Leave it or Hot Rod it?

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I'd start with wheels and paint. Get her involved and make it her car. Next add AC. Sounds like your drive train is sweet, maybe 3.23 or 3.21 gears if you are not there yet. Last would be the O/D and even lower gears.
 
Get her involved and make it her car.
As good an idea as this is, sometimes I think it would be easier to just send her out to search for something she feels is acceptable, then buy it.
My wife likes '59 Ramblers. Not so much now that she knows what they can get for one.
If the price would have dropped just a little she would own the '62 Imperial she spotted one night at Hot August Nights.
She really likes GTO's (which is no problem for me), so when I started to clone a '67 Tempest I had and she figured out the cost she kind of gave up. Too bad. I had everything I need for a nice tri-power automatic.
So I did just what I said. Sent her out. What does she want??? She wants me to buy back my old '73 4-speed 'Cuda. We'll see.
Now she thinks her boat is too slow, and wants me to tweak it.
I'm not convinced a wife can ever be completely happy.
 
What wheels?

I have tried a few different photoshop wheels and she hasn't shown an interest in one set over the other.
Personally I think the TT chrome spokes look really good on it, but that may be because it's yellow right now.


As good an idea as this is, sometimes I think it would be easier to just send her out to search for something she feels is acceptable, then buy it.
My wife likes '59 Ramblers. Not so much now that she knows what they can get for one.
If the price would have dropped just a little she would own the '62 Imperial she spotted one night at Hot August Nights.
She really likes GTO's (which is no problem for me), so when I started to clone a '67 Tempest I had and she figured out the cost she kind of gave up. Too bad. I had everything I need for a nice tri-power automatic.
So I did just what I said. Sent her out. What does she want??? She wants me to buy back my old '73 4-speed 'Cuda. We'll see.
Now she thinks her boat is too slow, and wants me to tweak it.
I'm not convinced a wife can ever be completely happy.

She told me the other day that if she were to let one of her cars go it would be the Dart and keep her 59 Ranchero and do the upgrades to it instead.
This is when we picked it up and drove it home, and I have since replaced the cracked drivers side window, limo tinted them and put a tan cloth Dakota electric seat in it.
Also found another grill in good condition.
It runs pretty good, but could use a motor refresh or replacement.
She uses it to pick up Craigslist and yard sale stuff.
332 cu with a Holley 600.
NONE of the gauges or lights worked at all when we got it, but it all works now and I put a hitch on it for a light duty12 foot trailer that I refurbished for it.
This is actually her favorite.

blue.jpg
 
I have tried a few different photoshop wheels and she hasn't shown an interest in one set over the other.
Personally I think the TT chrome spokes look really good on it, but that may be because it's yellow right now.




She told me the other day that if she were to let one of her cars go it would be the Dart and keep her 59 Ranchero and do the upgrades to it instead.
This is when we picked it up and drove it home, and I have since replaced the cracked drivers side window, limo tinted them and put a tan cloth Dakota electric seat in it.
Also found another grill in good condition.
It runs pretty good, but could use a motor refresh or replacement.
She uses it to pick up Craigslist and yard sale stuff.
332 cu with a Holley 600.
NONE of the gauges or lights worked at all when we got it, but it all works now and I put a hitch on it for a light duty12 foot trailer that I refurbished for it.
This is actually her favorite.

View attachment 1715326681
I would sell the Dart and build the Ranchero the way she wants it then...............
 
It amazes me that some guys wives like old cars , even RANI .
My wife will only drive a new one ! But will drive it till it starts giving trouble-

My wife could give two craps less about my old cars, but she absolutely loves her CJ-5 I bought her one year for her birthday. She will run the wheels off that old Jeep in the summer time, it’s a nice Jeep but it still has manual steering and brakes.
And whenever it needs maintenance, she is right beside me helping.
 
My wife could give two craps less about my old cars, but she absolutely loves her CJ-5 I bought her one year for her birthday. She will run the wheels off that old Jeep in the summer time, it’s a nice Jeep but it still has manual steering and brakes.
And whenever it needs maintenance, she is right beside me helping.
My wife still talks about the Jeep she rented years ago, I bet if I was to...
 
I would sell the Dart and build the Ranchero the way she wants it then...............

Yeah it sounds like the dart is your dream, you should fix up the Ranchero for her it's a cool car...

All it takes is a decision, which is hard to drag out of her.:D
I already put a power brake conversion kit on it so she doesn't have to trash her knees to stop it.
 
Leave the Dart for another day...fix up the 59 Ranchero I LIKE IT. It is her favorite........!
 
My wife still talks about the Jeep she rented years ago, I bet if I was to...

My wifes daily is a jeep suv, she just left to go get her fingernails done, and said she was taking the old 03 wrangler we have because she had not seen it move in awhile.
 
I am a big fan of “Your car your way” beyond a shadow of a doubt. Be it a 100% correct resto or a complete throw back to the late 70’s Pro Street days. Cars are made to be driven and enjoyed!



That is the question.:D
The Wife has this near completely stock 72 Dart Swinger hard top and she thinks she might want it modified with more power, overdrive, AC, tinted windows, another paint color and custom wheels.
It has HEI ignition, a 340 grind cam in a semi recently done .030 over 318 that runs perfect as is.
It is licensed, insured and has brand new tires, so it is completely drive able as it sits, and she does take it to the store or something like that once in awhile.
It runs and drives really well.

I tell her she may want to reconsider changing it from stock much, but she says she would like to keep it and daily drive it if it had the above mentioned mods, but if not then she doesn't have much interest in driving it.
(the oil gauge on the inner fender was from when I replaced the cam and broke it in after we got it.)
So modernize and hot rod it or leave it and eventually let it go?

View attachment 1715326479

View attachment 1715326480
 
Ranchero is a really sweet ride, tough choice, but I would do what will make her the most happy. My wife likes old cars, she probably would have preferred that I not sell the '70 Dart, green is her favorite color. I wanted to make some changes to the '76 Ventura we have, but she wanted to keep it original, now she very rarely drives it, so we have decided to sell it.
 
Me? I'm just trynna wrap my head around a guy having a wife who's a "car girl" AND a hot rodder
 
Me? I'm just trynna wrap my head around a guy having a wife who's a "car girl" AND a hot rodder

The day my Wife and I met at the local park swings with our Daughters she was driving a white 70 Coronet 2 door and I was driving a 66 Falcon.
Here older brother drove a black and white retired police Polara 440 and her younger brother drove a 68 Dart 360.
 
Yea, I got one of those. It is great until she starts eye balling your stash of parts and making comments .....
My wife doesn't know much about cars, or performance parts, but she does like cars, even though she gets a little anxious when I do a burnout or drift, she has always been supportive of my addiction, going to the drag strip with me, usually taking pictures and video. She used to marvel at how I would know what year, make and model of a car she would see on the road or at a show was, typically asking me "how do you know this stuff?" Been a car nut all my life. She used to help her dad when she was young, he was a bit of a car guy too, though I never knew him.
 
My wife dont know much about cars but she does like some of the old ones. We have different tastes that's for sure she is more into 57 belairs and stuff like that. She likes looking at them at car shows and stuff but when it comes to working on one or owning one she could care less lol
 
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