engine and drivetrain Just got a nearly rust-free 73 for the cost of the tow

[thehackmechanic]

Yesterday I got a call out of the blue from my old friend Brad to whom 25 years ago I had swapped a 'tii for some home renovation work. Seems his daughter had a Verona '73 2002, a California car brought to MA three years ago. Two years ago she dropped nearly three grand getting a good used engine installed. Recently a backyard mechanic was replacing the alternator when he started the car with it in gear and it lurched forward and slammed into a wall (and folks wonder why I don't work on other people's cars). The car sat while everyone decided what to do. It wound up at her mother's house in a tawny Boston suburb until the landlord threatened to "get rid of that wreck or I'll tow it off and have it crushed." My friend said that if I could make it go away in 24 hours it was likely mine for the taking. You never know what you'll find unless you go and check something out, so I had a look.

The car had suffered some from its three seasons in New England, but was still a remarkably solid car for a non-hangar-queen in this part of the country, with only minor rust bubbling under the left rear quarter panel trim and fading of the Verona paint on the roof. But the mishap had not only pushed the radiator into the fan, it also creased the hood, caught the corner of the right front fender, and made it so the hood wouldn't even come close to closing. The interior was pretty tired except for a really nice-looking Momo steering wheel.

Nonetheless, for $20 (the AAA overage and a tip for the tow truck driver), incredibly, it was mine.

The car is way too nice to part out. I'm not a body guy but I wagered I'd be able to get it drivable. I beat on the nose with a sledgehammer and pulled on it with a 2x4, trying to pull it forward and out of the fan. I finally cut the blades off the fan with a Dremel tool. The car started right up, and, of course, promptly spewed coolant all over the floor from where the fan had munched the radiator.

I'll try and get the nose further forward both so I can get a fan on the pump hub and also so the hood will close. Then I'll throw a used radiator in it and drive it to see what else it needs. Then I'll try to Shepard it to a new owner.

Don't you just love being a foster parent and saving these cars?

The kicker is that it turns out that the Momo steering wheel in the car came from the tii I'd swapped to Brad 25 years ago.

[mcaden]

Me thinks I see the prelude to a column in the Roundel. Congratulations -- looks like a nice car to save and well worth the price of a tow.

[Delia]

I finally cut the blades off the fan with a Dremel tool.

I think you need to change your faq board name to "thehackeditoffwithadremeltoolmechanic"

D

[Arky2002]

Judicious use of a $90 port-a-power imitation from Harbor Freight could push most of that bent sheet metal out. But a professional body shop with pulling tools would be better!

[gastephens]

Karma keeps crumpled car from crusher. Congrats.

BTW, my wife has issued a standing invite to your wife (and you) next time you are in Atlanta. She wants to meet "the bug quilting lady".

[thehackmechanic]

you mean this?

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?category=&q=bodywork

[Mike Self]

a comealong, a good sturdy chainlink fence post set in concrete, some 2x4s and a little imagination. A good two ton comealong will do wonders pulling out sheet metal.

Great find!

mike

[JerryC]

I second the come-along and timbers to pull that front end out. Getting a straight used hood will help you see how your bodywork is "coming along".

[eastsidebimmer]

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/2072723970.html

[gastephens]

Or you could do what I did with an old Renault that I used to own.

A chain, a tree, and reverse gear. You can use your imagination but it pulled the bumper out and straightened it enough to close the hood.

[Harv]

What? No pictures of the steering wheel?

Sheesh!

John

[adawil2002]

A bargain at twice the price. Glad to see another Verona/Tan '73. This is a win all way around, congratulations on the 02 deal of the year.

[Gordon]

Rob,

Check these out, I bet you could find a complete nose panel on one of these project 02's or in the parts bin

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/2072723970.html

good luck on your new project, keep us posted or start a project blog

G-Man

[ArdenK]

+3 on the come-along, some hammer and dolly work might get the hood straight.

I love the metal in our 02's, it's easy to work with. The newer sheet metal is kinda thin.