Getting my hands dirty.Follow

I doubt that most of you know that I'm a rather gifted person when it comes to taking apart and putting together things. One of my loves was working on old cars. At one point I was in business repairing classic cars. I actually liked it and made a modest living at it. Then the city stepped in and closed me down. I began my career in the corporate world and only fixed my own cars. After the Dhell crash I slowly sold and lost most of my prize cars. Five and a half years later I've begun the slow process of building another car. To be truthful I haven't bought a new car in my life. I've built my own from a solid rolling body. My Pickup truck is built from about six other trucks I scavenged for parts.

Even after my change I still was active and working on cars. I helped a friend open a custom hot rod shop that is still going. One of my New Years resolutions was to get back into working on cars. My first plan was to get my ailing truck back healthy. It currently has a bad upper control arm. The bushing had fallen off and it was running metal on metal and wallowed out the bushing mount and the wheel was not running straight. I visited one of my old Junkyard friends and he had the control arm and a flywheel for another project I'm about to start. So now I have the pieces to get my truck back up and healthy for hauling and stuff. Now its time to pull out project number two.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v619/ImGatomon/DSCF0038-1.jpg

Yes its a Vega! A nineteen seventy seven Vega station wagon. It was running when I parked it at my old place. The old four banger was hurt but it still ran. It was a four speed also. Over the past years I managed to gather lots of the parts for a Chevy V-8 transplant. Things like the V-8 motor mounts and the special frame mounts. The special exhaust manifolds for a V-8. The Vega only V-8 bell-housing. I'll be gathering several other special items still needed but I have gotten most of what I need. I have a fresh machined engine block and turned crank and I dropped off the heads to be done today. It's been slow but I should have things ready in a couple of months.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v619/ImGatomon/DSCF0041.jpg

The project car will have a five speed manual transmission and the three fifty will be mild and not a fire shorting race engine. The plan is to make the car fun and reliable to drive to work and out of town on trips. I've always liked being unique in the car department and being able to fix things. Modern cars are impossible to figure out without a code scanner and professional help. Old ones are pretty simple.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v619/ImGatomon/DSCF0042.jpg

It's not pretty but soon it will be. I'll pour my time and effort and skills into it and make it live again!



Edited, Jan 7th 2012 12:25am by Tailmon

That is the most coherant thing you've ever typed. I sincerely wish you the best of luck with all of that.

Well time will tell on my project. I unloaded my POS Honda of the parts I picked up. The flywheel went in the back seat of the Vega for now to sit with the other parts gathered. I then checked out the parts I picked up for the Truck. Looks like they all are correct.




My next step is to take the arm and the parts to a machine shop for them to torch or chizzle off the rivits and install the parts for me. Then I can jack up the truck and using a mini sledge knock the ball joint loose. Then unbolt the arm and replace it.