I struggled to even come up with a title for this post; the story isn’t an easy one to tell… frankly it’s embarrassing… but to make it short, after a couple years of on again, off again work I simply lost all interest in the Belvedere. To make matters worse I came to realize that I didn’t even like this car’s 4 door body style, the high roof line being my main sticking point. It seemed like I had fallen into a trap and had settled for something that wasn’t what I really wanted. Big freakin’ mistake. Then there were the economic considerations, with the extensive sheet metal work needed just to bring her up to my standards, even if she was going to be “just” a driver. Surface rust, patina – I can live with that. Hell, that’s what I want. But big gaping rusty wounds in body panels and key supports? Not for this guy. On top of that was the fact that every single piece of rubber, every window gasket and seal was going to have to be replaced, and the only source was growing more expensive and unreliable by the month. In the end I decided it simply wasn’t worth my time or money - for a car I didn’t want. Live and learn I guess, but it was an expensive lesson.
Over the winter I struggled with the matter of how I was going to get rid of her (and not lose ALL my money) while trying to decide on what I would get to replace her… a decision that was ultimately made easier by a local ad for a 1963 Newport that I stumbled across on Craigslist one March afternoon. Long story short - some phone calls were made, trips were taken and in the end a deal was struck that got me out of the rusty old Plymouth and put a solid old Chrysler in my garage.
