Lets see, it was at least two years after the whole Beulah experience. I had already fallen in love with Darts and had been scoping them out ever since Beulah had slipped through my grasp. I wasn't really looking to buy one, but I was noticing them more. One evening I was driving to my dad's house in his green mini van that he had graciously let me borrow since I had ehem, blown up my Ford Escort Wagon (that I had actually purchased from C4C, the same lot Beulah once resided in). I was on my usual route when lo and behold, I pass a Dodge Dart in a parking lot for sale. I pulled over and checked it out, it was only $600! Right then and there I decided it was to be mine! I jotted down the number and continued to my Dad's place. When I told him about it he remembered Beulah, and how badly I wanted that one. I called the seller & set up a test drive for the next day. My dad agreed to go along.
Instantly I was in love with that car. It was a 1963 4 door 170 slant six with push button auto transmission. It was done up in a ghetto facsimile of a surf woodie. The owner, Lance had "decorated" it with bamboo and primer-ed it a cheap blue color. It was a jalopy for sure but it was too late, I had to have it. After the short test-drive I shook hands on it. I asked my dad what he thought about the car. He said it didn't matter because I had already made up my mind to get it. I paid Lance and I drove it to work that day, happy as a lark. Sadly, the car wasn't as happy. Lance had worked some voodoo on it and it once the car was signed over to me went ka-put. Little did I know how bad it was.
It sat in the driveway for a month or so until I miraculously met up with Jeff Chong & the boys at Sutton Engineering. They took me and my Dodge under their wings and hooked me up. It took many weeks and many dollars to get the monster up to code but when he was done it was a real tiger. I drove it every day for almost 2 years. It never looked much better than the day I brought it home, but it drove like a champ. Eventually the current boyfriend convinced me to take up driving his 90's Ford Ranger on a daily basis. I think he was jealous of Ol' Blue (I had known & loved that car longer than than him). I drove the Ranger with the intent of letting Blue rest while I fixed him cosmetically. I only got as far as primer-ing it flat black. Once Blue was no longer blue, I usually called him the Old Man. Once my occupation of the Ranger expired, I was back in the Dodge but things we different. He was really leaking exhaust and I kept getting migraines from driving it.
I secretly (Blue didn't know, neither did the BF) began looking for an old wagon that would be tough enough to tow my '63 camper trailer. It was more of a whim than anything because I knew nothing could replace that space in my heart that Blue held....until that is, I met Lucy.
Before I talk about Lucy, lets give Blue his day in the sun:
Sunny days
Side view sans Lance's bamboo
Blue up on the lift, me under it at Sutton
Up next: I love Lucy!
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