GEARHEAD STORY
Hey guys, this is Kaleb, Editor-in-Chief at Gearhead Next Door. I wanted to share my first build with you guys; Project Possum. Yes, I know how to spell opossum, but you’ll have to wait for that story…
I bought this car in the fall of 2013 from the cousin of a friend who had got the car running, but didn’t have it driving yet. I took over the finishing duties of this sweet little A-body with the leaning tower of power slant six. My dad and I got the brakes fixed and threw a set of chrome rallye’s and Radial T/A’s on it and I drove it for a couple months beating the heck out of it every chance I got.
After a couple of months, I found a way to blow up the “indestructible” slant-six on my way back from working out and that was the end of that motor. Instead of trying to rebuild the six, my dad offered me a 1971-model 340 small block he pulled out of his Satellite for it. I jumped at the opportunity, but this is when the snowball of the build took place.
It started off considering painting the engine bay while the motor was out and ended up with a nine-month stint in the body shop and a whole plethora of ProTouring parts waiting in my garage for it. She got out of the body shop in the beginning of 2015 and my dad and I took on installing the Hotchkis TVS suspension system, Wilwood Disc brakes and putting the new 8 3/4 rear end in. We got all of that done, put the interior in, and then because of a lack of time before HRPT, took it to a friend to help with the motor.
Our buddy Steve Campbell helped throw the 340 and 727 Torqueflite in the car, while another friend came over to help on the install of the Holley Terminator EFI system and MSD Ignition. I put everything I had during college into this car and still ended up needing a $10,000 loan to pay for parts, but three days before HRPT, she was ALIVE. On Tuesday before HRPT15, she went out for exhaust. On Wednesday, she went to alignment. On Thursday, we left for the start of HRPT in Wisconsin.
There were probably four breakdowns involving my car before we even made it to the start of HRPT and MANY more after that. It was a great experience, but that exhausting and expensive trip took away any romance with the car that was left as it sucked my bank account dry. After Power Tour, I had more issues with it, then ended up putting gears in it, then had more issues and it didn’t get driven like it should have.
In October of 2015, I got married and decided it was time to sell the Scamp. As I was selling it, I fell in love with a ’64 D100 that I currently own, but also listed for sale. It turns out that I have the same disease my dad has and can’t focus on one car. Thankfully I work at Classic Car Liquidators and get to drive a different classic every day. The Scamp went to a good home in Oklahoma and last I heard he’s loving the car. Maybe someday I’ll get to see her again.
