So much to do ... so little time.

Jess, my high-school "basic transportation" stock 73 Grabber, which hasn't been under its own power for 15 years after a stretched timing chain turned it from a car into a work-in-progress, is finally getting a project thread of its own.

Alas, progress is slow - very slow - like molasses-in-winter slow... Something about being a middle-aged working stiff with a family and not a lot of free time that isn't spent fixing something more important that's broke...

Today's progress:
Took her out out of the garage for the first real bath in several years just to get the layers of dirt and rat pee off of the New Mexico sun-baked finish.

I was planning to put the engine back together this coming fall & winter, having at last removed the remnants of two threaded gallery plugs and an E-Z Out after 10 of those 15 years... But looking at it today, I'm seeing surface rust (at least I HOPE it's just surface rust...) starting to take hold in quite a few places. And it's clear that brake lines, fuel lines, power steering lines, and quite a few other items need to be addressed before it is roadworthy again. So now I'm thinking: get the engine buttoned back up and put into dry storage and then at least get the engine bay done before putting the engine back in. I just don't have the room in the garage or the organizational skills to manage having too many subsystems taken apart all at once...

But it'll get done - 15 minutes at a time.

Ok, what's a project thread without pictures, right?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2641/3911117415_231cdc7aa1.jpg
Profile shot with obligatory girl hanging on fender...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2653/3911898880_1fb870c89a.jpg
Messy interior... Moldy sun visors...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2637/3911188731_85a703a0f8.jpg
Empty engine bay

[QUOTE=David Olix;604855]So much to do ... so little time.
Alas, progress is slow - very slow - like molasses-in-winter slow... Something about being a middle-aged working stiff with a family and not a lot of free time that isn't spent fixing something more important that's broke.


Don't feel bad David, many of us are in the same boat! Many times it's been I had the money, but not the time, or got the time, just no money! It's taken me 3.75 years to get my car where it is now. And that is only working on it one or two Saturdays a month. You'll get there! Just don't give up!:thumbs2: And I love the color combo, wish mine was blue. I thought about painting it blue, but didn't feel like the tan interior would go well with it.....

I can relate!! after getting kid thru college wife starts having some med problems, I feel bad spending money on a personal hobby when other things are needing done, Nice project you have, go to my images under my name to see several unfinished projects!! :)

I have had my 74 for almost five years now and the only thing i finished is the motor and trans. I've spent the rest of that time just buying stuff for it. Now I have a 71 in the garage since last September and barely started on it....lol

That is one amazing 1973 Grabber!!!
Good luck, enjoy the time you have to work on the car. It'll be well worth it in the end.

Nice project. I have a '73 Grabber (parts car) that USED TO be that same color combo, until the previous owner use a paint brush and converted it to maroon and black. :hmmm:
Keep posting pics of the progress! :thumbsup:

Looks like a nice solid car. :thumbs2:

Keep the faith ... I just did a "OMG ... it took me this long to get to this point" myself.

How to eat an entire elephant? ... one bite at a time ... :thumbsup:

Ok, so I know it's a waste of time given that I'm going to have to repaint the whole thing eventually anyway...

But still... I was getting nowhere over the last couple weeks figuring out what to put into the engine rebuild, and I had read somewhere that Mother's Mag Polish works well on metal-flake paint, so I figured I'd try it out. Sure enough, a wet sand with 600 grit, followed by the Mother's, and then a basic wax brought out the shine (and the dents!) from under that New Mexico sun-blasted finish...

Of course, it looks good enough that now I feel like I should do the rest of it... :rolleyes: Maybe I'll just do the engine bay next to have something nice and shiny to put a rebuilt engine into... :)

Wow - what a difference!

How beautiful - and THANKS for the tip! My car is a metallic Chestnut brown Pinto Wagon, very oxidized/faded from the Texas sun, and I have tried at least a few things to shine it without success. I >love< Mother's polish, so it sounds like I have something to try. Thanks!!

Chris

Let me know if you need anything. I live about 45 minutes from you... I'm working on a 70 Grabber this winter. Hopefully have it running by spring of next year. I'm hoping for a mild winter so I can work on it on the weekends... I will be outside in the carport...

Ok, so I know it's a waste of time given that I'm going to have to repaint the whole thing eventually anyway...

But still... I was getting nowhere over the last couple weeks figuring out what to put into the engine rebuild, and I had read somewhere that Mother's Mag Polish works well on metal-flake paint, so I figured I'd try it out. Sure enough, a wet sand with 600 grit, followed by the Mother's, and then a basic wax brought out the shine (and the dents!) from under that New Mexico sun-blasted finish...

Of course, it looks good enough that now I feel like I should do the rest of it... :rolleyes: Maybe I'll just do the engine bay next to have something nice and shiny to put a rebuilt engine into... :)

I tried using this on a metallic brown '77 over the weekend. It's pretty amazing how well it worked, I was impressed. Thanks for the tip! :tiphat: