[BaadAssGremlins] The STINGER has landed.

["John W Rosa" <JohnRosa@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

11:30AM this morning, the big rig stopped at the 
curb of my mommy-in-laws place to deliver our new
Hornet X....and all was right with the world.

Almost. The damn rain would not let up long enough 
for a single photo with the smallest amount of 
sunlight. Oh, well...maybe tomorrow.

So, the car is just about everything I could have 
expected- a very clean and maniacally maintained
original-owner car. He bought it December 12, 1972
in Liberal, Kansas for the princely sticker price 
of $4210.65 (actual price paid, I don't know).

The window sticker is complete, crisp and not faded, 
with 3 creases across the face due to folding. The
car is described as a 'Hornet hatchback 2-dr sedan'.
The next line indicates 304 cid V-8 2-barrel for $138,
but the very next notes 360 cid V-8 2-barrel at 
another $41.55. seems to me a confusing way to set
these sheets up.

Can't believe anyone paid $121.90 for a Mono AM/FM 
radio, even back then!! An aftermarket unit with tape
was far less!

I've scanned it, brightened the colors a bit and 
reprinted it for display in the window at all times,
while the original now retires to a dark cabinet.

The seller provided a huge cache of receipts from 
1972 through 2004, plus his fuel/mileage binder, where
he has tracked every drop of gas for 32 years used the 
car. It begins 12-08-73 and ends 09-27-04.

I'm going to be sorting the nine boxes full of spare 
parts over the weekend, but I'll post a few pictures 
of the larger pieces shortly.

In the glovebox was a near-mint Owner's Manual plus
Guarantee Card, Dealer Business Card, Consumer Info 
pamphlet, a Drive Safely pamphlet, a Guarantee
booklet, all in the soft, clear, plastic folder. On
the visors are two plastic sleeves- one explaining
how the ignition works, the other is a dealer prep 
checklist (never seen these before)!

Oh, yea...I got a CAR, too.

She fires right up, goes into gear solid and drives 
really well considering the short spaces I played in 
today. I'll have it legal shortly so I can test her 
out at normal speeds.

The exhaust seems to leak a bit at the driver's manifold,
and the 'tick' of that annoys you away from the VERY 
throaty rumble of the custom duals. Two-barrel not 
withstanding, this car advertises a lot of attitude.

The carpet is very clean and complete, with just a 
bit of irregular fade due to the long use of a full-
width floor mat. The driver's seat has a mild 
separation of the patterned fabric from the solid vinyl 
bolster...should be an easy fix.

The dash top is perfect, thanks to an exact-fit carpet 
cover, properly molded, cut and edge-sewn to fit Hornet/
Gremlin dashes...but it's too clean to really be from 
the era....isn't it?? It's a keeper!

The paint is shiny, applied in 1995. The stripes are
a handmade-made copy of the originals, done at the 
paint shop by someone pretty damn talented. They are
just a bit too thick, but until NOS or exact repros 
come up, they'll do fine. Doors close tight with no sag.
Hatch stays up, but drops heavily with little help.
The hood and it's release operate perfectly.

The radio works (and if you expect more gush than that, 
you've got a long wait).

Two center caps need red rings, which I have on hand.

The missing C-pillar trim appears to be an easily faked 
item....I'll start toying with that shortly.

The Space-Saver spare, still clearly marked on the tread
with white D70-14' painted lettering, has never been on 
the asphalt. The bottle is missing.

I think the rear half sits too low...I'll need that 
addressed soon, too.

(Lousy) photos on the way shortly.

John








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