I bought the car for $800 off a lot in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1975 with 111,000 miles on it. Assume I am the second owner. I met my future and still current wife in 1979. The car was a big part of our courtship and throughout the course of our relationship. It’s as much hers as mine.

The car is Wimbledon White exterior with red interior, a small block 289 engine and Cruise-O-Matic transmission. It was a daily driver from 1975 through 1992, and a weekend driver through 2003. I’ve driven the car across country 3 times, and up and down the California and Oregon coasts too many times to count. The car was always meticulously maintained inside and out. Never once did the car let me down.

I became disabled in 2003 and was unable to drive the car for several years. Unfortunately that led to deterioration both inside and out. In 2013 I decided to do a total restoration of the car, every last nut and bolt, which lasted through June 2016. It was an A Team of vintage car restoration specialists.

Builder is Marc Paul of Crown Customs in San Francisco. His work has been published in Rodders Journal and other magazines and books in both the United States and the U.K. He has won multiple awards in both the UK and U.S.

The transmission was rebuilt during the restoration. I had previously rebuilt the engine at about 155k miles, and it was still running strong so just a tweak here and there. The rebuilt engine has about 40k miles on it and many left to go.

Additional mechanical work including Bilstein shocks, new drums, shoes and pads by Paul Grech of Allied Engine in San Francisco. He works almost exclusively on old cars, and all I can say is that he is a phenomenal mechanic.

Paint by Carlos Arroyo and Sons is factory correct Wimbledon White exterior with red interior dash. Arroyo is nationally known for his work, especially among low-riders.

All exterior trim, stainless, glass and bumpers are original to car and were refurbished during rebuild (except new windshield, fender darts, door handles, and side mirror). All interior redone using "factory correct" parts from Dearborn, Mac's, and AuotoKrafters.

Upgrades include addition of power steering and power brakes, electronic ignition, dual exhaust, and audio. Photos by Davy Dalere of San Francisco .