Here's what my convertible looked like when I hauled it home. It was a
litle rough and a little dirty, but seemed to be very complete. The under
the hood picture shows an unbroken windshield washer resevoir. Missing
items include air cleaner nut, radiator cap, and fan shroud. The
quarterpanel shot shows very little rust and yes, that's where the
antenna belongs. It's one of those slow projects that takes a back
burner to the responsibilities of every day life. The car came from the
factory with manual 10 inch drum brakes, 3 speed manual transmission,
power steering, 273 cubic inch 2 barrel, 2.94 limited slip rearend and
air conditioning. According to the original owner, all is original
except for the engine. The engine was changed after the original made it
to about 100,000 miles. One day I'll actually get to drive in the warm
summer sun with the top down. (click on images to enlarge)
Plans for car have changed as the project has progressed. Handling and
safety are main concerns. Conversion to a dual master cylinder and front
disc brakes is a must. Parts scrounged from many sources have yeilded
10.5 inch front discs to mount on the
'70 Challenger RT K-member.
The RT donor has also provided a set of
11 inch drums for the rear.
Rear disc brakes have been considered, but not very likely at this point.
Polyurethane bushings and the addition of a swaybar on the rear with KYB
gas shocks all around should make a fairly stable platform.
A '75 318 is going to provide power for the cruiser. At present it has 13,000 miles, 340 2.02 inch valve heads, a mild 340 cam, and a 360 2 barrel intake with a carb from a 400. Armed with what I've learned from the Do It Yourself Electronic Fuel Injection group and the GM ECM group, EFI is more than just a possibility. Throttle body injection is going to provide the excellent driveability and performance that we all enjoy in our modern cars.