I live in a neighborhood South of Charlotte, North Carolina USA. Often during my walks, I would notice this beautiful Pacific Blue Plymouth drive by. I loved the car and the engine's deep rumble as it drove by.
I noticed the car parked in the adjacent neighborhood and kept looking for an opportunity to speak to the owner and seek his permission to click a few pictures. One afternoon as we were driving home from somewhere, my wife noticed that Bill was working on the car at the far end of his long driveway. We stopped and went up to meet him.
We introduced ourselves and asked if he would be willing to talk to me about the car and click a few pictures. He happily agreed so I ran home to get my camera and a notebook.
The next hour was so much fun. Bill is such a pleasant person and was so excited to share the car's story. He acquired the car three years back from someone who had owned it for 25 years. The car was in great shape. Bill got it painted a darker shade of the original blue, put on a new top and that was it. No additional major work was done on the car.
We started talking about the engine so he quickly opened the hood and showed me the motor. The engine bay was surprisingly clean. The original motor with 235,000 miles on it looked great. The car's original paint was under the hood too.
This is a Chrysler V8 318 cu.in (5.2 L) poly motor, a special engine designed for reliability over outright performance. Bill painted a few red spots and lines on the engine so it looks cool.
Straight lines were all the rage in the 60s and Bill loves them too. So much so that the aluminum strip that runs across the length and curves over the front wheel wells, were cut short to maintain the lines.
Bill spends between 5 - 10 hrs a week on the car, mostly cleaning and polishing. He is retired and this is his favorite activity. It was a hot afternoon when I met him and he was covered in sweat polishing the car.
He doesn't perform any mechanical work himself. His son is a mechanic and is responsible for the complex parts.
The car isn't driven much but wherever it goes, it generates a lot of attention. Often at classic car gatherings, his car gets more attention than the restored ones, perhaps because it is so original.
No one else in the family drives it, though he wouldn't mind his grandkids driving it someday. One last upgrade he wants to perform is put in the 440 motor.
Time for some more pictures.
I was getting ready to leave when Bill said I can't go without hearing that fabulous motor. I really wanted to, so was thrilled when he asked. Bill gets in and fires up the engine. It starts right up and the sound is unbelievable. I walk around the car to the rear and listen to the exhaust note. I wish I could record that audio and place it here. The car makes a deep note but the engine is still so smooth, it is a great combination, almost therapeutic. I spent a couple minutes just listening to that fascinating exhaust. Bill says the car doesn't have a quiet interior like the modern ones "but that is a blessing as I cannot take a phone call while driving" :).
Some more pics for you to enjoy before I close out this story. Do share your comments.
