The Restoration
The times they are a changing... car restoration in the digital age
After we rolled Lola into the Funny Farm shop we had to make a decision on where to begin the process of getting her back on the road. We also had to make a number of choices about what (if anything) we wanted to change/update about Lola. We also needed to keep track of the project as we started disassembling Lola, so that we could put her back together again.
Immediately we started to use and take advantage of technology that was not available when Lola was manufactured - digital photography, personal computers, and the internet.
In early 1972, the ARPANET (the initial internet) was in it's early stages - with just about 25 IMPs.
Kodak reduced the popular INSTAMATIC Camera to pocket size with the introduction of five different KODAK Pocket INSTAMATIC Cameras, using a new KODAK 110 Film Cartridge. The line was so popular that more than 25 million cameras were produced in slightly under three years. It was 3 years later, in 1975, when Kodak invented the world's first digital camera. The prototype was the size of a toaster and captured black-and-white images at a resolution of 10,000 pixels.
Bill Gates was still in high school ... Steve Jobs had just started a job at Atari.
Since Shaelyn and I are both interested in technology, our orientation to the restoration process was from that perspective. We have used the internet to research about Lola, find parts and services, evaluate restoration alternatives, network with other Mopar enthusiasts, and share our progress. We have documented our progress with digital images and film. We have kept records with cloud databases, and created this website to enhance our ability to share our story.
In case anyone is interested - Billboard's Top 100 Songs of 1972