It’s worth mentioning that we have done a couple of things to Aunt Helen since she came to live me. We cleaned the engine, changed the distributor cap and rotor (which is blog worthy) and gave her an oil change. I haven’t done a whole lot, though, because a) my time is limited for another month or so and b) my finances are limited (aren’t all of ours?).
Things are slowly starting to shift and I’m going to be able to dedicate a bit more time here in the near future. A few things that are on the horizon include re-building the front end, fixing the dash pad and tracking down a hard to find trim piece for the passenger side door. Here’s a picture:
So, I’ve been on the hunt for this piece. I registered for the AACA (Antique Automobile Club of America) website so I could participate in their forums and posted a new thread looking for the piece. I received a reply back with a suggestion of someone who actually called me back and said they would keep me on their radar. I also joined the Forward Look Network and posted a thread. Got a lot of other good information from just browsing. I didn’t think it would be so challenging to track down this piece, but the trim package on most of the other Chrysler products during this time (Imperial, New Yorker, Saratoga, etc.) had different trim packages. Also, the Windsor came in a 2-door style, as well as, a 4-door style. I’m glad that I know how to use google so well because this process requires a lot of searching.
I also had my first yard experience. We checked out Desert Valley‘s yard to see if they had any Windsors. They had a ’61 and it had a completely different trim package. Now girls, if you’re like me, you’re not thinking about the miscellaneous debris that might be strewn about at a yard. My first advice, be prepared to get dirty and do not wear heels or open-toe shoes. I thought sandals would be a good idea. Don’t do it! Here are some photos from the vastness that we searched for about an hour since random trim pieces were thrown inside the vehicles.
Here’s another small tip: My friend found a posting for a 2-door Windsor on Craig’s List. They want quite a bit of money for it and it is in much worse condition than mine. He picked up (he’s been doing this a while) that there were lots of cars in the yard surrounding the Windsor and he called the guy. Turns out, they have a variety of Chrysler pieces on their lot, that is not a public lot, and they may have the trim piece we’re looking for. We’re hoping to get down there this week.
In the meantime, I’m still on a mission to find that trim piece and really that’s the only piece I need aesthetically. This is something to take note of when purchasing a classic car because those elements aren’t cheap and you can expect to pay $40 – $200 (even more) pieces for some of these embellishments. It can add up fast.