new wagon owner in Riverside County, CA

Hi All,

Joined to get and share info, as I have added a new toy to the Herd, and will need some help with interchange of parts and the like. I am knowledgeable with Chevelles and Monte Carlos, so the basic A-body mechanicals are no big deal, but the wagon specific stuff is something I need to learn about. Anyway, glad to be here, hope to be a productive member of this forum.

Car is a 1970 Chevelle Concours Wagon, it's rough but it's mine!










124k miles, 2 seat wagon, originally beige (Gobi? need to check)
originally a 350 2bbl/th 350 trans, now with a 454/th400, 10 bolt diff
p/s. p/b. w/disc brakes
a/c
dual action gate, pwr rear window, rear load floor storage compartment
clock, 2 speaker radio, w/sh antenna, sport wheel, color keyed interior
wheel house chrome, door edge chrome, roof rack, remote door mirror

The rear window motor is hurt, and the switch is kinda hoked. Radio is swapped, but dash looks uncut. Wheel house chrome is missing, damaged, but it was originally equipped with it. The joystick has been pulled from the control for the mirror. A/C looks mostly complete, but need brackets for the 454. P/S pump leaks like a sieve, may be hosed (was driven with out fluid for many miles!)

Gate has rust, but the 4 doors look to be intact. Needs all weatherstripping replaced. Rust in quarter by fuel tank, and in floor or spare well and rear floor compartment. Original original owner used the front end as a curb feeler, so it has had parts replaced with the best available by seller, still needs work. Also need inner fenders, of which I have a set. Also have a domed hood I may put onto it. Interior is really rough, but most hard to replace stuff (trim panels, headliner bows) are all there.

Runs really hard and loud, but needs to be tuned. Runs way too rich. Kinda loose in the suspension, but tracks OK and brakes well.

It is a little rougher than I would have wanted, but was very cost competitive, so hard to pass up. Nothing that I can't deal with eventually. And Wifey said OK, so strike while the iron is hot!

More pics here:
http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...cours%20Wagon/

 

to the wagon train, chevg. Nice body style on those. Hey...it may be a little rough now but it's smooth where it counts! That will be my kind of wagon when you fix her up....a good looking sleeper.

 

You have said all that matters


to the nut house

 

Welcome to the site.

 

Welcome to the forum. Riverside and San Bernardino Counties are good places tyo cruise around for 'yard art' cars that can be rebuilt. Maybe yours was one of them? come from Orange County myself - down there until last August.

As to parts - if you want to get another tailgate, I think you'll have to get a 2-way model like you have. (Not many are going to be one-way anyway...) Anything from flat-roof Olds, Pontiacs, Buicks or other Malibus should fit - '68 - '72. Wagon parts off of a Vista Cruiser probably won't fit.

I've never been myself, but I hear that the 'giant' car parts swap meet at the Rose Bowl (once every 3 months?) is pretty good.....listen for radio ads on when, or you can find a web site for it.....

I think there's a web site / forum (?) specifically for A-body wagons....look for it.

Good to have you aboard....

Marshall

 

great project!!!
and like you said....its yours!!!!..
..thats the most important part of my world

to the toolbox

 

CG

 

Welcome....

 

there has been one on craigslist for Tulsa Ok for some time now, it carries a 6 cyl, 3spd stick, I almost went to the darkside for it, but couldn't do it. I like yours and see what it could be like w/454, yours is a Good starter. G/L

 

Welcome, Chevygod. You've got a great base from which to start. I'll bet it hauls with that 454 in there. You'll have to hunt up some 454 numbers to replace the 350 fender badges. Have you considered making it into an "SS" wagon? With that engine, you're 1/2 way there already.
Good luck. I look forward to your updates.

 

The Darkside! I love it!

Chevygod, if you've got the wife onside, that's 90% of the job done! That wagon just screams potential for us folks in the Canadian rustbelt! Congrats and welcome!

 

Thank you all for the welcome, I'm looking forward to being here. This'll be a longish post, but, oh well.

As far as finding this car, it had been listed since late last year, but the ads were worded poorly with no pics or pics taken at night under water. I dismissed the car completely. Ad showed up again, emailed the owner, he said it was a ruined Nomad with no real options, but did have a truck 454. Fast forward, ad showed up again, so called and got real details on car. Used to have AC, but all was gutted, whole interior was wrecked and stripped due to windows being left down in the rain, back window motor didn't work. Factory AC and power rear window? Yeah, but it's all gone now...

Started to sound like it was more than a Nomad...

New ad, nicer pics, looked workable, now everytime I try to go see the car, life gets in the way. Finally go to see it, and bought it. Owner said he had lotsa people calling him to see it when he lowered the price, but I wonder... He wasn't too concerned about seeling it if you ask me. But some CL ads are horrible at best... and couldn't sell water to a thirsty man in the desert.

Main plans right now are to get it to run correctly and reliably. Had only one bolt holding crank pulley on, that's fixed. With the fuel cap on, system builds pressure and leaks. Figured out why, need to fix and replace some lines. Gonna put a 2 door front bench in because it's better than what I have. and get all of the stuff fixed that was clooged from the motor/trans install (TH400 kickdown, brake booster vac line, pcv line, sucky shifter hookup and a parking brake!).

I originally was looking for a car to do the SS thing to, found one in Norco that was perfect, no motor/trans/dash/front seat and had a cowl hood. But it had no vin tag at the widshield! This one has a perfect dash and can be made to look nice as it is with sweep speedo and bench, so I will probaly leave it that way. I have an LT1/4-60LE trans I was going to use, but this already has the 454/400, so I'll keep that for now. What I may do is get "400" tags for the fenders and call it a 396/402 car and leave it at that. It'll be a little different than the SS wagons that I see everywhere and for sale in that it will be more low key. Still may do the domed hood though as I have one in stock!

I do want power window and locks and would prefer correct factory stuff, but may try to use some later model 4 door parts as they are cheap.

Anyway, I'll be posting questions about what fits this car from what other cars and try to get this one completely and reliably on the road.

Krash, I know of the wagon portion on Team Chevelle. Do you know of another A-body Wagon site?

Thanx to all for looking and the welcome.

Best regards,
Tom

 

Tom, my Fairmont wagon was built in Mexico, where the VIN tag is embedded on the passenger rear door C-pillar and the Driver's door. Nothing near the windshield. You might have passed on a Mexican V8 model. Mine's a 1979, and Mexico had different regulations back then. I lived down there for 5 years and moved back to Canada.

It was the first thing I looked for too, and was told by the local Mexican registry that they didn't enforce the US regs in Mexico back then, except on Export cars, even at the Factory level. Didn't even have an airpump or catalytic converter.

 

Hi Storm,

Yeah, this car was owned by a couple who went thru a loud divorce. He took all of the paperwork for all of their cars and property, including the car she was driving, and all of the project vehicles. The place for the tag was there, but no tag, so I think he took that too, just to snarl things up. Anyway, she was another CL seller who really made it hard to look at the car...

When I have some money in the bank I'm gonna see if she still has the car, maybe I can get some parts from it!

Best,
Tom

 

Kind of reminds me of that movie "War of the Roses" Good luck and keep your head low.