Mint Condition

Today I purchased a new quarter panel extension for Nugget. Oddly, it was missing one of the screw posts brand new out of the package, but the guy at the store gave me a dollar off. The old quarter panel extension, which was torn and broken, still had the studs on them so I took one off and used it on the new one.

You can always check Nugget’s page for costs and a running total, but this piece ran me just over $70.

Now that the quarter panel extension is on, the next step would be to put on the rear bumper. However, the rear stone deflector that goes under the bumper is kind of dented, but I think I’ll put it on anyway for now. Also, the backup lights don’t currently appear to be in working order, and I’ll need to drill new holes to install those on the rear stone deflector anyway. It looks like once I get those working I’ll probably have to do a little disassembly and reassembly, but at least I’ll have the parts.

So I’ve made a bit of progress on ol’ Nugget. I procured some new headlamps and installed those, and then, after purchasing some missing nuts and bolts, I installed the front bumper and related parts. And finally, a picture!

In addition to the updates I will be posting here on my blog, I have also set up a website for Nugget, which has a checklist of things to do as well as a running total of how much money has been invested in Nugget.

So I haven’t really done much since last time. I really need to buy parts before I can do much work. One thing I neglected to mention last time was that I need to hook up the gas tank. Right now, the gas line is severed, and I’m using a temporary tank under the hood that’s maybe a half gallon. So I need to get a new fuel line, and I’m not sure how much that costs.

Also, I priced out tires locally, and while they’re a little bit more expensive, there’s no shipping and I can return them or take them in if need be.

I tried to hook up the horn, but I ran into a couple problems. First, I can only find one of the horns. There’s supposed to be two horns at different frequencies, and I know I had both at one point, but I can’t find the other one. Second, while somewhat successfully hooking up the first horn, I think the horn switch got stuck, because after that, every time I tried to hook it up, it would spark and the horn would blare. So this means taking apart the steering wheel and fixing the switch.

Without further ado, an updated list of what needs to be done before I can drive this thing:

• Flush the brakes
• Hook up gas tank (cost unknown)
• Buy new tires ($356.59)
• Buy new headlamps ($11.60 + sh)
• Buy quarter panel extension ($47.45 + sh)
• Fix right taillamp wiring
• Fix horn switch
• Install horns
• Install backup lamps
• Install turn signals
• Install bumpers

All for a grand total of $415.64 + shipping on some parts, if I decide to order them online. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the summer!