After about two weeks of waiting, my 1970 Crown arrived today from Saskatchewan. Purchased online based on the seller's word and a bunch of pics, I had an idea of what was coming, but that was it. "Good shape" can mean different things to different people.
I had a 1969 Crown about 15 years ago. The frame had a few holes in it, and when the carb went supernova in the snow one day, I traded it and a 1971 parts car I had to the local Toyota dealership in exchange for their old Land Cruiser plow truck for some LC parts I needed. It was a good deal at the time. The '69 was amazing on the highway – super comfortable, super quiet, and the 2M with Toyoglide wasn't exactly a slug on the road.
So a few months ago I decided it was time I start looking for a new project to tinker on. I'd seen a 1973 RT90 Corona coupe close by; green with black hood too. It looked great and had been for sale for a few months. Figuring it would be for sale for at least one more, I took my time and ended up missing it by a few days. That made me get focused and I started checking ads across the country and as far south as San Francisco. After looking at a few options, I decided on this Crown. It's a 2M, a 4-speed, and hey, even the same colour as my first Crown (#1422 alhambra red). I booked a transport for roughly the same price as the car, and quickly wrote that sum off. I'm not doing this because it's practical.
The day finally came and the transport company called around noon today. I booked it home in the LC (not the plow truck, my DD of 16 years), and actually saw the Crown flying down the highway on a flatdeck ahead of me. And now it's here.
Well, I'm pretty impressed. This thing is in remarkable shape for a prairie car that sat in a field for seven years. After it was semi-abandoned, this guy I bought it from picked it up, and he had it for a year before passing on the project. Listening to him describe it on the phone was like listening to me describe work on my Land Cruiser. He'd obviously loved working on it and brought the engine bay back from a greasy mess to where it is now.
First on the list is getting power brakes back and re-doing the rear cylinders. Hopefully not too many suspension pieces are needed (any suggestions for idler and pitman arms?). I've got another windshield for it and a new gasket on the way from Carlyn.
Bonus: a spare carb, a set of NOS rear lights, and the original keys!
I'll be in the driveway for the next couple weeks..
