Category Archives: Car Restoration

First General Lee to be auctioned at Barrett-Jackson

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Yes another posting for the up and coming Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottdale.  If you are going in person or just watching on the Speed Channel, you’ll enjoy the cars they have coming up.

I recommend going in person.  There is a ton of things going on at Barrett-Jackson events, it’s even fun for non-car people.

If you are going to Scottdale this year…give me shout.  It would be fun to meet up and say “hey”.

This from Hemmings Daily emails.

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Photos courtesy Barrett-Jackson

One of the most famous television cars in history will cross the block in Arizona later this month at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale. Lot number 1291, a 1969 Dodge Charger base model with a 383-cu.in. V-8, is said to be the very first Charger used in the making of The Dukes of Hazzard. It’s also the very first Charger destroyed in the making of the show as it was laid waste and left for dead after being used to jump over a Hazzard County police cruiser (presumably that of Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane).

Movie and TV cars are tough to estimate before an auction, but The Dukes of Hazzard was all about the car, making the orange Dodge Charger every bit the center of the action as much as Bo, Luke and Daisy Duke. It’s kind of hard to imagine a car upstaging Daisy Duke, but this Charger did. Replete with a Confederate flag on the roof and distinctive “01″ on the doors and known by car fans and casual viewers alike as The General Lee, the Charger has been instantly recognizable for more than three decades since the show’s 1979 debut. And the value of 1968-1970 Chargers today likely owes something to the show’s popularity.

Wearing the VIN XP29H9B193680, this particular car was dubbed Lee 1 by Warner Brothers in 1978. It has the distinction of being the only General Lee to appear on every episode of the show out of some 320 or so used – and used up – by Warner Brothers during the show’s seven seasons and 145 episodes. That first jump over a dirt ramp, 16 feet up and 82 feet long, nearly bent the car in half when it landed on its nose, even with a trunk full of concrete used to balance the front-heavy machine. Although that pretty much wrote off Lee 1, the shot of that jump became an iconic and enduring moment in the show’s opening credits until it went off the air in 1985.

Edmunds Inside Line ran a thorough piece on the discovery and restoration of Lee 1 five years ago that tells a bit more of the background of what was otherwise a pretty ordinary used car back in 1978. The restorers put the car back to its condition as it was used on that fateful day in 1978, meaning hastily and sloppily painted with a nowhere near concours-quality finish.

Like any car up for auction, all it takes is two determined bidders to drive the price up. With a no reserve sale, Barrett-Jackson viewers will know exactly what the car is worth when the hammer falls. The question, really, is how much provenance can a plain-Jane 1969 Charger have with some cheap day-glo orange paint and sloppily applied numbers and flags.

The Barrett-Jackson auction takes place January 15 to 22 in Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information, visit Barrett-Jackson.com.

 

Driving Difference

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Since I’ve gotten the 4 speed ( T-10 from 1967 Shelby) in the Mustang, I’ve been driving it a lot more.  I’m surprised at how much of an improvement it has made in the drive ability.  Of course there is more power going to the ground which is remarkable and the RPMs are put to much better used.  The original three speed top out pretty quickly and nothing left but engine noise.

Of course with more power hitting the ground, my current tires (wide and hard) tend to grip a lot less and spinning them through 2nd gear is common.  That will required some new, softer tread before long.

After driving the Mustang a few days in a row, I took the Vette to work.  Now you would expect there to be a difference, especially with the 120 hp disparagement in power  the Vette (about 420) and the Stang (about 300 – maybe a bit less) , but what I notice is how both cars arrive at top speed.

Both car’s like to launch, but the Vette does so with much less rear hunching then the Mustang.  The Vette feels lighter as it gets up to power – less down force on the road.  The Mustang is much different.  You can feel it, feeling the road.  I can actually feel the power longer and deeper in the Mustang as it move on up through the RMPs and the gears.

I think I’m ready to at a tach to the Mustang, I need to see the RPMs it’s turning out and then I’m going to have it dyno’ed.  It will be a good baseline before I get the  351 CJ head and intake installed.

Thanks for reading

Tim

 

Valiants Down-Under

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I enjoy the off-beat (as in not in the top 20 collectible) cars.  And they really have some of those ‘down-under”.  I grabbed this from this site

I  LOVE Valiant cars!

Found this one in Yarraville, Melbourne.

 Thanks for Reading

Tim

The Cars of Cuba: Photos and stories from Havana

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I hope you can view this article.  Has some great cars – although the saying “keep the shiny side up”  doesn’t really translate – these just don’t have one.

I’d love to spend time wandering around Cuba, just to look at the cars.

The Cars of Cuba: Photos and stories from Havana.

This is from Hagerty Insurance Company.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Alice Cooper’s Classic Ford Mustang To Cross Barrett-Jackson Auction

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I’m hoping to get a few shots of it when I’m there.
Posted by on January 2, 2012 – 0 Comments

alice cooper

Any Alice Cooper fans out there? If you worship Mr. Cooper plus love classic ‘Stangs, the best of both worlds is about to cross the auction block at Barrett-Jackson this month. A red 1965 classic Ford Mustang with a 4-speed automatic 289 V-8 and only 35,915 miles. Supposedly fit his golf clubs in the trunk perfectly!

Here is an opportunity to own Alice Cooper’s 1965 Ford Mustang fastback with 35,915 original miles. Alice used this car for the Golf courses, going to the mall and dinner from time to time. We will include a set of Calloway golf clubs for the new owner of the car.


Source: [Barrett-Jackson]

The Mustang II – Say What?

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Ok…I sorry (not really) but I have to consider what my readers like.  And to date one of the most read articles on my blog is the piece I did on the Mustang II  King Cobra  http://wp.me/pKHNM-uY . (Go ahead you know are going to go read it!!)

So I’m going to do a series on the Mustang II (after all I’m project managing the restoration of a 1975 VW, I could spend sometime on that era Mustang).  We’ll touch on the 4 and 6 cylinders and  yes there was a 302.

So we’ll start with a history lesson.

1973 was the last year for the more powerful and larger bodies Mustangs.  Ford may have thought they were going back to the original size Mustang and the 1974 version was in fact close to that size.  The 1966 Mustang had a wheelbase of about 108 inches  ( 181.6 inches in total) and the 1974 was 96.2 (175.0 inches over all).  Compare to the 1973 which (depend on which version) was 187.5-190.0 inches over all.

The generation ran from 1974 to 1978 and sported some collectible cars, the King Cobra and Mach I…yes Mach I’s in a  Mustang II.

Here is a quick look.

 

1974 Cobra II – You Love it…I know you do.

1974 Mach I ok…sure..Pinto like.

1978 Mustang Cobra II – Excellent Looking

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Closing out the year.

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Christmas has come and gone and 2011 is almost in the bag.  As the year draws to a close, I often think of things I didn’t get to do or didn’t get enough of and then decide if they’re worth carrying over to next year.

2011 has been a bit of a rollercoaster year, changing jobs can really take some of the wind out of sails of the “U.S.S. Fun” yacht.  So I didn’t get nearly enough race time and fell way short of the number of car show attended or participated in. I didn’t get as far as I thought I would with the Mustang mods either… although the upholstery and transmission were pretty key and did get finished.   I didn’t make my goal of 500 posts this year on the blog, but there’s still a little time left so I can get close.

Creating the commercial side of Average Guy’s Car Restoration, Mods and Racing got kicked off with taking on the project management for a 1975 VW Beetle restoration (a $20K restoration, yes REALLY) and shortly I’ll have completed my certification for classic, racing and specialty car appraisals.  I still need to finish my web site and grab some sponsors and then pick up a business license.

So my carry-overs will be more racing, SCCA and local drag strip; more mods for the Mustang (and maybe a little something for the Vette).  The car shows numbers will be increased and that will start in January, with the car show of all car shows, the Barrett-Jackson 2012 in Scottsdale, AZ.  (Yes, I do consider it a car show – it’s only an auction to those that go there to buy.)  I’d like to spend more time with my Corvette Club (Arizona Corvette Enthusiasts – ACE) and maybe hook up with one of the all-purpose car clubs as well.  I’m looking forward to having an article or two published…somewhere and boosting the commerical side of things.

That’s a pretty big personal agenda for next year, but I’ve got some up and coming things for the blog as well.  I’m going to expand the engine series a bit and include crate engines.  I try to stay way form fuel injected engines and just keep it ‘old school’, hard to do when you own a new-ish Vette, however so don’t be surprised some modern-mods.  Will try to do more “live feeds” from events, those are fun but a lot of work.  I have one more avenue to try and that’s pod casts.  They’ll be hosted on my site and maybe even try a couple video blog cast.

Ok that’s it for now. 

Thanks for reading and stop by and drop me a note on the blog.

Tim

Performance Parts Pout

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Well, I’m officially depressed. No it’s not because of the holidays, or the rapidly approaching  June when I’ll move too  far into the 50’s  to be able to fool myself that I’m just barely 50, nope none of those things.

I’m looking at GM’s (bastards!!) Performance Catalog and all the shiny things in it.  Like the ported LS3 heads, and the LS376 – 525…yes  525 hp in a crate engine, drop in and drive.  I realize two things, I need an older Chevy to play with (or upgrade the C6 Vette) and that I’ll need a second job if I even want to touch any of this stuff and where will I live when the better half finds this stuff laying around the garage? (Tell me you aren’t depressed now?!?!!…It’s ok…admin it!!!)

Note:  It’s gonna get worse… I have the Ford performance parts catalog as well…all I can say is thank GOD!!!  I don’t have a Morpar to drive around….oh….the therapy…bills….!!!  Why, OH Why didn’t I drink the family KoolAide when I was a kid..I would have been able to shun the Fords and Mopars and just be a normal one brand car guy??

There is some awesome stuff the Chevrolet Performance Team is put out, everything from small block crates to LSX monsters, to circle track crate engines.

Over the next few post I’m going to cover a few highlights and a couple unexpected – like engines for the Chevy Cobalt and some V6 engines.  (Have just read some specs for the upcoming 2013 Mustang V6 – I want to see what Chevy’s got.)

In fact let’s start with something off the wall.  Like the 900  V6 Intake for a 4 barrel carb!! What???!!!!  It’s an aluminum high-performance for the 3.8 or 4.3 liter V6.  So go ahead bolt on that 390 cfm carb..oh heck….grab that 600 cfm 4150 and drop it on top.

Chevy's V6 - 4 BBL Intake Manifold - about $265.00 (Part 10134390).

That is not a bad price.  Of course it’s not for all heads, like it  won’t fit the 3800 V6 or the 18 degree heads and you might have add a bump to your hood for clearance!!!

Thanks for reading.

Tim