Just Do It
Mopar Muscle|March 2020
KENT NELSON SAVED THIS BELVEDERE II FROM CERTAIN DEATH
Richard Prince
Just Do It

Kent Nelson has been a loyal Mopar enthusiast since day one, so it’s no surprise that a friend and coworker thought he was the right person to save a forlorn 1965 Plymouth Belvedere II that had been sitting in a field, sinking into the ground, for many years.

“This was back in 1989,” recounts Kent, “and I told him that I didn’t have money for another car, but he insisted that I take a look at it and gave me directions to where it was. I drove out west of town and there it was, in the middle of a field.”

Despite the car’s sad state, Kent immediately fell in love with its roofline and asked how much it would take to buy the car. To his surprise, the friend said he could have it for free, minus the engine, transmission, and rearend that were in it.

“The engine was a 230-horsepower Poly 318, with a three-speed manual transmission and a tapered-axle rearend from an earlier B-body, and none of this was of interest to me anyway,” explains Kent, “so the deal was done, and I pulled the diamond in the rough out of the frozen ground and dragged it home with help from some friends.”

Kent put the car into storage after getting it home, where it remained for the next couple of years. When he finally got an urge to get the car back on the road, he began hunting down the various parts that it needed. Somewhat miraculously, he managed to find good 1965 Belvedere quarter panels in a salvage yard, but they were from a four-door so he had to modify them to fit his two-door body. He also sourced a good fender to replace his badly damaged one, fixed a few small dents, and “threw a quick paint job on it.”

This story is from the March 2020 edition of Mopar Muscle.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the March 2020 edition of Mopar Muscle.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MOPAR MUSCLEView All
Orange Twist
Mopar Muscle

Orange Twist

LIVING LARGE WITH AN OLD-SCHOOL 426 STREET WEDGE DART

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2020
Striking Green
Mopar Muscle

Striking Green

CAMPBELL AUTO RESTORATION COMBINES CLASSIC E-BODY STYLE WITH THE CAPABILITIES OF A 1970S GRAND TOURING COUPE. JASON JOHNSON’S 1972 BARRACUDA WAS BUILT TO GO HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH THE FINEST EXOTICS OF ITS ERA.

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 2020
Muscle Car Era Console Update
Mopar Muscle

Muscle Car Era Console Update

REBUILDING A CENTER CONSOLE WITH YEARONE PARTS

time-read
10 mins  |
March 2020
Dedicated To The Cause
Mopar Muscle

Dedicated To The Cause

SERGEANT JOHN LIVINGSTON HAS OVERCOME PLENTY OF OBSTACLES IN HIS QUEST TO BUILD THE ULTIMATE ROAD RUNNER

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2020
Ok, Show Me.
Mopar Muscle

Ok, Show Me.

GREETINGS FROM THE GRAVE

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2020
Just Do It
Mopar Muscle

Just Do It

KENT NELSON SAVED THIS BELVEDERE II FROM CERTAIN DEATH

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2020
Custom-Tailored Mopar Quarter
Mopar Muscle

Custom-Tailored Mopar Quarter

OFF -THE-RACK PANEL INSTALLATION, OR TAILORED TO YOUR CAR?

time-read
1 min  |
March 2020
Adding Fuel To The Fire
Mopar Muscle

Adding Fuel To The Fire

PLUMBING AN AEROMOTIVE STEALTH/PHANTOM IN-TANK FUEL PUMP TO FEED OUR HUNGRY ELEPHANT

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2020
It's A Wrap (Really)
Mopar Muscle

It's A Wrap (Really)

WE SEE MANY MODIFIED YET STREET-CAPABLE CHALLENGERS IN OUR TRAVELS. STEPHEN GORDON’S 2015 DODGE CHALLENGER STRETCHES THE DESIGN AND MODIFICATION ENVELOPE, STOPPING JUST SHORT OF THE LINE.

time-read
9 mins  |
February 2020
Amongst Friends
Mopar Muscle

Amongst Friends

We stay pretty busy going through airports and rental car counters, dealing with flight cancelations, hotels, restaurants and much more, to attend the various Mopar events across the country.

time-read
2 mins  |
February 2020