Agreed. Since it is a factory 4 speed they weren't too picky how they cut the hole. When I did my hump, I traced it on the floor then cut 1" inside the line because road crap would definitely accumulate in the small void on the passenger side.
As to the rest of the car, they should've left it EE1 instead of Resale Red. Too many other issues with the car to see $80K spent on it. $25K on an engine rebuild? Seriously? Undercarriage looks spray bombed and it's the wrong color, interior seats and door panels are incorrect.
On the upside, the "correct" large cap 15" wheels are a nice touch. Too many people "cheap out" on this and use the late model steelies.
Well guys, in 2002 I was looking for a '64 Belvedere and my wife found this one at Holt Auto Sales in Michigan. They sent us a lot of pictures and said that the car was recently restored by a guy near there. I made the mistake of buying it without going and seeing it in person. When we got it we found rust in the rear quarter around the wheel well and at the bottom of the driver's door, so we had to have those areas repaired. The first time I drove it the bell housing broke because the 4 transmission mounting bolts hadn't been tightened. They reimbursed me some money, but I learned an expensive & valuable lesson about classic car dealers from that purchase.
The car had a newly rebuilt 413 engine, but I found all the parts to build the 426 Max Wedge that's in it now. We also had the dash, grille, tail panel, air cleaners, valve covers, and many other parts restored by Bill Petrow (Special T's). I wasn't going to race the car so I sold the 750 carbs and got the rebuilt 625 carbs from Norm Brady. When I sold the car several years later, the new owner put on the steel wheels, poverty caps, and new tires.
I did undercoat the car with black rubberized undercoating (incorrect color) as noted. I also installed the TTI Max Wedge exhaust system, a '70 Plymouth Sure Grip rear end, new rear springs with 2" additional arch, and I splatter painted the trunk.
I think the factory cut hole in the hump looks shabby, but that's the way they did it. The factory hump for the 4 speed isn't exactly like the one shown in the illustration posted above. It's smooth on top, not stepped, and the external shape is a little different.
I do question the $80,000 restoration figure and $25,000 engine rebuild. That's an awful lot for machining and internal parts costs, when you consider that all the really expensive pieces were already on the engine.
We're happy to see that the car still looks as good as when we sold it. We sure had a great time driving it to cruise-ins and car shows here in Iowa and Illinois.
