Garm's 1969 project

[2mAn]

Did Monty sell the car? If so, curious where it ended up.

Nope, hasnt sold. He still has it

[exit64]

It's now on BaT. Good Luck on the sale of a cool car.

[RCMike]

http://bringatrailer.com/listing/1969-d ... oadster-3/

[MrGuts]

The next several posts will show and tell [most] of the updates we have made to this car since purchasing on BaT 10 months ago. During 9 of those 10 months, we have driven the car most every day, all over the central coast. For the past month, the car has been on the stands getting some love as I installed all the parts I have been gathering up, old and new from vendors and members on this site.

This car has been trouble free for 4K miles of ownership last year. The wisdom tapped on this site from generous members of the roadster community have been a highlight of our ownership experience. Many times on this site, I have read something like 'drive the car for a year before you start restoring it'. That is sage advice often given to new Roadster owners who show up here. We have no plans to restore this car. We plan to keep this wonderful car in good order as it now and enjoy nearby and far away adventures on the road for years to come. During the BaT auction it was RC Mike who wrote:

"Word to the wise.. Do not buy this car as a start to a restoration. Please, don’t. This car as set up is an AMAZING car. All the parts you want to drive are there. Put in carpets, maybe a cheap paint job if you must, and drive it. It would be a shame to see the time and effort getting the parts here, installed and set up by people who really know what they are doing, be wasted by someone who wants to build a restoration. I drove this car on Mulholland and was there for a lot of the engine build, and trans and diff install. I can say without hesitation that this one is ready to go. I would put carpet in it and drive. Or put a race seat and 6 point in it and drive. Either way, this car deserves to be driven, by whoever wins this auction. Good luck with the sale."

This comment from Mike sealed the deal for us to purchase THIS car as it told me its just the right car for us, thanks Mike! Hope to meet you someday.

And, I tell you what, this is how I believe...I am from the Old School where keeping a car as a solid driver and appreciating the age and the blemishes which come with the age and experiences the car carries. Keeping the car honest is most important to us. And when a car has had owners who have gone to that Old School and added their own experience to the car, carrying that forward is easy. Cars which I appreciate have a certain telling character which most resemble a person with outward character you can see...as is described in this monologue by Danny Devito in 'The Big Kahuna'

So here we present the car we just call 'Roadster', most notable changes in this pic are the Hayashi Racing center caps installed on the wheels which drove the painted on silver metallic and green stripe added to the rocker panel as well as the change of color to the roll bar from black back toward the silver I saw in pics during Garm's ownership.

[MrGuts]

A new dash cap and complete interior kit from Dean was installed. The dash was removed for this and we were very pleased with the results. Installed amber color LED lamps in the gauges. Also installed an amber LED in the tunnel console maplight and wired it into the red/blue wire so it runs with the instrument panel lights. This places a really nice glow onto the shift knob and vertical center console at night, makes me feel cozy!

A new heater core was installed in the heater box which came with the car but was not in the car when purchased. Heater controls were missing, replacements sourced from Ted Heaton, to whom we say MANY THANKS TED. And thanks to JT for the Solex intake 'T' fitting. And to Pat for the lower heater box bracket.

In these photos, you see the new cap, behind the cap is a new speedo cable, still need a proper gear to go with the 4:11 gears which Garm installed. The center console was missing some knobs and the fan speed switch was completely used up. I installed a pull-out switch for the fan which has it running at high speed only. It moves lots of air, but there is not much heat. The cooling system is fantastic that could be one contributor and moving the air across the core at high velocity may be another reason the air out of the ducting and the lower trap door is more 'room temperature' rather than warm. Drilled out the lower knob with a step bit to accept a 12V well which we use for a dual USB port accessory device wired into the blue, switched 12V wire.

Also note the stainless shift knob said to be from a 240Z - bought on eBay from a seller in SoCal, thanks! Anyone here?

[MrGuts]

The seats were freshly redone before we purchased the car, although the driver seat track adjustment bar was all jacked up and needed attention. The car had no driver seatbelts in it when I picked it up in LA, up and over the Grapevine Commando! So new harnesses from RCI were installed after removing the rollbar and adding a horizontal bar to loop the upper belts over. Very pleased with this set up.

Added a rollbar mounted fire extinguisher too. I normally do not opt for flashy, but thought the chrome cylinder would look good mounted to the bar.

The new carpet and vinyl kit from Dean really bring this together. I left off the vinyl on the vertical section between the sill and the floor, just painted the yellow surface black which helps the car's interior look in-step with the exterior even through the interior is freshened...but not too much.

[MrGuts]

Replaced the 185/60/14 Sumitomo M&S tires which were hard as rocks with new Falken Azenis 195/60/14. Love these!

Thoughts on changing the 1600 badges to 2000? or removing them altogether as this car is a U20?

[MrGuts]

During a recent call with Harlan, I learned there is a roving pack of Solex enthusiasts who roam the show at Solvang looking for carbs to tune. So I removed the ITG air cleaner and installed velocity stack filters for easy access for tuning the carbs, we are ready for you guys! The better part of wisdom tells me I should get the ITG reinstalled before we get back to heavy use in the 'soon to once again be dusty' roads of the central coast. Meanwhile, I am enjoying the wonderful music from the stacks out from under the foam filter.

Removing the backplate for the ITG seemed to be the thing to do for now too, which displaced the hose from the valve cover, so I installed a 5/8" mini breather from UNI up there for now and plan to make a bracket to relocate the breather nearer the stacks.

[MrGuts]

There are a few other minor fastener changes made while things were apart. And there are a few things which need some attention still. And some things I did not photo-document.

The fog lights were not working when I got the car as they had been hit and one of the internal terminals was broken and interrupted the circuit. When fixing that, I went back to amber lamps for the fog lights.

Also did a little body work on the rear deck panel above the bumper and below the trunk lid. This area of the car had been backed into or run into something. Easy to fix with a bottle jack and some wood blocks in the trunk. Evidence of the damage still persists in the form of a crease in one of the license plate lights. The lenses have been replaced with new parts from Dean. That crease adds character which we like so much. A great car tells great stories!

Top of mind is fixing the transmission leak. Car carries a 5 speed and there is a good amount of oil all around an ill fitting dust boot on the clutch lever. Guess this means the eng/trans need to come out at some point to get this dealt with. Not producing a lot of oil on the floor, but enough to be checking the level on a regular basis.

[Alvin]

Wonderful updates!
The best part is that you have been driving it the whole time. I also bid on this car and it was an absolute steal. Totally with you on not going full restoration---that's what I envisioned as well (had I won ). The sage advice about driving before tearing into it really rings true with these roadsters. I've seen many people buy one only to spend waaay more in the end getting it to be a driver when they could have been Enjoying The Ride!

Smart move on the harness bar and full interior.

Keep the updates coming!

[RCMike]

So glad it went to someone who understood what I was saying.. I thought hard about posting that, because I did not want to interfere too badly with the auction. But that is one well set up car for fun driving...

When you start thinking about the longer trips, let us know, and we can figure out how to get you in a taller rear gear. But that 4.11 is so nice for back road cruising, with an engine that just loves to spin, and can still handle some short freeway cruising..

Really love where you are going with this!

Edit to add: Agree with Alvin, keep the updates coming.. And I'm still mad at Alvin, for that bid, which knocked me out of the running when that car was for sale. But thank you Alvin, because not turning this car into a race car meant I ended up with a real race car..

[MrGuts]

Thank you both for your encouragement, respect your perspectives greatly!

[2mAn]

I was close to buying this car, and immediately regretted it when I saw it on BaT as I knew it was going to sell for more than I could've bought it for (which it did). Im happy with my purchase, but this was such a good deal and you've done essentially eveerything I wouldve done too. Roll Bar mods, harnesses and carpet.

Im hoping to get my Solexes tuned too at Solvang, so I will park next to you haha

[MrGuts]

I was close to buying this car, and immediately regretted it when I saw it on BaT as I knew it was going to sell for more than I could've bought it for (which it did). Im happy with my purchase, but this was such a good deal and you've done essentially eveerything I wouldve done too. Roll Bar mods, harnesses and carpet.

Im hoping to get my Solexes tuned too at Solvang, so I will park next to you haha

Let's party!

[Linda]

I get the "patina" argument, but I think a driver quality paint job would be nice.
Linda