July 3rd 2012. Was riding with my folks to a yearly July 3rd celebration at Conesus Lake area. We cross an expressway overpass and I swear I can see a box panther in the distance. Even back then I could pick them out of a crowd! Already a good sign. As we approach, the car takes shape. My god, it's an '80-'84 Town Car! The big bumpers, the wide tail lights, the tall roof, and the sharp creases are unmistakable. I made a promise to myself. "One day, I'll buy her or one just like it." I double down on these sentiments the following year. July 3rd 2014, we pass by the same place. The blue '80-'84 is there! Praise the car gods. I came prepared this time, and take a few pictures as we drive by. Traffic was moving at a decent clip, but I think they came out okay considering my excitement and such.
I pass by the area periodically in my travels, and sure enough the blue Town Car is still there each time, parked in different locations on the property. I finally get a chance to scope her out proper in 2018. Definitely not pretty, but there are far worse examples being daily driven. As you can see there's rust peeking out behind the trim/moldings. It's like that on both sides. Rear inner bumper and rear bumper faceplate are both shot, a very common problem on '80-'84 Town Cars. Vinyl top is iffy at best and definitely requires peeling off. At this point I know the purchase price has to be less than $1000. I'm as passionate as they come but I also learned to not overpay for a project car, no matter how hard one's heart pines for it.
Eventually I get in touch with the owner in late fall/early winter 2021. We talk shop, I show him some of my other cars (Ebyt, Eva, Kira) and demonstrate aptitude for managing a project like Stacy. I can already sense that his pricing is going to be high, way too high. So I opt to just touch base later in the season, say between late May and mid June. I drop off a set of 15 inch Ranger wheels, so he can use the wire wheels on another project (late 1940s Plymouth if I recall correctly). Before leaving, I tell him that if he finds someone who will pay his asking price, by all means take it. But I guarantee that they'll just drive the car into the ground. I say he needs to determine if he’s more interested in making some money off a sale, or giving the car a second lease on life. Sure enough, he calls me on June 15th to see where we are with everything. We talk shop, and the topic of Stacy is mentioned. Surprise surprise, nobody even came close to his asking price. He asks me to hit him with a number. I say $500. He hits me $1000. I say $700, I'll help swap wheels & tires, I'll drive it out to my main fleet storage place, and he'll have the license plates back that same day. Done deal.
I'm over the moon to say the least. Have already filled out a section for her in the Big Fleet Spreadsheet, giddily planning out work for Winter 2022. Before the end of summer, I'll have trim, moldings, and vinyl top pulled. I'll sand as much of the surface rust spots down to bare metal as I can and then hit it with primer to keep it happy in storage while other work gets done. Already sourced the turn signal/parking lights bezels, just a matter of ordering and installing.
For outsourced work, at the bare minimum I'd like to get the rear bumper and both fenders pulled and sent out for repairs. Rear bumper faceplate requires rechroming and the entire inner bumper assembly needs to be rebuilt and painted. Already priced that job out so it's just a matter of disassembly and carting parts off to respective establishments. Fenders require the wheel arch section to be patched, which is a small but complex area. Driver's side front door needs a small patch along the bottom. Have a couple places in mind for those jobs, would like to vet them before end of season. Found a place that manufactures automotive glass, so that can happen the following spring to complete the slicktop conversion. Why anyone would reduce rear glass area in a car by covering it up with vinyl, much less a fiberglass shell beneath it, is completely nonsensical. Let's see less stuff, and invite rust. Yeah no fuck that shit.
Once all that prep work is done the project can really begin. Whatever rust issues remain will be fixed correctly. Then the fun stuff happens! Stacy will be getting more or less the same treatment Eva has- a huge infusion of handling and reliability upgrades. This means '03+ frame with additional bracing, SEFI 302, '88+ AOD, long tube headers, digitdash, etc. I won't bore you with the full work order unless you're super curious. Only major difference is I'd like to run 275 width tires square on Stacy, as opposed to mere 255 square which Eva will get. My end goal for all the fun cars is 335/45/R17 at all four corners but you know what they say about Rome and how it wasn't built in a day. We'll get there eventually. Jun 18th, 2022. One of the best days of my life, and the start of something beautiful.
I pass by the area periodically in my travels, and sure enough the blue Town Car is still there each time, parked in different locations on the property. I finally get a chance to scope her out proper in 2018. Definitely not pretty, but there are far worse examples being daily driven. As you can see there's rust peeking out behind the trim/moldings. It's like that on both sides. Rear inner bumper and rear bumper faceplate are both shot, a very common problem on '80-'84 Town Cars. Vinyl top is iffy at best and definitely requires peeling off. At this point I know the purchase price has to be less than $1000. I'm as passionate as they come but I also learned to not overpay for a project car, no matter how hard one's heart pines for it.
Eventually I get in touch with the owner in late fall/early winter 2021. We talk shop, I show him some of my other cars (Ebyt, Eva, Kira) and demonstrate aptitude for managing a project like Stacy. I can already sense that his pricing is going to be high, way too high. So I opt to just touch base later in the season, say between late May and mid June. I drop off a set of 15 inch Ranger wheels, so he can use the wire wheels on another project (late 1940s Plymouth if I recall correctly). Before leaving, I tell him that if he finds someone who will pay his asking price, by all means take it. But I guarantee that they'll just drive the car into the ground. I say he needs to determine if he’s more interested in making some money off a sale, or giving the car a second lease on life. Sure enough, he calls me on June 15th to see where we are with everything. We talk shop, and the topic of Stacy is mentioned. Surprise surprise, nobody even came close to his asking price. He asks me to hit him with a number. I say $500. He hits me $1000. I say $700, I'll help swap wheels & tires, I'll drive it out to my main fleet storage place, and he'll have the license plates back that same day. Done deal.
I'm over the moon to say the least. Have already filled out a section for her in the Big Fleet Spreadsheet, giddily planning out work for Winter 2022. Before the end of summer, I'll have trim, moldings, and vinyl top pulled. I'll sand as much of the surface rust spots down to bare metal as I can and then hit it with primer to keep it happy in storage while other work gets done. Already sourced the turn signal/parking lights bezels, just a matter of ordering and installing.
For outsourced work, at the bare minimum I'd like to get the rear bumper and both fenders pulled and sent out for repairs. Rear bumper faceplate requires rechroming and the entire inner bumper assembly needs to be rebuilt and painted. Already priced that job out so it's just a matter of disassembly and carting parts off to respective establishments. Fenders require the wheel arch section to be patched, which is a small but complex area. Driver's side front door needs a small patch along the bottom. Have a couple places in mind for those jobs, would like to vet them before end of season. Found a place that manufactures automotive glass, so that can happen the following spring to complete the slicktop conversion. Why anyone would reduce rear glass area in a car by covering it up with vinyl, much less a fiberglass shell beneath it, is completely nonsensical. Let's see less stuff, and invite rust. Yeah no fuck that shit.
Once all that prep work is done the project can really begin. Whatever rust issues remain will be fixed correctly. Then the fun stuff happens! Stacy will be getting more or less the same treatment Eva has- a huge infusion of handling and reliability upgrades. This means '03+ frame with additional bracing, SEFI 302, '88+ AOD, long tube headers, digitdash, etc. I won't bore you with the full work order unless you're super curious. Only major difference is I'd like to run 275 width tires square on Stacy, as opposed to mere 255 square which Eva will get. My end goal for all the fun cars is 335/45/R17 at all four corners but you know what they say about Rome and how it wasn't built in a day. We'll get there eventually. Jun 18th, 2022. One of the best days of my life, and the start of something beautiful.
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