2008.
The year that this project will finish. Doh! There I jinxed it. I'm doomed.
Anybody who has attempted to build a car like this will tell you that it's never ending. That's not exactly true. Most who have begun a 'Graffiti' coupe have quit before finishing. So it does end. No one stateside has finished a good replica. I'm making a good stab at it. But the fat lady hasn't sung and I could get hit by a bus so I ain't saying no more. We'll see what happens.
In the meantime, the engine is assembled. Fred Williams of 'Engines By Freddy' has built a beautiful 283 circa 1962 that should run as good as it looks. Fred's a master engine builder and we're grateful for his participation. He loves the Milner Coupe and he has gone the extra mile everytime to make sure we're gettin' it right. He's a blessing for sure.
We're adding the goodies now. There are a lot of small details that are easily overlooked. Like the temperature probe. What side of the manifold do you put it on. Doesn't matter mechanically, but is it 'Graffiti'? That's always the question. What shape is the plug? Is this era specific? What year is the water pump? What kind of plug wires are on it? Is that movie or Figari?
Choices. You do have some. Whenever possible, we have built the car as it was when the first American Graffiti was filmed. But because no build sheet exists, sometimes you guess. Also, we haven't had full access to the car and 'da Hui has respected the current ownership and only taken pictures when given permission. So some areas, we don't know about. But I'm confident that through research, we've come close. Real close.
As we begin the final mock-up prior to bare metal photograpy, I'm getting anxious to drive this car. There's a lot of fun in store, and to quote JH quoting the movie..."This place is for fun".
Jehovah Made This Whole Joint For You - New Radicals
