My first car was a white 1980 Chevrolet Monza Town Coupe. My parents bought it new in 1980. Its major options were the 2.5l four cylinder engine, automatic transmission, AM radio, luggage rack, and some chrome trim. It was my mom's commuting car until 1990, and my sister's transportation in the early 1980s.
I got the car in 1990 to drive to my last two years of high school and various activities. It was a little rough but still safe and reliable. I put a cheapo K-Mart AM/FM/Cassette radio in it along with some cheapo wheel covers and I was happy. In 1992 I started college 800 miles from home and couldn't take the car with me, so it was given back to my sister.
Over the next six years, my sister and her husband used the car and kept it running but it was a little neglected otherwise. Then an engine mount failed and wedged itself into the oil filter. The car, not really needed anymore, was parked and left to rot.
In the mid-1990s I started getting really interested in cars. As I did more projects and learned more, I was fascinated by the possibilities for restoring and upgrading my old Monza. So in 1999 I traded a spare computer to my sister for the car and towed it home.
On to Prep work