How's your MPG?

Xavier: This pic is actually an accidental close-up of the wheel well and door threshold that were rusted out, above the well the rust went clear through almost as high as this pic shows. It's all metal now. This is also the side that was scratched from front to back, in some places a 1/4 inch deep.

 

Thanks Dewey S, Xavier is not the only member enjoying your reports about your wagon. Always nice to see and hear the "before" stories.
MPG are only important while you are fueling up.

 

Thanks Cat! I have some pics of my wagon when I first got her home. I need to get them up so you guys can see, the fender I'm talking about was see through!

RE Gas: My wife once said I would sell blood to put gas in that car...she was right.

 

Did she know it was HER blood you were talkin about ?

 

I'll never tell Cat!

 

1/4 inch deep!!! Was she blind!? I assume that this was something that she did repeatedly.

Shhhh! We're not supposed to say anything about that remember.

 

The old lady was 4ft tall and about 82 when she stopped driving. As I looked down the rock wall next to her driveway you could see many many many digs in the rocks and mortor, pieces missing etc...The scratches on the wagon were no exaggeration 1/4" deep if not deeper, some of the passenger side doors and rear quarters were actually creased and the front bumper had been bent out about an 1 1/2" on the passenger side as well. A sweet crease and dimple dent were removed very nicely by a place called Ogden Chrome plating, can't even tell now. Both bumpers were re-chromed by them and both sub-bumpers were powder coated black.

 

It's funny man I think back to what I started with here and all the meticulas details I went through to put a proper "finish" on the Shwag just blended into the overall process. I think back and say "wow I can't believe how much time and effort went into getting this car straight", as the time passes I forget just how bad the body was, talking to you about it makes me jump in the Wayback machine and makes me just marvel at the final results.

 

You know it intimately don't you? Feeling a special connection to something that you have spent so much time with. That is something that I have truly come to appreciate here in the time I have spent on the forum. All the restos I have seen pictures of and read about and all the while practically restoring my own car. My wife didn't understand at one point but with my constant presence here and our many, many conversations about the forum and what happens here and being with me as I have learned how to fix and make repairs from all of you and applying it to our car, she now knows why some one can fall in love with a car so easily... Before the forum she only ever loved one car and that was our 1984 Mercury Marquis Wagon (RIP).

 

That is a clean, cute little wagon! Sorry you had to let her go, it's hard enough to find one you love let alone the wifey too. I would say my wife "likes" my car, that is until its knocking pictures off the wall idling in the driveway.

 

I wish I knew about the forum back when I had it. It would probably still be on the road today and in great condition... All black and shiny and happy. Even in its poor state, however, it got great gas mileage. Better than my Kia.

 

Experience is a funny thing, I lost my dad at an early age (22) and much of the knowlege I have gained has been from trial and error and advice from people like this forum has. What I discovered is that you can do anything you put your mind to conserning vehicles, you just have to be very patient. It usually takes a mountain of money most of us don't have, it took me 5 years to save enough to have the wagon painted, another 2 years to by wheels, tires and hydraulics. The feeling inside to "rush" to the end can be very frustrating for sure.

My daily driver the Toyota Tacoma gets decent mileage, about 24 mpg highway, my wifes Honda Civic about 44 mpg highway.

 

I lost my dad back in '06. The same year I met my wife. It seems that we learned pretty much the same way... I'm still learning that way.

From my perspective it is easy to forget that it takes such a long time to make the repairs when I get to read the story in one sitting... That was a long time to have to wait but worth it too see it now.

 

[/QUOTE] From my perspective it is easy to forget that it takes such a long time to make the repairs when I get to read the story in one sitting... That was a long time to have to wait but worth it too see it now.[/QUOTE]

Sorry to hear about your dad, I don't think there is anything harder. Mine died in 1990...once again there's a number in electric ink. It types out so easy but it's been 21 long years. I like writing about the car building process it's so much faster and easier than the actual building. As I sit in the garage and just stare at my car it's sometimes hard to believe it's sitting there in front of me. Isn't that weird?