Swap Meet Sunday!

Yesterday my brother and I had a difficult decision to make.  Should we go to Caffeine & Carburetors show, the Spring Swap Meet held by the Connecticut Street Rod Association or a VW/Audi specific car show? I personally was leaning towards Caffeine & Carburetors since my brother didn't attended the first event.  I also like the C&C event since it gives me an opportunity to photograph some interesting subjects. The VW show was appealing because it would give me a chance to do some research on parts (especially wheel/tire and suspension combinations) for my GTI.   However, we ended up going to the swap meet. 

Why the swap meet? As I mentioned, the swap meet wasn't my preferred choice. We always go and look around and end up complaining about the ridiculous asking prices on the project cars and parts. We end up buying something stupid in an effort to justify the admission fee. So why did we go? Maybe because it was the closest of all three events? But more realistically, I think we enjoy to possibility of  finding something. Car shows are spectator events.  Swap meets are a participatory event. So how did this event go?

 First and foremost the event was massive. We had to park in an overflow lot that was up on top of a huge sand pit. Here's a view from the truck:

As soon as we hopped out of the truck we were greeted with this spectacle in the parking lot:

Good omen?

The meet featured the same junk for sale.  If you were in the market for a chainsaw or snow blower you were int he right place. The project cars for sale were outrageously over priced or rusted beyond reasonable repair.  There was a cool AMC AMX and a rusty V8 4 speed Barracuda that were showed some promise. This patina-licous truck caught my eye but was already sold by time we reached it:

SOLD!

In the second the last row of the meet we found this:

Full Monte

A 1971 Chevy Monte Carlo that at first glance it looked like every other rough project here. However, upon further inspection we realized the following: 1) It was basically rust free! The body was straight and it already had new quarter panels installed (and done really well). 2) It had a complete small block Chevy drive drain. 3) And despite the multi-color and stripped appearance the car was fairly complete including a trunk full of trim and hardware.  My brother has always had a soft spot for '71 Monte Carlo's.  How does a person develop such a specific preference for a car, especially when the object of affection is somewhat atypical? It stems from the fact that his first car was an '83 Monte Carlo and his birth year is 1971. So he traded info with the owner and plans to complete a deal later in the day.....by yesterday evening the Monte was sitting in his driveway and he was taking inventory of all the parts in the trunk.

So stay tuned for developments with the Monte.

Mustang Turns 50!

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Mustang debut at the 1964 World's Fair in New York!  Ford is doing its best to mark the occasion and is taking advantage of the fact that it coincides with the  New York Auto Show.....meaning the automotive media is already focused on New York.

Mustang display at the 1964 World's Fair

Ford has also placed a 2015 Mustang convertible on the observation deck of the Empire State Building to recreate one of many publicity stunts carried out half a century ago.

According to a statement released by Ford, the only way to get a car to the deck is to use the elevator of the 80-plus-year-old building. “No portable crane can reach the 86th floor observatory, and the spire towering above the relatively narrow deck makes helicopter delivery impossible," the statement says.

Since the building's elevator can't fit an entire Mustang, the car had to be cut into six elevator-friendly pieces. A team of workers then rebuilt the car on the building's observation deck; though, as the video below shows, the team did at least one practice run beforehand.

What is amazing is the amount of promotion Ford did back in 1964 to ensure the Mustang was a success (maybe the Edsel debacle was still fresh in everyone's mind).  I recently spoke to a friend who remembers when Ford loaned him a new Mustang for him to review and write about. He didn't work for Motor Trend or any other major trade magazine......he was a writer for his college paper. 

GM has even chimed in with a very fun press release:

So happy birthday Mustang.  We've had a few close calls (Ford Probe) but are happy you are here and looking forward to what the future holds.

How it all began:

The Comet was Sold!!!!!

Here's a very brief update.  The 1962 Comet has been sold!  I almost traded it for a 1967 Pontiac LeMans convertible project car but decided to sell it outright to free up space in the shop (and some cash) so I can finally start digging into the 1969 Mustang!

Loaded up and ready to go....

On her way....

First New Car

I graduated from college in May of 2000. Once class was over we were given a few 'reading days' to get ready for finals and then a few more days off prior to graduation.  Most of my friends were making plans for the few days off. I opted out and bolted home after my last class and went car shopping!  With only a job offer in my hand (I was to start work at the end of May) I went from Ford dealer to Ford dealer looking for the new Mustang.  It was only the second year of the new Mustang and they were still rather rare in Connecticut. I had my heart set on a Bright Atlantic Blue Mustang GT (to go along with my '69) with a charcoal gray leather interior but as I went from dealer to dealer I realized that the pickings were very slim.  I eventually spoke to one salesmen who said he could locate the car I wanted if I gave him a deposit (even though no other dealership offered that commitment). So I made my deposit and waited for the call to go get my blue Mustang.  

The very next day (Sunday) I was up early and on my way to church I decided to swing by the Ford dealership in town.  To my amazement there was an eye catching yellow Mustang GT out front. What confused me is that there was no yellow offered in the 2000 model year.  The Chrome Yellow from 1999 was discontinued (and would have been the color I chose instead of the blue if it existed in 2000).  Upon inspecting the window sticker I learned that the car was a special Spring Feature Edition. The color was called Zinc Yellow (a little mellower than the color from the previous year) and it had hood stripes, machined wheels, and a hood and side scoops. I went back 3 or 4 times to go look at that car that Sunday and then hatched my plan.  I was at the dealership when they opened on Monday morning and the salesman had a sale waiting for him.  I never even test drove it.

The kicker is I was able to buy the car without a pay stub. I simply showed him my offer letter from my soon to be employer!  And actually, I didn't even graduate yet.  Once I took delivery of the car I took it back to school  so I could finish up my finals and then attend my actual commencement ceremony.

From what I understand there were only 916 yellow Spring Feature Editions made in 2000.    That car garnered attention where ever it went.  I stuck out like a sore thumb as I entered corporate America.  My colleges were all middle-aged men in beige Honda Accords and I (22 years old) rolled up to work in this thing everyday.....it was awesome.  

What was your first car?

A question that resonates with every car guy....especially if the answer isn't embarrassing.  My first car was a 1969 Mustang coupe I found in town for $1300.

I didn't even have my license yet but I knew I wanted to buy my first project car. I worked all summer painting a catholic school and started stashing away the cash. I also started combing the local newspaper for potential targets. Do you remember buying cars from the paper? Before the internet, we had a local publication called the Bargain News that came out every Thursday that would be loaded with special interest vehicles. The trick was getting your hands on a copy as early on Thursday as possible and start calling the sellers to set up times to view the prospects. By Sunday, the listing was useless, because everyone you called would promptly reply that the car had been sold. The other way to find a car to buy was simply driving around. My brother would take me all around town looking for gems sitting on lawns or in driveways with their little 'For Sale' signs on them.

I found my car in a driveway parked under a cherry tree on the other side of town. The sad thing is that, at the time, $1300 was all I could afford, and the papers were chocked full nice cars in the $3500 range.  I remember seeing desirable cars like GTO's and Mach 1's for sale in that range. There was even a real Shelby GT 350 for sale for an unthinkable $6500.

My Mustang was a plain old '69 coupe.  Mechanically it was sound, the interior was good (with the exception of a ripped headliner) but the body was tired. The paint was dull, it had some rust spots and was missing a few trim pieces.

It had a 302 with a 2V carb, C4 automatic transmission, power steering, and horrible manual drum brakes (on all four wheels). I spent about a year or so going through the car. Luckily, Mustangs Unlimited was about 35 minutes away from my house. Once I had the mechanicals sorted my father actually stepped up to the plate and took it to a body shop and had it resprayed the original Acapulco Blue. Then I got my license and I was off. I drove this car everyday (rain, sleet or snow) to school and work. Eventually I slapped a swap meet Edlebrock intake and 4 barrel Holley on it. My brother then surprised me with Headman headers and a set of wheels from American Racing (so long hubcaps).

The car took a change in direction when I left for college.  No longer needing a daily driver my brother arranged to buy a stout 351W/C4 combination from a gearhead buddy of his.  The engine was great. It had an aggressive solid cam and lifters. Trick Flow aluminum heads, MSD ignition, and a high stall torque converter.  Once we got this thing running it was just silly. Way too much power for the stock 8" rear.   It didn't stop me from taking it to Lebanon Valley Dragway and doing a one-legger down the first half of the strip.

The last real iteration of this car was the addition of a Ford 9" read with a Traction Lock and 3:50 gears.  After college I wanted to address the remaining issues with the car.  Namely, I wanted to update the brakes, suspension and repair the rusty from frame rails. I also wanted to install a manual transmission (while away at college I learned that automatics are a sin).   At this time, the front suspension kits from  Total Control Products were becoming popular and that's what I wanted. While researching and sourcing parts for this work I came across an amazing deal on a '67 Mercury Cougar.

I'll get into the details of the Cougar in a later post, but for all intensive purposes the Cougar was too great a temptation.  It was an original big block car with a 4 speed manual and TCP suspension already installed for less money that if I bought the parts for my Mustang.  I pulled the trigger on the Cougar and the Mustang moved to the back burner.

I still have my '69 Mustang (but the engine and tranny combo were sold). For that matter, I still have the '67 Cougar. The current plan is to install a more mild engine/tranny combo in the Mustang and make it a nice streetable driver. This plan is partially the suggestion of my wife who claims I 'ruined' the car she loved with that stupid motor and transmission!

So, for now, it sits in my garage waiting for the time (and money) to get it back on the road.  The cool thing is that my sons have taken a liking to my cars. My eldest son Joshua (age 7) has called dibs on the Cougar and my youngest Luke (age 4) has adopted the Mustang as his own....so he periodically reminds me that we have to fix it and get it back on the road....soon enough.

First Victim

When I was about 9 or 10 my brother bought a gnarly 1970 Ford F100. Big lifted pickups (as well as mullets) were in vogue at his vocational high school, so much so that his high school yearbook had class notable categories such as "Best Car" and "Best Truck." The truck was a beast. It was a F100 shortbed that was lifted and sitting on 38 inch tires. It had a 460 big block, 4 speed tranny and smoke stack exhaust. My father hated that thing! This was officially my (and my brothers) first step into gearheadedness.

My brother did everything to that truck! He pulled the body off and sanded and painted the frame due to the recommendation of a crazy neighbor. He changed the wheel/tire combination a bunch of times. He upgraded the axles. He even managed to swap the engine 3 or 4 times....the kicker is it never left our driveway!

I learned allot from this truck such as:

Lesson 1 - It sucks to be a car guy in Connecticut without a garage.

SoCal may be the heart of the car culture. But I'll always consider those guys soft and spoiled until they experience working on your car outdoors in subfreezing temps. Nothing builds character like laying on your back under a car in the cold and having frigid fuel run down your arms into your sleeves as you reach up and work on fuel lines.

Lesson 2 - Cheap tools don't fair well against 30 year old bolts.

Even though my father was not a car guy, we were lucky in that he was a general contractor and had a wide variety of tools in the garage. The problem was they were all crap. Add to the equation my brother's only approach for dealing with stuck or fused parts was to just push or pull harder made for interesting lessons in physics. Bending a cheap screw driver when using it as a pry bar is no big deal. But I never knew wrenches could bend and sockets could strech like they were made out of play-dough. We (especially my brother) destroyed everything. As I became older and purchased my own tools I learned to appreciate higher quality tools (or at least tools with warranties). Runs to Sears to exchange our battered Craftsman hand tools became a annual tradition.

Lesson 3 - Cutting torches and welders are cool.

As we got further into the project my bother acquired more specialized tools. We eventual obtained an arc welder that would provide hours of fun, but that absolute highlight was an oxy acetylene cutting torch outfit. Who knew you could slice through steel as you instantly liquified it?

　

Lesson 4 - Poor planning and lack of funds can doom a project.

My brother was 16. As a result, he also only had the income and intelligence of a 16 year old. These two factors ultimately led to the truck never reaching the street. Resources and planning will continually creep up in shaping my future projects.