The Summer of '79

June 1979. I was 18. Just out of high school. Had my own car (a 63 Plymouth Savoy wagon) and a good job after moving to the west side of Cleveland for the summer. One evening a commercial for this new movie called ALIEN aired while I was watching TV with my grandparents and it was so creepy (that tagline, IN SPACE NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU SCREAM really nailed it). I just HAD to see this movie.

The following Friday evening after work I drove to Parma to their classic old movie theater (now gone) and caught the last show of the night. Myself and 1 other person were the only ones there. Now one thing to keep in mind is that back then I was a big Star Trek geek who really knew nothing about the horror genre so needless to say, I was NOT prepared for what I was about to see. To say that it blew me away would be an understatement and after the movie ended I drove all the way back home with one eye in the rear-view mirror looking into the back seat of the car in case something was sneaking up on me.

The impact and the entire experience is still fresh in my mind to this day and makes me smile whenever I recall it. It also turned into a big fan of Ridley Scott and the sci-fi horror genre.

Last week, after nearly fifty years, I finally broke down and grabbed an original 1979, Union made movie poster to frame and hang on the wall. Then we'll watch it again. After dark. With all the lights off.

Stay tuned!
-David

 

 

The View From Here

 Not much getting done at the moment. If you've been following along on social media (our YouTube channel) you already know that my spouse is terminally ill so I spend most of my time at home. But the shop's still there. Waiting. One last task to do before we roll her out the door for the first time is to re-locate the battery to the trunk and run a 16 foot positive cable up to the starter.

Progress:

• engine dialed in, starting and idling = 100%
  
• wiring = 75%
• floor patching/sealing = 100%
• new brakes, lines, fab master cylinder and pedal relocation = 100%

Stay tuned!
-David

The Funky T Episode 4 (finale)

The Funky T Episode 3

New Year Shop Update

 After double checking my work and fixing some leaky fittings I'm proud to say that after 3 decades in a barn, our Pontiac now has a functioning and upgraded brake system. All new from front to back except for the drums which really need turned. She's almost ready to pull out of the garage for a first test of the system. But first I had a transmission pan gasket that decided to start leaking and I need to address that and make sure the trans fluid level is good. After this the next job on my list is moving the battery to the trunk.

Stay tuned!
-David