| With the launch of Classic Car Gurus I felt that a | | | | All the cars that would be appealing or were |
| great way to showcase the skills and talent of | | | | recommended would cost big bucks up front. Old |
| the gurus listed on the site would be to have a | | | | Monaro's, even total basket cases were |
| project car that under goes a full restoration and | | | | outrageous money. Valiant Chargers weren't as |
| is documented on the web site. | | | | bad but there were not many around. Any true |
| Over the years I have had plenty of cars and a | | | | Aussie muscle car worth restoring is in the |
| lot of them, had I kept them, would be classics | | | | stratosphere and I am probably about five years |
| today. This leads to the question, what sort of | | | | too late. I remember a HK Bathurst Monaro |
| project car should I choose? Classic Car Gurus is | | | | requiring a full restoration sold at auction in the |
| an Australian website and I have no interest in | | | | last two years for $55K and everyone thought |
| doing anything with it in New Zealand or any other | | | | that was outrageous. Looks like an absolute |
| countries so perhaps an Australian car should be | | | | bargain now. Fords, especially GT or HO optioned |
| featured. I've had some nice European cars in the | | | | cars from the late sixties and early seventies |
| past, the Japanese cars that appeal are reliable | | | | cost more than an average family dwelling and a |
| and relatively easy to source parts for and of | | | | basket case is in the range of two years salary |
| course there is a multitude of choice if you think | | | | for most people. |
| American. | | | | I inquired about a number of cars. A Bolwell in |
| Rather than charge the hill and make an executive | | | | Western Australia caught my attention, I always |
| decision I felt I should canvass other people's | | | | loved these cars as a kid and you rarely see |
| opinions to see what they feel should be the | | | | them today. It was a basket case, no drive train |
| chosen marque. Everyone I approached had a | | | | and missing a lot of parts but it could be the one. |
| different perspective which ultimately helped me | | | | After lots of questions, numerous phone calls and |
| decide what to do. All of the suggestions were | | | | emails I was told it had previously been registered |
| good ones. Interestingly, most lent towards an | | | | in Victoria yet it had no VIN or chassis number |
| Australian candidate for all the obvious reasons | | | | attached. Potential nightmare - qualify out. A good |
| with badges and names like Bolwell, Monaro, XY, | | | | looking, solid six cylinder HG Monaro came up on |
| Charger and the like. Few suggested European | | | | eBay with faded paint and 35+ years of wear |
| with the exception of MG, E-Type and Austin | | | | which was a potential candidate. As the price rose |
| Healey featuring as potential candidates. The | | | | with each bid, its suitability slipped further. I didn't |
| American suggestions centered on Mustang, | | | | even see its final price but I realised at this point I |
| Camaro and a few other pony cars. The Datsun | | | | need to reassess what I am doing. |
| 240Z was the common pick amongst the | | | | Women see things differently to blokes. I don't |
| Japanese candidates. | | | | question it or give it much thought but I knew if I |
| With so many cars to choose from ultimately it | | | | had another chat with the misses she would give |
| came down to a number of questions - what do | | | | me a different perspective. Her advice is normally |
| you want to use it for, how much do want to | | | | good, and this time was no different. She said to |
| spend, concourse restoration or resto-mod, how | | | | get something I was passionate about, something |
| involved do you want it to be, what condition | | | | I really wanted, something that would be practical |
| does the donor car need to be in? And the list | | | | as a marketing exercise for the business and |
| went on. And on. With so many opinions it didn't | | | | something that I ultimately wanted to drive. I |
| take me long to realise that the one opinion that | | | | couldn't argue with that. |
| counted was mine, with buy in from the wife. | | | | A lot of the suggestions were for sports cars and |
| Having explained the vision for the project car the | | | | given that I already have a two seater I felt it |
| wife saw the big picture, gave me the go ahead | | | | needed to be able to seat at least four adults in |
| and said you choose. There is a god after all. | | | | comfort. I love V8's, there is something about |
| Due diligence was in order. At this point I had a | | | | them that gets me hot and bothered and |
| leaning to Australian or American and had pretty | | | | whatever the project car was to be it had to |
| much qualified out the rest. The great thing about | | | | handle interstate trips with lots of luggage, golf |
| the web is you can do lots of research without | | | | clubs and other stuff. This list just became a lot |
| leaving home. I checked out a lot of cars on | | | | shorter. |
| eBay, CarPoint, Carsales, Trading Post online and | | | | I thought back to all the car shows I had been to, |
| Drive to get a feel for prices, what you got for | | | | what had I seen driving around on the streets or |
| your money and availability. Now we all know that | | | | in magazines that caught my eye and what could |
| how something may be represented online can be | | | | I get passionate about for this project. One stood |
| very different when you inspect it. I learnt this | | | | out in my mind. A number of years ago at a car |
| first hand when I was living in the US and bought | | | | show in San Jose I laid eyes on a finned creation |
| a "restored" 67 Mustang Fastback from Oregon. | | | | resplendent with chrome and mouldings that made |
| The sellers definition of restored was very | | | | me look twice. It was aqua blue and I had to |
| different to mine but because I never had it | | | | check it out. As is the case with most owners at |
| checked out I only had myself to blame. | | | | car shows he was only too happy to talk about |
| By this time I had made a few decisions. The car | | | | his classic and gave me the entire story of his |
| was going to be "no matching numbers", in other | | | | car. It was a 1957 Chevy Nomad two door |
| words non original. The intention would be to keep | | | | station wagon. |
| the classic lines but modernize the entire drive | | | | Being a Corvette fan I had read about the origins |
| train so that it performed, handled and stopped | | | | of the Nomad which first broke cover at the |
| way better than it did when it first left the | | | | General Motors Motorama in New York City in |
| factory. I wasn't looking for a total basket case, | | | | 1954. It was a concept car based on a 1953 |
| but I wasn't prepared to pay a premium for lots | | | | Corvette but featured a station wagon body |
| of stuff that would get jettisoned in the build. | | | | style. It created a huge stir, so much so that |
| Ultimately, a usable body with minimal rust and | | | | Harley Earl asked the team building full size |
| most of the trim parts on the car would work for | | | | Chevrolet's to take the name and looks and build |
| what I had in mind. | | | | a Nomad wagon which first appeared as a |
| Restoring a car is a little like building a house - the | | | | production model in 1955. The two door variant, |
| first dollar figure you come up with normally | | | | based on the original concept car spanned three |
| translates as you pick up the keys into double | | | | year, 1955 to 1957. The purists feel the 1957 |
| that figure plus twenty percent. How far do you | | | | model was the best, incorporating fins, lots of |
| go, where do you set your limits, how long is a | | | | chrome and the classic styling of 57 Chevrolet's. |
| piece of string...... I am not going to put a budget | | | | The decision was made. I was passionate about a |
| to the project until I have a car and understand | | | | 57 Nomad, there are not many in Australia and it |
| what I am up for. This normally occurs once the | | | | would meet all of my criteria. The search is on. |
| paint is blasted off and you get a real sense for | | | | Until the next article. |
| the amount of work involved. | | | | |