JOHN FOX
Internet/Fleet Sales Manager
909 418 9121
e-mail John
Simpson Buick Pontiac GMC
6600 Auto Center Drive
Buena Park, CA 90621
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My personal collection including my 1959 Ford Skyliner, 1959 Edsel Villager station wagon and 1978 Datsun 280Z.
This 1959 Ford Skyliner was trailered home from La Habra High School auto shop in 1988. $750 got me a more or less complete car
that could have gone either way as a restoration project or a basket case parts donor.
Although it ran ... barely, it had a cracked engine block, a cracked transmission valve body, and a fried rear end. The top
still worked as much as the rear end damage allowed.
Sucker took quite a hit. The rear quarter got pushed enough that it buckled at the gas filler and sprung the door. But the only damage to the frame was the last 18 inches.
It's original all white paint had been covered with a two tone silver and blue of some unknown formulation that defied sanding. Chemical stripping was the only option.
Parts came from about four or five other Skyliners that had already been dismantled. If I hadn't found a good left rear quarter to section in,
I'd have given up and parted this car out. Best of all, it was free.
I also sectioned in new rear wheel well lips from a '59 Edsel. Skyliners had a lot of chrome and stainless behind which water would collect and rust
the backing sheetmetal ... much more so than plainer models with bare sheetmetal in the same places.
Cancer had also wrecked both sides of the original top at the bottom corners of the rear glass, making it difficult to fix, have everything line up and the glass still fit.
I found a replacement with minimal rust at a huge salvage yard in Maricopa, Arizona for $200. In the above photo you can also see the new left rear quarter sectioned in
just left of center on the tail.
The first coat of primer was Imron Epoxy. Next came gray primer surfacer.
I decided on the two tone sport paint scheme in factory colors Geranium with Snow White trim. Skyliners were also available with solid body color and contrasting top or
all one color. This car's orginal all white would have been too boring. A rebuilt transmission and rear end along with a rebuilt 352 Police Interceptor engine were installed before the front clip went on.
Duplicate original upholstery, new carpet, freshly dyed door panels, polished stainless and rechromed pot metal pieces were reattached before
taking the Skyliner on it's maiden journey to Vancouver, Jasper and Banff, Canada. The photo was taken in Glacier National Park. Not all of the trim had been reinstalled yet.
No, the waterfall isn't landing in the car. I'm better at restorations than I am at composing photos!
I bought my 1959 Edsel Villager station wagon in 1972 for $250. It was my first car and, complete with
checkered curtains, a Becker AM FM cassette stereo that was worth more than the car and a bottle of Boone's Farm under
the back seat, I unabashedly drove it to high school. It didn't look quite this bad at the time ... but almost.
After being parked for ten years, having windows broken, rats and rabbits taking up residence and
gnawing at the wiring, the job of stripping away all that stainless brightware, pot metal and the
entire interior began in 1985.
 
A coat of epoxy primer...
...followed by surfacer primer, putty, several coats of original factory colors Snow White and Redwood Metallic hand rubbed laquer followed by a clear coat and, voila!
Ironically, this is the car I've driven more than any other in my life, but instead of restoring it, I sold it to someone in New Mexico
who immediately began a full restoration. Here's how my 1978 Datsun 280Z looked after 25 years and 340,000 miles.
I replaced the head once, but only due to a broken head bolt ... the radiator and clutch twice, rebuilt the 5-speed transmission and replaced just about
every other accessory once. I never had to do the rings, bearings or timing chain. For the 70's, this was a remarkably durable car.
By the way, Datsun called the paint color Persimmon. I bought the car with 18,000 miles on it in late 1979 from its original owner after being
extremely disappointed by the newly redesigned 280ZX and deciding against a Jensen-Healy with its Lucas, aka The Prince of Darkness, electricals.
The driver's seat bottom was reupholstered once, though the whole thing could use it again. I put in a major (for the time) Zapco amp and EQ system feeding
separate tweeters, midranges and 8 inch woofers. Only the tweeters and Pioneer AM/FM/Cassette are visible
Boy, I spent a lot of hours looking at this view!
The shift knob is from a 280ZX ... the one thing they did improve upon. The Air Conditioning was an ARA dealer add.
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