1976 International Scout but it was ALL Chevy!!

 I found this thing in Phoenix and it barely made it back to Flagstaff.  It did not even have a dash to speak of....I had to make my own later.  I ripped out all the old stuff and replaced it with a Chevy engine, transmission, front and rear ends (4:11 posi), seats out of a Pontiac Firebird and a whole list of other things.  My dad and uncles called it the "Whats-it"....of course that came from people asking a second time "what is it"?

This truck was as tough as they come and drove like a tank!!....which is why I sold it...It was a Kidney buster.  Although I NEVER got stuck in this thing, the fun part was trying to.

1951 Willys Jeep...it goes anywhere!

Update:  Nov. 24, 2008.....Willy is gone......A really cool guy from Las Vegas came and took it home. 

Two generations of Jeeps separated by more than 40 years   Off to his new home

My newest project (Sept. 2006)....a 1982 Nissan Turbo 280ZX

It came with about 160hp stock and 6 pounds of boost.  It is around 240hp and 15 pounds of boost now but when I'm finished it should be around 350hp- 400hp and 22 pounds of boost.

Update:  April 2007 .....  Well....I got side track a little on the gray Z-car.  I came into possession of a 1981 white Turbo 280ZX in March 2007.  I traded 8 days in my motor home for it .....I love trading ;)....  Anyway I decide to restore it first and sell it. 

It is now December 2007 and it is ready to go.  We went through it inside and out / top to bottom and even put new paint on it.  I also put in a smokin Kenwood deck and some great Infinity front and rear speakers.  It is a fun car and of course I could not leave the horse power alone.....I bumped the turbo boost up to 11 pounds from the stock 6 which should give it another 50 horse power.  I'll see if it will sell on ebay in March 2008.

    Updated stereo in the white Z Car.

Timed it just right....the machine shop called today  (Dec. 13, 2007) and said the engine is ready for the gray Z-car.

Update:  Feb. 7th, 2008 .... We just got the new engine and trani in the gray Z-car last night.  We will not have it running until next week some time but I can wait!  I researched and shopped around for months to get the right parts for the engine( I'm talking non-stock stuff).   The engine went to  "Engine Machine of Scottsdale"  for the machining and build (great guys).  I sent the turbo to "Majestic Turbos"  in Texas and they pumped it up.   I sent the Transmission to "Level Ten"  in Hamburg New Jersey and these guys know what they are doing.  Bottom line.....the engine, turbo and trani are  No Where  near stock any more.

       The new engine going into the gray Z Car.

Update: March 5th 2008 ... Holy cow,  did not realize what kind of fabrication issues would arise trying to put in the new turbo intercooler and associated plumbing.  Not to mention the 3 week wait for the new custom built intercooler.

     This was the easy part.  The plumbing under and over to the turbo was a pain.

Update:  March 25th 2008 .... With the intercooler taken care of I am now trying to come up with a posi. rear end (no easy task) and have the rear end apart.  I have put off selling the white Z Car Til I get this gray one on the road....... besides, it is fun to drive.

      4-2-2008   White Z with some new tinting

Update:  June 3rd 2008 .... Holy cow!!  One delay after another....The day we were going to fire up the gray Z we found water running into the crank case!.....After a bit of a discussion with the machine shop, they paid to have the car repaired at a local shop.  They forgot to put the front freeze plug in (1.5 inch hole in the front of the engine!).  Geesh guys....come on!!  Finally got the Grey Z running and went to put in the rear axles,  I had purchased some 5 months ago and .....yep....one of them was the wrong one!......Now my old one is gone and I and playing hell trying to find another. In the mean time I'm driving the white Z ....it gets 20mpg in town so that is ok.

Update:  June 26th 2008.....Well, I finally found the axle I needed and installed it. BUT!  As I started fine tuning the engine I found it would drop off at 6500 RPM.....hmmmm....ok  now what?  I seems I was sent the wrong valve springs (too weak), so now I have to change those out.  OK, what's the deal here?  Is someone trying to tell me something?

Update:  Nov. 15th 2008    Grey Z-Car .....LOL....what an ordeal this has been.  After we got he car running I had not driven it 50 miles and the turbo FRIED!!....it seems the machine shop did not do a very good job of cleaning out the inside of the engine so some metal shavings became lodged in the turbo and starved it for oil....AUGH!!   So,  I have the turbo fixed and move on right????  NO!   I had to pull the oil pan off and inspect for more debris and issues......none were found (thank God).  OK....so here we are 2 years later and finally I'm driving my car.....it is not disappointing me......I'm pushing  a stroker 3.0L  w/22 lbs of boost, a Posi track diff.,  lots of rubber on the rear wheels and loving every minute of it.  As I had envisioned so long ago,  it is very impressive.  I burned the tires all the way through an intersection,  before I took my foot out of it.....and that is 7000 feet above sea level.....what will she do when I leave the mountain?????

For you car guys.....22 lbs. of boost and not one ping.............

I have an appointment in the body shop this week to have the ground effects and wing installed.....That will totally change the look of the car.....The last thing will be   "Corvette Millennium Yellow"  paint.  That was the exact color I painted the Bricklin and I loved it.

I recycled the stereo amps from my Cougar before it left.

UPDATE: April 5th 2009  The White Z-Car is now in its new home of Tucson, AZ.  The new owner is an Air Force type at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.  It was 16 months to find the person that really wanted this car ....He was very excited and I'm happy it is going to a person that I know will treat it right....Well, now I have to turn my attention on getting the Grey Z-Car painted.

My snow thrower broke in March 2008 and I saw an opportunity to shop for a vehicle....lol   I told Deanna that I was going to look for an old truck with a snow plow on it that I could pick up cheap.  That way I could clear around my building out of town without having to run the snow thrower back and forth from home......she agreed ;)

After 10 minutes on Craigs List I found this truck right here in Flagstaff.   It is a 1961 Ford F-600 4x4 Dump Truck....LOL  I never though I would have a dump truck.   When I took Deanna to see it I was not sure what her reaction would be but to my surprise she liked it.....she thought it was a really cool old truck......go figure.