This is a car that I have been trying to get for about 10 years. My father & I have finally come to an agreement. He did not want to sell it, but I finally convinced him to do so. It has been sitting in his garage for 17 years, in the condition you see in these pics. My father purchased this car in 1982 and shortly thereafter we did a fairly simple restoration on it (complete paint job, new motor, rebuilt trans, new carpet, etc - although the body was never off of the frame, the car was very nice for a while). It was driven for about a year after the restoration, until it had an electrical fire under the hood. Tha damage was pretty bad. The firewall was burnt, the windshield, the dash harness, the whole underhood area. No exterior paint or trim was harmed. The dash & whole interior was still intact after the fire. Basically the carburators, distributer, engine harness, any firewall accessories, and any non metal items under the hood were destroyed. After the fire, the car sat outside under a tarp for about two years (this is why the paint looks so bad in the pics - I am going to try to clean up what is there). The body was then removed from the frame & completely stripped underneath. Then the underneath was painted the original Montero Red. The frame was disassembled, sandblasted & painted with a gloss black. All the suspension is new. The rearend was rebuilt. The front clip is not on the car. There is a 389 in the car, but it has sat for so many years, it may need rebuilt. Most of the stuff on top of the car & around it are the parts to put it back together. The bumpers & some misc parts need rechromed & some other items are needed to complete the car, but most of it is there.
That being said, the car is in very good shape (other than the obvious fact that it may take a week or two to get it out of the garage). This is a N. Carolina car, that was in very good shape before the restoration. No rust, anywhere. It is an original Tri Power 389, 4 speed, 3.90 posi rear car with very few options. Factory AM/FM radio, chrome exhaust tips, wood steering wheel, & walnut shift knob. It did not have power steering or brakes originally. It now has power disc brakes on the front, and power steering.
My intentions are to “restify” this car to an original appearance, but some modern performance upgrades. I have a 455 ci motor that I am going to rebuild with a mild cam & an original tri power steup on it. Fact is, the car is too valuable to cut up, so most changes I will make should be reversible. I am planning on enjoying this car next summer, but I will see what funds will allow.
I will post more pics, as this project progresses.
congrats!
