1966 Chrysler Newport Project:

On a lovely Saturday in the spring of 2008, a friend of mine and I went to look at this car - I found it on Craigslist in Lawrence. We took a lovely test-drive along the country roads south of Lawrence. It drove really well, and I really like the car, and they were asking an excellent price for such a fine vehicle.

I bought it on the following Monday. It has A/C and was advertised as having a rebuilt engine and tranny. Everything worked, it looked almost new - and that's the original bronze paint. Cool! Big bench seats and your typical 1960s luxo-car ride make it perfect for road-trips with up to seven people and all their luggage, a joy to drive.

First up, I gave it a good, long once-over. It's in far better condition than I had thought, with nary a spot of rust, even under the fenders (I pulled the wheels to lube the chassis). It looks like a car that's only a few years old. This makes me very happy.

...of course, being a hot-rodder at heart, I couldn't leave well enough alone. This series of pages documents the transformation of this sedate sedan into a fire-breather still suitable for road-trips. Only faster!