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This is the latest op..."Operation Seatbelt Cleanup".  The front belts were sticky and nasty from numerous soda accidents from the car's early days.  I yanked 'em out and soaked them for 8 hours in a solution of 50% Resolve upholstery cleaner and 50% hot water...the water was completely black from all the crap that filtered out.  I then spent an hour scrubbing them with Resolve and a soft bristle tooth brush.  The pics show the belts after the first round of cleaning...I'll post more when the op is completed.

MO...I can see a couple of women getting cozy and gossiping while doing their business, but a couple of guys...not so much.  But I keep forgetting the wonderful times we're in, so maybe that's acceptable now (probably "warmly embraced" these days  .

PS...I just noticed my wife sitting in the passenger seat in the photos at the station.  She never took her eyes off her phone the whole 10 minutes we were there  .

Jim...that's a not-so-great memory  .  I spent some time in Bremerton...great port-of-call with some excellent bars.  I remember the Connie from being home-ported in San Diego in the early '80s on a Spruance destroyer...it was frequently sitting at North Island as we entered and exited San Diego Bay, and we often ran into it during Socal Ops.  I bet those makeshift wooden heads were very popular with the yardbirds...what a great idea!

Thanks for sharing (I think)...

I did a tune-up on Charlotte this weekend and installed NOS Delco wires, AC R46N plugs, and cap, rotor, and points (all Delco...the best there is).

The 230 still had its original plugs, cap, rotor and wires...they lasted 40k miles!  The wires were rock hard and dated "2Q-70".  I may install them just for shows.

The interior evokes memories of the Great Depression years.  It should be preserved as a museum, but thoughtless vandals have broken out a window and stolen the front of one of its 1940's Gulf gas pumps...sadness.

Its original outhouse is leaning a bit and will collapse at some point down the road.  It has awesome patina.  Its bouquet contains just a hint of fresh cow pasture.

I took Charlotte up US 23 to OH 98 a couple of days ago (one of my favorite country drives).  The hiway goes arrow straight for approx 20 miles to the small city of Bucyrus (home for many years to Bucyrus-Erie cranes). 

I am a huge fan of old gas stations and Bucyrus has 3 that are mostly original, but the best station is 5 miles north of 23.  It was built in 1929 by a farmer to take advantage of the traffic between Columbus and Lake Erie.  It augmented his income for over 40 years, then closed around 1972 after he died.  It is owned by his grandsons who have left the building standing as a memorial to their grandfather and his legacy.  As the photos will attest, it is stunningly original...and an excellent spot for old car photos.

Thanks MO...a little humor goes a long way on this site. 

Fascinating stuff!  I was 9 years-old during the Christmas of '66, but my dad was a Ford man (he bought a new '66 Galaxie 4-door and I remember the copper '66 Mustang convertible with a parchment Pony interior in the showroom) so I didn't know about this game.  However, I did have a Motorific racing set with a turquoise Corvette and a red Mustang. 

That was a great time to be a kid...the original Batman series, The Monkees TV show and the cartoon Jonny Quest on Saturday mornings, going to the drag races at Great Lakes Dragaway, riding my Schwinn to the Dairy Queen with not a care in the world.

The photo is some Motorific cars currently for sale on Ebay (note...not my cars).

During the course of swapping the engine, starter, and carb, I pulled the valve cover on the 250 and discovered why it ran so poorly...the number 5 exhaust valve was broken (I'm guessing the little-old-lady who owned the Nova was probably drag racing another old lady with a slant-6 Valiant when the spring let go on a 5 grand power shift...it happens sometimes). 

The valve and its seat are undamaged, so I'll replace the spring and keep the 250 for future re-installation.  For now the 230 runs great and will remain between the front fenders until I can reinstall the "mountain motor" 250 (nothing like the bigger cube Chevy sixes, is there?).

The '69 Monojet carb was a little hesitant off the line, so I spent a couple of hours cleaning up the '70 carb for a swap.  I noticed a slight improvement with that carb, so for now it stays.

The carb cleaned up nicely.  If you look closely at the last photo you can see a Chevy bow tie logo above "Monojet".  Inside the bow tie it says "Bay City", a reference to the plant where it was built...Bay City, MI.

Kurt...yes, the '70 Nova was a Willow Run car.  I have also seen Canadian-built original starters before, but I wasn't aware they were appreciably different.

I am always upset when I see a museum-quality survivor Chevy with a 6-banger destroyed to build a hot rod, but I also understand the desirablity factor...the "need for speed".  Had I not been able to buy this beautiful little 230, my Camaro would have languished a bit longer.

Here are a couple more photos of the donor car.  Note that the seller has already replaced the original FC-coded wheels and steering wheel with SS items.  I am still trying to buy the steering wheel, as it is a little better than my Camaro's original.

MO...I agree...it is stunning in its own way.  I was 12 years old in 1970 and I frequently went by the local Chrysler-Plymouth dealer to see the cool Mopar muscle cars...Cudas, Road Runners, Dusters, even Furys.  I got a Rapid Transit brochure and some free stickers (God knows where they are now...they would probably fetch a good price on Ebay).  I celebrate the '70s...brilliant music, clothing, and cars, and waayyy the hell better than these crappy times.  If you didn't experience those times, it's difficult to understand just how cool and over-the-top they were.

This is everything bolted back together and purring like a kitten.  She sounds like what she is...a '69 Camaro with a little-old-lady Singer sewing machine in the engine compartment.  .

I will give you all a complete report of Charlotte's shake-down run later today.  Columbus is supposed to have temps in the low 70s and sunshine today...a good day for a run up to Bucyrus on old hiway 98.

This is the '69's manifold...much cleaner.  I also kept the 250's original carb...recently rebuilt and performs smoothly.