Adventure Awaits...

About 4 years ago, I was approaching the "dreaded" big "Four Oh." 40. As my birthday approached, my wife reminded me that in my younger years, I joked about getting a motorcycle for my 40th birthday. However, after my wife and I had two young children and I have body that doesn't bounce back as quickly, I decided that a motorcycle was a bad idea...(I proved this theory to be true around age 42, but that's a post for another time). As I thought about the things I enjoy most and about how much I love spending time with my family, I decided that I really wanted to purchase a classic car and travel the "Mother Road." Thus begins our adventure... Once the decision was made, I began to search. I didn't want to spend much money (I didn't have it to spend), so I began searching for something I could barter for. At the time, my daily driver was a 1996 Ford Explorer that I bought from a member of my church a few years before for $800. The "Exploder" as we lovingly referred to it, had served me well, and would continue to do so in my quest to barter for a vintage hunk of American steel. After weeks and weeks of thorough Craigslist searching, I brought home the first classic machine: A 1959 Ford Fairlane Galaxie 500 sedan with a 352 V8. I traded my Explorer straight across...swapping titles with a farmer and garage mechanic in Rockford, WA. Rockford is a small town about 40 miles away from me. I drove my Explorer to the Galaxie owner's farm, along with my eldest son who was about 8 years old at the time. The old Ford was resting in a lean-to next to a barn, covered in years of dust with four flat tires - the prospects of bringing this car home were grim at first glance. However, I couldn't deny the excitement in my own gut nor the gleaming smile of an excited 8 year old boy. After spraying a few wasps nests out of the door jambs, we looked the car over...what secrets that car must've held! The owner popped the hood, hooked up a battery charger, dumped some gas in the carb and the old steel beast roared to life...I couldn't believe it ran! We aired up the tires...and even though they were flat, they were in good shape and with the exception of one rotted valve stem and after some work, they held air. We checked the fluids...a little low on brake fluid and transmission fluid, but the oil looked surprisingly good and the coolant was full. After a quick run to NAPA for a valve stem and some fluids, I was swapping titles and became the proud owner of a rusted out 1959 Galaxie, that was full of dust, extra parts and a few mouse corpses. I told the farm owner that if I could get it to shift gears and stop in his driveway, I'd drive it into town for gas...and if it was still running when I passed by the farm, I was going to drive it as close to home as I could, with a buddy on standby that owned a car trailer! My son and I headed to gas station and surprisingly, the old Galaxie idled away while I filled the tank. I check for fuel leaks, checked the oil one last time...and off we went! We passed the farm, and as we did, I honked the horn (which actually worked) and white knuckled my way home. Looking over at my son, sitting proudly in the passenger seat with the window down, the early summer air blowing in his face and a grin that wouldn't quit, I knew I had made the right decision. That is until I rounded the corner to home, called my wife to come look at my new purchase...only to have her break down in tears when we pulled the rusted wonder into the driveway...and they weren't tears of joy. I assured her that everything would be okay, cleaned the Galaxie up as much as possible and then took the family for a ride around the block. About halfway around the block, my youngest son screamed...as another mouse corpse had worked its way out from under the seat. Oops...missed one.

I owned the Galaxie for two years, and during that time, it became a sweet running machine. I swapped out the 2 barrel manifold with a 4 barrel and an Edelbrock carb. I put the reliable GM HEI ignition system on it and had the 352 big block running beautifully. My auto shop class from high school came in handy, as did a good friend who owns a local auto repair shop! However, the rust on the Galaxie was more than my budget and patience could handle. She was not going to be the car for Route 66. As I explained to my oldest son, "The Galaxie could lead us to the car, that could lead us to the car, that we take on Route 66. She was a means to an end. So, up for sale she went! A few weeks after listing her in the local Craigslist, the Galaxie went to a new home and I had a pocket full of cash...

When putting the "Ol Gal" up for sale, I informed my wife that every dime I made from it was going directly into another classic car. Dave Ramsey be darned...I wasn't going to use these funds to pay off debt or do anything responsible...I have a dream to fulfill! After searching endless Craigslist pages and looking at a few rusted out machines within my budget, I put a call into some friends and acquaintances informing them of my search for a new candidate for a trip down the Main Street of America. It didn't take long for a friend to inform me that he had a 1962 Dodge Dart 330 sedan for sale on Ebay. The fact is, in my search, I had seen his listing, but it was "out of my league" budget wise. He was asking what I felt was a fair price, but it was simply more than I had. After disclosing the number of Benjamins in my pocket, he spoke with his wife and agreed that the Dart should go to me, rather than some repeat "low baller" off Ebay. I borrowed a car trailer and a friend and drove just outside of Spokane to pick up this beauty!