The Photo and Image Archives

"I have already heard the comment 'You actually paid money for that?' [even though I] have never driven it. Look at the pictures and you will see what I mean about the paint." -Jon Rice

"I showed my Mom this picture about ten years later (hoping that there was a statute of limitations on stupidity); she wasn't impressed." -Mark Sumner

'My love for the '70s led me to purchase a '76 Pacer. And being a music buff, I got all 26 No. 1 singles from that year and affixed them to the interior roof, merging two artifacts of a bygone era.'

The car belongs to Kenny Tucker of Chalmette, Louisiana." -Jason Bowler

"When we opened the hood, two mice scurried out. And there are lots of dead bees and bee hives all over, inside and outside of Joel, who has been out of service for about eight years.

"But he said he would do it!!!! And this is a guy who loves cars and doesn't look at it as just another job. We haven't even made an official agreement as to price and the et ceteras, but he sent for a tow truck to come and get Joel today. I took a digital photo of Joel as he was being pulled onto the flatbed, and here it is.

"I never thought I would get as emotional as I did. Now I'll be relying on you folks to keep me apprised of available parts as he needs them.

"I will be leaving Massachusetts and heading to Las Vegas maybe by next month and may not see Joel again for two years, but at least he's now in line for the loving care he deserves. YAYYYYY!!"

"Joel-Judy shows up well in that photo, but in actuality is severely rusted. The sheet metal along the bottom edges of the whole car is badly rusted. The rear bumper has a hole in it. The plastic inside is all brittle; the entire driver's side door panel, on the inside, is broken in a million pieces, and everything is discolored. There are rust spots throughout the whole car, and Joel has been sitting outside all his life in Massachusetts. The engine hasn't been turned over in eight years, so we expect extensive mechanical work will need to be done. The brakes were rusted locked when the guy started pulling it onto the flatbed, and the back wheels weren't turning, but they suddenly released when he started pulling it. The paint all over is ready to flake if you touch it the right way, and the sun has discolored the paint all over the car.

"I find myself wondering what will be left of the original Joel when he's all restored. I have been hesitant to join the registry in case I was not able to get someone to take Joel in before I left here, although if I had ended up having to junk him, I think I would have crawled inside him to die along with him. :-)" -Diane

"Over the course of less than two years I stripped it down to a body shell to repair everything the best I could. I've rebuilt most everything on it and replaced most every rubber part on it inside and out. I've added a few somewhat unique touches, while still maintaining the Pacer image:

Body colored bumpers
Rear seat headrests
Cupholders in place of the rear ashtrays
...and of course - the center console (among several other special touches)

"It's far from a 100 point restoration, but the intent is to make something I can drive instead of creating a piece of garage furniture!" -Brian Bradcoski

"[The car is] yellow with woodgrain, which I purchased in July 97 with 90,500 miles on the odometer. My 17 year old daughter drives it to school and work on a daily basis and just today returned from a 200+ mile round trip to Columbus, Ohio (I live in Dayton). My son just got his 'temps' so it looks like the venerable Pacer will be performing extended duties. According to the warranty in the glove compartment, it was purchased by a woman in Peachland, North Carolina on 22 February 1977. It now has almost 111,000 miles on the odometer with very little rust. I repaired some rust on the rear fender under the gas cap. It is almost impossible to fill the tank without having gas splash back out and run down the fender.

"I pretty much grew up around AMC's. My earliest memory is sleeping on the parcel shelf under the rear window in my Dad's Hudson Hornet on long trips (you wouldn't think of doing that now). He traded that in on a midnight black '59 Rambler wagon with a red stripe down the side and those BIG tail fins. That was traded in on a '62 Rambler Classic wagon which he had until I went into the Air Force.

"The interior was filthy when I got it, but it was in really good shape after a good cleaning. Shortly after I bought it, I had to have the transmission replaced along with the exhaust system and starter. Work I performed myself included F/R brakes, wheel cylinders, shocks, rack & pinion assembly, valve job, rocker arms & pivots, timing gears & chain, rebuilt carb and new master cylinder. After reconditioning the head, I had an exhaust leak between the exhaust manifold and the head. The heat had warped it and, since there is no gasket, I had to take it back off and have the manifold milled. I also have an ongoing exhaust leak between the exhaust and intake manifolds." -George Colleary