109 Reader Projects

1963 Dart * Mike and Cheryl Toupin * Fall River, MA
This is another story that starts out with the Internet. Mike Toupin found this car online, and drove from Arizona to Michigan to pick it up. Mike says: "I have to admit, this was not my first choice for a street machine project. I originally wanted a '64 Falcon, but all the ones I found were already done, or too far gone. I expanded my search to include Valiants, Darts, Comets, and early Skylarks. I didn't want just another Mustang or Camaro, and I didn't get one." Once he got it home, he let his imagination fill with thoughts of 5.7L late-model Hemis and big fat tires. Mike is still deciding the color, but it's looking like green.

1973 Nova * Ben Meissner * Eagle Mountain, UT
While at the Brigham Young University studying industrial and transportation design, Ben Meissner picked up several projects, one being this '73 Nova. He felt like he got a good deal on it, but upon further investigation, he realized there was a lot of hidden damage. "Under the cheap seat covers were seats with most of the foam exposed, plastic floor mats covered with quarter-inch deep sand, fresh electrical tape hid broken and rotting wiring, and the subframe was bent. Ben complained. It was too late to turn back now, and the parts started going on the car. When it's done, Ben would like to see it with era-correct styling and modern performance.