Well my little wagon’s twin is up for sale (again), this time on CL in Los Angeles. As original as mine is, this car is definitely more complete and ‘correct’ and obviously its paint is holding up much more nicely. Maybe I should spend an afternoon removing trim and sanding down the weird spots so I can get a $200 Earl Scheib special.

Original wheel covers are just about unobtainium. I have 3 of the 4, the 4th having fallen off the car somewhere on 880 while we were bringing it up to Oakland.

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Buying a non-running car is always a gamble, but I felt ok about this one. It ‘ran when parked’ and I believed it. The body has zero but zero rust, and aside from some sun damage the interior is good. It came with a ton of extra parts, which is nice in general but does tend to fill otherwise usable space in the garage. (Anyone need all 4 doors for a 410 or 411? How about a perfect gas tank? Steering column? Let me know.)

I love the Coño sticker

I spent a weekend getting this car to run again. It took a lot of carb cleaner but SU carbs are so simple, I can’t complain. Once it was running, I took a very cautious drive down my (cul de sac) street and got a feel for the rest of the drivetrain and brakes. The Borg-Warner automatic is shot (more on this later), but the brakes actually worked enough to lock up the wheels. But when I pulled the car back into the driveway and stopped a weird noise and lurch told me something wasn’t quite right. Pulling the drums off the rear wheels revealed a brake lining that had come completely off its shoe. Nice.

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