Just joined the convertible club Been watching a car on ebay that looked like it was right up my alley, buy it now was dropped way down the day before the auction ended and I jumped on it like a rat on a cheeto... Took delivery today!



Someones project that got a little too deep, wiring is a bit sketchy, rear window is toast she needs a new top and she is filthy as all hell...seriously, what is falling from the sky in Jersey? Oh, your bees are pretty lethargic as well On a positive note it looks like everything is complete, engine claims are around 375, cam just broken in but not running due to wiring. 700r4 built with the good stuff, ratchet shifter, LS1 rear. Interior pieces and upholstery look pretty good. No carpet but the floor pans are nearly perfect so far and the undercarriage looks to be the same. Needs paint but the body looks nice and straight so far and also is virtually rust free. Only body rust so far is around windshield frame and that appears to be strictly surface. Tomorrow is bath day then it rolls into the garage until spring.

 

Dear lord that thing is ROUGH. Definitely post pictures after the wash..

 

if you think that's bad, you should see pictures of my old stang.. LOL. I think this looks like a good builder.. just dirty, if anything.

 

It seems there was a beautiful swan hiding under the dirt!

Before: After:

Paint is actually in far better shape than I originally thought. I'll likely touch up the front end and buff the rest out and It'll look pretty damn good for a few more years before I have to get serious about paint. As expected, the bra was covering up a multitude of sins.

Upholstery is good, just needs a cleanup Jackpot!
Even came with the complimentary box of nuts and bolts and Jegs engine stand mover thingy

This is going to be where things start to get interesting...

Next up: Engine bay...

 

I never understood why people that have no training or knowledge of wiring try their hand at messing with any automotive wiring. The outcome is always the same, a big freakin rats nest. Hopefully you don't have to replace the whole dash and interior wiring to undo what some bozo did.

 

As far as the no start problem I'm pretty sure it's the red wire.

 

Traced the wiring and so far so good. Half that pile was just stray tangled wires. The rest looked to be wired in parallel with the existing circuits, easily traced and removed. The rest of the wiring so far is ok. Headlights, taillights signals, power windows all good. So far missing dash lights and tonneau release, manual release good. Only extras are wiring for aftermarket gauges and MSD ignition.

Engine bay looks decent. Looks like it was sprayed before the engine went in. Carbed 350 swap, pulled a valve cover to find compcams roller tips. Heads are stockers, pulled casting number and did a quick search, basically 70's smoggers. LOL described as the best of the large chamber smoggers, which isnt saying much. Power output will come down to cam and compression, both are big question marks. Lots of bolts half installed, missing power steering pump. One line plugged with a pair of needle nose plyers lol. No motor mount bolts. Need to comb through everything and check it all over, could be ready to test fire next week. Not too bad for someones half finished project.

 

LOL, I was thinking it could be the blue one.

 

More progress! Figured out more of the wiring. Factory wiring is pretty hacked but the important stuff is still well intact. Fan, starter and MSD are on their own circuits, that's what the spaghetti was. Wired them into power temporarily to crank it. Turns over well, oil pressure shoots right up, got spark but wont fire. Course I havent checked timing yet but I know I have fuel because its on the floor, leaking through a massive wad of electrical tape wrapped around the hose Tomorrow I'll repair the fuel line and check the timing and I think it'll make some noise.

Rest of the car is looking real good. Crawled around and looked over the underbody, there is virtually zero rust. The car is an interesting mix of done right and done wrong.

 

Glad to know I'm not the only one that recently got a vert project that was wired by a Kindergarten class. I finally got all of mine sorted out, and it only took a few days. Good luck!

 

Nah, the kindergarten class would have used more colors

 

And she RUNS! Ok, only for about 10 seconds, good enough for my own piece of mind. No funny noises just pure open header glory, sorry neighbors... Time to pull valve covers double check and adjust all the rockers, but I think this engine will be getting me through the summer at least. The turbo setup will have to wait until I can strip the other car down, spring at the earliest, can barely move in the garage now. Once the weather turns it's driving time not wrenching time.

 

Engine is looking pretty good. Pulled the long tubes and stripped off about 100 ft of header wrap to reveal a set of Hooker 2210's and mini-starter. Hookers will go in favor of a set of shorties for now, eventually she'll get the turbo setup out of the formy. I'll likely be itching for the next several days due to the header wrap, stuff is worse than the clap, least some antibiotics will clear that right up, the fiberglass just keeps on itching...