Hello Gents, I just acquired a Darrin from near Sacramento. It was 111 degrees when we loaded it. The owner has had the car since 1963. it has been sitting since 1970. Although mostly complete, there are a few items that need to be sourced. The owner had the car added to the Registry in 1985. It is listed in that years roster as #003. A previous owner got tired of having his pride shattered by Corvettes so he dropped in a 324 Oldsmobile Rocket V8 with a Hydramatic transmission. For lack of anything original to put under the hood, I am planning on trying to get the 324 running. I guess for no other reason than that's the way it was altered originally and so that adds to its history.
I read recently that at one point in the cars development, Kaiser was in negotiations with Olds to acquire Rocket engines to put in the Darrins but negotiations stalled when Olds raised the unit price too much. Mine might be an example of what might have been.
Any clues as to getting a set of stock wheels. I believe that the spare is a stock wheel. The tires on the car are so large that the steering wheel cannot to turned more than a few degrees without rubbing the fenders. I don't know why he put them on the car unless he got them for free and needed something to just make it roll.
I am attaching a few poor photos for your entertainment. The first two are in my shop and the third is the gentleman I bought the car from and the Darrin coming out of its cave after 47 years in storage. Steve (324darrin)
