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To really understand the work involved in building a nice car, you have to see where the builder started. Too many people today only see the finished product and don't realize how much is invested to reach that point.

Learning the history of any car can be interesting. In fact it's one of my favorite things to do. There is always a story of how the current owner became the proud owner of their pride and joy. Here's the story of our "Orange Crate". Also check out our photo pictorial of the car as we started it's reconstruction.

Age of discovery....

I was working for Unique Supply Inc. of Redlands, California. An older gentleman, probably in his late 50s or 60s, came in. I greeted him and asked him if there was anything I could do for him. He told me that he was looking for a chrome "dual exhaust" system for a dune buggy. We figured out what he was looking for and I special ordered it for him.

He then asks if I know of anyone that would be interested in a "Manx" body. I didn't at that moment, but I got his name and number and told him I'd keep him in mind if someone asks. He said that if someone wanted, they could have it as long as they come up and get it. Yeah, for free!! The thought of building a buggy piqued my curiosity. As soon as I had a free moment, I called my brother at home and told him about this deal.

I didn't expect it to go much beyond this, as my Dad had already too much of my VWs and my brother's. Well, my brother explained the deal to my Dad and he was instantly interested. I got home that evening and Chris (my brother) says that Dad was interested in seeing it. The three of us discussed it and I gave the gentleman a call and made arrangements to meet him at a rest stop.

Picking it up...

Our family drove up in two cars; my mom and myself in her Honda Accord and my brother and Dad in Dad's Mazda pickup. We figured we could put the body in the bed of the truck with it overhanging on top of the cab. The truck had blankets to protect the paint and plenty of rope to snug it down tight.

We met the gentleman (I can't remember his name right now) and he led us up to his home. The body was strapped up to the inside wall of his garage. It looked to be in good condition overall and it was an attractive style, so the three of us agreed to take it. We took the body down from it's hanging storage area and got it situated in the bed/on the cab of Dad's truck.

Added bonus....

While Dad and my brother were tying down the body, using their Boy Scout knot tying skills, I spoke with the gentleman. He said if we were interested, he had a brand new canvas top and chrome frame for this body, and a set of original canvas doors that he'd be willing to sell.

We followed him in to the subterranean room that he had them stored in. The top was brand new, made of a white heavy duty canvas. He said that he could only find a boat upholstery place to make it for him. The doors were a weathered black canvas, though not as thick as the top. The top included a padded frame so it wouldn't flap as you drove it.

He offered to sell it for the price that he bought the exhaust from me: $120. I discussed this with Dad and Chris and we agreed to go for it. $40 each came out and we had a buggy top and doors. We set off for home to do some cleaning and take inventory.

Taking Inventory....

Well, we got home, pulled the truck into the driveway and looked at our latest acquisition. It was quite a site to see this body on top of the truck. The body was about ²/₃ the size of the truck.

We removed the body from the truck, laid out all of the parts and gave everything a really good cleaning. It had a collection of dust and oil, so it had to be scrubbed to get looking nice. We ended up with the following parts:

All in all, a very good find. Well, that's all for now.