I guess its my turn now!
My name is Lou Smaldino I am 37 years young, I have been married to my lovely
wife Yolanda for 4 years now, who nobody every sees because she went back to
school and is always studying, we have no kids, but we do have 3 fish. I was
born and raised in Fresno, Ca. Went to Fresno State (go Bulldogs!!) where I
met my best freind and fellow roadser owner Eric Jackson, then moved away and
finished School in Southern California, once that was done I lived in Europe
for a year then came back and spent 5 years Selling Steel in the Bay Area. I
now am back home in Fresno running the family Business an Allstate Insurance
Agency.
I have basically been lurking on this list since about 1996 when my Roomate
at the time Eric bought his first Roadster a 67-1600, and I had a computer to
find parts. I was riding my bike to work at the time and he kept bugging me I
needed to get a Roadster like his. Next thing I know he buys a 70-1600 gives
it to me and says just make payments to me. I paid him off in 3 months.
Within a year we were living in a house with a shop out back and 6 roadsters
lying around the yard.
I am currently on my 5th and 6th Roadster right now. The 1st the 70-1600 I
had gotten to run very well thanks to Mike Young, I had then found a 69 parts
car that someone was giving away in Southern California, the car had an
engine fire and the persons mom was just begging him to get rid of it, sold
off whatever parts I could and made a profit, Next was a 68-2000 that I found
up in Seattle, WA , went thru an adventure flying up there renting a u-haul,
then putting Unleaded fuel in a Deisel Truck waiting 2 hours for a
replacement vehicle to then drive 12 hours straight back home. What an
adventure. Then I found a 68-1600 in Sacramento that was running and bought
that car in the hopes of making one car from the 2000 and the 1600. Needless
to say something got in the way, marriage!! I sold the 70-1600 and the
68-2000 to Mike Kerr in Placerville, which I am not sure I would do again
because he stripped them both. Kept the 1600 which I sold to a great guy up
in Santa Cruz about 4 months ago. Tired of not having a Roadster that drove
around I went to the Solvang show in 1998 and swore I was gonna buy a
Roadster, the next weekend I bought my 69-2000 which I call Stripe. Last year
I bought a 66-1600 that is currently in the restoration process, I am
planning to swap a KA24DE into it. Its coming along nicely, if I am lucky it
may be ready by Shasta 2003.
I have met nothing but great people throught the Roadster List, we have a
club here in Fresno with about 20 members and probably about 12 regulars. I
keep up the website for the group, and will always take suggestions on how to
improve it. I hope that's enough.
Happy Roadstering
Lou Smaldino
Fresno, CA
69-2000 (stock)
66-1600 (KA24DE transplant)
97 Ford F-150
98 Nissan Maxima
http://communities.msn.com/Fresnodroc
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