I got home on Christmas day after an 11 hour flight and a 3 hour drive. First thing we did was to open presents so we did that. Then after, I asked dad to go look at the car. When I first walked into the garage, a strange sense came over me. It was the first time I had seen it with my own eyes in the almost 3 years dad has owned the car. The last time I was home, she was down in Missouri getting worked on by Rockin Rick.
Me walking into the garage to see her.
At first glance, the first thing I noticed was the size. She is a BIG car. Long, wide and WHITE! The interior is beautiful (although it needs some wiring tucking done underneath the dash, but that can be done another day) and the different shades of blue inside really set the whole thing off. The brushed aluminium on the dash looks pretty damned good.
The exterior is absolutely beautiful. Now, it's not 100% perfect as dad had some troubles sourcing trim pieces that weren't damaged and could be replace, but over all, I'd give it a solid 8.5 out of 10. The engine bay, while a bit dirty, is nice and organized. The LT1 looks right at home in the huge space under the hood.
The hood. Sheesh is that thing a beast. It's heavy but sturdy and the springs are nice and tight and hold it upright quite well.
The Corvette ralley wheels look fantastic on the car and the unpainted color is just enough to contrast all the white on the body. And the tires are nice and beefy.
Seats are quite comfy and you pretty much sink right in to the back seats. The fronts are firm, but not like sitting on bricks and even though it's a bench seat and there are no lumbar or side bolster supports, a long distance drive may not be too unpleasant.
Me having a seat in the pilot's chair.
So, dad fires the ole girl up and chills go down my spine. That LT1 sounds wonderful on this car. A couple of quick revs makes it even more enticing.
Dad getting ready to open the garage for the drive.
So, he opens up the garage, moves the Jeep and pulls the car out. We gather my two oldest, take a few pictures and get in.
Me anxiously waiting.
Me, the G.O.B. and my younger brother, Stephen.
With the boys.
Me and Clare.
Kai posing in the back.
Kai and Riku trying to figure out how to open the door. They've never seen a car with a button under the handle to open a car door. Little whippper snappers...
We toss Kai and Riku in the back seat, fasten up seat belts and head out.
I get in.
The car rides surprisingly well for being as old as it is. It's not too stiff, but not to soft. But, handling in corners might be a slight issue, but who cares. It's a cool old car.
At one point, dad even tries to show off by doing a little burn out, with a police car a block ahead. He got lucky on that one and the kids got a little giggle out of it. As we drive through town, we get lots of looks and smiles from people passing by. Dad is happy. I can tell.
The boys.
The G.O.B. again.
We cruise down to a buddy of mine's girlfriend's house and chat for a few, and even got a visit from an old friend of dad's who saw us riding around.
After about 10 minutes chatting up my friend, dad gets in on the passenger side. This means I get to drive her.
So, I get in, fire her up and back out. We head out of town on an old county road, head over the bridge that goes over the Galesburg rail yard and out to another small highway as our way back into town.
Me while going over the BNSF rail yards on County 10.
And another one just after the bridge. That steering wheel is wider than me!!!
As we get close to home, I even ask for my chance to let em rip a bit at a stop sign. Giggles ensue.
Now, as for how it drives. Well, for the most part, it drives quite well. The only things I see are that the brakes are a bit squishy. That may be due to the brake master cylinder not having enough pressure to push 4 piston calipers at the front and 2 piston calipers at the back. The steering is also quite loose. She tends to wander a bit, but not to much. If you know about it and can compensate, it's not to hard keeping her in a straight line. The turn signal stock is also quite far away from the steering wheel. I am used to being able to just extend my fingers a bit to reach the one in my car, but with this one I almost have to take my hands completely off the steering wheel to reach it.
Now, for the LT1. It's got power to move this big ole girl quite well. Exactly how well, I don't know, but I bet she could hold her own quite well in a straight line against mostly stock newer aged cars. The shorty headers and the not so restrictive exhaust help get this car revving quite nicely. She also doesn't hesitate when downshifting into passing gear or having it kick down to romp on it a bit. But, I wouldn't go out and be challenging Corvettes, Mustangs or other F-body cars unless I knew for sure what I was up against.
On the last day we were in town, we had to run to the post office to mail out some boxes, so I asked dad to take the wife and kids while I drove the rental. As we arrive at the post office, a younger guy walking down the street talking on his cell phone even stops to admire the car telling whoever it was he was talking to that "there is a bad a** car sitting in front of the post office." He told dad how nice it looked and went about his way.
A guy inside the P.O. who was just leaving asked about it and I told him dad was outside if he had any questions. He went out and chatted pop up for a few minutes. Dad gets a lot of attention from the car and he enjoys showing it off.
So, after all is said and done I got to have some time with the car and my dad. Something I don't get a lot of but wish I did.
Now, let me rate the old girl for ya, in a Jesda-ish kinda way.
Exterior - 8.5 out of 10. As I mentioned, it's not 100%, but it's still damned nice looking. (Read above to find out why, in case you missed it.) The tires and wheels really set it off very well.
Interior - 9.5 out of 10. The wires hanging from under the dash and other smallish issues are the only things that take away from such a nicely restored inside.
Engine/Performance - 8.5 out of 10. The LT1 is a nice engine, but dad has mentioned several times that it's running a bit rich and not tuned to it's true potential in its current form. It's also got the Omni-spark ignition system which has the distributor at the front lower side of the engine.
Ride - 8.5 out of 10. This is based only on what the car came with without retro-fitting some newer, more modern seats that would be a bit more comfortable. Bench seats are pretty cool in these old rides, but they just don't offer the support that the newer cars offer. Nothing against it, though.
So, the overall verdict is 35 out of 40. And yes, I am a little biased. Jesda should go do one as he has a better way to look at things as a non-biased individual.
