For the 60s vintage Shelbys, it would be a trivial project to turn a reasonably rust-free donor car into a very capable lookalike for way, way less than a million bucks. $1000 for a photographer, $5000 for a donor, $10,000 for a race-ready frame, another $10,000 for a Coyote crate motor, and $10,000 for glamor and bling. You might need a few more bucks here and there for a tranny, motor tuning, finding the right ratio in the 9" rear end, and a race-legal fire extinguisher. That works out to cheaper than most new SUVs. On;y trouble is, a 1960s Shelby will only haul 1 cart of groceries at a time. ... View more

#11 is the faux hood ornament featured on the album cover of Blind Faith's first album. Not the girl. The chrome sculpture. ... View more

The engine was OUT OF THE CAR!  Why didn't you determine and mark TDC on the crank pulley?  You know, pop the valve cover and watch the valves ... and adjust the lash while you're in there.  It only takes a few minutes for all that.  Oh, and mark the wires at the spark plug boot, unless you change them when you replace the disti.  In that case, mark the new ones.  It only costs a few points at Concours, and if that blue Healey in the picture was yours, it didn't belong at Concours. Darn, I am showing my age -- I learned how to adjust points and time a disti by ear, then tweak the dwell for max power.  And almost 30 years ago I saw a very prescient comment by a Jag mechanic who said "DON'T tune by the book.  That's only good for cars fresh out of the factory.  Tune the car, not the manual." And ... always know what parts to keep in the glove compartment, like 1157 bulbs, an ignition module for any GM with HEI, and a spare car for anything made by Ford. ... View more

I recall seeing an early CB750 in 1969, and I really wanted one (12-year-olds are like that).  But that sort of "gotta have it" is like the Holland tulip mania in the 1600s that made so many wealthy people into paupers when the market crashed.   Still, I guess if you gotta have it, you gotta have it.  I owned a Plymouth Superbird when I was 18, and if I had the money today, I'd buy that exact same car again -- it's still out there with a relatively fresh but incorrect restoration that made it slightly better than original.   If I had $100K, or a million tulip bulbs .... ... View more