Photo above is before the car left to Deluxe Customs
This project was undertaken in collaboration with our good friend and mentor, Jack Morris, of Morris Garage in Spokane, WA. This stunning Speedster was acquired at auction by a local Utah customer and was enjoyed for five years until the transaxle began to experience issues. This presented the perfect opportunity for a complete update, as the leaky engine needed to be removed for the transaxle rebuild.
The reason for the transaxle rebuild
The customer opted to transform the car into a mild "outlaw", ensuring that all modifications could be easily reverted to stock configuration if desired. The transaxle was completely rebuilt, with updates to the 3rd and 4th gear ratios and the addition of a limited slip differential to complement the new engine's capabilities on the highway. A bolt-on disc brake kit was installed to manage the enhanced performance of the new engine and transaxle combination. The engine was upgraded to a 2.0L twin-plug configuration, delivering a fun and torquey driving experience. The dual cast iron Bosch distributors maintained the period-correct appearance while enabling this performance upgrade. Importantly, no irreversible changes were made, preserving the option to return the car to its original state.
Engine Build
Transaxle Build
Unfortunately, during the mechanical restoration, it was discovered that the car would soon require metal repairs. Previous floor repairs had not been executed correctly. The customer decided to join the waitlist at Deluxe Customs in Phoenix, AZ, despite their over two-year wait time. In the meantime, the car was reassembled and enjoyed before the customer drove the car 10 hours through snow and rain from Salt Lake City to Phoenix in November 2023 for comprehensive metal work and paint.
How the car arrived in Phoenix in November
The speedster after dissasembly and sand blasting
The bad floor repairs mentioned above
Upon sandblasting, additional issues were uncovered under the paint. The customer is relieved that all these issues will be addressed, ensuring the car will be in perfect condition after Deluxe Customs completes their work. Deluxe Customs will reinstall our mechanical components, and the car will return to us for final tuning and drivability testing. It will once again be a beautiful and solid vehicle upon completion.
At the time of writing, the Speedster is in the metalwork phase at Deluxe Customs. More updates will be posted as the project progresses.
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