patrick66
Well-Known Member
From March 2000 when the Coronet rolled 100K until April 2017, I had put only 1,802 miles on my '66 Coronet 500. For the longest time, it wasn't running right, didn't shift right, and generally ran like ****. It wasn't fun to drive. I hated bringing it to shows, because at the end of the event, I'd nearly always have the hood up, doing something different each time to get the damn thing to start! In those 17 years, nearly 650 miles were put on it over four filming days for a movie the car was in, called "Heaven's Rain". Other than those miles, the annual average mileage was a mere 68 miles! I had been tempted to sell it more than once!
Last April, with 1,803 miles showing on the odometer, I decided if I were gonna keep this car, I was gonna have to get the car running and tuned right. I didn't feel like doing it, so I called up the best Mopar wrench within 100 miles and said "get this running right!"...and he did! Steve tuned it, replaced the crap carb, set the trans linkage right, new fuel pump and filter, and more. Went to pick it up, and holy crap, was it a totally different car! Sometimes, you have to step back and say "hey, I don't feel like messing with it!" and let a new set of hands and eyeballs fix the problem. There were several - fuel, timing, plugs, wires, the Chrysler electronic ignition harness, and more. It was a new car to me!
Tonight, the odometer reads 102,945 miles. That's 1,133 miles in nine months! Nearly 450 of that was two long cruises of 252 miles and 201 miles each. Which, for the Coronet, is actually quite a bit since 2000. I love driving the car again. And if you can't drive them, why have them?
Last April, with 1,803 miles showing on the odometer, I decided if I were gonna keep this car, I was gonna have to get the car running and tuned right. I didn't feel like doing it, so I called up the best Mopar wrench within 100 miles and said "get this running right!"...and he did! Steve tuned it, replaced the crap carb, set the trans linkage right, new fuel pump and filter, and more. Went to pick it up, and holy crap, was it a totally different car! Sometimes, you have to step back and say "hey, I don't feel like messing with it!" and let a new set of hands and eyeballs fix the problem. There were several - fuel, timing, plugs, wires, the Chrysler electronic ignition harness, and more. It was a new car to me!
Tonight, the odometer reads 102,945 miles. That's 1,133 miles in nine months! Nearly 450 of that was two long cruises of 252 miles and 201 miles each. Which, for the Coronet, is actually quite a bit since 2000. I love driving the car again. And if you can't drive them, why have them?
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