Leigh Brooks Strays shiftco.com On my morning walks, I often passed by a pair of ’68 1600’s in InterBay on the way to the Ballard Locks. They were stored in a lot full of heavy …
Leigh BrooksIcon version of the Flipboard logo Victim shiftco.com There was no engine and from the looks of things someone had attempted a swap. Dual coils make me think a rotary was tried. Note the funky motor …
Leigh BrooksIcon version of the Flipboard logo Ratty shiftco.com The interior of the first car was in rough shape, but more or less complete. It still had the ignition key (no door or trunk keys, however). The …
Leigh BrooksIcon version of the Flipboard logo Curb shiftco.com All-in-all the first car was in fairly good shape. Originally a 665 Yellow car, it has been repainted a generic red. No major body damage. The …
Leigh Brooks The Donor shiftco.com The second car (SPL311-177226) was also a ’68 1600 and this one featured an engine! Rust had really taken hold on this car. The hood and trunk hinges …
Leigh BrooksIcon version of the Flipboard logo The Donor’s engine shiftco.com The donor came with an earlier 3-main bearing R-16 (R 27460). The motor turns over easily by hand. “Ran when parked,” according to the …
Leigh Brooks A new home shiftco.com Thanks to NWDE I tracked down a guy with a big truck and a trailer with a winch to drag the cars home. They were an immediate hit with my psycho …
Leigh Brooks Under the hood shiftco.com With the radiator removed you can see a fairly complete motor. Whoever put this engine in the ’68 combined early and later parts. The carbs have …
Leigh BrooksIcon version of the Flipboard logo Shag-a-delic shiftco.com The interior of the donor was a throw-back to the 70’s. Early 240z seats surrounded by a sea of black and red tiger-striped shag carpeting. Tecate …
Leigh Brooks Nagging question shiftco.com With the help of a few friends I got the car up the sloped driveway and into the garage to start the strip-down in earnest. Hardtop came off and was …
Leigh Brooks Tear down shiftco.com The duct tape speaker wiring job contrasts nicely with the shag. I had to cut the mounting bolts to remove the seats. They went to a guy in the …
Leigh Brooks Carnage shiftco.com Windshield came out easily with a little help. Made it very easy to remove the dash. I’m thinking of using this steering wheel for the final car. The …
Leigh BrooksIcon version of the Flipboard logo Plucked shiftco.com The engine came out easily with the radiator, grille and hood removed. You can see that this car was originally 664 Spanish Red. A crappy orange-red …
Leigh Brooks Tasty lump shiftco.com One of the exhaust manifold studs broke off flush with the head. Against my better judgement, a friend persuaded me to try Easy-Outs. Of course, it …
Leigh Brooks Next victim shiftco.com The donor was rolled back outside and covered with a tarp. Next under the knife - the rat. The idea is to leave the outside alone and just clean it …
Leigh BrooksIcon version of the Flipboard logo Gutted shiftco.com Everything came out easily – I’m getting pretty good at this! A few surprises - rust holes in the floor of the foot wells on both sides right above …
Leigh Brooks Eastwooded shiftco.com Note to self: next time use the Eastwood Rust Convertor that comes in the spray can. Brushing this stuff on took weeks!
Leigh BrooksIcon version of the Flipboard logoHome Depot Insulated shiftco.com I tried some aluminum-backed insulation from Home Depot. It went in nicely, but turned out to be thick enough to interfere with the fit of the trim …
Leigh BrooksIcon version of the Flipboard logo Vinyl shiftco.com A black interior vinyl kit from Stan made it begin to look like a car again! I had to trim the padding using the original jute as a guide. The rear …
Leigh BrooksRed Carpet Carpet shiftco.com On a whim I decided to go with a red carpet kit. It is actually a little more maroon than it appears in the picture, but it looks pretty sharp!
Leigh BrooksIcon version of the Flipboard logoNew Mexico Snow shiftco.com While the work continued in the garage, this is what it was like outside! I’m originally from southern New Mexico, and lived for many years in the …
Leigh Brooks Might as well shiftco.com With part of the interior dealt with, it was time to get the car ready for the engine. The more I looked at the various colors under the hood, the …
Leigh Brooks More Eastwood shiftco.com This time I used the rust convertor in a spray can. Much easier! It takes a while to mask everything off, but the paint goes on in 30 minutes.
Leigh Brooks Rattle-canned shiftco.com Three coats of rattle-can red were sprayed on the body after a long time spent masking. The color is not an exact match. Next time I’ll have some …
Leigh Brooks Pipes, hoses and cables shiftco.com 1. Take lots of pictures when you take things apart. You’ll need them to figure out how it all goes back together. Take more than you think you’ll …
