Will Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 I recently picked up a '73 Colt Wagon. I was really missing driving a wagon, since the trunk in my Datsun 710 was too small to fit a bike wheel, so I couldn't carry any projects or tools around - and when I saw this Colt pop up on Craigslist, it seemed to fit the bill. It will be nice to keep on driving a car where no-one knows what it is. I've had a few years of people telling me that I'm driving a Corolla, just like their dad's, when I pull up to a gas station in the 710 - now I'll probably be hearing people tell me that I'm driving a 510. The people at the insurance company didn't know what I was driving either when I signed up: I needed to travel to pick up the Colt, and the bus schedules were pretty useless, so I wound up taking the BART train as far west as I could get, and then I hopped on my bike and rode another 45 miles east. ...it was quite a long ride, but the scenery was beautiful. The car had a lit brake warning light, but it seemed like it was still stopping okay (though it had been a while since I've driven something without power brakes!) It made it all the way back to a friend's place near the city where it could wait while I transferred the plates and all of that paperwork stuff. The car had flipped a few times in the past year or so - I found some pictures back when someone had it outfitted as a fake Subaru, complete with trailer hitch. ...I was tempted to re-install the brush bar as a bumper protector. It took a little looking to find out what this thing is - Antenna Key! I spent last weekend cleaning the car the best that I could - it seemed like it was in a very dusty location for a long time - inside the doors and under the carpet was a lot of dust COATING every surface. Plus, I managed to fill the footwell with JC-Whitney-style add-on wiring as I pruned the harness back to its stock configuration. Luckily, in most cases the P.O. just cut away a bit of insulation and added the new wires instead of butchering the wiring beyond hope. The back seat is pretty okay: The front seats definitely need some work - the foam is pretty worn with chunks missing, and under the junky replacement carpeting was some slightly less junky original carpet. It looks like it has received an unoriginal tractor-style shift boot at some point. The dash is okay - some warping and cracks. The heater valve is frozen, so I'll either need to get it working again or find a replacement. It has a/c, but the underhood components are missing - it would be nice to find them and get it back together for summer driving. ...looks like someone decided that they had better ideas about pedal spacing than Mitsubishi: I managed to glue this back together, but it still isn't working: Under the hood, some leaks, but nothing totally catastrophic. What the heck is that muffler doing masquerading as an exhaust header? Under the car, it looks like someone had some weird ideas about crossmembers and transmission mounts - I'm not sure what's going on over here: ...and the leaf spring bushings are toast: I picked up some manuals to learn more about these Dodge Colt things... ...according to this cutaway view, they're powered by happy critters: The car already received its first mash note: Last weekend, I tried to bleed the brakes, unsuccessfully. The rear reservoir was filled with quite a bit of rust, and when I opened the rear wheel cylinder's bleeder NOTHING came out when the pedal was pressed. ...so as soon as an order from Rock Auto comes in, it'll be getting a new master cylinder, rear wheel cylinder. I think maybe I can clear out the lines with compressed air to get rid of some of the bad brake fluid? I also need to put in an alternator. ...I washed under the hood, and though I tried to avoid the electrics, it seems like the alternator was close enough to death for a bit of water to push it over the edge. In better news, it looks pretty good after a wash: ...I was thinking about giving it some vinyl wood to cover up some damaged paint: As far as future plans, beyond getting the basics up to snuff, I'd like to swap in a 5-speed and electronic ignition - nothing too drastic. It'll be staying pretty much stock, though I'd like to swap in some round gauges! (it looks like that would require some time with a heat gun or plastic glues.) 3 Quote Link to comment
harlow426@mail.com Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 I LIKE IT!!! Auto makers of all sorts made killer rides. check out the assortment listed in my profile. Looks like some one cared about it.... not thrashed & abused. :thumbup: Quote Link to comment
laotsu Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 so you rode from Pittsburg to Stockton for that thing? Right on! Quote Link to comment
MicroMachinery Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Sweet ride! Quote Link to comment
Will Posted January 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 so you rode from Pittsburg to Stockton for that thing? Right on! From the Dublin Pleasanton BART station to Manteca - still pretty far. I went by the Altamont Landfill - it was surprisingly scenic. I kinda had to buy the car, since I didn't want to ride another 45mi back to the train! Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Nice score, first learned to drive in a 2 door of the same make and vintage :cool: Quote Link to comment
RaptorReed Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 You might find some of us from ClassicColt hanging around on here as well. J-tin is J-tin and we all hang out. My old wagon at a ratsun meet a couple years ago. Quote Link to comment
Chuck Most Posted April 17, 2015 Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 ...I was thinking about giving it some vinyl wood to cover up some damaged paint: Dat woodgrain.... do it!!!! Quote Link to comment
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