Dad's 1963 MGB returns home, restored again

Charles Haynes' father ordered this Iris Blue 1963 MGB after seeing one just like it in a sales brochure.

The prodigal 1963 MGB. A son restores, then sells a classic, 25-year-old MG that belonged to his father since it was new. Twenty years later, the son, Charlie Haynes of Guntersville, Alabama rediscovered the 1963 MGB, that his dad bought, in a Hemmings Motor News ad. As fate would have it, the Iris Blue MGB caught Haynes’ eye just like it caught his dad's eye during his mid-life crisis.
  Charlie's story follows, in his own words.

Charlie Haynes' dad, Charles, washes his "mid-life crisis" 1963 MGB.

My Dad's MG  
  This story begins with my wife's recovery from what we thought to be a life-threatening illness. To celebrate her first day out of bed, I suggested an afternoon outing in nearby Huntsville, Alabama. She could shop at her pace while I amused myself at a bookstore until she returned. I ordered a coffee and found a table. As usual, I scanned the flying and motorcycle magazines, and then looked over the magazine rack for other entertainment. Staring back at me was a Hemmings Motor News. Although a faithful reader of Hemmings many years ago, I hadn't even looked at one for at least 5 years.
  I went straight to the MG section to find out what MGBs were selling for these days. While doing so, I saw the following want ad:

"... Iris Blue 1963 MGB roadster, second owner, restored by first owner, 82,000 original miles, complete books and records. Call ... in Atlanta."

Could it be?
  Well, I remembered selling a 1963 Iris Blue MGB roadster to a fella from Atlanta in 1988. Could this be him? My wife returned shortly afterward and I told her about it. She suggested I call "because she had never forgiven me for selling the car and thought we should get it back." In reality, I didn't want to sell it at the time either, but I was finishing an experimental aircraft that needed an engine and one used Lycoming aircraft engine at the time equaled one 1963 MGB roadster in immaculate condition.

  I called the Atlanta telephone number and a familiar voice answered. Don had been trying to find me to see if I wanted to repurchase the car. I had moved, though, and all my old telephone numbers were useless to him. He said that he had retired and was getting out of the car collecting business. He had sold all his collection except the MGB. To be honest, I had called only out of curiosity and really didn't want the car again as I had "moved on" from hobby cars since 2004 and had even sold my airplane in 2005 after 16 years of reliable service. The longer we talked, however, the more reasonable the price became. To make things even more interesting, my Dad began to talk to me ...

Mid-life crisis
  I was in graduate school at Penn State in 1963 (a long story in itself for an Alabama boy) when my father had a mid-life crisis. He called to say that he had bought a new MGB without even looking at one in the flesh, only seeing a sales brochure with a pretty blue roadster on it. He had ordered the one in the brochure. Since I was about 1,000 miles away, he figured that I wouldn't be back to wreck it for him. He did, however, drive it to Pennsylvania for a visit, and later to west Texas after I had begun a petroleum engineering career out there. My dad commuted in the MG to his truck driving job at the steel mill for several years, obviously posing a strange sight in a "Buy American" work locale.

  In the late 1960s I was between jobs so I interrupted my career to get a PhD at the University of Texas and then joined the engineering faculty at The University of Alabama. One day in 1975 Dad called and said that the MG was available but needed some work. He had the "hots" for a Ford F-150 pickup and was out of garage space so the MG had to go. Having only one car at the time, my wife and I were only too happy to get it even though it had seen better days. I did some basic repair to make it safe for daily use, put a cheap paint job on it, recovered the seats, and used it as a second car for several years. In the early 1980s I decided to rebuild it, so that started a 3-year ground-up restoration project. By 1985 I had an as-new MGB. I then turned to the construction of an experimental aircraft and by 1988 it had progressed to the point where an engine was needed if it was to be finished and flown. What could I use to fund the engine? An ad in a car magazine was hastily placed:

"1963 MGB roadster. Iris Blue. Family owned since new. Ground-up restoration in 1982-85. As-new condition. Call for details."

New owner flies in
  The prospective new owner flew in on a commercial aircraft, walked across the airport to my hangar, looked the car over, gave me a check, dropped the top, and drove it back to Atlanta. He made the trip OK, though I feared that the MG might not make it to its new home without a tow truck. I called about 4 hours later to see if he made an uneventful trip. He said it was one of the best he could remember. We kept in touch into the 1990s but lost contact in 1995 after I wrote him asking for first dibs, if he decided to sell it. Meanwhile, I wanted another MGB and scratched the itch by restoring a 1971 roadster for its owner, a 1976 roadster that I cosmetically restored and sold, and rebuilt a basket-case 1964 Tartan Red roadster that was probably my best work. I sold it in 2004 during a toy-clearing episode before moving to our new retirement home.

Haynes' 1963 MGB underwent a second restoration when it returned to the family in 2008. 

Back to the present time ...  
  My wife and I, now into our 40th year together, took a tow dolly to Atlanta, got the MG, and headed home to Guntersville. It was in remarkable condition considering that it was now 45 years old. Each time we stopped for gas or goodies, some fellow, of my vintage would walk up, examine the car, comment on its fine condition, and mention that he longed for the "good 'ol days" when he was young and had an MGB. I too had aged a lot over the MG's life but it looked perpetually young.

  As I drove it around town over the next few months, several small things were put on the to-do list. It still looked young but had a few aging problems. Finally there were enough of them on the list that another teardown would be necessary. I started this round of rebuilding in December. This time, work is confined to the inside of the car, with removal of everything possible in the interior, including the instrument panel, all instruments, cables, wiring harness, heater, firewall accessories, all hydraulics, chassis alignment, and renewal of anything that is soft and worn. The floorboards are being resealed as well, still original and still without rust holes. The project is now completed, although it really never is ... The old reliables, Moss Motors and Victoria British, are still in business so good reproduction parts were available. The e-Bay store, unknown at the time of the last restoration, is rife with MGB parts new and used. We entered it in a local car show in August and won 2nd place, so it has reached the good balance of being a daily driver as well as a show car.

  Is dad talking to me about all of this? Is he enjoying the strangeness of it all? Can't really say. I'm not superstitious by nature, but sometimes in the evening when the workshop is very quiet I can look at his smiling caricature on the wall and almost hear him. He has been gone since October 30, 2000. I decided to drop by the nursing home around six that evening to look in on him and had a strange feeling that he was in the process of leaving us. At 10 p.m. they called me to confirm it.

"I'm sure he is amused"
  Dad was a very religious man. If he was able to claim his "heavenly reward" and is capable of celestial observation, including the ability to see through earth's supposedly dirty atmosphere, I'm sure he is amused by my seemingly perpetual MG maintenance. He would have enjoyed this strange turn of events. Sorry it didn't happen while he was with us.

  Dad, this may be my last time around on MGB restoration, so what do you think about this ad ...

"1963 MGB roadster. Iris Blue with matching original-style interior and tops. Everything works. Owned by my family for 26 years and by others for 20 years, but loved and maintained by both. Restored in 1982-85 and 2008-09. Should last a hundred years or more given proper care. Call ... "

Story submitted by Charlie Haynes; Guntersville, Alabama

Know of a car or a junkyard I need to visit or want to send me photos and info about a barn find, car or junkyard?  

Send emails to Jody Potter at junkyardbull@gmail.com.

1975 Camaro Rally Sport; rock star in a tuxedo finds drugs, Jesus and the junkyard

Rock star 1975 Camaro RS is Ready to Scrap. It's time to say goodbye to this disco-era road warrior. After serving time on death row at the local pull-your-own-parts, the crusher beckons this classy, two-tone, somewhat rare Camaro. Blessed with the unmistakable ’75-’77 Rally Sport appearance package that featured low-gloss, black paint across the hood and over most of the roof. A Rally Sport Camaro was like a rock star in a tuxedo showing up at your high school prom. He was the dude! 
  The ’75 RS, available in white, yellow, red, silver or light blue, was one of only a handful of fashion statements to survive the polyester decade without an overdose of ugly. Sadly, this Rally Sport got booted out of the prom. Along the way, he found drugs, Jesus and the junkyard. 

1975-1977 Rally Sport Camaros were an exterior paint, decals and stripe option. Less dough spent on air fresheners and more money on maintenance could have saved this Second Generation F-body.

Final look at the Rally Sport

  Restorable? Yes. Desirable? Yes. Surprised to find a 35+ year old car, that I want, complete, except for the engine, at a junkyard? No. Life is a roller coaster ride full of choices and changes. 1970s safety standards, fuel economy and ergonomics did not favor investing and restoring this prom king Camaro. The love was gone, as were the optional T-tops. The exterior was solid, but inside, the floor pans were rusted. Two $100 bill air fresheners hung from the rear view mirror. A sign that the inside of this Rally Sport's tuxedo was due for a delousing. Bumper stickers with religious and anti-drug messages clung to Chevrolet's youth-oriented, performance car. So many good times had by all. The party is over. Goodbye Camaro. Our friends are crushed.

– Jody Potter, junkyardlife.com

Know of a car or a junkyard I need to visit or want to send me photos and info about a barn find, car or junkyard?  

Send emails to junkyardbull@gmail.com.

Bumper sticker redemption. Jesus message bookends the "Live drug free" sticker along the ’75 Camaro’s aluminum rear bumper.

Mid-70s Rally Sport Camaros weren't the street beasts of earlier years but they looked great with a set of Cragars S/S rims wrapped in big ’n little rubber. 

1975 Camaro Rally Sport production numbers

 In 1975 Chevrolet sold 7,000 Z85 optioned, Rally Sport Camaros. That's less than five percent of the 145,770 Camaros built in 1975. The Rally Sport option was an exterior appearance package. It included low-gloss black paint on the hood, header panel, grill, headlamp bezels, top of fenders, majority of roof, upper portion of doors, rear end panel and license plate opening. A tri-color decal separated the black paint from one of the seven RS body color paint options.

  1975 was the first year for the wrap-around rear window on the Camaro and also the first year that the Z28 option was dropped. The Z28 would return in 1977.

1976-77 Camaro Rally Sport production numbers

  Less than nine percent, or 15,855 of the 182,959 Camaros built in 1976 were optioned with the Rally Sport package. In 1977, less than eight percent of the 218,853 Camaros built were Rally Sports.

YEAR  — CAMARO TOTAL PRODUCTION
1970  — 124,901
1971  — 114,630
1972  — 68,651
1973  — 96,751
1974  — 151,008
1975  — 145,770
1976  — 182,959
1977  — 218,853
1978  — 272,631
1979  — 282,571
1980  — 152,005
1981  — 126,139






YEAR  — TOTAL  — Rally Sport / %
1975  — 145,770  — 7,000 / 4.8%
1976  — 182,959  — 15,855 / 8.7%
1977  — 218,853  — 17,026 / 7.8%

Know of a car or a junkyard I need to visit or want to send me photos and info about a barn find, car or junkyard?  

Send emails to junkyardbull@gmail.com.

LOL Cars: Transformed Jeep Cherokee hides under Ferarri Testarossa body kit, ‘Miami Vice’

Transformer meets ‘Miami Vice’ in homebuilt tribute to the 1980s. Crockett and Tubbs may have taken a new job with the police department in Birmingham, Alabama. A co-worker called me and said 'you've got to see this car.' I grabbed my camera and headed to the street. That’s where I saw what used to be an ordinary, two-door, Jeep Cherokee Sport transformed into a Ferrari Testarossa, via a body kit and some bondo. Is a ‘Miami Vice’ reunion show in the works or was this the handiwork of a visionary craftsman. Really, don't laugh.

The famed ‘Miami Vice’-era Ferrari was inspiration for the Jeep-Testarossa.  

A closer look

  Think 'Miami Vice', their sleek, white Ferrari hopped up on steroids. The creator of this custom Jeep stayed true to it's Ferrari roots in keeping the slight angle extending over the rear flanks and onto a wrap-around rear wing. The Chrysler badge over the license plate is the crowning achievement. A Jeep badge would look out of place on this nod to high end exotics. The roof wings may be a bit over the top on this boulevard bruiser. At interstate speeds you may see this 4,000-pound Mopar-Testarossa take flight over Birmingham, Alabama.

Why ask why?

  If you ask yourself 'why', when you see a custom car, the builder will say 'why not?' Most of the time their passion and desire are only limited by money and skill. I respect the effort put into vehicles like these. I say build it, enjoy it and keep the custom car art alive.

  

Got wings and a cut-out in bumper for exhaust, also notice the Chrysler emblem over the tag? All about the details.

 

Hood vent and vinyl/fake 'vert top on this Jeep are clues that this is a one-of-a-kind creation.

 

Compare the real Ferrari to the Jeep-errari

  Instantly, you know the inspiration for this car. From 1984 to 1991, Ferrari built 7,177 Testarossas. All of them have since been repainted white in homage to the ‘Miami Vice’ hero car that Don Johnson drove, during three of the series’ five seasons (1984-1990), as detective ‘Sonny Crockett.’ The director of ‘Miami Vice,’ Michael Mann, had the two Testarossa's, which Ferrari delivered in black, repainted white, so it would have better contrast during the car's primarily night scene filming. 

  Oddly enough, I photographed a real Testarossa less than a block from the imitation Testarossa. Compare the images below and you can see that the Jeep's owner spent a lot of time and money on the imitation.

Jody Potter
— Junkyard Life: The Story Beneath the Rust

Real 1988 Ferarri Testarossa in white, of course!

Real 1988 Jeep Cherokee Sport with a Ferrari face lift.

New 1988 Ferrari Testarossa's listed for $102,000.

  

It took a labor of love to transform this Jeep into a Jeep-errossa. 

A flat 12 cylinder engine powers the Testarossa to speeds of 180-mph, while the Jeep's 4.0 liter, in-line, six cylinder fights to reach triple digits.

Know of a LOL car or a junkyard I need to visit or want to send me photos and info about a barn find, car or junkyard?  

Send emails to junkyardbull@gmail.com.

Life with a 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon

Driving back to 1976. My garage find Cutlass Salon really isn’t pure me. But, you know, it grows on a guy. Then, after I put some thought to it, I realized it really isn’t that far off. It’s from the seventies. That’s me. It has a V8 with a Rochester Quadrajet. That’s really me. It has 15-inch Oldsmobile SS3 Rally Wheels. That’s totally me. The more things I list, the more Ron Kidd materializes in this blue Colonnade Coupe. 

  Hang on a minute! It’s not even the car I wanted. I wanted a '74 Grand Prix SJ or a '75 Grand Prix LJ. She just kind of came along and followed me home. Now she’s made a nest here. What can I do? I checked the short list and the long list must-own cars and almost found her there. I did find a seventies Colonnade style Cutlass. It was a 1977 Olds 442 in burgundy with silver trim. This car is almost that. Being a Salon model, it has a rear sway bar and very, very, comfy, reclining bucket seats. Checking the Salon option box also got you a way cool floor shifter, reminding you of 442 days gone by.

I call my Olds Nanny Dean

  I go to work stupid early. Probably the coldest part of the entire clock, and I am out there asking a 350 Olds engine to come to life. I must say, Nanny Dean (her name) is not happy about this. She is a little grouchy and lethargic. With about an 1/8-of-a-mile of right foot persuasion, she comes completely to life and idles and shifts like it’s an eighty degree day outside. The non-rim style, fat, padded steering wheel feels super good in my hands, and did I mention how incredibly great those seats feel?

Living with a 36-year-old car 

  So, I decided to see what it would be like to live day-to-day with a 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon. It would be my primary car for a week. "Why not?," I thought. Jody had a 1976 Buick Century that was an everyday car until it nearly met its demise under a city bus. Anthony has a fabulous 1979 Grand Prix that has taken him everywhere lately. Was Nanny Dean up to the task? Could she handle around town errands as well as daily commuting? What about traveling? Dare I? Also, could I handle it? One week without the spacious room of my SUV or my wagon? Can a trunk replace cavernous cubic feet of hauling capability? What about a car trip? That traveling thing I mentioned? Ron Kidd is a brave man.

Ron pulled over for a photo of his 1976 Cutlass Salon on the way to a car show in Lineville, Alabama. 

More than a handful

  Nanny Dean has no cup holder. She’s a Salon, not a saloon. This does seem to get in the way. I have learned to balance a fast food drink on the console. Speaking of that, there is not one, but three inside storage compartments. Unfortunately, the center console door doesn’t want to stay down. It will slowly open itself and you will casually rest your hand in the midst of receipts, pens and Tic Tacs. 

  As far as luxury accents are concerned, the radio won’t pick up FM channels, but it has a nifty Sony car stereo that someone installed in the 1980’s. Anyone remember cassette tapes? Out from the depths of my rock and roll closet a massive pile of cassettes! I don’t mind some of the cool retro tunes I collected back in the day. I keep playing Dire Straits “Heavy Fuel” and Tom Petty with Stevie Nicks doing a live cover of “Needles and Pins.” It’s all I can listen to by force.

A paint job you can live with

  Maneuvering down the road with a large Dr. Pepper on the console can test my tight rope-like, balancing abilities, but I don’t mind sitting the drink on the paint while I fumble to unload. This kind of outrageous activity is unheard of on my Trans Am. I don’t even let bugs hit that car. However, with this one, I can lean against it all I want. You can too, because the paint is terrible. It’s all one color with the remnants of the factory pin stripes

Bright ideas

  So here is what I got and what I don’t got... I got a trunk light. It works great! No losing anything in there. I had a deer get caught in that light once. I don’t have a dome light. I don’t need one. I have what GM called "opera lights" in the rear interior panels and lights under both sides of the dash. I even have a map light on the dash. They thought of all kinds of things in 1976! As rough as this beater’s interior is, with a rip cut here and a split place there, I still don’t eat in it. That’s weird, I know.

Roll up windows

  Nanny Dean doesn't have power windows. I kind of like that. When the Cutlass got caught outside in the rain, I raised the window without having to apply the ignition key. But then again, if you have power windows, you can roll them both up at the same time. So I guess that’s a wash.

Peppy but watch your whoa!

  I feel somewhat extra cool when I go to put that 442-style, muscle car-era, floor shifter into gear. Nanny Dean moves with authority and shifts accordingly. I have a witness that she smacked second gear with a firm chirping of the rear tires. You can really feel it respond by the seat of your pants when I give it just a little more pedal than necessary. I don’t know what to compare it to? It just feels like a much more powerful car under all circumstances I have encountered. I always seem to run out of road before I run out of motor or gearing. When the inevitable happened and I had to get down on the brakes, she stopped like a much lighter car with the absence of any pulling to either side. 

  I would feel like I withheld information on you if I didn’t mention the cornering pleasure the rear sway bar offers. I am not saying it’s ready for the Tail of the Dragon in Tennessee, but it really surpasses my expectations of a mid seventies mid size sedan.

Nanny Dean, a 1976 Olds Cutlass, rolls on white walls to an out-of-town car show. Her 350-V8 purrs like a kitten.

Road tripping in the Cutlass

  We hit the road to an out-of-town car show. Not incredibly far, only about two hours each way. I filled the trunk with a cooler and two lawn chairs as well as the usual tool kit. Yes, a tool kit, because I am brave, but not stupid. Interstate, state highways and back county roads and even sitting in traffic, Nanny Dean performed like a champ. I got great gas mileage, too. I am not going say just how much, only because I don’t know. I am still cruising on that same tank of gas. She may not be a Prius, but I will compare it to most SUVs out there. It’s really not bad. The whole trip went swimmingly, without a hiccup and was really comfortable.

Living happy '76 style

  So Life with a '76 Cutlass Salon? It was great! Despite the rather bland color, it’s spicy and fun. I get a lot of compliments and stories on similar cars that were a part of people’s lives. At Junkyard Life, we really dig stories like that. Road trip? Done. Cold mornings? No problem. Gas mileage? Decent, if not downright good. Errands? Fun. Sitting still in drive-thrus and boring traffic congestion? It doesn’t mind a bit. Life with a '76 Cutlass is not bad. I would even go as far as saying life is really good.

— Ron Kidd, junkyardlife.com

Know of a junkyard we need to visit or want to send us photos and info about a car or junkyard?  Send emails to Ron at Kidd403@bellsouth.net or Jody at junkyardbull@gmail.com.

Junkyard tour: Loner's Salvage & Car Crushing a source for classic cars, parts in Pennsylvania

Rust in his blood. John B. of State College, Pennsylvania sent us these images from his trip to Loner's Salvage & Car Crushing in Port Matilda, Pennsylvania. John is only 16-years-old but has a passion for classic cars. 
  "I've taken hundreds of photos of rusty cars along the roads and at junkyards." John shared a look behind the scenes of Loner's after he spoke to, Bill, the owner and signed a waiver. "Some of the cars have survived really well," said John. "A couple of the cars could be pulled and restored but the majority were completely rusted shells that were missing their windshields and windows."

This 1967 Mercury Monterey looks like it was driven into the junkyard.

Drop-top Mercury
  John, a huge fan of 1970 Chevelle Super Sports, was on the lookout for his favorite Chevy when a junked 1970 Mercury Monterey convertible caught his eye. "It appeared solid. That would've been the one I would take (to restore)," said John. 
  John didn't have any luck finding a 1970 Chevelle SSs but a 1968 Chevy Malibu, parked since 1988, is rotting away at Loner's. Dozens of classic Mopars, VWs, Buicks, Oldsmobiles, Chevys and an AMC can be found at this large Pennsylvania junkyard. Give them a call and check out the map, below, for directions.

 

This 1968 Chevrolet Malibu hasn't been saved and cloned into an SS, yet. 

View Larger Map

Loner's Salvage & Car Crushing
Address: 11810 S Eagle Valley Rd, 16870-8648 Port Matilda, PA
Phone number: (814) 692-4919

Classic, workhorse trucks, add a barn and it equals an almost great photo. Can we scrap the late model squeezing into the frame?

A 1956 Oldsmobile waits for new life in Pennsylvania junkyard. 

 

Is Ford still building 1963 Falcons? These things are multiplying!

1965 Plymouth Barracuda's rear glass provided decent visibility, the redesigned '67 offered a more stylish, fastback fish with less glass, larger blind spot. 

A Mopar is buried under a mountain of appliances.

1968 Plymouth Road Runner still has its 383 engine.

1969 Chevy Nova, inline 6 with a Dodge hubcap.

Junkyard Plymouth Duster with damage.

1973 Coronet station wagon at Loner's junkyard.

More Mopars - victimized 1973 Dodge Dart.

1977 AMC Gremlin has found the rusty end of the road.

Know of a junkyard I need to visit or want to send me photos and info about a barn find, car or junkyard?  Send emails to junkyardbull@gmail.com.