Just wanted to share my story with you guys.
When I saw my first 61 Chevy as a kid I knew it was the car for me.
I finally had a chance to buy one in my early twenties and I scooped it up.
It was a 1961 Bel Air 2 door sedan, Tuxedo black with a 235 and powerglide.
It had 68,000 miles and came from New Hampshire.
Up top it looked great but underneath it was rusty.
I shelled out the $1000.00 and had my dream car.
I had such great expectations and was going to do a complete frame off restoration with 409 and 4 speed. I had little money and even less experience.
At first I just cleaned it up and drove it around for a while.
Then some guys from new York that were working on a road crew showed up with a 61 Impala 4 door HT. It was in primer but had a 283 with headers and a glide and not rusty. I purchased it for $500, and drove it for a summer until the brakes gave out.
At this point I decided to put the 283 in the Bel Air part out the 4 door and start my ground up restoration using the door slammers frame.
So I stripped the frame bare sand blasted, and painted the frame and just started to buy and install all new suspension components from PST.
At that point I finally found a 61 Impala Bubbletop in Stafford Springs CT for $1500.
It had ben sitting in a barn for years and had not been on the road since 1975, also it had been a drag car in the Baltimore area.
So my frame was mostly done and unfortunately I was unable to continue to store 3 cars. I had to consolidate and took the best of the 3 to make one car. This is where life got in the way and unfortunately the restoration had to wait. Thankfully I was able to keep it but you can't work on it when you only have a foot of clearance around it and all the parts are piled in or on it. So it sat like this for ten years.
About a year ago fed up with having lost sight of my dream, I decided to just make it happen. Every week I do something, and it will all add up in the end. In my mind this car was going to be the most perfect and authentic restoration possible. In reality now i have lowered expectations. Just get it running and make it as nice a driver as I can.
Not having the resources to make it perfect stopped me from doing anything at all.
So, for now no 409 or 4 speed. I'll have to settle for a 350 sbc and th350 and just be happy to have it.
Don't give up on your dreams and just make it happen.
When I saw my first 61 Chevy as a kid I knew it was the car for me.
I finally had a chance to buy one in my early twenties and I scooped it up.
It was a 1961 Bel Air 2 door sedan, Tuxedo black with a 235 and powerglide.
It had 68,000 miles and came from New Hampshire.
Up top it looked great but underneath it was rusty.
I shelled out the $1000.00 and had my dream car.
I had such great expectations and was going to do a complete frame off restoration with 409 and 4 speed. I had little money and even less experience.
At first I just cleaned it up and drove it around for a while.
Then some guys from new York that were working on a road crew showed up with a 61 Impala 4 door HT. It was in primer but had a 283 with headers and a glide and not rusty. I purchased it for $500, and drove it for a summer until the brakes gave out.
At this point I decided to put the 283 in the Bel Air part out the 4 door and start my ground up restoration using the door slammers frame.
So I stripped the frame bare sand blasted, and painted the frame and just started to buy and install all new suspension components from PST.
At that point I finally found a 61 Impala Bubbletop in Stafford Springs CT for $1500.
It had ben sitting in a barn for years and had not been on the road since 1975, also it had been a drag car in the Baltimore area.
So my frame was mostly done and unfortunately I was unable to continue to store 3 cars. I had to consolidate and took the best of the 3 to make one car. This is where life got in the way and unfortunately the restoration had to wait. Thankfully I was able to keep it but you can't work on it when you only have a foot of clearance around it and all the parts are piled in or on it. So it sat like this for ten years.
About a year ago fed up with having lost sight of my dream, I decided to just make it happen. Every week I do something, and it will all add up in the end. In my mind this car was going to be the most perfect and authentic restoration possible. In reality now i have lowered expectations. Just get it running and make it as nice a driver as I can.
Not having the resources to make it perfect stopped me from doing anything at all.
So, for now no 409 or 4 speed. I'll have to settle for a 350 sbc and th350 and just be happy to have it.
Don't give up on your dreams and just make it happen.
bang
