Starke, Florida, 1961
(postcard from author's personal collection)
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Whoa, Black Betty
Bam-A-Lam
1963 Chrysler Newport, 383 2bbl / TorqueFlite, 99.9% original, black w/red interior, only thing missing is one stock wheel cover (and a busted taillight lens). Really nice shape for her age, minimal rust, rockers, floors and trunkpan solid. Local find.
Black Betty's so fine
Bam-A-Lam
And she's mine all mine
(with apologies to Ram Jam)
1963 Chrysler Newport, 383 2bbl / TorqueFlite, 99.9% original, black w/red interior, only thing missing is one stock wheel cover (and a busted taillight lens). Really nice shape for her age, minimal rust, rockers, floors and trunkpan solid. Local find.
Black Betty's so fine
Bam-A-Lam
And she's mine all mine
(with apologies to Ram Jam)
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Channeling Rodney
I don't get no respect! No respect at all.
In 1978, when I decided to rattlecan my then newly acquired '63 Belvedere wagon primer black, I was doing it because that was the only thing I could afford to do (the stock government green paint job had to go). Nonetheless, this 18 year old was rather proud of how it turned out (I had been careful and done a thorough job of prepping and masking the car)... and so I continued, blacking out the side rear windows by painting them from the inside. A poor man's panel wagon, it looked fairly cool I must admit.
By this time the wagon sported a clean 318 transplant, a 64 hemi scoop, max wedge wheels, dog dish hub caps, trim rings and an old Ford roof rack. The interior from the front bench back was already a solid deck of plywood since the car had been delivered as a rear seat delete for the Forest Service... so I carpeted it and added a few vintage "accessories". Replace the stock steering wheel with a chrome mini racing wheel and call her done.
In the end I was quite proud of my little wagon (and I had lots of fun with her) but few folks outside our small circle of friends ever gave her a second glance.
Now it's a whole different story. Wagon's are suddenly cool; restorable bodies are in demand, fetching healthy prices. By comparison I paid $75 for mine back in '78, and I know that if I still had her she'd look right at home at any rat rod or vintage car show. Go figure eh? I guess I was just ahead of my time. Hell, I was probably among the first ones to do it.
Now, does anyone have a '63 Plymouth wagon body they want to part with?!?
.
.
In 1978, when I decided to rattlecan my then newly acquired '63 Belvedere wagon primer black, I was doing it because that was the only thing I could afford to do (the stock government green paint job had to go). Nonetheless, this 18 year old was rather proud of how it turned out (I had been careful and done a thorough job of prepping and masking the car)... and so I continued, blacking out the side rear windows by painting them from the inside. A poor man's panel wagon, it looked fairly cool I must admit.
By this time the wagon sported a clean 318 transplant, a 64 hemi scoop, max wedge wheels, dog dish hub caps, trim rings and an old Ford roof rack. The interior from the front bench back was already a solid deck of plywood since the car had been delivered as a rear seat delete for the Forest Service... so I carpeted it and added a few vintage "accessories". Replace the stock steering wheel with a chrome mini racing wheel and call her done.
In the end I was quite proud of my little wagon (and I had lots of fun with her) but few folks outside our small circle of friends ever gave her a second glance.
Now it's a whole different story. Wagon's are suddenly cool; restorable bodies are in demand, fetching healthy prices. By comparison I paid $75 for mine back in '78, and I know that if I still had her she'd look right at home at any rat rod or vintage car show. Go figure eh? I guess I was just ahead of my time. Hell, I was probably among the first ones to do it.
Now, does anyone have a '63 Plymouth wagon body they want to part with?!?
.
.
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