A VERY short trip.

May 28th, 2008

I asked miss K if she wanted to go for a short ride in the Torino today and she said yes. I was surprised but she seems to be o.k. with my silly little obsession. I thought it would be too un-cool for her. I warned her we wouldn't go very far because the breaks aren't good.

"Oh, sure, Mom. Take me out for a ride and get me killed."

Boy, was Dan the transporter man right. There are no brakes!!! We went down to the end of the street and turned around. I'm not taking any more chances until she gets her first check up. Started her up tonight for my son and then discovered the accelerator pump is leaking gas. Ahhhh! No more starting her up until she gets her first check up.

Overall, though, her leaks are very, very slight, the interior is in pretty good shape and there is a new Pioneer stereo that has an MP3 plug-in. Just perfect for playing all that disco music on my ipod. I did an inventory and ordered a few parts from Dearborn Classics. Also started viewing ebay and craigslist for anything that might come up that I need. Some parts are being re-manufactured, others have to be scrounged off of parts cars. I found a few other sites for NOS parts.

I will post again after her doctor visit.

Holliwood Arrives

May 27th, 2008.

Holliwood arrived this morning around 8:30am. Yes, that's her name. I already had her christened before she arrived. I figured it would suit her when she was a complete project, so why not make her feel good about herself from the start.

My husband and kids think I'm crazy. What kind of woman my age takes something like this on. Perhaps a brave woman, an ambitious woman, or one who is just plain NUTS!. I've always liked a challenge and never really been afraid to try working with my hands or learning something new. So here I go.

Like many others before me, I've wanted this car since I was a teenager. I remember someone else who lived in the neighborhood had one and I used to ride my bike down the street just to see it. Again, what girl my age is that crazy about a car?! Unfortunately, back then I didn't have a drivers license and certainly couldn't afford one. I couldn't afford the final product this time either, so I decided to take the project on myself. I started shopping in January 2008. Along the way I have made some pretty awesome internet friends and found that S&H Torino lovers seem to be a very friendly group who are always eager to have one more "member", and that there are some super nice people out there that but for the internet we might never be able to know of.

Steve in the Northwest has been creating clones for many years and has been a big help to me with recommendations and hints. Jimmy is an S&H Torino owner who has taken measurements of his own car to help me with options for mine. Wayne sold me a Chilton manual and gave me tons of free mechanical knowledge to add to my noggin. (wayne.vanover.ctr@disa.mill) He's got a lot more manuals for sale on different cars and they are very affordable. And much thanks to T. Q. who decided that working with an out of state buyer might be an option after all. It took a little while but we made the deal work. Thanks T. Also, thanks to Dan from NADA transport (havasuhermit@yahoo.com) who took good care of her and dropped her off in one piece. He's a really nice guy who was sure to warn me how bad the brakes were.

So the adventure begins. Please forgive her rugged beastly appearance and try to see the beauty she will become. Hope you enjoy checking in every once in a while to see how we are doing.

Happy & safe driving.

Treesje

P.S. All e-mail addresses and links are included with permission from those mentioned.