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Bob,
I would definitely not have undertaken the restoration and the motor at the same time.
It's not easy to say in retrospect, but I think we wouldn't have restored the Amazon at all. I would have taken all the good stuff off of it, junked the rest, and kept an eye out for a better candidate to fix up a few years down the road. Almost all the things that identified the car to us, and that added up to its sentimental value, were lost during the resto anyway.
The 1800 could use some restoring, but I'd take it in easier stages. It needs a lot less work than the Amazon did, for sure. I should take some welding classes...
I would build the MPPE again, or at least something like it. I learned a whole lot by doing it once, and I'm a lot smarter about how to streamline the process and costs. I have some ideas about how to take the MPPE further, and I definitely need to build a new motor to replace the "mule" that's in the Amazon right now. I wouldn't shoot for the same power level, but the B20E with dual Webers and a header feels like a diesel tractor in comparison.
It's not in me to be content with a respectable stocker, but that's just me. I've gotta mess with things. The main trick is keeping it fun.
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