In my travels across the area, I came across a 1984 Chevy Monte Carlo sitting in someone’s driveway. I stopped and knocked on the door and inquired if the gentleman would like to sell it. He said, “no, not at this time.” So I gave him my phone number in case he changed his mind. Low and behold about a month later he called and said that he was ready to sell and that the car originally belonged to his mother.

So, my first job was to paint the car. The challenge was to decide on the color that I wanted. I chose pearl blue viper. I never painted a car before, but I was up to the challenge with the help of my brother Dave and best friend Willy. I emptied out the garage, got all the equipment together and started painting. The Pin striping was also done by me.

The next step was to remove the bench seat and install buckets. But, before installation, I recovered the cloth seats with vinyl. I custom built the center console and finished it off with a carved wooden top. I added a floor shifter and turned my collection of beer taps into shifter knobs, which I change seasonally. I installed the headliner and had new visors made.

After about five years, I put in a 350 motor, and it now looks great with new wheels and tires.

My wife and I enjoy every minute spent cruising around and going to shows. The Monte runs great!