Project Background

Background

I purchased this mid-60's Fiberfab Aztec GT when I was 15 years old. The fiberglass body was mounted to a 1962 Swing Axle Type 1 chassis which was completely rusted through and lacked an engine. I purchased the vehicle for $1000. I was looking for something unique and the Aztec captured my imagination. The owner asked if I was sure about purchasing it and warned me how much work it was going to take. I'm learning that he was right.

My father and I rented a trailer and picked up the car. On the way home a motorcyclist passed us on the bridge crossing the Columbia River on the Oregon/Washington border. He looked back at the car and then gave me the thumbs up. This eliminated any sort of buyers remorse that had crept into my head. It is a beautiful car. It has a front like a Ferrari Dino, the A-pillar of a Corvette Stingray, the C-pillar of a Mustang Fastback, rounding out the back in Stingray style.

After thorough inspection, I decided that I needed a new chassis to start my build out right. The swing axle rear and rusted floor pans were not cutting it. So, I purchased a whole new "to me" 1974 Beetle in rust Orange from a junkyard for $650. I took it home and with the help of my friends, stripped the body off of the chassis. I sold the existing chassis and orange body and put the fiberglass body on the newer body. Things did not quite fit well. The shifter was mounted too far forward and contacted the stereo brackets, and the rear of the tunnel did not line up straight.

I removed the 1600CC engine, thinking I would rebuild it, but as the project evolved I realized that I wanted more power and reliability. But how? I looked at stroker VW motors, but they were too expensive. By this point in high school I was saving for college and the car took a back seat. I stored it in a small barn on our property basically forgot about it. My parents moved multiple times while I was in college and they moved the car with them.

I got through school and after graduation my parents asked me what I wanted to do with the car. I was going to either admit defeat and sell the car at a loss or drive up to Washington from Southern California to pick up the car and bring it back. Being a recent mechanical engineering graduate who had some experience with Formula SAE in college, I realized that defeat was not an option. My mom called this car a money trap and she is right, but it has turned into much more than a car at this point.