Can't wait to get started!

[brassmonkey]

Hi guys - Brass Monkey here.

When I turned 16 y dad (the best dad in the world) bought me a 1970 Malibu convert. It was a rust bomb, but we had it painted & it looked good for a few years before bubbling & rotting some more.

Anyway - what did I care I was 16 cruising a pussymobile. What I didn't know at the time was how rare, unique & valuable that car would become. I sold it when I joined the army. To be honest there wasn't a lot left of it - but still...I digress.

So now I'm rolling through my midlife crisis & told my wife I should get a Harley or a girlfriend. She didn't like the girlfriend idea too much so she let me get the softail. I've had it for a couple years now & really love the bike. It's quite custom & freakin cool. But riding alone sucks & the lady is afraid our kids will be orphaned if we both get splattered.

So...Long story I know...I decided to sell the bike & get something else cool but with 4 wheels & at least 2 seats.

This brings me to this forum. I received an offer of even trade for a 1971 chevelle Malibu (hard top). It is a southern car that is nearly rust free. I live in north central Illinois & any car more than 5 years old that is rust free is a gem. The owner use the car as a dragster - has a roll bar, HUGE tach etc etc. Says he has $5k in the engine & a decent amount in the tranny too. Original AC car & everything (lights, blinkers wipers etc) still works as original.

Too good to be true right? Well here's the catch. While the car is mostly free from rust the paint is completely shot - warn through, thin & cracked. The worst part is the car is green. Green interior, greed dash, green kick panels green, green.

I can paint the car. I've painted others. With little rust (1 spot on the front quarter) I can have it cleaned up & in fresh color in a week or two.

But what to do with the interior?

That isn't the only issue either. It's manual drums. I know easy fix to add power brakes, but you see, I'm now starting to add the $$$ to the car pretty fast.

$1000 paint
$200 power brakes
$1500 Fix the AC - the car originally had it but the guy removed it because 50lbs of useless weight slows dragsters down
$$$ Green interior - what another $1000 - or $2000? I've never done an interior before so I don't know.

But the car is SOOO cool. & it runs low 11's!!! & I can have it looking great in a very short time.

We did the deal in a couple weeks. I told the owner I wanted all the AC parts so he is trying to source them, but says he won't get the airbox (too expensive).

I'm starting to get excited!

[flash]

Welcome ,I would add the power disk brake kit up front before paint just to make it safer to drive or at least add power to the drums .Most of the interior can be dyed if its in decent shape .

[brassmonkey]

Thanks. I'll do the power booster first thing - that's easy enough to do.

I'll search the forum for how to dye the interior. It is in really good shape.

http://tinypic.com/a/2tr3l/1

[carpoor]

Cool car, and story behind it. I personally would not dye any of the seating surfaces, I am willing to bet it would come off and end up all over you in the heat. But the dash pad, door panels, etc. - those will be fine without a doubt. Just spring for a really good dye that you mix and spray with a gun like paint. They hold up 10 Xs better.

My father had a 72', was Placer Gold with a green top and interior. (a few pictures of it are floating around here) We stripped the top off and repainted the car Sequoia Green. At first, we were skeptical... but after a while the color combination really grew on us. Every show I took the car to, people complimented how they loved the color combination because it wasn't like every other red or black car with black interior. JMHO...

[earthquake68]

Welcome to the site!

Here's another vote for green. Faded green doesn't look good at all, but shiny green looks fantastic. You may consider just keeping the green. Not everyone has one. How often do you see green on green cars anymore?

[Hank70SS]

Welcome and good luck with your project. I agree about the green, plenty of red and black Chevelles. My friend Ray has a Forest green 69 with light green interior. Sharp looking car and it gets plenty of attention at cruise-ins.

[Ms Grumpy]

Originally Posted by brassmonkey

Thanks. I'll do the power booster first thing - that's easy enough to do.

I'll search the forum for how to dye the interior. It is in really good shape.

http://tinypic.com/a/2tr3l/1

Welcome Brassmonkey,

Four or five years ago I would have said no to the green. But you don't see many with the all green interior, especially if it is in good shape.

I went the powerbooster route and regretted doing it. Lost a lot of vacuum. Before you spend the money on it, really research how you want to drive the car.

Can't wait to see pics of your car.

[shadowgray396]

Welcome to the site. Looking forward seeing some pictures of your new ride.

[brassmonkey]

I plan to drive it occasionally - highway for road trips - & around town for fun. So power brakes would be good. I think if you add a canister to store up a little reserve it will be drivable. If I decide I really don't like it I can go with an electric vacuum pump.

I appreciate the calls for going green. I can shoot the paint but will get a pro to spray the stripes. Nothing worse than a crooked line!

Enjoy the pics - oh by the way - the owner is providing the inner fender wells & most of the AC parts. I will be putting the AC back together.

[brassmonkey]