Our October feature car is one Poncho that got a new lease on life. What was assumed to be a minor fix turned into an extensive restoration. The results are well worth the effort! Ray Friesen is the proud owner of this four speed equipped 1970 Acadian SS 350. Ray tells us the rest of the story:

I had always wanted a muscle car, but family considerations and finances left me unable to acquire one.  

In 2001, I came into a small inheritance and the search was on!! I looked hard at Dusters, Darts, Mustangs and realized that I could never afford one of those.  My skills were not up to a project car, so I needed something that I could drive and “tinker” with.  

The Buy and Sell was a great tool back then and I picked one up every Thursday.  Then I spotted it, a 1970 Acadian with a four speed.  Ad noted that it was “like a Nova”.  In my home town of Coaldale, Alberta, there was a guy with a black 69 Acadian with a 454 and massive tires on it.  It was a really cool car!  So I knew what an Acadian was.  

This car, the 1970 Acadian, was green, black interior, four speed, positraction, seemed great.  Went to look at the car, some rust bubbles on the quarters, but did not seem too bad.  Had a 305 in it, but that was okay.  Wanted to build up something fast anyway!  So, I made a deal and brought it home.  I was ecstatic.  

Drove it for a while and started tinkering.  Played with the timing, the carb and then decided to go to an aluminum manifold.  Changed that.  Big job for someone that had only changed oil before this.  Bought an MSD distributor and box and swapped that in.  Then the cam went flat in the 305.  Time for a new engine.  Had a short block rebuilt and I installed the heads, intake, new carb, new water pump, new radiator, new motor mounts.  Was great fun. 

Then the time came to replace the body bushings. Big job! Replaced the rear springs as one was broken. Next, sub frame connectors were installed.  Car seemed rusty at the back.  Figured it should be okay for now....

Then the front end bushings were replaced.  The car handled nice!!  Next I found out the front spring was broken.  So that is why the car sagged to one side!!  

the engine had an oil pressure problem so it was pulled and freshened up.  New bearings, valve job, new cam etc.  The car flew!  Thanks Terry Bride.  

Replaced the gas tank.  Those supports seemed really rusty.  Hmmm.  Talked to my buddy and we came up with a plan to replace the supports.  Found out the trunk was REALLY rusty.  We could see daylight through it! Now it was time to fix it right.  

Talked to my buddy, Carl Jamieson, Abbotsford’s Maximum Collision Ltd. and talked him into fixing my car.  He put his best guy, Jim on it.  Thanks Jim, Emma, and all of the people at Maximum.  This is the story of an accountant and his hot rod.