63 Savoy Max Wedge - Start to Finish......Almost
#1331773
11/07/12 11:17 AM
11/07/12 11:17 AM
|
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 592 Sullivan, Ohio
Max Wedge Savoy
OP
mopar
|
OP
mopar
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 592
Sullivan, Ohio
|
I think I'm far enough along to post the progress of my car. I’ll start with a little back story and move into the pictures. This is an abbreviated version of how things went. I apologize for the lengthy story. If you can hang until the end, it gets good….I promise! Years ago I raced an all white 63 Savoy. It had that period look but it only carried a 383. It was a fun car to drive and I had success with it. I moved from Phoenix to Ohio (don’t ask) in 2002 and my priorities shifted. Long story short, my stable of mopars evaporated along with the 63, but it was the last man standing. I dreamed of owning another 63 or 64 for years but it just wasn’t in the cards. I knew when the time came that it would have to be a max wedge and I would not settle for anything less. My dad and I collected parts here and there but we were missing the car. In 2009 our luck shifted and I was now on the prowl for a 63 or 64 post car. I put a wanted ad up on the HAMB and a fellow from Virginia rang me up and said he had a 63 post car in his barn that he was considering letting go of. We exchanged emails, phone calls and some photos. After some negotiating my dad and I were on the way to Roanoke, Va. When he opened the doors to the barn, it looked just like it did in the pictures. It was covered in an inch of saw dust (carpenter bees hard at work above the car), sunk into the ground to the quarter panel on the passenger side and someone used some type of roofing tin to make a floor board. This car was an old Virginia State Highway Patrol car. 383 with a 3 speed and about 12 coats of blue paint. The bubble gum machine bracing was still in the roof. She was rough around the edges but overall a very solid car. A deal was struck, we drug it out of the barn and on to our trailer. First stop was the self-serve carwash. What a difference that made! We hit Cracker Barrel on the way and we were home by midnight. On our way home we discussed the plans for the car. It would be a nice driver with a max wedge that could get up and go when told to. This was a basic freshen up, updated brakes and address what was necessary to get rolling. We all know how that goes. One thing led to another and before long it was a bare naked shell. I did all the metal work and got it ready for body work. I painted the under-side and engine compartment, base coat clear coat. We had a friend of ours that completed all the body work and prepped it for paint. Another friend shot it and we were off to the assemble part. All the suspension had been blasted and powder coated with new front end components. I got it back on all 4’s and this is where the project had a sudden stop. It was now mid 2010 when priorities changed again and the car was pushed into the corner where it laid dormant until August 2011. During that down year I did little things like paint the dash, trim pieces and source parts. I found a fellow here that had some chrome that I needed and he was coming to the Nats. My wife and I headed to down south on a Saturday to pick the stuff up. We were walking through the race pits when she said “hey, they called the max wedge and hemi’s up, let’s go watch em.” Against my better judgment, I agreed. Now I haven’t been to the races in almost 10 years and I always made a better racer than a spectator. So we are sitting there watching all the beautiful early b’s make passes. As we were leaving the stands she told me she sure misses seeing me out there and I told her that I miss making laps too. Now folks, this is where things get REALLY interesting and I hope that you’ve made it this far. She tells me to scrap the idea of the street car and build a full on race car. I chuckled when I heard her say that because I thought she was kidding. I said, honey do you realize how expensive race parts are? She said, yup I know and I want to sit in these stands next year and watch you go some rounds! At this point I started to feel a little light headed and woozy and it wasn’t from the hot sun. I asked her again just to confirm that I wasn’t hearing anything funny. Her response to me was “let’s get it done!” Needless to say it was a very nice ride back home. My goal was set. Take a roller that was to become a street car and turn it into a race car in 1 year or less and make it to the 12 Mopar Nats. I have a hang up about having other folks work on or build my cars so everything that was done to the car (minus paint and body) was done by me in my humble little garage. I had a lot of fun on this build and I am already looking forward to the next one! Thanks for taking the time to read my little blurb. It is a special story that I hold near and dear. Now, on to the good stuff!! As found At home
|
|
|
Re: 63 Savoy Max Wedge - Start to Finish......Almost
[Re: Max Wedge Savoy]
#1331790
11/07/12 01:04 PM
11/07/12 01:04 PM
|
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 592 Sullivan, Ohio
Max Wedge Savoy
OP
mopar
|
OP
mopar
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 592
Sullivan, Ohio
|
So here we are in the first week of June ready to break it in. I was like a kid on Christmas Eve. I had my wife inside watching the vitals, pops was the diver and I was on the timing light. The wife hit the key, it turned over about 3 times and roared to life! I set the timing, wife's eyes were on the gauges and pops was watching the floor. I love it when a plan comes together! After all the glad handing and patting each other on the back, it was straight back to work as there was a LOT that needed done yet. Overflow tank, drive shaft loop, door glass, front bumper, you get the picture.
|
|
|
|
|