efriedrich
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2011
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This isn't a restoration but it will still be a lot of work and I thought it might be cool to share some pictures along the way. Most of the work will take place over the next year or so but I will be driving and enjoying the car as I work on it. For the exterior I am going to repaint it and put a new vinyl top on. It will be getting some cop steelies and fresh rubber and I will detail the chrome and other odds and ends. Next I plan on sprucing up the interior with a new headliner, new front seats, recover the rear seats, new carpet, tuff wheel, repainting and detailing the plastic and other interior pieces. All that along with various mechanical odds and ends will take me through the summer and into fall. Next, I am going to build a new motor for it over the winter, I just had the original A998 transmission rebuilt by Wedans Performance in Indy, according to the builder it will be able to handle 450-500 hp. I'm not sure yet what motor I will build but it will be a small block 318/360, LA/Magnum or maybe a stroker, I haven't exactly decided yet but you get the idea. I will either beef up the 8.25 or swap in an 8.75. Along with some other mechanical upgrades like exhaust, brakes, shocks, and suspension I also will be adding a floor shifter and some new gauges to monitor things. This is the plan maybe not a great one but a plan none the less. The LeBaron doesn't have any rust or body issues to start with, thats why I bought it, and is in very good shape overall, so the majority of my effort and money will be spent on the fun stuff like looking cool and going fast (safely). The first set of pictures is what I'm starting with, a clean and very solid car to say the least, but definitely showing its age. It came to Indiana from Colorado about 10 years ago and has been in a barn pretty much ever sense with just over 71,xxx original miles.
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