Hi all I have been gone from the scen for a good while now and I'm just now getting back into it.
A few years ago I had a stroke after starting my father and son project car. This was to be the last project my dad and I would do.
My dad and I worked on a few cars over the years. The first project car we started on was a 1966 Mustang.
That was my first car and one that I never finished. I sold it off for something else. I was now getting more into muscle cars.
Mopars where top on my list but very hard to find in my area as Im more in Ford and Chevy country.
The first car that my dad and I finsihed was a 1970 Ford Torino Cobra with a 429 SCJ motor and a 4spd transmission. That was a fun and fast car. I loved the shacker hood it was a blast to drive.
We where out on a drive one day when I spotted a 1968 Dodge Charger and then a barn full of other rare treats. The guy had a 1968 GTX in the barn with a lot of 1955 Bel Air's.
I was talking to the guy and making a deal on the Charger when a family member of his walked in and said why dont you buy my R/T.
R/T what hmmmmmm this got my ears open quick. The guy had a 1970 Coronet R/T that was last on the raod in 1983.
I was in between my buying frenzy and now owning nine cars and not really needing to add another one to the fold. I had a 1970 GTO, 1955 Bel Air four door, 1966 Plymouth Fury, 1970 Challenger SE, 1970 Challenger R/T, 1967 Couger, 1966 Ford Mustang, 1949 Ford Truck and now a 1968 Dodge Charger with a 1970 coronet R/T stairing at me saying please take me home.
The guy was a Chevy fan and wanted to get rid of the Coronet R/T the asking price was steap so we talked for a few months. I thought the car would get away before I bought it but told myself if it did it was meant to be.
I got a call one day while at work from my mom saying the guy with the R/T wants you to call him, he is ready to deal. The guy came down from the $4500 asking price to $2500.
I was at work and trying to make a deal and busting at the seams trying to hide my joy from co-workers and the seller on the other side of the phone.
I told the guy no deal it was till to high with what body work that needed to be done and the parts I would have to search and buy for it. I countered offered with $1500.
The guy started getting mad at me and telling me I was ripping him off and I said take it or leave it. The car did need a lot of metal work and a lot of hard to find parts.
The call was going on for far to long I could tell as now my boss was looking at me but I didnt care I mean this was a true R/T and it was a 1970 Coronet. I was drooling to get it home.
The guy hung up on me after getting to mad and I thought well its over my dream to own that R/T was over. I stared to make plans of restoring the Challenger R/T.
I put in a parts order about two hours later for a console and a few small parts to get the car ready. The Challenger wasnt to bad and would have been an easy restro.
The phone range a few hours later and it was the guy with the R/T saying you got a deal if you can be here tomorrow with the money CASH. I told him that was a deal.
The next day the car was on a roll back and heading to my dads shop and I started to work on a Challenger R/T. I really wanted to get the R/T done as I had found a 426 Hemi I was going to drop in the car.
The Hemi was a steal at $3500 all rebuilt and ready to drop in. This is where the story takes a turn.
My dads health was getting worse and was offered a job if he closed his shop down to run another shop in town. My dad clossed his shop and went to work at an all Ford garage.
My dad is diabetic, has seizures and a lot of other health problems. We decided to sell off the collection of project cars and keep only one to restore.
I put my Coronet R/T up for sale on ebay and listed the others in magazines and on the net. The 1970 Coronet R/T started at $1500 and in just two hours was up to $7500.
I thought what is going on and why and thats when I started digging into the 1970 Coronet R/T more. I talked with Galen and was told that he only knew of two black R/T's and both where one of one he thought.
The other car was used in the movie Lock Up and its an all black car to where mine is black with white bucket seats.
I took a hit on the ebay auction and clossed it and sold the challenger R/T. I then sold my Torino Cobra and thought well now I have the funds to do the car right and so we began the restoration.
We worked on weekends and what little time I had off. I was working 80-90 hours a week (I got the stubs to prove it and the health) and using any every second I could to get the R/T torn down and a parts inventory made.
My dad and I cut the rear panels off when the panels came in and started fitting the new ones in making sure it was all going to fit right. The drivers side panel still needs a little working to make it fit just right but it will get there.
While all this was going on I went in to work one day for some training on a new computer system we where going to get. I noticed in the training I wasnt feeling well and a bit off.
I left and came home as thats when it hit me. I started having a seizure that they now say was a stroke. I lost memory and a lot of other skills.
The Coronet R/T project was stopped and looked doomed to be one of those "I'm going to restore it some day" to its up for sale and to high for anyone to buy it in the condition its in.
My dads eye site was getting worse and I was still in no postion to work on the car. My dad is now leagely blind and the R/T is or was cold in the water.
To drift away from the car for a second. I did find other projects that my dad and I worked on together. We built an AR-15 and proved that we both could work together, me his eyes and him the skilled hands.
I started looking for some help after that in welding the panels up on the Coronet and after getting prices thought well that wont happen for awhile.
I'm setting and thinking once again maybe I should sell it and some of the parts. Then I posted an add looking for welding help or a welder in my area.
I got hit with a few responses asking questioins to finding someone that might be able to help me get the project back on track.
I'm hoping by late summer or early fall of next year the panels will be final fit and ready to weld if not before that time. I got a lot of stuff to move around the R/T and a lot of things to look over and try to remember where we left off.
My dad even said he would weld the car if I couldnt find anyone, knowing he wouldnt be able to but he would give it a shot. I thought well this was a spark to get us back in the game.
I'm still waiting to hear back from a friend who said he would help weld the car up but it looks like it will happen. The next few months will be just cleaning out around it and then getting the panels ready.
I'M BACK IN THE GAME AND THE R/T IS YELLING GET ME FIXED IT'S TIME TO DRIVE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT..............
So it might not get to the A+ show car I wanted and it deserves but I will get it back on the road and who knows I still maybe able to do the under carriage of the car yet.
So thats my story and its one I'm sticking to. The R/T with a little help from my friends will get a much needed boost.
Thanks for reading and tell me what you think and good parts sources and what I've missed since 1999 or 2000.
Get the welding done, and I'll bet your Dad can do body work just fine by feel instead of sight. Best of luck to you guys, and we'll look forward to updates.