Archive for October, 2011 « JESDA.COM | Cars, travel, etc.

Monthly Archives: October 2011

Weekly Wrap-Up – 8 October 2011

Saab — The Swedish government’s attempt at pairing Saab with China’s Geely was unsuccessful, and now Youngman Lotus (China) may no longer be interested. Rumors are swirling that some in the Swedish government are conspiring to take Victor Muller and Vladimir Antonov out of the picture.

Meanwhile, unidentified firms have expressed interest in Saab. The drama never ends.

Domestic Manufacturing — Rising fuel costs and rising foreign labor costs have attracted reinvestment in American manufacturing. GM and Ford are planning multi billion dollar investments in US plant upgrades, adding shifts, and hiring new workers.

Land Rover — Britain’s hottest brand is considering a 300-horsepower of the critically acclaimed Range Rover Evoque.

Cerberus, Bob Nardelli — Bob Nardelli of Cerberus, the private equity firm that gutted and nearly destroyed Chrysler (after it was nearly destroyed by DaimlerBenz), said that Cerberus could have saved Chrysler had it been offered the same deal as Fiat. Delusional. He redacted his statement later on.

Cadillac — Four cylinders return to Cadillac, gone since the universally panned Chevy Cavalier-based Cimarron of the 1980s. This time, it’s a brand new, highly sophisticated turbo unit promising 270hp. The long wheelbase Chinese version of the RWD/AWD Cadillac STS (known there as SLS) is powered by the same turbo 4-cylinder engine that was used in the Pontiac Solstice GXP.

Cadillac — With the end of the 4.6L Northstar, Cadillac now lacks a V8 option in its standard cars, leaving only the V-series CTS powered by the 6.2L “LSA” OHV V8 shared with the Camaro ZL1 and the Escalade powered by a 6.2L Vortec 6200 V8. Cadillac’s prestige is in peril, lost in sort-of-premium territory alongside Acura, Infiniti, and Lincoln.

Summary: Cars are getting smaller, lighter, quicker, and more efficient without significantly sacrificing performance, but the dust from the autopocalypse still hasn’t settled.

Malls Are Dying

Other than gangbangers, powerwalkers, and teenagers, who hangs out at malls anymore?

Lately, no one.

THE ECONOMY

American shopping malls derive their income from discretionary consumer spending — the household income left over after debts, savings, and living expenses are paid.

In a recession, discretionary funds become scarce and in response, consumers will forego luxury goods like purses, high-end apparel, fragrances, expensive shoes, specialty electronics (Apple being the odd exception), and other high-end products typically sold at malls in favor of low-cost durable goods.

(See enlarged chart)

For example, a set of ceramic bowls at Williams-Sonoma costs $200 (I just bought some as a wedding gift), and while they are aesthetically pleasing and exceptionally well made, the task of containing food can be accomplished by plastic bowls available for $2 at Wal-Mart.

With growing concerns over unemployment, especially in typically stable sectors like finance, law, and healthcare, well-to-do upper middle class professionals are confronted with cost concerns even if they aren’t immediately affected by job loss. Luxury spending is curbed in favor of savings, and vibrant malls become ghost towns overnight.

Target, Costco, and Wal-Mart, however, tend to thrive in times of economic distress, absorbing newly cost-conscious luxury buyers moving downmarket to save money. It isn’t entirely uncommon, at least since 2009, to see parking lots at big-box discount stores filled with luxury cars, the same Cadillacs, Lexuses, and BMWs that were parked outside the mall just a couple years ago.

BIG-BOX COMPETITION

Large discount stores and outdoor strip malls are replacing large indoor shopping structures.

After World War II, Americans relocated to the suburbs and naturally, so did their shopping centers. No longer was it necessary to drive downtown, find parking, and deal with traffic and congested city blocks. Parking at a suburban mall is free, space is plentiful, and the interiors are secured and climate-controlled. Shopping malls continued to perform well through the end of the 20th century, becoming entertainment destinations in addition to shopping centers.

The West Edmonton Mall in Alberta was the world’s largest mall from the mid-80s through the end of the century. The Mall of America in Minnesota, currently America’s largest, offers 96 acres of space featuring four levels of stores, amusement rides, an aquarium, and coming soon, a luxury hotel.

Inexplicably, Mall of America hasn’t suffered at all, with plans to expand.

DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION

Urban developers, concerned about the exodus of retail from downtown city centers, developed skywalk systems to compete with malls, offering an all-indoor retail experience using covered bridges that bypass intersections and connect retail buildings. Parking was and still is a problem for most.

While most attempts at restoring inner-city retail have failed, a handful of development efforts have succeeded. Spokane, Washington’s Riverpark Square is a multilevel structure located in the heart of the city’s downtown. Restaurants occupy the main level while upper floors are filled with shops and big-name anchors like Nordstrom. At the very top is an AMC movie theater. Parking is still an issue, but an attached $1 parking garage negates the need to search block after block looking for a space. Running out every hour to fill the meter is unnecessary. Additional restaurants and retail locations have opened nearby, reversing years of decline.

Riverpark Square’s success is made possible, in part, by snooty south side residents who tend to disfavor neighborhood retail development (aside from grocery stores) and any accompanying traffic, pollution, and congestion.

AGING STRUCTURES

I live in Chesterfield, Missouri, a second-ring St Louis suburb incorporated in 1988, half an hour away from downtown St Louis. Most of us enjoy the physical separation from the crime, poverty, corruption, and mismanagement that plague St Louis City. While the trade-off has been longer commutes (and the expenses that come with it), several firms have opened suburban offices where taxes are lower, parking is easier, property is cheaper, and employees who already live in the suburbs are nearby. Additionally, It’s easier to attract and retain talented people if their commutes are shorter.

Before World War II, the Chesterfield area was known as Gumbo Flats, a rural part of the metro area where US Highway 40 terminated. Routine flooding in the valley limited development to farms and the Spirit of St Louis Airport, used primarily for crop dusters and personal aircraft.

As Chesterfield’s population grew, so did it’s shopping needs, and the Chesterfield Mall opened in 1976. Chesterfield Mall carries the distinction of being the largest mall in the metro area, though it’s also one of the emptiest and least populated.

JC Penney closed years ago. Borders bookstore, the only competitor to Barnes and Noble across the street, closed earlier this summer. Wapango, a pan-latin restaurant, disappeared last year. Dillard’s, Sears, and Macy’s, the three remaining anchor stores, are scarcely populated compared to other metro area locations. Macy’s tends to stock most of its inventory at busier stores, leaving the Chesterfield location with a limited selection.

Fortunately, The Cheesecake Factory, Houlihan’s restaurant, and the AMC theater continue to perform well, filling the parking lot every weekend. Unfortunately, they may as well be closed from Monday through Thursday.

While the mall here in Chesterfield isn’t as old as most American malls which date back to the 1950s and 1960s, a lack of funds and an apparent lack of care have resulted in poor maintenance. Ceilings and walls are dirty and cracked with fixtures in desperate need of refurbishing and the parking lot is riddled with potholes (my 1998 Cadillac Seville was swallowed by a large pothole, prompting me to file a claim). Inside, smaller stores are vacant, kiosks are quiet, and corridors are empty.

This is this antithesis of the post-war American dream.

I neglected to notice the decay years ago because I rarely walked through the mall’s interior — I’d buy Craftsman tools at Sears and go home immediately after. In 2010, I considered opening a retail kiosk and changed my mind after realizing how risky it would be to open a retail location in a space where customers were scarce 80% of the time. I’d earn a profit between Thanksgiving and Christmas while breaking even (or worse) the rest of the year.

STRIP MALL DEVELOPMENT

Exacerbating the problem is ongoing strip mall development in the Chesterfield Valley. Chesterfield Commons, known by some as Boone’s Crossing, completed construction in 2005 and remains the largest outdoor strip mall in America. At 60mph, it takes three minutes to drive across the entire complex.

Businesses in or near the complex include Home Depot, Lowes, Wal-Mart, Target, Sam’s Club, Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Wehrenberg Theaters, several banks, several restaurants, Kemp Auto Museum, a Ferrari-Lotus-Lamborghini-Bentley-Aston-Martin-Rolls Royce dealer, a Ford dealer, a Kia dealer, and several office buildings. Aldi and Big Lots have arrived this year to serve bottom-end bargain shoppers.

All of this development was made possible by a recently reinforced levy — this entire area was under ten feet of water in 1993. It’s a risk, and if a “500 year” flood were to ever happen, the valley and the city of Chesterfield could be devastated.

Proponents of the new Chesterfield Valley outlet malls say the differing selection of outlet stores will have little or no impact on Chesterfield Mall, and that the strip mall will attract shoppers from as far as three hours away, attracting different kinds of customers far outside of Chesterfield. The mall, they argue, will continue to serve local consumers.

Suburban malls in middle and northern America, suffering from economic conditions and the ongoing transition to big-box retail and outdoor strip developments, are struggling for relevance in an environment where malls are no longer a destination or a source of entertainment. They’ve become large, empty shells.

Upscale consumers are willing to drive further, even if sales taxes are higher, to shop in nicer environments that offer wider selections of goods and services. New developments quickly displace old ones, leaving carcasses of dead malls behind.

The automobile and metropolitan highway systems, for better or worse, have given consumers the freedom and mobility to vote with their wallets, forcing property developers, towns, and retailers to compete on cost, selection, and aesthetics. Unfortunately, several have been left behind.

For more information on dead or declining malls, see deadmalls.com.

Expired tags? You’re going to jail.

No surprise, this story comes from the nation’s capitol.

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WASHINGTON — District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray said Friday he expects police officers to use discretion and to be sensible in deciding whether to arrest drivers who have expired tags.

D.C. police spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump said in a statement that city law allows drivers with expired tags a 30-day grace period in which they’re issued a civil traffic violation instead of being arrested. After that, police have the discretion arrest a driver, issue a ticket or issue a civil citation. She said figures weren’t immediately available about how many drivers have been arrested solely for expired tags. She said it’s against the law to have an expired tag and that officers are sworn to enforce the laws.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/sen-webb-calls-on-dc-mayor-gray-to-review-report-of-police-jailing-drivers-for-expired-tags/2011/10/07/gIQAeFMiTL_story.html

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To put this in perspective, here’s crime data from Washington DC:

The district has its hands full with:

Rapes 6x the national average
Murders 4x the national average
Robberies 6x the national average
Auto thefts 3.5x the national average
Assaults 2x the national average

Yet, DC police offers find the time (and the willingness to do the paperwork) to arrest drivers charged with nothing more than expired tags. It’s an administrative issue inexplicably handled in a criminal fashion, and nowhere else in the Virginia-Maryland region does a police offer have the power to make an arrest for tags alone.

Additionally, an expired driver’s license in DC can also result in an arrest.

Video:

This is, quite obviously, an abuse of police power and a waste of taxpayers’ time and money.

Steve Jobs Is Dead

The auto industry is more than a century old, so the passing of well-known leaders, engineers, and designers is nothing new. We remember names like John Z. Delorean, Ransom Eli Olds, Harley Earl, Henry Ford, Karl Benz, Walter P. Chrysler, and Alfred P. Sloan. They each moved personal mobility one step forward, changing the way we interact with the world, the way we express ourselves, and the way we live, but most of them died several decades ago.

By contrast, the bigger names and faces in Silicon Valley are young, still working, and very much alive. Generations of people have passed through the corridors of General Motors but Apple, founded in 1976, is a relatively young company. Therefore, Steve Jobs’ death at the age of 56 is quite jarring. He continued to serve as Apple’s CEO until stepping down weeks earlier due to health concerns. Then, on October 5, 2011, he passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Compared to automobiles, personal computers are relatively new, arriving in the 1970s and maturing at the end of the 1990s. What was once a luxury for upper class families became as ubiquitous as flush toilets, occupying most American homes by the end of the last century. Then, on the coattails of the PC came a wave of smartphones, PDAs, and personal multimedia devices that revolutionized communication and further connected the human race. It sounds quite similar to the story of the automobile.

Industrialists like Henry Ford and Michael Dell focused on volume, cost, and operational efficiency while design visionaries like Harley Earl and Steve Jobs emphasized human expression, emotion, and interaction.

Before assembly-line manufacturing, the automobile was an expensive toy for the wealthy, a novelty for the privileged and accomplished. Streamlined manufacturing introduced by Henry Ford and Ransom Olds significantly reduced assembly times, increased production output, and contributed to per-unit cost savings that lowered prices for consumers. Suddenly, almost overnight, America was on wheels.

Likewise, MITS (Altair), Tandy, Compaq, IBM, and Commodore played significant roles in reducing the cost of PC technology, transforming home computers from pricey, finicky toys for hobbyists to low-cost mass-produced boxes with wide functionality. The day finally arrived where if you wanted an affordable computer, Radio Shack and Sears-Roebuck carried a wide selection, all in beige. No soldering necessary.

Using a computer back then, as I remember it as a child of the 1980s, was like driving a Model T, an unintuitive process involving specific commands and strict syntaxes, like the mess of knobs and levers on a Model T Ford. The functionality was there, but accessing it was a chore.

The arrival of electric starters, seat belts, power steering, heating, and air conditioning brought civility and comfort to American motoring the way Steve Jobs and Apple brought ease and simplicity to computing. What was once the domain of a handful of enthusiasts became tangible and accessible to the masses.

It’s important to note that Steve Jobs didn’t create the personal computer, the smartphone, or the MP3 player (the Diamond Rio predates the iPod). Calling Jobs an inventor would be fairly inaccurate.

He was instead a planner, a conceiver, and a dreamer. To offer a cartographical analogy, he drew up a roadmap depicting the future while delegating others to build the roads. That’s the heart of leadership, and it makes up the bulk of his legacy.

Others will remember his lack of philanthropy, his draconian and sometimes ethically questionable management style, and the two years his daughter Lisa and her mother Chris-Ann spent living on welfare while he denied paternity.

For better or worse, he will be remembered.

September 2011 Auto Sales Figures and Data

Raw Data (From Autonews.com):

Notes:
–For September, the auto industry was up 10%.

–Saab is currently selling the 9-4x alone due to supply issues and manufacturing shutdowns.

–Nissan is booming due to Honda, Toyota, and Subaru supply issues. Nissan is on its way to becoming America’s #3 brand unless its Japanese competitors resolve supply issues caused by the earthquake and tsunami.

–Volvo is booming due to brisk sales of the new S60.

–Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep continue to perform well.

–Mitsubishi, at one point expected to leave the US market entirely, has posted gains due to the well-received Outlander Sport.

–Volkswagen’s repositioning is paying off as US manufacturing and major price cuts (and moves downmarket) have boosted sales significantly.

–At less than 3000 units, Fiat has failed to meet its expected volume of 6000 due to marketing issues.

America’s Top 20:

Notes:
–Thanks to aggressive lease deals, cash incentives, and availability, Altimas are selling very well, serving as an alternative for those who cannot buy Hondas and Toyotas due to supply issues.

–Jetta sales are booming due to price cuts made possible by US manufacturing and cheaper components and interiors.

–The Chrysler 200 is pummeling its predecessor, the Sebring.

–Chevy Cruze is a home run for GM.

Market share:

Part 6 (Completed!): 1963 Chevy Impala Wagon Build Project

1963 Impala restoration project.

Continued from Part 5

This is a story about an American classic that was acquired, rebuilt, and restored. Republished with permission from Neal Hartman. Captions, photos, and story are primarily by his father, Mark Hartman.

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August 29th, 2011:

Well, boys and girls, here are some more pictures. Not to much to add except some pics of the headliner.

And as usual, the e-mail from Rick.

Mark,

Trip to Tiger Upholstery went fine with no problems. Wagon is back safe at the shop. I will start installing the interior shortly.

The ole girl should (and I’ll say that lightly) go back together rather quickly now. I’ll keep you posted.

Rick

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September 2nd, 2011:

Time to whet your appetite a little bit.

Got an e-mail recently from Rick with some new pictures.

Mark,

Finally got some progress pics for you to look at.

I’ve been busting rear this week to get the wagon completed as quickly as possible.

The dogleg repair came out nice, as the pics show. To those following this thread, the Ole Man in MO. would not let this Grand Ole Lady out of my shop with the fitment between edge of the door and the dogleg not correct. On looking back at the original pics I can’t believe I missed this. That is the only reason the dogleg had to be redone…QUALITY CONTROL.

The interior is going together nicely and hasn’t caused much trouble at all.

Hope these update pics ease’s your mind my friend. I’ll keep you updated.

Ole man in MO

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September 6th, 2011:

Well, ladies and gentlemen, a large chapter of the restoration is nearing a close.

This will be a double post as I have received two sets of photos from Rick along with two e-mails, which I will add in chronological order.

Enjoy!!!

Mark,

Pictures from Saturday morning showing what I have gotten done so far.

The back seat is in now and will soon have the seat belts installed.

The kick panels turned out nice also, I think. The colored bed liner in back seems to work well.

Will talk to you later my friend.

Rick

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September 6th, 2011:

Mark,

Here are a few shots of today’s progress.

As you can see things went well. Other than installing back seat belts and a few other small details, the interior is complete. Tomorrow is buffing exterior from top of doors to bottom and hood.

SHE’S CLOSE MY FRIEND!!!!!!!!!!

Rick

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September 19th, 2011:

Clare’s official coming out.

To all who might care,

These are the only pictures I took and they were in Ricks shop before and after the show.

The Vette is Ricks and is the same one he owned when I first met him, just a different scheme from the doors back. The black with flames Vette is the one he had when I met him when I was 17.

Here are then and now pictures:

Now, I thought you all might like to see this:

Rick did a fine job and the judging was done under a shelter because it was raining most of the day. Everything was wet; cars, trucks and motorcycles.

I left the plaque with Rick. I had told him if the car ever won in a show he got the first one. Well the first one (plaque) was the first one (show). Plus I don’t care for those things anyway. The car for me is to honor my dad and mom… and to drive when I can. Shows are down a ways on the list and winning further down from that. Just having people look and say your dad would be proud is more than enough.

I took no pictures because of the rain (doesn’t make any sense; I take the car out in the rain, but not my camera).

I will be leaving early tomorrow morning (Tuesday, Sept 20th) to drive down with my wife and youngest son to bring her home. I’ll hopefully get some nice weather and nice pictures to you soon.

Thank you, Rick, of Crossed Flags Restoration. Without you it would not have happened.

Thank you, NICO, as well for your viewership, comments, encouragements, compliments and ideas. You people truly are a family.

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September 20th, 2011:

Well, boys and girls. It’s been a long day, but the Grand Old Lady is at home.

Not much to tell but here you go.

3AM the day starts and from there I shut off the alarm to find out Sherri has been up since 2AM. I go wake Steve (my other son) up and well you all know the drill.

At 8:30 AM we get to Rick’s. By 2:13 PM we are back in Galesburg.

Sherri gets in with Steve to go buy some food and I head off into the sunset to remove dead bugs from bright work and new paint.

Then off to the insurance company for a reappraisal of the car. We must keep up with things.

Then home to be with her other family members Jeep and Sub.

Not much to tell, other than I am to used to cruise control to run the go pedal that far.

Great…I spend all this money just to have bugs commit suicide on my car.

Time for a drink…

At home and snuggled up with the Jeep.

Again, thanks to all that have stuck with me (and Neal for his guidance) through all of this. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen her, but happy she’s at home.

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September 24th, 2011:

Well, all. I know the car is home and safe in the garage, but I got a few more pictures from Rick via e-mail to show ya and of course his customary e-mail. So, you’ll read the e-mail then see the pictures.

Mark,

Here are the last of the pics of the car.

Glad all went well on the trip home. Clare is probably really glad to be home, as are you.

It has been a pleasure working with you on this build process. It sure does seem odd when I get to the shop and the wagon is GONE. She kinda growed on me.

Have a great day!

Ole Man in MO

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Fast Tube by Casper

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What a stunning car. I hope you enjoyed Mark’s storytelling, Rick’s craftsmanship, and the detailed build photos as much as I did!

–Jesda

Part 5: 1963 Chevy Impala Wagon Build Project

1963 Impala restoration project.

Continued from Part 4

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May 6th, 2011:

I have some good news.

No, the car isn’t done yet. That’s not my news.

I have more pictures. That’s the good news. So good, in fact, that I actually have two sets of pictures and letters to update you with.

The ole girl is coming along quite well now and is almost starting to look a little bit like a completed car. But, like I said, almost.

Anyway, as usual, here is the first letter and first set of pictures received from Rick last week.

Mark,

Here are some more random pics for you to view.

I finished all paint work, including tinted bed liner in rear footwell area today. ALL paintwork is now completed.

I have the front (firewall forward) about 90% wired. Just have to iron out a few details with Don Bach next week.

Progress is going very well, so I hope I can get this wagon done soon. Interior will progress quickly now. Will send you more pics as I progress.

Ole man in MO

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Now, as I mentioned, there are more pictures. So, here’s the letter…

Mark,

Here are some more pics.

Wiring is completed to rear of car including the tailgate. I was able to figure everything out,and have not had to call Don as of yet. I was able to run 95% of the wiring down the right side as was stock. The wire loom that works the tailgate and power window has its own loom. The taillight, brake light, license light, feed for gas gauge and fuel gauge has their own loom. So far everything is falling into place pretty well.

I’ve now started installing the rear cargo area, as you can see. I won’t install the rear glass until I can test wiring for proper function with key switch and switch under dash.

The camera kinda washes out the color of the interior but it looks killer in person.

Talk to you soon,
Ole man in MO

And…the pictures:

This thing is getting so close I can almost picture myself driving it home. I have so many plans that I want to do with it once I get it home. I really am having a hard time waiting, but as the adage goes, “Good things come to those who wait.”

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May 23rd, 2011:

Well, all. Here we are with another update on the old girl. It seems to be getting closer and closer and I am getting more and more excited (read: impatient) to get her home in the garage.

As usual, Rick has included his customary e-mail to let us know what the progress on the wagon is.

Mark,

More pics for you.

As you can see, things are going together pretty good. I’ve been working back and forth between wiring and installing interior as they kinda go hand in hand.

The fuel tank, wiring for fuel tank, and air ride are now installed. Air fill (Schrader valve) for air ride is now located in the gas tank filler door and is aired up to 10 PSI. No air leaks!!!!!!!!

I have just a few connections to iron out on the engine hookup and I have figured out where all but one goes. I will have to talk to Don about it.

I’ll be working on the gear selector/shift hardware today so I can START this ole girl before long!!! Exhaust hookup will follow after that so starting her up is not far away.

That’s all I have for now.

Ole Man in MO

And, what you have all been waiting for…the pictures:

On a side note, I know about the tornado that struck Joplin, MO, and I hope that any/all affected by this are doing ok. You are all in my prayers.

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May 27th, 2011:

Ok, gang. Looks like Rick wanted you all to see some more pictures of the build. So, since I am paying the guy, might as well give him what he wants.

As usual, the letter and the pictures follow.
Not much longer.

(For the record, Rick, I am doing this because I have nothing better to do, but I know you like the crew looking at thread. Hopefully you’ll be able to read some comments from them.)

Mark,

More pics for you to look at. Sorry I didn’t get these out last night but my camera was at the shop that I
took these pics in. Hope this gives you something to enjoy until you make it down Thursday.

Hope you, the wife and family have a SAFE and HAPPY Memorial Weekend.

Rick

Here’s a nice picture of the Missouri sky. So pretty.

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June 4th, 2011:

Now, so as not to make my son look like an idiot, I suppose I should get to getting and post up some pictures for ya all to look at.

This time, though, there is no e-mail from Rick. My wife and I drove down Thursday for a couple things.

The car is coming along quite well. My wife and I had a part in installing the front bumper with Rick getting the assist.

The front bumper license plate thingy was installed after my wife and I left to come home, so unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures of that yet.

The Rally wheels now have trim rings and center caps. The deep trim rings on the back 8″ wide wheels and the shallow ones on the front 7″ wide wheels. The center caps are the short type that don’t stick out too far.

Also, the body moldings have been placed on both front fenders, front and rear doors, and rear fenders to the bumper (which will be removed prior to color sanding, then reinstalled). Just waiting to get the Impala logo on each rear fender.

You can also catch a glimpse of what the seats will look like when everything goes all back together. The seat pictured is the back bench.

Here are some pictures of the engine bay. Rick is still having issues with 4 wires, and he has said he’ll loom the rest of the wires once everything is all wired up and running.

Now, originally, the wife and I had gone down to get fitted for the shoulder seat belt mounts and placement of the 1968-1972 rectangular mirrors to make sure everything was peachy. And, they are.

As for the shoulder belts, there is actually a hole in the B pillar, but we’re not quite sure what that hole is for. So the placement of them with that hole is just fine for me and the wife and anyone else who rides in the car. Rick will weld a nut on the inside so the bolt has something to screw into.

The mirrors will actually get mounted pretty close to the original positions. They are much bigger because they are rectangular so there will be more viewing surface.

Hopefully, the next set of pictures that Rick sends me will have the complete front bumper assembled, pictures of the seat belts mounted to the B pillar and the mirrors mounted to the doors.

Hope you all have enjoyed the thread so far. It won’t be too much longer till the ole girl is sitting back at her birth.

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June 6th, 2011:

Hey, gang. Just wanted to throw this up and give ya a little more insight on something I mentioned in my previous post.

I had said that there was a hole on the B pillar that Rick was going to use for mounting the shoulder belts for the wagon. After scouring some pictures, I found one that has been posted before and you can see the lone hole that I am talking about. It’s circled in red.

Anyway, that’s all I have for now. More as soon as I get it.

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June 16th, 2011:

Good morning, NICO. How is everyone?

Well, I had a few minutes, so I thought I would post up the most recent pictures that I received from Rick recently.

Not much of a message from Rick as he is having some issues with his computer and been putting in long hours in the shop.

There is one picture of a broken O2 sensor that Rick has ordered a replacement for. There is also an issue with getting enough fuel pressure to start the engine. Other than that, I’ll just let the pics speak for themselves.

Also would like to say congratulations to my son. Happy 10th anniversary, my boy.

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June 25th, 2011:

Hey, gang. How has everyone’s weekend been going?

Well, I recently received more photos so I thought it was time to get my butt in gear and get them on here and give you a taste of where the car is now. So, without delay, here’s Rick’s mail, then I have included a small segment for the last four pictures.

Mark,

Some more pics for you. The project is nearing the finish.

Windshield is going to be put in this afternoon (Fri-24th). As soon as the seats come back, I’ll trailer her to Columbia for the headliner install at Tiger Upholstery. After that, I’ll install carpet, seats, sill plates, buff her out, install mirrors, trailer her to Sid’s for alignment and SHE WILL BE DONE!!!!! I’ll drive her after that for awhile, to be sure and get the bugs out so She can come home to the ‘Burg. Hope this brightens your day.

Ole Man in MO.

The following photos are parts for the roof rack and the POR15.

Rick had to blast the rack parts, do a lot of body work and then get them ready to paint because they were in no shape to be chromed again. He has poured the POR15 in to the tubes of the rack and let it coat the inside to try to stop anymore rusting.

So I am in the market for a chrome (good condition) 1963 roof rack in the future.

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July 8th, 2011:

Well, my followers, it’s been a bit, but I have some new pictures and a new e-mail from Rockin’ Rick down in MO. Things are starting to look interesting.

Mark,

Some more pics for you.

Still waiting on the fuel pump, but it should be in today (Thursday).

Larry, the fellow doing the seats, called Sunday and said the seats will be done soon. Just waiting to get a few things done so I can get the ole girl started and get her finished.

I went out Sunday to Larry’s place to help him resolve a small issue on the upholstery and got to see the seats. He has all of them done except for the back of front seat, which he had a question about how the corner was done from factory. It was no problem…he just wanted to make sure!!!!!

He really firmed up the bottom of the front seat and added some more dense foam to make the cover really tight. He also painted the bare metal seat frames before he did the upholstery, which impressed me. Your seats are very nice!!!!!

Larry Kuhn is the name of my friend doing the upholstery. He is very good and has been doing this for a long time.

Well, Mark, that’s about all I got for now. I’ll keep you posted as I progress. Sorry these are so late as we have been busy trying to get Sharon’s car fixed and have been down to one vehicle since last week. It has made things crazy around here for a while now. Oh well…everybody has their turn in the barrel.

Ha Ha!!!!!

Rick

And, now for some pictures. ENJOY!!!

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July 11th, 2011:

Well, I have a few pictures for ya today. Not a whole lot. Not much of an e-mail either, but quick and to the point.

Here we go.

Mark,

Here are some pics of the seats. They came out really nice and will look great when trim is installed.

Fuel pump is not in yet. Hopefully today (Monday). I’ll keep you posted.

Ole man in MO!

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July 19th, 2011:

Hey, gang. Guess what. I have some new pictures to show you. So, here’s the letter from Rick.

Mark,

Here are some more pics for you to look at.

The roof rack came out really well, as you can see. The underside of hood is still a little wet in these pics, but should dull slightly when it gets fully cured. It is a semi gloss finish.

I will call you this evening about the starting problem as it is too lengthy for my poor typing skills…Ha! Ha!

Call you soon.

Rick

And, now for some pictures!

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July 21st, 2011:

Sadly, we are having a problem with the LT1 not wanting to run.

Rick has put a new electric fuel pump on and it will not start. She does run on short bursts of starting fluid and there is the correct pressure at the injectors but still no go. They are thinking the VATS system may have reared its ugly head and said, “Nope you are not takin me.” But it ran before, so some part of the program must have changed after being unhooked from the battery this long. Rick is loading her up for a field trip to scan the computer and see if any clues show up (I hope).

Maybe she just needs a day out, you know, cabin fever. Any ideas you might have, please let us know. Rick is reading this thread so your input will be read.

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July 21st, 2011:

Dr Rickenstein has done worked his magic and pulled the levers to the right extent and with the power of 12 volts “SHE is Alive” once more. With the help of the Professor William (Billy) Cox (a hot rodding buddy of Rick’s who is a whiz around LT1’s. He has one in a Cadillac) owner of Muffler Man in Macon MO. The two of them tracked it down to a wire that needed to be constant hot on the accessory terminal of the fuse block. All because the new harness had a different color wire from the original wires. So with luck Cassandra is off to get the headliner in next week then interior and then alignment.

Sorry for the confusion, hope this straightens it out.

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July 23rd, 2011:

Well, the ole girls time is nearing and Rockin Rick has sent us some pictures along with a better explanation of the VATS problem.

Mark,

Some more pics for you to view.

Sure am glad to get the starting problem solved.

In the pic that shows the wiring connections, if you look closely, you can see a blade fuse with green tape on it. I moved the pink wire from this location to the present location on front fuse block. This terminal, supplies power to the VATS side of the computer. All I had to do was remove the blade terminal it had, change to a ring type terminal, and reinstall it to the front fuse block.

This terminal is cold until ignition is turned on and then it becomes hot and stays hot when ignition is turned to start engine. That was the whole problem as the hot (pink wire) was on the wrong location.

Your wagon starts immediately now and sounds great. I’ll keep you informed as progress unfolds. She WILL be home soon!

Ole man in MO

And now for the pictures.

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July 29th, 2011:

Hey, all. Again, the updates are coming faster than I can get them posted. Rick has been busy at work with Cassandra, as you will see in the pictures. There was a small spot that needed to be taken care of that he mentions in his e-mail.

Mark,

Here are the pics of mirror mounting and right side dogleg repair.

The wagon will go to the paint booth this weekend to get the repaired area painted. Monday she goes to Tiger Upholstery for the headliner and wind lace installation. When she returns, I’ll get the rest of interior completed, then off to Sid’s for the front end alignment.

After that I’ll take her for a little test driving, then hopefully, headed home to you for the River to River cruise.

Keep your fingers crossed!

Ole Man in MO.

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August 12th, 2011:

I know it has been a very long time since I have posted up here. There was a small snafu that was unseen until two weeks ago. As the Grand Ol’ Lady was taken down to Columbia Mo for headliner and windlace things came up and she had to be put on hold. After talking to everyone, it sounds as if the ball will be rolling by Monday the 15th if all goes well.

So please be patient and keep an eye to the thread and the road, as you never know when “We” may pop up in your neck of the woods.

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August 18th, 2011:

Well boys and girls, I guess I lied to you again about Monday the 15th of August. As far as I know the car is still in Columbia, Mo. waiting for its turn again. I hope Rick asked them to take pictures as they worked, but if not oh well.

So I’m sorry that this thread is just dragging along. I don’t blame any of the readers for dropping off of here as by now I have noticed that most of you have kicked back awhile ago. But someday we hope to be roaming the byways of this country.

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Continued in Part 6

Part 4: 1963 Chevy Impala Wagon Build Project

1963 Impala restoration project.

Continued from Part 3

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Good evening gang, how are all of you doing?

Well, it’s been a bit, so I figured I’d whet your appetite for now.

Last weekend, I took a little trip down to Missouri to visit Rick and see how things were looking in person. I have some photos for ya to view and…well, do whatever it is you all do with photos.

What I have are some old/new tire and wheel comparisons, pictures of a painted but unfinished roof, a floor pan that has some nifty paint on it, and just some random tid bits.

Anyway, here you go…

Here some pictures of, as I mentioned, the new and old tire and wheels on the rear. You can see the difference in height.

Now, take a look at how close the tires are in width.

Now, some nice pictures of the suspension for you:

Now for some roof pictures. Please remember, these are of an unfinished roof.

Now, here are some pictures of the floor pan with POR-15 on it.
(POR-15 – Paint Over Rust!)

Once rust and corrosion starts, it must be properly treated or it will ruin your classic. POR-15 allows you to paint over rust. POR-15 is a high-tech, high performance rust-preventive coating designed for application directly on rusted or seasoned metal surfaces. POR-15 dries to an incredible rock-hard, non-porous finish that won’t chip, crack, or peel, and it prevents rust from recurring by protecting metal from further exposure to moisture. POR-15 is great for painting over rusty frames, floor pans, farm equipment, marine equipment, or even a heavily corroded battery tray.

Now for some randomness.

And here are some pictures of the man behind the scenes doing all the work and sending pictures and e-mails to me.
Say hello to Rockin Rick!!

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February 23rd, 2011:

Howdy, ladies and germs…guess who’s back with more pictures? That’s right…the Grouchy O.B.

What I have to offer you today are some pictures of a few days before the last post I put up. I went down on the 19th to view the car with my own eyes, and the pictures I show you now are from around the 17th and 18th of February. So now you know why in this post you can see the roof being done after I showed you pictures of the mostly completed roof. (Mostly completed at is only painted. No buffing, sanding, etc.)

Oh…one more thing. Some of the pictures have the date set as 2003. That’s because Rick, the master of bodywork that he is, didn’t switch batteries quick enough in his camera and everything was reset back to default. Well, guess you can’t master everything, right old friend? HAHAHAHA!!!

So, as always, here is Rockin Rick’s message.

Mark,

As promised, here are some more pics for you.

As you can see, all of the interior color has now been finished and awaits assembly. All of the doors and tailgate now have their blue paint work done. All of the mentioned parts have had their second block down done (exterior), primed, guide coated and now await final sanding before paint.

The black mist on the parts is guide coat. Its purpose is to help you find imperfections before painting. It will show up as black spots so they can be fixed before paint.

The gentleman helping me prep the roof for paint is a fellow premier car builder Tom Peek. Tom is the person in the pictures painting your roof. Tom came in and helped me on the roof, as my injured left shoulder (rotater cuff ) prevented me from being able to hold my arm up for painting the roof. This roof is so long that you must be able to switch hands in the application process. I’ll be fine on the rest.

I get by with a little help from my friends, as the Beatles’ song goes.

Thanks Tom!!

I’ll send more pics as they come.

Ole Man in MO.

And now for more car porn!!

I would also like to extend a very hearty THANK YOU, TOM PEEK for taking time out of your presumed busy schedule to help out Rick with my car. I am very appreciative of your help.

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March 6th, 2011:

Well, boys and girls, it’s the grouchy old one back again with an update for you all. And, I might add that things have picked up quite a bit on the old lady and have begun moving at a decent pace. Still not sure when the resto-mod will be finished, so I won’t speculate on that.

Anyway, as usual, here is Rick’s e-mail that always accompany the pictures.

Mark,

Here are some more pics for you.

A lot of work has been done over the last few days as you can see. Tom was a little slow on his end so he came over and helped me prep and paint the wagon. That really helped out as I was unexpectedly slowed down early Tues. morning and had to drive to Shelbina and take care of some personal business. That delayed me and I really wanted to get the body painted that day due to the warm day.

I gave Tom a call and he bailed me out. Went home at 9:30 that night…long day!

Paint came out very nice.

The body remount went off as a snap. No problems whatsoever. The lift makes this part easy and precise.

I’m installing wiring today and will have more pics as I progress.

By the way, the American Autowire Update wiring kit is VERY NICE and the quality excellent!! This will make my job much easier.

Rockin Rick

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March 14th, 2011:

Well, gang. I am back for another update, but first I would like to say a few things.

With the events in Japan the past few days, my wife and I are relieved to hear from Neal on a regular basis that he is doing ok. We are keeping a close eye on the situation and hope that things don’t spiral out of control. Please keep him and his family as well as his in-laws in your throughts/prayers/etc. I have also seen the other thread and am happy to read the support you have offered by your words to him and other residents in Japan affected by this tragedy.

May God bless you all, and may my non-religious friends be blessed in what ever way you can be. Thank you.

Anyway, on to the topic at hand.

Here is the e-mail received from Rick:

Mark,

Here are some more pics. I’ll keep this short as it’s getting late and I’m tired.

I’ve been busy assembling the wagon, plus prepping the doors and tailgate for exterior paint. I plan to paint doors and tail gate tomorrow (Tues.) if all goes well. After that I will install doors and tailgate, then on to front fenders, hood, etc. until I get all parts painted and installed.

More to Come,
Rick

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March 23rd, 2011:

Good evening boys and girls. I’m back for another update, but this time, I have my boy watching over my shoulder…literally.

He made it home this past Monday, although he and I really wished his wife and youngest could have made it here. But, things be damned, it just wasn’t in the cards this time.

Anyway, as always, here is the message from Rockin Rick.

Mark,

Here are some update pics for you.

The doors and tailgate have been guide coated and ready for final sanding. The dull white coat in the next pics is sealer which is applied after final sanding and right before painting. This promotes good adhesion of the top coats (paint) and helps protect the bodywork under it.

The next pics are the paint itself after painting. Paint came out very well with excellent gloss.

The rest of the parts (primered) are the next set of parts to be fine tuned and painted.

As you can see, the hood required quite a bit of prep, even though it was a new piece. It had some distortion along both edges from the forming process and was not acceptable in its present form. Also had a few small dents here and there that had to be addressed before paint. Don’t fret as this is very common even on new parts. I see this often as the reproduced parts are formed on dies which have had much former use. Hood has been fine tuned, and will be painted with rest of parts.

Also sent a few shots of the doors installed. I will send more as progress continues.

Thank you for the updates about Neal and his family. I’ve been keeping them in our prayers. This has to be very hard on all of you and hopefully things will continue to get better. Hope you have a good day.

Rick

P.S. Had a pretty rough storm here last night with hail and high winds but no twisters. Most of that was towards the north of us. Did get a few hail dents in the Jeep’s hood and on Sharon’s Accord but they were slight. Thank Goodness, as I don’t have time to fix my own stuff. Ha! Ha!

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March 27th, 2011:

Welcome back to another fun filled round of “What’s next in the world of SS Going for Broke”.

Rick has had his hands full on this installment. What with the…WAIT a minute here. I am getting a head of myself. Please read on.

Mark,

Some more progress reports.

Dry fitted front end to make sure everything fit well before painting. I’m glad I did, as I needed to do some reshaping of the right side of the hood. You can see what I’m talking about in the pictures. So much for just painting the hood.

Whenever new parts are installed fitment is critical or you may get an unsatisfactory result. That’s expensive to fix. Plus wasted time and material.

OK. Off the podium, but for the good people following this thread and might be following in procedure, this is a very important tip.

After fitting, aligning, and fine tuning I bolted everything down in place. Now I’ll mark alignment on all the major attach points, disassemble all primered pieces, sand and paint.

Now I can reassemble all the painted parts with confidence knowing they will all fit well. AND no scratched up parts trying to get things to fit. Hope that this maybe helps someone out.

Also got the ECM installed and all four rubber door seals installed. After that, I fine tuned all door fitment and adjustment, as you can see results, in back towards front pics of each side. Installing the door seals was also important for proper door panel alignment and final fit. Much easier to do now before other things could get in the way.

Also sent a couple of dash pics for you. The pics are a little deceiving as the pad in reality is a darker blue in color, which really complements the dash.

Well, Mark, that is about it.

Ole Man in MO.

So as you can see, Rick (with the help of his friend Tom Peek) has been using TLC
on my old gal. And other than the hood giving him problems, I think she may just respect him for what he has done for her. I know I do!

I know that this is his job, but to do this kind and caliber of work, you must put a part of yourself into what you do. So again Thank you Rick and Tom and to the ones in the background that help and do not get mentioned (Rick’s wife and his friends down the road).

I am so grateful.

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April 9th, 2011:

Well, my NICO faithful, it’s time for an update on the old girl.

Was nice having Neal and the boys home and looking forward to him being back in a couple more weeks. Maybe I can get him to clean the garage out for me…

Anyway, as usual, here is the e-mail from our ever hard-working Rockin Rick.

Mark,

Just some more pics to show you what I’ve been doing.

Much time spent cleaning old paint overspray off the moldings before assembling them. Moldings came out great. Now assembling doors, progressing from front to back.

New window channel felts and seals all going together nicely.

Haven’t painted the front end yet but will in the near future.

Back brushed aluminum trim, as you can see. Came out very well and can be used over no problem. I think I removed a pound of caulk from the backside of it.

Will send more as I progress.
Rockin Rick

I have front windows!!!

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April 19th, 2011:

Well, gang, here we are again with some more updates on the Old Girl. The more the pics come in, the more excited I get about getting her finished. Shouldn’t be too much longer now!

Mark,

Some more eye candy for you. It’s very late, so this is short.
Making very good progress and everything is going back together nicely.

Talk to you soon,
Ole Man in Mo

Well, since there isn’t very much to read, it’s time to get you on to the pictures.

Enjoy!!!

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April 28th, 2011:

Hello all,

The word for today is WIRING. As the man from the state of MO has told me, he is working hard to clean up the bird nest that was under my hood. His thoughts are to make it a more pleasing site when the hood is up, and I agree. So most of you know that to wire anything is a time consuming ordeal and will drive you mad, we must wish Rick well in his conquest, as the length of the car is not short and the amount of wire is beyond immense. And that is just under the hood. There is still under the dash with the digital dash, the new cruise control and all. Then he may have to change the wiring from the right side that the wagon was made with to the left side that all other Chevy cars were made with.

And to think I did this to a friend of mine because I had a different dream and he is trying to fulfill that dream to the very best that he can. I know it is his job, but some people just do more than their jobs. Some put feelings into it so that when you look at the finished product you see the pride of the craftsman, doing what they do best, what they enjoy going to work for. To Rick and all the rest of them, I say THANK YOU.

Continued in Part 5

Part 3: 1963 Chevy Impala Wagon Build Project

1963 Impala restoration project.

Continued from Part 2

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August 23rd, 2010:

Glad everyone is enjoying it. I am enjoying it as well, even though it’s vicariously through Rick as he builds her back to glory for me.

Anyway, I have some more pictures for you with an update on the front suspension.
Enjoy!

Mark,

Here’re some pics of the front suspension completed. ALL bushings and lower ball Joints replaced. All A-arm bushings are urethane upper and lower…This car should handle GREAT!!!!!!!!!

The Ole Man in Missouri……ENJOY!

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August 26th, 2010:

I have an update for ya today, courtesy of our good friend (and auto restorer), Rockin Rick, down in Missouri.

Mark,

Just some more eye candy for you to view. Much of the interior came in this morning and it sure does look VERY NICE!!! I did not unwrap everything as it arrived in good shape and is packaged very well. Door panels are sweet. It sure is good to see quality stuff made here in the Good Ole U.S.A. I’ll e-mail the tire info in a few minutes.

Rick

Interior bits..

Headlight and grill support pieces:

Corvette Rallye wheels with BFGoodrich Radial T/A’s. BEEFY!!

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September 4th, 2010:

Greg posted a picture of the car from the day he picked it up for Mark in Arizona:

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September 9th, 2010:

Well, after having some down time while Rick was on vacation, and me taking my time getting pictures hosted…I figured it was time for an update.

The ole girl has made quite a bit of progress in the last several months, and I have to extend a large robust “Thank You!” to Rick. For a one man operation, he has been busting his backside to get this done for me. I am much obliged.

Well, anyway, on to some pictures.

A few posts ago, there were some parts that were shown. Some of them may not have been to obvious on what they were. Well, now you know what one of those sets of parts were for.

Yes, I know this picture is upside down, but now you see how it fits where it’s supposed to go.

Front and back tires should hold the road, but will suck on snow and ice.

As you can see, she does not want to remove her clothes for just anyone.
She is making Rick work for it:

From Rick:
Mark,

Here are some more progress pics for you. As you can see, the paint strip process is a slow messy job. I was surprised that the base red oxide primer was so tough. I will have to sand off with 80 grit and a DA sander. You can see this in the last pic.

Talk to you soon,
Rick

And…just some random parts:

All for now. Hope you all had a nice Labor Day holiday.

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September 11th, 2010:

Hey, kids…and us oldies, as well…How’s everyone doing today?

To start off, I would first like to say something.

Nine years ago today, terrorists attacked the United States in the single most deadly act in all of history. Thousands of men and women lost their lives on those planes, in the WTC, Pentagon and in the field near Shanksville, PA. Along with those that died in the initial attacks, many police and fire fighters, first responders and civilians lost their lives trying to battle the fires and ultimately the collapse of the Twin Towers.

Let it be known that your lives, memories and legacies will never be forgotten.

With that out of the way, I have another update with some more progress on the wagon.

First off, an e-mail from our good friend, Rockin Rick.

Mark,

Some more pics of the wagon in the paint removal mode. I sent some pics of actual removal procedure.

I did this as it is very Important to protect yourself while doing this process. ALL of the older cars from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s contained lead in both the primer and top-coat paint. The red oxide primer in this application was very high in lead content.

ALWAYS wear breathing protection while performing this procedure.

Speaking of the red oxide primer, this ole gal didn’t want to undress easily. The paint stripper would not even phase it…had to remove with a orbital sander and 80 grit sandpaper. This slowed me down some, but has to be done.

Also sent some pics of the right rear quarter panel, as it needs to be repaired…again. It would be interesting to know what caused the damage…

Will send more pics as I progress.

Rick

And with that…

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September 16th, 2010:

Going broke. It’s a slow going process, I know, but you’re pretty much guaranteed to get weekly updates. Well, that may be a stretch, but it sure sounds good.

Anyway, Rockin Rick has continued to turn and burn on the ole girl, and she is coming right along. The more I see of her, the more excited I get anticipating the day when she’ll be docked back at her berth.

Well, here’s the e-mail from Rick.

Mark,

Here are the pics of bodywork progress.

Removed the paint on firewall, sandblasted and removed all seam sealer in drip rails and cleaned for new sealer. (Many guys overlook this very important step.) And rust is still left to continue rusting.

All bare steel will be metal treated before etch primer and resealed with new sealer.

The hole in the rear quarter panel came out very well and, as you can see in picture, it closed back together and welded up good. Hole in the tunnel of the floor is fixed also.

Will finish body work this week and will etch prime body (hopefully) by first of week.

I will be in touch when I have more updates. Hope you have a Good Day!

Rick

And, now for the money shots!

Here is the hole Rick mentioned in the right rear quarter:

And here is the repair job:

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September 27th, 2010:

Got some pictures last week but was a bit under the weather, so I didn’t have time to get to the thread. Well, have no fear, because Rockin Rick has been making steady progress and the car is still moving along nicely.

Mark,

Here are some pics of the final steps of the bodywork and primer application on the wagon. All bodywork on the car body is complete, except for a small dent on lower left quarter. I noticed it while priming the car. I will fix it when I block sand the body.

The rest of the car is smooooooth! This is the result of many prep hours, sanding and blocking. I applied 3 coats of PPG self-etching primer for this base primer. Will block down and re-prime as necessary.

The front fenders, doors, tailgate, radiator support, windshield grille, and upper bumper valance will go to the media blast Monday or Tuesday of next week. Sure was glad to find a media blaster, since the red-oxide primer on this car is so hard to remove.

Talk to you soon,
Rick

P.S. For those who aren’t familiar what etch primer is, I’ll explain.

Etch primer is simply, a very corrosion resistant primer. It contains an acid that kills any surface rust by neutralizing it and then seals it. This prevents rust from working under the new paint!!!!!

And now on to the pictures.

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September 30th, 2010:

Alright, got some more info for all of you.

The car has had the engine and transmission placed back in the frame!!!

Mark,

I’ll keep this short as we just spoke on the phone.

Here are some pics of reinstalled motor and trans. Everything went back in and reconnected just fine. The rolling chassis is now COMPLETE!!! The light now appears at the end of the tunnel, so to speak!

Later,
Rick

P.S. the motor and trans cleaned up pretty good for not using any water.

Not as many pictures as usual, but here ya go!

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October 10th, 2010:

——————————————————-

October 30th, 2010:

Greetings, NICO!

Well, I have an update and some more pictures for you.

Mark,

Here are some more pics of the body work that needs to be done (I’m working on). As you can see, there are some rust issues. These will be repaired by cutting out the bad areas and welding in new steel. The fender brace looks worse than it actually is. It’s solid with no pinholes. I will kill the rust and treat the area before covering it with new steel. This area will be treated with POR-15 after completion to stop continuing rust.

I will send more pics as progress happens.

Rick

She is in good hands, as all have seen. That is why I wanted Rick for this job, I knew what he was able to do, and the care and love he puts out and in to the cars that he has a hand in rebirthing, and I say that because each job that he has done is a new life from what he started with. Go and look back at the “T” or my car at the start of this trip and you will see that it is a love of the job and the machine that lets someone do this and keep doing it for this long.

Not too bad a car. Just small trim problems from the pictures. But no one has the trim for the wagons as I just bought NOS from National Impala and all they had at the time was 6 of the 8 that I needed so I am still one front door and the other back door short of NOS (new old stock). And all the car places do not do trim for wagons as they are not the HOT idem to have as a two door.

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November 6th, 2010:

Howdy, howdy NICO. Got some updates for you today.

Today’s updates come in the form of a double post as I was kinda busy the last couple days doing a whole lot of nothing and just couldn’t bring myself to do the work. But, it’s Saturday night, and I have nothing else to do.

So, today, you get the last two e-mails/photo groups that Rockin Rick has sent me in the past week. I apologize for being so lazy, but hey, I am the G.O.B., and I have a reputation to live up to. So, to start it off, here is Ricks e-mail from the first set of pictures, plus a post script at the end…ENJOY!!!

Mark;

Sorry I’m so late getting these pics to you. I just finished ALL body work on the rest of the Impala’s doors and front end. Just need to block down a couple of times, and prep for paint. Got the bed liner material in so I hope to get the underneath done, hopefully, by mid next week depending on what I need to do for additional prep. I’ll keep you posted.

Thanks, my friend!!!!!

Rick

P.S.

I just wanted to say THANKS MARK for all the good publicity you have been giving me.

I really try to do my best on every dream I rebirth for someone, no matter what it may be. I owe this gift to my late father. Dad (Paul) always taught me to take the time to do it right. Then, you have the right to be proud of what you’ve accomplished. Dad taught me everything he knew, from the time I was old enough to crawl in the door, ha ha!!!! So as this build is a tribute to your father, it is to mine also.

To all the good folks following this build, hats off to ya’ll for all of the positive input.
Getting to DO THINGS RIGHT is also very refreshing for me.

SHE WILL BE a very smooth ride!!!!!!

Ole Man in MO.

And, as promised, here is part two.

Mark:

Here are some more pics of the completion of all the bodywork on your Impala.

The dark brownish material on the door bottoms is DynaGlass; a short strand chopped fiberglass which is waterproof and strong. I use this before applying regular body filler.

The tan stuff around door edges is new seam sealer. It is smoother to the eye than it looks in pictures.

ALL PARTS are now ready for paint!!!!! I will paint firewall Mon- Tuesday of this coming week and bedliner the underneath following that.

Hope you have a great weekend….

Talk to you soon,
Ole Man in MO.

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November 14th, 2010:

I have an update for you all today.

Mark:

Here are some more progress pics for you. The first ones are a brace on drivers side. That was torn loose from the body on one side. I repositioned it and rewelded it in place.

Picture 4and 5 are where I drilled out the spot welds inside the floor pan, and re-welded from the inside. The rest of the pics are your freshly painted firewall and cowl section.

I have not done underside of body as I didn’t get the spray gun for bed liner until yesterday. I had to go over the underbody and fine tune (clean better), degrease and sand the complete underbody with 80 grit sandpaper to insure good adhesion of the bedliner material. I will spray it Monday. I’ll keep you posted.

Some of the firewall pics look a little funny due to reflection from camera flash. Paint came out excellent. Great gloss. NO RUNS!! Had shop temp at 85 degrees when I sprayed. I really liked the way the PPG paint applied.

Thanks,
Rick

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November 18th, 2010:

Hey, everyone. Got some new pictures of the S.S. Going Broke, so I figured you all would want to see them.

Anyway, here’s the usual e-mail from Rick.

Mark,

Got some more pics for you to look at.

Bed liner came out nice. I sprayed it with just a little heavier texture than a truck bed to aid in sound deadening. I think that this was the messiest part of the whole job! If you brushed up against this stuff, I think you would become part of what you sprayed. Ha Ha!!!

You have approx 20 min. to apply after catalyzing the mixture or it will set up and ruin your spray gun. You have to clean (flush well) after applying each quart of mixture. Try doing this 7 times before completing the process. The clean up after the last application has to be done quickly and very thoroughly or else your spray gun is lost. The guys who do this for a living earn their money!!! Thank god for Tyvek throw away paint suits!!

That’s all I got for now. Hope you have a great day!

Ole man in MO

P.S. The pics of Gold Diggers ride are Awesome!!! Love the color.

Really enjoyed the backdrop scenery (Mt Fuji) in his pictures. Looks like his buddies have some pretty nice rides also.

Thanks to all following this thread,
Rick

——————————————————-

December 4th, 2010:

Ladies and Gentlemen of NICO,
At this time I would like to let you all know that the Cruise Ship “S.S. Going Broke” is. At this time we are going to have to let the grand old lady sit in dry dock for a little while, as the board of directors (me) saves some more coin of the realm to pay for my follies. I over spent on the garage and house projects, then the rains came and I found I needed a roof on the back of the house. And of course the flood in the back yard twice and the new drain pipe did not help at all. So a little time to build the funds back up as I can, and then I will put Rick back in the saddle again. Please rest assured that Rick will stay busy as his talents are in demand by many people. If you are close to the Macon, MO area and would like to meet Rick or have him do some work for you, let me know and I will put you in touch with him. And NO he is not the reason I am out of coin, as I said things at home came up and LIFE just happens to all of us. So just grab you attitude and put your shoes on and get going, because life is not going to wait on us!
I hope each and every one of you fine “NICOites” the best holidays you can have with family and friends and “May God Bless” as Mr. Red Skelton was so fond of saying.

All my best to you,
Mark “G.O.B.” Hartman

——————————————————-

January 8th, 2011:

Now that the holidays are over, and Rick has been able to take care of a few other projects, it’s time to get back to business.

As promised the S.S. Going Broke has come out of dry dock and Rockin Rick has picked up where he left off on the old girl. And, as usual, Rick has included a little e-mail to let me know how things are going. He’s left you all a message as well.

Mark,

Here are some progress pics for you.

As you can see, the interior pieces both light blue and dark blue are now done. All I have left to paint are the steering column and seat brackets, which I will do today. They are black.

Hope the cruise control that goes in the steering column comes in soon since I had to completely disassemble it to paint. I also have the steering wheel to refinish and will do that soon, too!

To everyone on NICO who is following the thread: I hope you had a great holiday!!!

Rick

——————————————————-

January 10th, 2011:

Look out!! More updates for ya.

Mark,

Here are the pics of your finished steering column. I was really happy with the results, hope you are too.

I think going with the new steering wheel is a good idea. Looking at repair factor and paint work, you can save money here and have new material…important since it will be exposed to the sun frequently.

Hope you have a great day,
Rockin Rick

Here is a picture of the rear seat brackets:

——————————————————-

February 7th, 2011:

Hey, gang.

Sorry it’s been so long since the last update, but I had to deal with something unexpected in my family, which I won’t discuss, having to work extra due to all the snow and just being my usual grouchy old tired self.

Anyway, Rick was busy a couple weeks ago and sent me a couple updates with a few pictures.

As usual, you’ll get the e-mail from Rick and pictures to go along with the messages. ENJOY!!!

Mark;

I will have to bed liner the 2 pieces. The picture explains it all. I will do the pieces when I spray the bed liner in back floor area.

Rockin Rick

NOTE: Rick is talking about the small angle pieces at the back of the car by the tailgate on the floor on each side.

And this mail came a short while later.

Mark:

Here are some more update pics of the rear floor area and heater box components.

I’m keeping this short as it is getting late and I’m tired…

The floor actually looks better in person than in the pics. Must be something about the flash that seems to magnify the texture of the finish. I was really happy with the finish and color match. Interior should look great with the light blue, dark blue contrast.

Ole Man in MO

——————————————————-

Continued in Part 4

Part 2: 1963 Chevy Impala Wagon Build Project

1963 Impala restoration project.

Continued from Part 1

——————————————————-

June 1st, 2010:

So, the other day, the guy that is doing the restomods on my wagon e-mailed me these pictures for all of you to see. The dark colored 1969 Vette is the same one he has had for decades…it’s also the same car I blew my 1968 Firebird vert up racing in Galesburg back in 1974…before I met Neal’s mom. The other Vette, a 1976, is his wife’s toy.

Also, you’ll see some pictures of a 1926 Ford Model T that he recently restored.

Now you know…the wagon is in good hands.

Enjoy.

Rick’s Vette:

A customers 1926 Ford Model T. Was waiting to be finished before the wagon could go down.

Before:

After:

——————————————————-

June 3rd, 2010:

Got some new pictures of the wagon in the early stages of disassemble. According to Rick, the car is in pretty good shape considering it’s pushing close to 50 years old…almost as old as me.

Anyway, just some pictures of the rear cargo area, rear bumper area, tailgate and front end.
It’s all I have for now.

——————————————————-

June 5th, 2010:

The one thing that has not been talked about yet is the reason I spent so much time looking for this car.

In 1963 my father, James, bought a brand new one for his family. At that time I was 7 years old, and a new car was a big deal. It was the first car that he let me drive too. So as you can see this is a big thing to me.

The car was the same 936 Ermine white outside and the same 842 blue inside, 6 passenger wagon like I now own. My hope was to have the car bought before he passed away, but his time here on Earth was up shortly after I got the car.

No disrespect at all intended, but for me, the car will look stock in and out…the drive train only exception, as the sleeper will awaken!

The inside should look like this, but with a bench seat and column shift and the Dakot Digital dash because the LT1 and 4L60E trans would not hook up to the stock dash.

This is what the back end of the car looks like with the hidden luggage compartment. This isn’t my car either.

I thank you for your thoughts and opinions. That is what makes this country so great, we all have the right to think for ourselves. So again thank you and PLEASE keep reading.

And, also, thank you to my late father for the love of cars.

——————————————————-

June 6th, 2010

Well, after some digging, I found a picture of my dad’s wagon. Can’t remember the year, maybe around 1966, but here it is.

I am standing closest to the rear door with my one brother Eric and my cousin Kevin.

And this is the 68 Firebird vert I had back around mid-1973. The Mustang belonged to my other brother Scott, he’s the one standing next to the mustang.

——————————————————-

June 15th, 2010

Well girls and boys, Rick has been busy on the old wagon. I have been talking to him and the word is that all the glass but the windshield is out, the interior is out. All the moldings and drip rails are gone. The front fenders are off. As soon as he has time to breathe a bit, he said he would tease us with some bawdy pictures of the old girl striped down some. I am having a hard time finding the tires I want for the car. Does anyone know who has tires in the sizes 255x60x15 for the front and 275x60x15 for the rear. The rims will be Chevy Rally 7” and 8” for the old school look that I’m shooting for.

——————————————————-

June 17th, 2010

Ok kids, here is where the fun comes in. I’m asking for your help in choosing the right tires for the Chevy Rallies. In the front will be 15 x 7 and in the rear 15 x 8. The color is argent and there will be stainless steel trim rings and the disc brake caps. The back spacing is not set yet as Rick and I have not talked about it. We need to measure everything to get the offset just right.
But please let me know your thoughts. REMEMBER, this has to be able to drive from coast to coast in all but winter weather. G.O.B. gets finial judgment.

——————————————————-

June 20th, 2010

I know that this thread is centered around cars and all, but for this entry I would like to change it just a tad. Today I want to ask the Supreme Being to pass on to my Father a “Happy Fathers Day” as this is the first one without him for me. I hope he and my mom are watching the wagon build with smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts. I know we all have lost someone in our lives and it hurts, so today may they be smiling down at you, and you feel a warm glow. May you all have peace this day and I’m sorry it is so late.

——————————————————-

June 22nd, 2010

Got an update for you, but it’s not for the car…

Just to change things up a touch, we had some rain Friday night (June 18, 2010) and the wife woke me at 3A.M. CST to tell me we had some water in the garage. I called the contractor that built it and he came to pump us out a second time. The first was back in May on the 14th after a heavy storm.

Well here are some pictures I took at 7am.

I sure am glad that the car is down at Rick’s shop instead of here in the garage where the water was.

I really hope this rain lets up soon. This is just plain bonkers.

——————————————————-

June 23rd, 2010

The work has started and the pipe is tied in to the city storm drain. They started at the street and are working back toward the backyard. They made it as far as the A/C unit beside the house before another storm hit and had to stop. With any luck and God willing they will be done Thursday night.

——————————————————-

July 1st, 2010

I have some photos from the other “old dude” who is doing the work. Not a lot to explain as the pictures pretty much speak for themselves. The floors look good for it’s age. Maybe, even with all the little headaches this car has given me, it was/is worth the money spent so far. Well, I at least hope so. Photos are arranged by date, from newest to oldest.

Anyway…enjoy.

——————————————————-

July 5th, 2010

Got some more pictures for all of you.

Just some random shots of the engine bay work Rick is doing. He going to try and see if he can re-locate the ECU inside the cab instead of having it mounted on the firewall as it was before. Something to do with things possibly not working right if the length of wire isn’t right…

Anyway…

——————————————————-

July 7th, 2010

Hey, kids!

Just got an e-mail from Rick. New pictures and some words from Automobile Artist.

Mark,

Some more progress shots.

Tell the pups on the build thread, to notice how everything is marked, prior to dis-assembly , so when assembly time comes you are not scratching your head wondering where everything went!!!!!

AHH!! The wisdom of old age….

Don’t need to respond as I know you are busy this week.

Motor in pics is completely disconnected, and will stay on frame until body is lifted. As soon as I get the wiring and dash out, I will lift the body and put on the rotisserie.

The OLD DUDE!!!!!!
Later!

——————————————————-

June 8th, 2010:

This thing has really started snowballing.

To give you yet another update…the body is off the frame and all that remains is an engine, frame, suspension and exhaust…plus a few minor tidbits.

And, another message from Rick.

Mark,

The USS Going Broke, Has officially been gutted, dry-docked, and ready for the beginning of retrofit.

OLD MAN from Missouri

Don’t let that “OLD MAN from Missouri” bit fool ya. He’s actually from Illinois. I know this to be true. He just resides in Missouri now…

Oh, and Neal…not bad for an “Old dude” right? Kids these days. Where did I go wrong. Hey, anyone have a time machine to take me back about 16 years ago so I can beat the snot outta my kid on his 18th birthday? DAMN…

One other thing, son…Rick says he can’t wait to meet you this summer when you come home. Something about showing you “just how old this old dude is.”

Enjoy, youngsters!

——————————————————-

July 12th, 2010:

First off, Neal talked to Rick on the phone the other day and asked if he had any pictures of the Corvette from back in the day. (Yes, he’s owned the car for more than 30 years.) Lo-and-behold, he did. So, he sent them my way and now I offer them up to you. Rick’s not too sure when the photos were taken, but sometime between 1976-1980 would be a safe bet. Oh, and by the way, would you believe this car used to be a convertible? He did everything himself.

Yeah…Rick’s that good.

And, now on to the Impala.

Got this e-mail and a few pictures earlier today.

Mark,

Some pics of frame and motor after degrease and hot bath.

Frame looks excellent, and is very rust free and in very good shape. Motor cleaned up good (didn’t wash front ((OptiSpark)). Didn’t want to get wet.)

Will call tonight.

Rick

Here’s where she’s at now.

Well, all. It’s been a beast of a day and I am off to the land of snoozies. Have a good one.

——————————————————-

July 20th, 2010:

Hey all!

Sorry it’s been so long since my last update. With work and getting ready for the boy to come home from Japan, haven’t had a whole lot of “me time”. But, I got a bit now, so I thought I’d hit you up with a couple different updates on the ole girl from our good buddy Rick.

So, the first update was from Friday of last week.

Mark,

Some more pics of Wagon. Hooray!!!!! The nasty part is almost done.

This is the result of 3 days of soaking under-body, with diesel fuel to soften undercoat and road tar, then using a propane torch and a scraper, to heat and remove it. Very hard dirty work. The deeper I get into this car the better it looks. The under-body is as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar. Absolutely NO RUST. Incredible, for as old as this car is, and that will save you $$ !!!

Dad must have been looking out for YOU, when you found this VERY NICE OLE GAL.

Talk to you soon,
Rick

And this was from earlier today:

Mark,

Here are some pictures to show you the body and frame work I will need to do. Very little work since the car is in such good shape. Just a matter of doing.

I looked closely at the right rear hub and I can see why it is leaking, as the seal looks beat up! Someone installed poorly. It could be fixed…inexpensively verses replaced…your call, though. As of now I believe you still want to use Chevy hubs? Let me know.

I am getting the info together for the air bags for rear, as I will need soon, along with the rear suspension bushings. Have you found a source for the rear bushings? Let me know about that, too.

Thanks,
Rick

——————————————————-

August 19th, 2010:

I know it’s been a while, but with preparing for Neal and the family coming home, I didn’t have a lot of time to get stuff updated, and also, Rick had been busy with some other things.

BUT…I do have some fairly recent photos for you. I will set them up below.

There were some issues with the rear of the frame that had to be addressed. So, Rick, being the welding/body guru that he is, took the time to repair a specific part. I can’t go into a whole lot of detail, but a patch had to be welded into the rear of the frame.

I had also purchased some new air bags for the rear suspension as well as rear lower control arms.

Here are some progress photos from July 30th through August 16th.

Getting the patch set:

Patch welded in:

Grinding down the welds to smooth out the patch:

The new panhard bar is adjustable and the air lines will be routed up to the fuel tank door to fill without getting under the car to fill.

As you can see the air bags are in, as are the new rear trailing arms and the back half of the frame is done. The new tires and wheels have been ordered from Coker Tire. Corvette Rallye 15×8 with 275/60R15 in the rear and 15×7 245/60R15 in the front, BF Goodrich T/A’s.

Next, we see the LT-1 engine sitting on a palate so Rick can get started prepping the front end for any repairs that may need to be done.

Front half before…

Front half after…
With the tubular upper A-arms and all new bushings for upper and lower A-arms. There is a 1” sway bar to replace the stock one. The bushings are polyurethane.

Also, may have an issue with the engine and A/C pump. The issue is, that the hoses for the A/C lines running to the pump will have interference from the motor mount on the left bank of the engine. So, we are looking at fabricating a bracket (or if a company makes a relocation bracket) to put the A/C pump on the upper right bank of the engine for hose clearance. Could be interesting.

Well, that’s all I have for now. Talk at ya the next update.

Continued in Part 3

Monthly Archives: October 2011

Weekly Wrap-Up – 8 October 2011

Malls Are Dying

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Steve Jobs Is Dead

September 2011 Auto Sales Figures and Data

Part 6 (Completed!): 1963 Chevy Impala Wagon Build Project

Part 5: 1963 Chevy Impala Wagon Build Project

Part 4: 1963 Chevy Impala Wagon Build Project

Part 3: 1963 Chevy Impala Wagon Build Project

Part 2: 1963 Chevy Impala Wagon Build Project

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