Ron Will’s Phantom Restored!

Arrows show the largest three pieces of the canopy top ripped off by the wind.

Matt’s American Icon Restoration—1966 Checker Marathon

At the time I was working as a designer for Subaru in California. Later they moved us to New Jersey for my new job as product planner in their Cherry Hill, US headquarters. The crippled Phantom moved also, staying untouched in our new garage for another 10 years. While in Jersey, my son Matt wanted a car and decided on a 1966 Checker Marathon. We fully restored it outside in the snow and rain converting it into a New York taxicab. It came out great and was featured in the movie “American Gangster,” but that’s another story.

Engine removed for new clutch install

After finally retiring from Subaru, the Phantom moved again, this time to Arizona in 2006 into an oversized three-car garage. It was finally time to get the Phantom back together. I didn’t realize it would take another 16 years.

During the governments mileage and handling testing of the Phantom back in the 1980s at Edwards Air Force Base, the clutch was burned out after several 0 to 60 sprints and other performance tests. So, the first order of business was to get that repaired. The Honda Gold Wing 4-cylinder engine was removed and clutch repaired by a good all-around motorcycle repair man, Stu Oltman, at his home shop.

Marvin analyzing the broken Phantom

But that still left the major problem, a giant canopy top 6.5 feet wide and 6-feet long that was in shattered pieces with some even missing. Another good acquaintance, Marvin Compton was an expert at fiberglass repair and agreed to take on the job.

Somehow Marvin was able to put the giant jig-saw puzzle back together, while I was getting a knee replacement. It was not perfect, but good enough for me—the car that is. The knee came out good, too. The lesson learned here was, never make a giant canopy piece of fiberglass 6 x 6.5 ft. and expect it to close and always fit the body perfectly. Fiberglass often has a mind of its own and tends to shift around, especially in the way I was supporting and opening it. I’m sure people with any fiberglass car or Mercedes 300 SL with gull wing doors knows what I mean.

Marvin assembled new pieces with the old to complete the canopy.

Phantom ready for Paint

Marvin did a stellar job considering what he had to work with. So as long as we had to paint the top, let’s paint the whole car a new color. I decided on a bright silver blue, Mercedes Alpine Rain Metallic. I considered a pearl red using Photoshop, but it just didn’t look right to me.

Back Home from the Paint Shop

So now, all painted and back in my shop I decided to upgrade or install all the items I never had time to do in the original build. Seat belts seemed like a good idea, long overdue. Also the original tiny VW dune buggy disc brakes proved to be totally inadequate. So, Ken Mitson, a manufacturer of auto specialty equipment, came to the rescue with a professional set of custom disc brakes. Thanks, Ken.

Interior Restoration

The original interior (upper), as a matter of expedience, was covered front to back, side to side and top to bottom with this over plush carpeting that looked like a sheep ready for sheering. It covered a lot of unfinished areas, and in fact was nailed to the raw underneath foam in places. That was all removed and tossed out in trade for a more sophisticated smooth gray auto carpet that was cut and glued to the intricate interior shapes. My patient wife Pat helped with patterns and installation of the new carpet. The exposed body foam was now all sealed with fiberglass for extra body stiffness. To help noise reduction, I added Dynamat sound proofing to the firewall. I had some left over pieces of scrap black leather from my days at Subaru Design and used it to cover new fiberglass armrests and the instrument panel.

Luckily, with some sort of future premonition, I originally made two sets of Plexiglas windows for the Phantom and was able to replace the ones damaged on the 405.

How NOT to wire a car

Originally, I knew I would need a larger fuse box than the one on the motorcycle, so I bought a car fuse box and ran all the Honda and new electronics thru the larger fuse box. Here’s where I got stupid again. I paid no attention to all the different colors of wires coming out of the car fuse box. I would attach a new green wire to a fuse box red wire and then run it up to the front and attach it to a blue wire coming from the accessory or light. I made a tunnel under the car to hold all the wires going from the engine compartment in back to the passenger compartment in front. So a wire going into the tunnel may be one color and come out of the tunnel another color. After 40 years, with no wiring diagram and no memory of what I had done, I was at a total loss and about to lose my mind. Luckily an old Detroit GM friend, Les Talcott with electrical savvy was in the area to help me out. He cleared up most of the major electrical issues, showed me what to do and kept me from going crazy. Bob Ross from Jersey also contributed by sending me new wiring diagrams and moral support.

All of this new corrected wiring would go into the nose of the car for servo controlled headlight lids, headlights, turn signals, and speakers. Yes, I forgot to tell you that I added a 1980s Panasonic Cockpit Stereo to the underside of the canopy top.

If I ever would write a manual to repair the Phantom, it would include strange items like: To replace front speakers first remove the headlights. To replace tail light bulbs, first remove the rear tire. Obviously, I did not think all of this through when I designed the car.

Granddaughter Megyn, my Electrician.

Now at my age, almost 80, it was near impossible to crawl into the nose of the car to make all of these new connections. So, I hired my granddaughter Megyn to make the new connections. She did a great job everything worked great—smart kid.

I added a 1980s Panasonic Cockpit Stereo to the underside of the canopy top.

First showing in 40 years at the Hot Wheels Legends Tour, Mesa, AZ.

What really prompted me to get up off my easy chair and finish the Phantom now was the upcoming Hot Wheels Legend Tour and contest in Phoenix. The national winner gets their car made into a Hot Wheels model. My son Matt helped me do all the heavy lifting during the last six months. We worked up to the night before the show to get the car all together. One small body part is still lost in my garage, but we made it to the show. I did not win, but the real prize for me was finally getting the Phantom all together once again after 40 years since the Orange County 405 disaster.

Unique Phantom Features

• Mirror Lid Headlight Covers
• Moveable Front Skirts 
• Under-fender Turn Signal Lights
• Digital Instruments

Many Thanks

I want to wish a hearty thank you to all that helped me put the Phantom back together. I couldn’t have done it without you. Others that helped build the Phantom included Earl Cook, Rich Straman, Mark Kidd, and sorry, a few more names that I can’t remember.

P.S. If you have a project car sitting in your garage, get to it. It doesn’t get any easier the longer you wait.

Now if I could only finish my Kellison J-5 kit car.