I've Started Working On The Wagon !

 Being retired doesn't mean being idle. The other day I looked at my poor 1965 Valiant  station wagon sitting in my work space just rusting away and I decided to make bringing her back to life a priority . I dragged out the power washer and began.I know, this probably means that all those grand plans to travel get shelved but this is more important to me . I can travel after, maybe not this year but after.I'm still waiting on parts for the Moto Guzzi and the bike is usable locally as is so it can wait. The car on the other hand is at the do it or lose it point and I don't want to lose it.So I started ! Here are a few photos of just how bad it has become and how the transformation from being a rust bucket ready for the scrap yard to being a nice driver once again is progressing .

The Beginning:

After a complete washing and airing out I attacked :

After the fender removal I went down into the basement and dug out the two straight rust free fenders I had put away 25 years ago knowing that at some point I'd need them. You see, this car has been an ongoing project from the day I first laid eyes on it. That was back in 1989. I saw it in a parking lot.It was in mint original condition. I left a note on the window to try to buy it but the guy wanted to use it. I sold him a set of doors and side windows for it that I had for 175 bucks and forgot all about it. Seven years later in 1996 I get a phone call and it's the guy with the wagon.He tells me the car is pretty much trashed and I can have it for free if I buy back the parts I sold him for what he paid me . I said yes and this is what I brought home:

I fixed it up and used it for work and to travel up to my camp in the Adirondacks for the next twenty five years. She went thru a few phases and served me well .I carried lumber on the roof,my kayak ,tools and camping gear inside , kept her in good running condition and now it's time to do it again . The other fix ups were just so I could use it as a work vehicle, this time I'm going to make her pretty. Got some cool wheels and a rebuilt 170 cu in motor to put in front of the 4 speed I put in when the automatic took a shit at 350,000 miles. This will probably be the last car I build so I'm gonna have some fun.

As you can see, she's been through some changes over the years . So now the fun begins !