north
10-06-2023, 04:18 PM
I had an expensive spring-summer with three cars finding my garage. This one is a lowish option Bonnie out of Ohio. I've got a cottage on the Ocean so I wanted a solid but not too nice ragtop to keep in the garage there. Problem is the salt air (even in the garage) does its thing to metal so the rest of my cars never come here.
I had bought a Cat ragtop for the purpose but it needed paint, top and interior. This Bonnie cost less than what I would have spent fixing the Cat.
It was a two owner car with the last owner having it since it was a year or two old. Car has no body work but the frame is scaly and you can see a few small perforation spots showing at the bottom of the fenders and the lower quarters. Probably never got a full wash underneath when he bought it so the residual salt slowly did its thing for 53 years. Odo reads 69k, undocumented but based on things like good original balljoints and rear brakes along with obviously original stuff like armrest, pedals etc I'd say it's legit.
I'd guess it got that first Ohio winter or two but the second owner retired it to summer duty only. It is lowish option with just automatic, steering, PDB, STT and AM etc. Interior is original and very nice with no rips or cracks and even the original rug is nice.
I did my regular thing by adding an FM radio, 8 track, custom instead of deluxe wheelcovers, woodwheel to replace the regular wheel with the stickies. I just received a Waldron dual exhaust set up to remove the ugly looking single setup. Engine and trans run beautiful but pinion had a healthy leak and I had to do the noisy bearings front and rear.
Top is factory original but back window is blown. All in all it will make a nice family cruiser for ice cream runs etc without being too clean that summers in the beach garage won't push the guilt button!
I had bought a Cat ragtop for the purpose but it needed paint, top and interior. This Bonnie cost less than what I would have spent fixing the Cat.
It was a two owner car with the last owner having it since it was a year or two old. Car has no body work but the frame is scaly and you can see a few small perforation spots showing at the bottom of the fenders and the lower quarters. Probably never got a full wash underneath when he bought it so the residual salt slowly did its thing for 53 years. Odo reads 69k, undocumented but based on things like good original balljoints and rear brakes along with obviously original stuff like armrest, pedals etc I'd say it's legit.
I'd guess it got that first Ohio winter or two but the second owner retired it to summer duty only. It is lowish option with just automatic, steering, PDB, STT and AM etc. Interior is original and very nice with no rips or cracks and even the original rug is nice.
I did my regular thing by adding an FM radio, 8 track, custom instead of deluxe wheelcovers, woodwheel to replace the regular wheel with the stickies. I just received a Waldron dual exhaust set up to remove the ugly looking single setup. Engine and trans run beautiful but pinion had a healthy leak and I had to do the noisy bearings front and rear.
Top is factory original but back window is blown. All in all it will make a nice family cruiser for ice cream runs etc without being too clean that summers in the beach garage won't push the guilt button!