more sporty look and feel. My reasoning for this addition is this: Red needs more storage space (cup holders and a center bin) and the 300 console would be the perfect fit, as it has the '70s styling and size for the Imperial, it just wouldn't be a 'true' Imperial component. Red IS a two door hardtop coupe. Aren't those supposed to be rather sporty?

Before the pictures, I want to apologize for the quality of some of them. Dad (bless him) took some of the pictures with a disposable camera, as his digital camera is not working (I know what to get him for his birthday). This about wraps it up for this update. Thanks for reading!!!

















Fan Shroud - Before
















Fan Shroud - After
















Radiator - Before
















Radiator and Fan Shroud - Installed















Fuel Tank - After














AM/FM 8 Track player

















Rear Seat A/C System

Spring Road Trip I

I was finally able to take a vacation earlier this month (May), and flew out to Texas to visit my parents, and to drive Blackie back to DC. I have been waiting all winter to do so. While winter this year was not as bad as I thought it would be, I still think it was a good idea to keep Blackie at my parents house, just in case. Winters there are less harsh, although it does get windy (and plays havoc with the car cover and the paint job).

While at my parents, my dad and I went to work on both cars. During the winter, the mechanic that dad recommended to me had worked on Blackies steering issues. I thought it had a leaky steering fluid reservoir (an O ring issue), but it was the steering gears and shaft that was causing the problem. Tommy (the mechanic) resolved that, and it is much easier to handle for a nearly 20 foot yacht. Another issue that came up was the carburetor. I drove it 200 miles to see my grandmother, and after I got back, I could smell gasoline coming from the engine. I checked my gas mileage, and had only gotten 9 miles to the gallon on that small trip. Something was definately wrong. Upon checking the carb, I saw gas leaking from one of the linkages. My dad and I took it back to Tommy's, and he took a look at it, and suggested that I use some kind of carburetor cleaner in the fuel (STP or the like). Sure enough, after adding some in to the fuel, the problem was resolved (for now). I have ordered some BG 44K fuel additive that is supposed to clean out the carb for the long term. We'll see how that works.

On the trip back to DC, I blew out two tires on I-40. Before the trip started, my dad and I took a look at the tires, and all seemed well. I would get some shaking when the car was moving between 60 and 70 mph. We both thought it was due to an unbalanced tire. We thought wrong.
I was outside Little Rock on I-40 when I hear a loud POP, and then the resulting thumping coming from the rear of the car. I pull over, and discover the back drivers side tire had blown, and thrown tread. Not a good thing. Fortunately, I had a good spare fully aired up. I changed it out, and was on my way again. I stopped in Lebanon, Arkansas for the night, and found a Goodyear tire dealer the next morning to change out the blown tire. Smooth sailing, right?

Nope.

I drive through Arkansas and half of Tennessee with out any problems, until I am east of Nashville. Then POP, and the familiar thumping. This time on the front drivers side tire. I had to pull over to the left hand shoulder (a no no) since I was travelling in the left hand lane, and would have to cross three lanes to get to the right hand shoulder. Too much traffic behind me, and I would have cut them all off. Again, not a good thing. I safely pull over, get out of the car and inspect the damage. Again, another blown tire that had thrown tread. I change it out with the new spare tire. As I was changing it, a very helpful Tennessee highway safety patrol stopped to help me out. I asked him if there was a tire store nearby, so I could buy all new tires for the car. This was an unexpected expense, but worth it, since I no longer trusted the tires I was riding on. He directed me to the nearest Wal-Mart super center, and with that, I was on my way again. I find the Wal-Mart, and luckily, they had the correct size tires in stock, with white walls! I replace all four tires, with the new tire I bought in Lebanon becoming the spare tire. Two hours and over $300 later, I was on the road again with a new set of tires. Blackie drove like a dream after that. No shakes or vibration, and even though that Wal-Mart didn't do any alignments, the car stayed true and straight, and smooth. Now I know what an Imperial is supposed to feel like on the road. The rest of the trip back to DC went without a hitch, and with the fuel additives I put in during the trip, Blackie was able to get 13.5 mpg on the road.

After discussion with my dad, and seeing Red for the first time in person, I have come to this conclusion: I cannot save both cars. One has to be the base car, and the other has to be the parts or donor car. Due to the body condition of Red, I think that one will be the base car, and Blackie will be the parts car. Blackie has too many body rust issues. Plus, my mother likes the Burnished Red paint color on Red. So Red it will be! Not that it's going to be easy seeing Blackie parted out. It is an awesome car. On long road trips or short hauls around town, Blackie has been phenomenal. OK, so parking is kind of an issue because of it's size, but it rides very smooth, comfortable seats and drivers position, easily readable dash board, huge trunk and styling to bring out the pimp in everyone.

One of the blown tires on the trip back:

Spring Road Trip II

Now on to Red. This was the first time I had seen this car in person. On the whole, the car is in great shape body wise, but the engine is a complete unknown, as we have yet to get it started. This is due to bad gasoline in the gas tank. We need to take the gas tank off and have it cleaned out, and refurbished if necessary. Since working around the engine is out, the only thing we could do was to work on the vinyl top and look at the interior. After looking over the shredded white vinyl roof cover, dad and I discovered some small rust issues in the roof. There are approximately 3 silver dollar sized holes in the roof where the vinyl trapped water, and that helped form the holes in the roof (see pics below). With these holes, water was then able to get into the roof headliner and destroy the roof insulation as well as the roof liner. The inside of the roof is rusty as well. Along with the leaky roof, the drivers side windows (both front and back) does not fully close, thereby leaving a gap between the front window and back window. Water was able to get into the car this way as well.

One water logged interior. There was moss growing on the carpet on the passenger side.

I opened up the car, so the water would start to evaporate. I took out the back seat, and the ruined noise dampener between the back seat and the trunk. The back seat wire frame was rusted through, so it is ruined. However, I think the leather seat covers are salvageable. I also took down the ruined headliner, as the old insulation was retaining water, and causing further damage.

I also checked out the electrical system by testing out the windows, lights and other electrical items in the car. With a good battery some of the light systems worked, but the turn signals were not working. The car won't start because it still has bad gas in the tank, so I can't get a good idea if the starter and other engine electrical systems work. Dad has contacts with a shop that works on radiators and gas tanks, so with a cleaned out gas tank, we can attempt to start the car, and see what other problems we will have to address at a later date.

Whoever owned Red before me took care of it mechanically. They even modified the exhaust system to be duel exhaust, not the factory built single exhaust system. They also added an oil cooler to the car, as Red was used to pull a big trailer. There is also holes on both front fenders where large mirrors were bolted on to help in maneuvering a large trailer. The body is in excellent condition, as there doesn't seem to be evidence of damage or an accident. the engine looks solid, and it seems someone was attempting to make it run, as there are new spark plug cables on the engine. It also has more options than Blackie. Cruise control, power leather seats, and the awesome Tilt-a-Scope steering wheel. One question though: Who would use a 2 door Imperial coupe to tow a trailer? To Whoever: Next time, buy a diesel engined truck for your towing needs.

Pics of the rusty roof interior:














Water logged backseat:



















Roof and trunk area after I removed the ruined headliner and back seat:














The gap between the front and back drivers side windows:



















One of the holes in the roof, through the shredded vinyl:

April Update

Sorry about the dearth of posting on this blog. Not much has happened since February, except for a couple items that will improve Blackie a great deal.

However, someone left a question on the 'comments' page which I would like to address. The question was about the curb weight of these cars. Simple answer: I have no idea. Although I have seen some weights on other Chrysler cars of the same model year running around 4300-4500lbs. I hope that answers the question.

Now for the improvements. My dad has been taking care of Blackie (and Red) over the winter, and since spring has come around, he has more opportunity to work on it. The two areas that I wanted him to address before I flew back to Texas to pick up Blackie for the drive back to DC were: 1. The power steering issue and 2. The carburetor problem.

Dad has a local mechanic that he trusts, and evidently this guy knows his way around older cars. The mechanic has identified the power steering problem (it wasn't leaky seals in the power steering resevoir), and is replacing some of the steering related parts for better handling. There is a ton of improvement needed as far as handling goes in this car. That is great news! It will feel less like a boat.

For the carb, it was running rather rich, as there is black soot coming out of the tail pipe. No flooding or other problems as such, but it's not a good sign when you start the car, and one minute later, there is black soot on the concrete driveway. I am hoping dad's mechanic can find and adjust/fix that problem soonest.

I fly to Texas on May 5th, and will start drving back to DC around May 10th or so. I am very excited. I have missed tooling around DC in Blackie, as this car is a great Sunday cruiser. I will also bring back the leather seats I bought in Nebraska, and will start dying the leather to match the current interior (black)(please see the below post "Nebraska or Bust"). Also, Bob from Nebraska sent my dad the parts needed to convert the current manual door locks to power locks. Hopefully, I will get those installed while still in Texas.

This will be a great summer project for me, and I have thoroughly enjoyed finding most of the pieces to make it a better car. There is still lots to do, but that's kinda the point with a project car: you're never quite finished with it!!

Enjoy!