PAGE .1. Introducing: Black Betty
PAGE .2. Restoration Files
PAGE .3. How shes doing now
I bought 'Betty' in September 2005 from a guy in Totara Park, he had it sitting in his garage for well over a year. It was full of rust, had four flat tyres, the carbies were out and was in desperate need of some loving. Being the girl I am, I saw the interior was red and had to have it. So bought it, even though I had never heard it running and didn't even know if it would run, for all I knew the motor could have been pooh.
We decided that the most important thing was to make sure we could get her running sweet before we worried about cosmetics. The carbies were re-kited by Auto Classics in Paraparaumu and the radiator re-cored by Kapiti Radiators in Paraparaumu.
Then we replaced the leads, spark plugs, distributor cap, brake master cylinder, waterpump, petrol filter, rocker cover gasket, battery, oil filter, belts, hoses, air filters, bushes and probably loads more, these were either ordered from Rimmer Bros in the UK, Repco Paraparaumu, and BNT Paraparaumu. We try not to go for second hands parts because they are probably as good as the sh!t we are pulling off the car.
BANANA CAR!! Yep or 'Rotten Banana Car' as some would call her. I actually got more waves with my car like this than what I do now. I drove around with it like this for a few months before my boyfriend painted it. Apart from scraping all of the old body deadener from underneath the car, I would have to say that sanding is one of the worst jobs out, it's more a form of punishment.
Luckily we live next door to Mopar lovers, whose garage is bigger than their house and kindly let us paint 'Betty' in there.
Now I am thinking about getting racing seats, just so the original ones will last longer, they are already tattered and I don't want them to start ripping. But first is white walls and Moon Eyes, then maybe that will be it...watch this space.
