I realize that purests tend to turn up their noses at C bodies, but I think that is changing. Actually my car IS quite sought after, surprisingly--at least around here. No exaggeration when I say that every time I drive it, I get people asking me if I want to sell it. Or they scream it across parking lots. They knock on my door at home. Leave notes. The last guy stopped me in a parking lot and offered me two fully restored Corvairs for it! My mechanic tells me every time I take it in that he wants to buy it, and says that he did his research and the car is worth around $30,000--mine is kind of rare. I've done my own research and have found out he's right. So weird...! :) But I love this car, and want to restore it right-- I want a quality paint job and body work, as I plan on doing this only once. I'm only the third owner and it's still pretty much stock, the original owner took excellent care of it and had it garaged for a long time--so the original interior had held up well. Heck, I've even got the original window sticker for it, and when I bought it, it still had the original red line bias ply tires on it! *L* Velvet ~:>

Hi Jonathan, we have a 1910 Glenwood stove that was converted to gas. The fire box was to far gone and fire codes wouldn't let us replace it so we had the man that restored the whole stove drop in a kitchen aid 4 burner gas top. It still had the 3 burner gas sidecar and the gas broiler on top. We have a small electric oven up top and a larger oven in the middle. It has two storage doors on the bottom. It has the kick pedal to open up the large oven door if you don't have a free hand. It has worked out well for my family of four. We do lots of cooking and entertaining so the majority of the burners get a workout. The only thing I would change is the drop in burner tops. They are the round cast iron type and sometimes our pots don't sit well on them and may tip. I would go with a long grate the next time so the pots and pans don't have the potential to tip over. NancyLouise

You'll find that any method used, which mitigates the potential of damage to the dining room wall, will be expensive, may be the deciding factor and you'll be hard pressed to find a contractor who can legitimately say there will be no damage to the dining room side. This is the method that I have employed on several occasions, and keep in mind that these are full 2" x 4" stud walls. I used a 2x4 pocket door jamb amended to fit. The plaster and lath is carefully removed about 10" up from the floor. Metal brackets are attached to the studs at the bottom plate to add additional vibration damping, and the plaster and lathing removal is then completed. Metal brackets are added at the top plates. The nails are cut and the diagonal bracing is carefully removed. With the depth of cut set at 2-7/8" I use a beam saw to cut the studs for the top of the header height.(The wall may not be "load bering" but it's still weight loaded). Using a 4" grinder with a masonry blade, the plaster which has penetrated the lath is removed adjacent to the studs to allow clear passage of the table of a cordless skill saw to pass unobstructed. The DEWALT that I use is 1-1/8" table edge to blade. The studs affected are then ripped from the header cut to the bottom. The metal brackets are removed, individually, and using a sawzall blade with least kerf, the cut is completed. This DOES NOT affect the lath attachment on the opposing side. The nails attaching the bottom plate to the floor joists are removed and the bottom plate is attached in the 1-1/8" area that will remain. The bottom plate is cut and removed and depending upon the height of your existing door, filler is added or additional floor sheeting removed for the placement of the new jamb. If it's your decision to retain the aesthetics of a cased opening, the jamb will need to be amended to fit. The header and framing is set and the amended jamb is installed. With the jamb set, square and aligned, pre-drill the horizontal 1x slats in the jamb and attach to the dining room studs, further stabilizing them. A flat 2x4 is added to the side of the top plates on the kitchen side. A 2x4 is ripped to create a 5-1/2" wall thickness for the bottom plate and nailed in place. 2x6's are then ripped, installed and they are similarly attached to the jamb. The rock lath secured with screws and the gypsum plaster applied.

Jamie, Yes, the rest of the kitchen is very modern looking. I think the previous owner wanted the contrast of the vintage when he did the remodel. The house was originally built in 1950 but the only thing original left is the wood floors. The rest of the house has a mid-century feel. I like the uniqueness of the stove and the fact that it is not another stainless steel one that you see everywhere, but I tend to agree with you. I do feel like I need a pop of color and don't want regular stainless. The counters will be replaced hopefully in the next year or so as they are the lower end granite and I would prefer white quartz or maybe even the recycled glass. Of the colored ranges available, what gives the most bang for the buck? Blue Star, Bertazzoni, Ilve, Lacanche?????