Before and During

Can't say "Before and After" because there's a lot of work yet until this car is done - if it ever is fully done.

If you remember, back in early July, an older couple saw me driving my tan 1974 '02, chased me down the highway and offered me this car - a 1976 '02 the gentlemen bought new. As you can see, he wrecked it.



I got the fender and hood for $20 each, and gave up trying to find a nose for less than $300. I pulled the dents out pretty good with a come-along and a tree, and it works pretty darn well. I'll lead over the damaged section eventually, and with the hood on it'll be all but invisible.
The hinge brackets are no longer anywhere near the same plane anymore, so the hood is now attached with pins. I've upgraded the front and rear brakes (but still need to install a bigger master cylinder to handle the bigger brakes) and upgraded the wheels from rusty 13-inch steelies to 14-inch alloy bottlecaps .

Have to fill holes, get rid of some rust and do some bodywork, then I'll respray it - Sahara with a black hood and deck lid. It's the kind of two-tone look popular in motorsports back in the day with these cars. After that, lots of suspension and driveline upgrades, then autocrossing and, eventually, vintage racing.