Happy Earth Day!

How does Ford mark Earth Day.....by announcing that the 2015 Mustang will be a hybrid.  It will burn gas and rubber!  

Ford has announced that the 2015 Mustang GT will feature a standard electronic line-lock feature!  I love how the announcement and video released explain the practical aspect of line-lock for all the drag racers out there who need to heat up their tires for maximum traction at the drag strip.  Just like your buddy who swears he subscribes to Playboy for the articles......there is obviously an ulterior motive behind Ford's new feature.

Ford identified a marketing gimmick which will provide tons of press coverage and is inexpensive to package. Its not aimed at the science of drag racing, it aimed at the inner hoonigan in all of us. I guarantee you'll see more 2015 Mustangs doing brake-stands at your local cruise night than at the drag strip. I'm not even considering how many "Mustang line lock' videos that are going to flood YouTube! So what do I think about Ford's shady marketing move.....well done Ford!

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:

Happy Mustang Day

Autumn in New England

So things have been pretty hectic around here and I think its obvious with the lack of posts I've been generating.  November is here and the car scene in New England is about to shutter up for the winter......so this last weekend featured a final flurry of activity.

First off,  before the weekend even started I had an interesting week leading into it.  On Tuesday, I took my Cougar for a quick blast on a curvy road near my house in order to play with my GoPro....or should I say what was supposed to be a quick blast. At the end of the run there is a large parking lot (which happens to be where the state's Department of Public Safety is housed).  I turned into the lot and went to perform a 'K' turn in order to head back home.  While making the turn and turning the wheel lock to lock I heard a pop and then the steering wheel spun freely!  The aluminum u-joint that connects my column to my aftermarket rack and pinion setup broke! My car lost the ability to steer and I was in the middle of a crowded parking lot at an awkward angle. My mind jumped into problem solving mode as I had to figure out how to straighten the car out in order to park it in one of the lot spaces.  Then the realization of what would have happened if the u-joint broke 2 minutes earlier or later while I was driving like a madman on a sinuous tree-lined back road. Then I went back to problem solving mode. To get the wheels of the car to turn I employed a hunk of asphalt curb I found and placed it under one of the front tires and drove forward a tiny bit to force the wheels to turn to full lock.  Once the wheels turned I moved forward to the desired angle lined up with a parking spot and then re-used the curb chunk to force my wheels back into the straight position......and finished pulling into the space (a little before dark).

I happened that on Friday (November 1st) I was moving into a large storage unit which I was going to be converting into a  shop and storing the Cougar and Mustang.  I already had plans to rent a trailer Friday morning so I could tow my engine-less Mustang to the unit......I simply modified my plans to also tow the Cougar there.  So I left the Cougar in the lot for a couple days and hoped for the best (I think it may have helped that I was parked next to a couple state police cruisers).

On Friday I took my Discovery to get the Cougar......and of course it was pouring rain.  I used by curb chunk trick to back the Cougar our of its spot and turn it perpendicular to the parking spot and facing the trailer.  It was so easy I thought I'd have it loaded in minutes......then came my lesson on how hard it really is to load a steering-less car onto a trailer alone in the rain!  The amount of finagling it took to line up the trailer perfectly since I had to be able to drive the car up one-shot without any steering correction was ridiculous. Add in the fact that my Hankook Ventus R-S3's hated the wet steel ramps and I must have put on an entertaining display for the state workers in their cubicles.  Eventually, I persevered.

Round two was the opposite story.  The Mustang had steering.....just no drive train. This was much less of an ordeal...just some pushing and the creative use of a come-along to winch the car into the trailer and we were on our way.   

Cougar in its new home.....more to come.

Onto the weekend....

The weekend featured two of the area's biggest swap meets.  On Sunday my brother and I went to a semi-annual event organized by a local club and held in the parking lot of an amusement park.  The turn-out was fantastic.  There were all sorts of odd and interesting cars there. There were even more odd and interesting people.  With regards to deals, there were some to be had, but in general the prices on the cars in the car corral were inflated compared to other years.  There was a really nice Comet convertible for sale that was a deal.....there was also a beat 80's Monte Carlo with a built V8 in it that could have been had for about a grand that would have been fun to beat on.  We had quite a few conversations about what specific cars/trucks we owned in the past would be worth based on the asking prices we were seeing.  In general, the event wasn't productive from a great find point of view....it was just a nice time to get outside on a sunny day before the snow comes and look at cars and people-watch.

One event I missed on Sunday that I wish I attended (and will attend in the Spring when it starts up again) was the final gathering of Caffeine & Carburetors....check out their website.  Info on our new shop coming soon.    

Still have some fall foliage

This needs to be hanging on a wall in my house

Vegas for Car Guys

I haven't been posting for a while.  I've basically been waiting for some descent weather to visit New England so I can start getting out and reporting on the local scene.  However, I just spent the last week in Las Vegas on a business trip.  During my trip I managed to spend a little bit of time enjoying myself.....turns out Vegas is a fairly car guy friendly place.....

I had some time to kill to so I checked out http://www.fantasycarrentals.com right by the airport.  Other companies offer exotic car rentals in Vegas (such as Hertz) but Fantasy Car Rentals has a great selection ranging from vintage American cars to modern European exotics.  They will also pick you up at the airport or hotel and drop you off afterwards.  Since I was on a budget and the weather was fantastic I ended up with a convertible Camaro SS.

A view from Fantasy Car Rentals

Another view from Fantasy Car Rentals

First stop was Red Rock Canyon.  Its amazing that a place like Red Rock is within 30 minutes of the strip and yet the completely polar opposite of what the strip is.  Its a great drive out there and the 13 mile scenic loop is breathtaking.  The speed limit in the loop is 35 MPH so it is in fact a scenic loop and not a high speed circuit.  I didn't do the Hoover Dam or Lake Mead on this trip because I did that on a previous trip (in a rented Cobra!).

On my way back from Red Rock I decided to swing by Count's Kustoms. The speedshop owned by Danny 'Count' Koker and made famous by shows like Pawn Stars and Counting Cars. The people were extremely friendly and they have a section of the shop dedicated to displaying some of Danny's collection. Free, laid back, and about a mile from my hotel on the strip.

Next morning I headed north to where Las Vegas Motor Speedway is located.  The area of the speedway is a car guy's paradise.  In addition to the race track, the area hosts a dragstip and a few companies that specialize in exotic car driving experiences such as http://www.exoticsracing.com.  The area also houses an industrial complex loaded with racing teams and automotive related businesses.  My favorite is the headquarters of Shelby American Inc.  The facility includes a museum area. The contents of the display is always changing and includes some of the most famous cars ever produced from the first Cobra CSX2000 to prototypes of the Series 1, Shelby GT-H, Terlingua, GT500KR, and others. Shelby also runs a free tour of the shop at 10:30AM Monday through Saturday.

I arrived at the speedway area early one morning during the week (so I could take the Shelby tour). When I pulled off the highway exit and entered the track complex I was immediately met with the sound of a race car circling the speedway, Shelby moving cars around their lot (including a Shelby 1000) and a herd of exotic sports cars coming up the street on their way to the lot location where they operate their driving experience business.  Just for an extra helping of testosterone, fighter jets from nearby Nellis Air Force Base would make intermittent cameos overhead! Freakin' awesome!

Another thing I did not do on this trip to Sin City was visit the Auto Collections at the Quad Resort & Casino (which used to be the Imperial Palace).  I went there last year and did have to get some work done on this trip. 

But there you have it.....Vegas from a gearhead's perspective.      

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.  

Maybe I'll get inspired - The Real Thing

Here's a short documentary called 'The Real Thing' about custom hot rod builder Bodie Stroud and his build up of a 1969 Mustang powered by  an extremely rare Boss engine built specifically for legendary racer Mario Andretti’s 1969 Can Am series car. 

The Real Thing from Union HZ on Vimeo.

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.