Extreme makeover- the manifold edition

If you remember, I have been going on about this old intake manifold that I scored at the swap meet awhile back. It's 60s era vintage and cool as hell.

I just got finished restoring it. This was no small feat. There were plugs and fittings that were pretty much cemented in place due to time and corrosion. There were holes with bolts broken off in them, again due to being seized in place. I fixed all of that. I repaired the stripped holes and removed the old rusty fittings.

Before...



Now...



To me, this is a big deal. Yes, I could have easily ordered a new intake manifold for 140 dollars and the Brown Santa Claus (that's UPS man, I'm not being racial) would drop it on the door step in 4 days. That's not the point. This particular manifold hasn't been produced in 45 years. It's history. It was made with pride, in a foundry right here in the USA by Joe Sixpack in a union shop. I wish the guys who made these old parts could see what I have done and know that I appreciate their pride and craftsmanship that they put into it. I never lose sight of the fact that these old things were made by hand and by sweat and I appreciate their efforts.

It's forecast to get up to 103 here, so I'm not sure how much more progress I will make today. We'll see I guess.