1970 Javelin Fix Up

Hi all. If you do not mind, I would like to post the on-going story of me getting my 1970 Javelin back on the road. I bought it down by Houston a few months ago, where it had been sitting in a field for 25 years....with the window down! Some of you may have seen it for sale on Craigslist. Here are the specs on it:

1970 Javelin SST
232 straight six, 3 speed on the floor
Gold Lime Metallic exterior, with black strip and black landau top
Green Corduroy interior

Nothing too exciting, but after having about 20 V-8 1970 models over the years, I am looking forward to fixing up a six. And I call it fixing up, because I will not be doing one of the full blown beautiful restorations I see on this site. My goal is to be able to drive it every day when I am done.

Anyway, here are some pictures of how it looked when I got it. This is the Craigslist ad from my phone.



And here is a picture of me hauling it out of its long-term resting place.


Fortunately the bumper and grille were lying next to the car, as well as the other front end parts. It is a real mess, but it is all there!

If there is any interest in it, I will start posting pictures of my progress on it so far.

Thanks
Dan

I love the project posts.  Please post your progress.  Joe

I am glad folks are interested! I will use the next few posts to try to play catch-up as to where I am at today.

I am sure that some of you all in the forum have dealt with field cars before. The level of of filth in this car was about as bad as anything I have ever seen before. In some parts of the car there were at least 4 inches of what I call "rat nasties". Plus the Texas heat and sun had cooked everything in the car. Plus the window was down. I bet that the AMC engineers and interior designers never planned for this!

A better picture of the car as it was sitting. What looks like snow is actually sand.



I drug it out of its resting place, took off the back wheels and got new tires mounted, and dollied back to my house. Fortunately, the back brakes were not locked, and it is a stick, so it towed home just fine. Front tires held air just long enough to get it up on the dolly.

First order of business when I got it home was to get rid of the rat nasties. I did not want to handle the camera (or anything else) when I was gloved and masked up to clean it out, so I did not take a lot of pictures of the floorboard cleanup. However, after I cut out the drivers side seat (bolts were rusted BAD!), here is what I found on the floorboard....and this does not show the half of it. Best part was the dead crusty rat under the back seat. Speaking of which...how do you like the blue vinyl seat covers on the back seat? Everything is rusted or broken...window cranks, door handles, trim pieces. Good thing I like a challenge!



Next post...interior removal.

Thanks
Dan

Great beginning.......keep posting!!   By the way...that's not sand....in Texas they call it desiccant don't they?  LOL.....

Chuck Page  

Last century when I bought the '83 Spirit Gt and '71 Javelin, they had been sitting in a used car lot for a while. (The Javelin had been sitting in a field for over 12 years.) When I went back to pay for them. I sprinkled a box of moth balls in each so as not to import any hippagators into NJ. You do have you job cut out for you, but ain't it fun?

Later!
Mr. Ed