Punky Manor - Vintage Stock Car - Tribute Project

Race Car - Project Appraisal...

My last post described the hand-lettered paint job I did on the Corvair dirt track car for the PInkala's. Now that I have that part completed, it's time to look over the Torino and make an assessment of what will be required for the upcoming tribute build.

I went down to clean out the car, shoot some pics and to make a mental list of needed items. I must warn the reader up front that some have suggested that I over think things a bit. Others might try and tell you that I am a perfectionist. Not sure where this comes from, but I do tend to focus on the details. You can draw your own conclusions as we go along. 

On my first walk around, the Torino looks pretty complete. There is a decent roll cage inside, a fuel cell, aluminum racing seat, gauges, coil adjusters on all 4-corners, chrome wheels with asphalt tires. An engine and transmission was not included with the car.  

The sheet metal is pretty decent but the car has seen a few laps so there a few panels that will need attention. The passenger side seems to have had quite a bit of repair done and will need some "new" tin! The problem with that statement is that the car is 44 years old and I will soon find out that parts are not that easy to shop for.

The right side front fender extension and headlight bezel were missing, so I will need to find replacements.  

There were a few extra parts inside the car as well. The rear bumper is tucked away inside there but it had taken a pretty hard hit on the right side. 

Now the mental parts list starts to kick in. Big Block engine and 4-speed, new sheet metal, vintage racing wheels and tires, paint job, lettering, car hauler.....wait, I need to get the car somewhere close by to be able to work on it! More on that in future posts.

For now, I need to start small and begin picking up parts and pieces as I go. When I started to restore my 1969 Camaro, I made a complete parts list and it was very overwhelming. Small steps are the way to go for now on this one. 

Till next time, take care