Wes' Past Old Cars

Over the years (tons of them), I've built several different cars. I've been through the British phase, the VW phase and also the American stuff. I think that I really enjoyed the building the cars as much as driving them. The key thing is to have fun, be creative, and stretch your limits.

The list of cars goes something like this (not in order);

1. A 1958 fiat four door. It was something that my parents got for free and it didn't run. I guess that you could say that I started working on cars out of necessity!

2. A 1965 Chevy truck. Nothing special.

3. A 1965 VW bug. I got it from a friend and was just barely able to drive it home. It got a new engine, interior, paint, and other stuff. I ended up selling it to my sister. (she blew up the engine!)

4. A 1969 VW square back wagon. It was the first year of fuel injection (second?) and was continually going out!

5. A 1971 VW bus. Kind of a fun car. I miss it!

6. A 1959 "bugeye" sprite. This REALLY got me working on cars. It had 65 running gear. Heck, I could pick up the engine and place it on the work bench!! I learned a lot on this car. I had to, it's British. This car was the type that still puts a smile on my face. If the cost of British parts didn't go through the roof, I'd still have it. Just plain fun.

7. A 1960 MG Midget. I really got two cars here and made one. All of the drive train was from a 67. I had to have both cars towed home. I was living with my parents and to this day, I'm surprised that they didn't freak over the junk that I was bringing home!!!! I built the engine with 12.5 to 1 compression and it was major fun. Keep in mind that this was back in the days when you could get good gasoline. (photos below)

8. A 1971 Datsun 510. This is the first car that I really went to town converting. I put a 5 speed transmission in it (out of a 2000 roadster), a larger engine with dual Weber carburetors, lowered and adjustable suspension (cut and sectioned struts), fender flairs, recaro bucket seats, etc. (photos below) 

9. A 65 Nova wagon. (it's in the photo at the top of the page) I enjoyed this car! I put a 350 engine in it along with a TH350 transmission. The brakes were converted to power disks (drums on the rear). I regret selling it when the timing chain let go and I couldn't afford to rebuild the engine (it was tired)

10. A 1969 Camaro. Originally, it had a TH350 transmission. I swapped in a four speed. I think that I was trying to build the car that I never had in high school. This was a very enjoyable car and I'd still have it if it wasn't for an accident. (12/1/99, as a result, I've been sober for about 7 1/2 years)

11. A 1973 Chevy Laguna. I got this one while I was in one of my "poor" times. As I recall, I paid $500 for it and drove it for about 3 years. I then sold it to Exxon (car crush program) for $300. It was ugly, but for the money, it was hard to beat.

12. A 1976 (?) El Camino. This car had the 305 engine with computer aggravated carburetor. It got good mileage, but sure wasn't fast. I think that it could have been a good project car, but somebody decided that they wanted to steal it. They got it before I got around to putting in the alarm system that I had sitting in the garage.

13. (current) A 1972 Olds Delta 88. I got this one right after the El Camino got stolen. Another $500 dollar car. It seems to just keep running. UGLY! I can keep my cell phone on the front seat and not worry about it getting stolen. Door locks, who needs them. It's kind of nice knowing that nobody is going to mess with it. I've named it the "barn car" due to the fact that it looks like something that would be parked next to a barn (and the animals live on it).

14. (current) A 1964 2 door Chevelle Wagon. This is Murphy and has been a long term project. It was in the garage for almost 4 years (only working on it part time!!) before it hit the street. I don't drive it anywhere that I can't keep my eyes on it!

This is the before and after photos of the MG Midget that I built. It was a 1960 with 1967 drive train.

It started as a non-running car that I had to have towed home. I also had a 67 towed home for all of its drive train. Two cars ended up as the car below.

Another one of the cars that I built was a Datsun 510. For all of those history buffs, Datsun 510's faired real well in SCCA racing back in the early 70's.

Here is the after photo.