Abby’s Tale

It was a dark and dreary night in 1964 as the young student rolled onto the Kearney College campus in his newly purchased used 1959 Austin Healey Sprite. His pride and joy was a sports car that constantly drew admiring glances from the young girls, and life was good. The student used it for all the normal driving chores. He soon found there were limitations such as: only one passenger, (no buddies), no room for making out with the dates, he could barely get all his laundry in it on the weekends and it did not have a radio. A part time job possibly gave him extra funds for a larger car and the Sprite went to another owner. A local high school student latched onto the little car after twisting dad’s arm. Car care is not the usual strong suit for a youth who also experienced some of the same problems that plagued the previous owner. The tinkering, alterations, and hot rodding soon wore on the car, until the body had crushed corners, rotted interior, several poor repaint jobs, and a wiring harness that did not resemble the factory set until it ran no more. Sold several more times, more paint jobs, tinkering, removal of the battery heat plenum (to facilitate engine removal and possible transplant of a big engine), possible racing, which would explain why it needed to be pulled from the city lake twice (fact), and finally resting completely disassembled. From 1968 through 1975 it sat sadly in the harsh weather, neglected, rusting, and, with a full oil barrel on the rear boot, dented in the shape of a ring shaped dent. Tom, a friend of mine who can’t pass up old and classic cars, purchased her in 1975 and moved it to his property with other cars where again it sat, rusting and lonely in the cold rain.

I went to college with Tom. We both liked cars which happed to be a bad distraction in school. While exploring Tom’s properties of cars which continued to grow, he showed me this irresistible little car that looked like a baby Ferrari and AC Cobra crossbreed. It smiled at me even if the hood was on top of the car! 1982 came around and I traded a decent 1952 Plymouth business coupe for it, loaded into the back of my new Toyota long bed mini pickup and hauled it to Kansas where I now resided with my new wife. We call her “Abby.”

Married with a house and rebuilding salvage cars on the side, work on Abby progressed slowly. Five paint jobs got stripped, the last was purple with a gold band across the rear, and rust was repaired, crushed rear corners required opening several holes to hammer out dents or make partial patches, broken bolts extracted. A 1972 Midget was purchased for parts. The donor donated much: engine, transmission, disc brakes, clutch/brake pedal assembly (grafted in), and a wiring harness which took many hours to make adapt to the switches and gauges.

More cars moved thru the garage but a few stayed, a 67 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 series named Lilly, a 1970 Mercury Cougar –Ratty cat, a 1954 Cadillac 62 series sedan – unnamed, and a 1964 1/2 Mustang called Tom’s Toy. My daughter said no more cars until you get one done, honey three are on the road. She wants to see Abby on the road.

Things can sure happen fast. Early 2013 I registered into something called the Moss Motoring Challenge. I studied the rules and decided it sounded kinda interesting. It prompted me into moving ahead in finishing Abby. On May 30^th she hit the road and we have been rolling ever since. The first weekend, its first trial run was 420 miles, and we started learning about pictures and planning the stops. To my surprise the wife is enjoying the Challenge as much as I am, but she still doesn’t help much in the garage (only when I have to have help with an extra hand – hoods and such). I have spent  time working past dark and cleaning during the week and driving all over creation on the weekends. Never did I expect the response from so many people we me who said “I used to have one”!! There could not be that many in the central US! The wife learned that she cannot ride with the top on (claustrophobia), but ok with the top down. She follows in her Honda with all the luxury of a modern car (has a radio), helps take pictures and laughs when I’m next to a large vehicle. I have learned that no hat will stay on my head with the top down and the curtains off.  I have driven in a rain storm with the top down on the way home from a show and laughed until I cried because it seemed so silly, the following sun and rainbow was uplifting. I avoid the mountains in the winter with normal vehicles, but this year we drove over Raton Pass in a driving snowstorm and it was fun. No hearing aids are needed as all the sounds are mechanical music. The RPM seem high at 50mph but become normal, the same goes for 60, and 70, but 5,000RPM at 88MPH may be a little much. A towel can be a handy item to carry if the windshield leaks. A car show registration card can make a fine sun visor. Driving at night is to be avoided if at all possible, but we have done it. Headlights from the rear, inability to read the road surface for damage, etc., and we never want to check out the underside of a deer are just some of the dangers. Last year ended when Abby destroy her starter telling me in late November that it was nap time. That has been the only major problem she’s had. She did pull a joke on me; last year faking a failing alternator in the evening in the Texas panhandle I was racing the sun to the night’s destination. The darker it got I would turn the headlights off and depending on traffic to save battery voltage and finally had to leave it on for another 20 miles and it was dark. I had to check the tires and stopped, there finding I still had my dark sun glasses on. Too many miles that day. It was only dusk. The alternator problem was a poorly crimped factory connection.

One of the hardest parts of working on any project can be actually finishing and putting to use. Join a club as they can offer support and knowledge. Fight the urge for perfection and get on the road and enjoy it.

Many thanks to Moss Motors for having this exciting challenge, Last year we put on over 7,000 miles and earned 6^th place which really surprised us. This year we stepped up more to this great challenge but again started driving late, however our miles were less due to better planning and some treasure spots. We will not win but that is not the object, we hope to be in the top 20 as the competition is fierce. We had so much fun, going places we never would have seen, searched maps and internet, and friends, meeting many neat people and smiling children who seem to be draw to her like a magnet. My other cars do this also but to a lesser degree. Enjoy the sport and we’ll see you on the road.

By Ken Mohlman