Well the news was pretty good. Since I had the control arms already, I was only missing the spring seats (sometimes called perches) and a new set of shocks and I’m good to go – Labor $300.00 I was thinking much worse.
Tim Sisk asked when I was going to sell the car to him. I laughed..he laughed and I said..HOW MUCH??? He laughed some more.
Need to pick up the parts Monday and get some new tires. Good to go.
The joys of owning a classic muscle car are numberous. Restoring one takes some planning and forethought. errkkk……….having said that..it doesn’t take a genus to know that a 40-year-old car with nearly 200k miles on the body/frame and suspension might need stuff.
Well the tire problem I discovered was the direct cause of defective tire and serious wear (they aren’t that old). The wear is a bit disturbing because of the limited miles I’ve driven it.
About 10 months ago I started feeling the typical sloppiness that a front gives you when it needs some attention. So I ordered upper and lower control arms, which wasn’t a budget buster, mainly because I’d planned on install them myself (labor is will kill the budget). I stuck them away until I had time. Well doing a little research I realized that for this Mustang I didn’t have the tools get the job done so I delayed it a bit longer.
I drive the Mustang to work a couple times a week (maybe) and on the weekend run errands. So the front had to be much worse to do that much wear in those miles. I took it over a fellow Mustang owners shop (actually we recently sold it Mustang so he’s Stangless right now).
eeeeerrrrrrrrrrrkkk…………ok I have to say that this guy is partner/manager for a “chain” auto repair company. I won’t say which one because, I normally won’t take my cars to such establishments. But I met Tim Sisk 3 years ago when I needed a quick oil change on the Mustang and I stopped in. We talked about Mustangs and I found him to be extremely knowledgable. So I had them to a few things for me. It worked out great and now when I can’t do something on my own with Mustang and even a few on the Corvette I’ll take it there. Another benefit is that the place is two miles up the road.
I tossed the upper and lower control arms in the trunk and took the Mustang there this morning. We put it up on the lift and sure enough the control arms needed to be replaced. I’m sure there will be a few more things I’ll need and most likely they’ll have to be ordered and if I can swing a good deal on the labor I’ll have some shocks put on as well.
So standby for the $$$$. I’ll post it when I get the news.
Oh..there are lots places to get Mustang parts. I happened to pick up the control arms from WSD. Worldwide Suspension Distribution LLC.
Thanks for reading.
Tim
Money, cash, coin, bucks, what ever you call it’s the 900 lbs monkey sitting in the passenger seat right next to you!!!!
This can be tough. Us average guys, have to “pinch pennies until Lincoln calls the cops”. Even then there is a lot of …free time..between mod or new parts. Am I right? You betcha.
You’ve heard the stories, that start out…”Yeah..and to sell her.” or “Got a family started.” or “Had to move and no place for the car.”
I wonder about the guys that say…”I have too many projects.” I’m thinking 40% of them ran out of money and then ‘honey’ said that it has got to go.
I don’t have a direct solution for your money problems and I won’t tell you anything you don’t know or haven’t already read about. What I will say is take your time. Work on it as often as possible, even if you are just wiping it down or cleaning a part. That way you don’t “loose” touch so to speak.
What is important is to keep track of what you spend, keep receipts, and spreadsheets are good for that. Why is it important? For a couple reason:
1. Most of us average guys are on a budget. Keep one for your car. Get prices ahead of time and match that up with your “real world budget” the one you keep to eat/pay the mortgage/utilities.
2. Investment purposes. It’s good to know how much you’ve spent. That’s a big deal if you were to…go head winch now…you know what’s coming resell.
3. Insurance – especially if it’s collector car insurance. Most will let set a value. I have this for my Mustang.
errk…..story time!!!!! When I first got the Mustang, I called my regular insurance company, told them I purchased a collectable car and I wanted to insure it. They asked me how much it cost when it was new. I said $2,984.20. The gal on the other end of the line said “Then that’s how much we’ll insure it for.” as if it were a done deal. So be careful. I use Hagerty..they are great. Remember my story about the kid that hit my Mustang….the paid for it all and kept sending checks when ever the amount went up.
Ok..more tomorrow.
Don’t forget about the Clean and Disaster Garage contest. $25.00 gift card…..hey..it’s extra money!!!!
Thanks for reading.
Tim
There are basically two categories professional and average guy judging.
Now I must confess here I don’t understand the professional, there is just too much to know. I frankly don’t know how some the of the larger shows can finish the judging – especially the contours judging. Whether there are the proper pre-assembly marks and is there the proper over-spray in the right places. I suppose thats great in some respects and I guess is can see the necessity.
But I’m the average guy muscle car owner. I like what I like and being judged by average peeps is ok by me. I’d like them to have some car knowledge but it’s still not that necessary.
I found it interesting that at one of the medium size shows one guy called the Mustang a Restro-mod. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. It’s period – meaning it could have been ordered that way at the time. Only real change is the larger tires and Center Line wheels.
The latest Hemming’s Classic Car issue has interesting reading on the subject of “original/survivor cars” vs “everything else” I’ll do another post on that topic later on.
Couple of admin notes:
1. If I mention a product or a publication it’s because I have an opinion or an “experience” with it. This is a non-commercial blog. As of write now I don’t have plans to have ads embedded, click throughs or sell “stuff” .
2. Send me comments. Post them up here or email them to me timsweet@cox.net.
3. I don’t sell contact info either or send spam email. If you email me that’s as far as your info goes. I’ll even ask you if you mind having me post email contents before I do.
DON’T FOR GET THE CLEAN GARAGE/DISASTER GARAGE CONTEST. $25.00 GIFT CARD IN THE BALANCE. GET ME THE PICS.
This event was a smash hit. So much fun. I’ll jot more later, but a lot of fast cars and good people.
By best time 34.89…not bad for no mods yet. Left the course only once. NO cones were killed by my C4.
Here
Before the race
a pic. Still processing the video…and yes I’ll post the of me losing it.
For this evenings writing I thought I’d give you a run down on my Mustang.
WARNING: Caution Chevy owners you are going to hear Ford stuff!!!! This blogger does have a split personality.. Ford vs. GM. I catch a lot of <insert bad word> from my Corvette club and the same from the Mustang guys. I’m learning to live with a split persona..”No you’re not!!!”…”Yes I am!!!!” “HEY guys…not NOW…they’ll notice.” “Fine!!!!!”….”He started it!!!!” ENOUGH!!!
Sorry folks, must have missed my medication this afternoon. Sooooooooooo..oh…yeah…I remember.
I purchased the Mustang about 4 years ago from a family in Glendale, Az., for $6000.00 cash. They were the original owners and purchased it in Phoenix, Az and handed it down their daughter. She is the one I purchase it from. So, I am the 3rd owner. The car was in pretty good shape but had over 173K miles. Engine was a 250 straight 6. No power. It had dealer installed AC and when you turned that on..forget ’bout it (insert heavy NY accent) you could walk faster. Ok, not really the 250 was rated at about 155 hp but it had 10:1 (or 9:1) compression and for some odd reason they stuck a single barrel carb on it. “What?” you say….I say yup..it was a Webber. It also sported (and still does) a 3 speed manual transmission mounted on the floor. The interior was recently re-done and in good shape, except for the dash. All the gauges worked. The original radio was replaced with a crappy first generation cd changer (located in the trunk…pretty convenient).
Here is a program note. When see the word “TIP” you’ll know that this is something you might want to jot down.
I’m going to give you the details for how the Mustang came “configured” when it was ordered. Later on I’ll give you the list of modifications and if anyone likes (comments…good or bad…are welcome and questions as well) I’ll pass on my web site link and you can see some before and after pictures.
Get ready here comes the first programming note.
TIP: I love the history of a thing. Sometimes, to me, the history is more important than the actual value of the object. As far as cars go documentation will increase the value, sometimes considerably. So where’s the tip? Ok….just for being patient I’ll give everyone a double dose. Keep the paperwork!!!! If you are buying a car ask for any and all paper. Some people keep everything, you’d be surprised. My Mustang came with a folder full. Anything major done with this car was in the paper work. There the second dose. Find a registry for the car make and model. A registry is here someone or some organization contacts owners or is contacted by owners and the list all the details of their particular cars. The individual or organization often create databases and store all the collected information. They are a fountain of information for you to use when getting the details, similar to what you’ll see below in a second, for your ride.
TIP: (No extra charge for 2 tips in a row!!) Ford lovers check this out. There is place in El Mirage, AZ called Marti Auto Works. They own the rights to the Ford databases and records prior to 1974 (some models up to 1989). These guys have everything..I mean everything. Give them the VIN number and they’ll pile on the data (it’s not free but very reasonable). They are authorized by Ford to reproduce window stickers and Protecto Plates (identification plates that go on the inside door jamb). I had them run the number for my ’70 coupe.
Here are some of the details:
The car sold for $2984.20 (ha…2o cents!!!) . The engine was less than the radio. TIP: Insurance companies may only insure your car for the sticker price, that is what my regular insurance company would do. Get some collector car insurance!!! We’ll cover that together in the near future.
She came with the 6 cylinder 250 IV 250, vinyl Hi-back bucket seats (Mach I seats), color-keyed carpeting, floor-mounted shift lever, Instrument gages, factory Ford color “white” color code “M”, black sidewall “belted tires” and AM radio.
(HELP: If any one knows why most people refer to their cars as “she” or “her” drop me a comment. I’d like to here some suggestions.)
It was ordered and sold from Don Sanderson Ford Inc, 5300 Grand Ave., Box 938, Glendale, AZ. It was shipped from Dearborn, MI via rail. Come on now..how cool is it to know how it was shipped?)
Kevin Marti will provide you with an “Elite Report” this includes very detailed data. I’m not kidding..right down to how many were produced exactly like yours. I won’t type it all here, I can send you the level of detail if you drop me a comment and ask for it. Here’s an example: 191,522 Mustangs were produced in 1970; 15, 300 had the straight 6 engine; 107 had the same seats. My car was one of 1,146 with the same paint and trim codes. It was the 58,634th Ford vehicle scheduled for production at the Dearborn plant. And here is my favorite. “Your car was actually produced on January 28, 1970 – one day behind schedule.” Cool? Way Cool!!!! Hey, she has a birthday coming up..40 years old!!!!
I think that’s enough for now. Tomorrow – a run down on the Corvette…..”OH YEAH….love GM!!!” …”So the Ford got to go first!”..”That doesn’t mean anything!!!”…”Does too!!!”….”Not!!!” I’ll take my meds tomorrow!!! Promise!!!!
Thanks for reading
Tim
So I’ve “blogged ya” some history, now it’s time for some current stuff. Of course my Dad is a car guy and my brother is pretty handy with a set of wrenches, but 24.2 years ago I married into a family that pretty much made most of the car guys I had known in my adult life (ok the adult part is debatable) mere tinkerers.
I have three brother-in-laws that were raised in the car business and not just a little bit of a car business, but a full-blown mechanic shop, engine building, stock car sponsoring, car show restoration, towing type business. These guys knew more about cars by the time they were teenagers, then I did when I was 30 (yeah..I’m over thirty..and not just a little). This guys know their stuff. I now have nephews (their kids) that are even giving me a run for my money.
So I’ve set this up, pretty well, and keep it in mind because when I get to the physiological hurdles of restoring a car, you are going to understand my particular issue and you might relate.
(I seem to start a lot of sentences with the word “So”. So I’ll try to limit the use of it. You might also notice that I use ‘…..’ between words. I do that for to give emphasis on a larger more dramatic pause the you get from the run of a mill comma. Nope not grammatically correct…but a habit I might break….if I get enough comments about it from the readers of this blog.)
So here is a quick introduction to my cars.
1. 1970 Ford Mustang Coupe. I’ve owned it for approximately 4 years and I love it. This is my first real restoration.
2. 1984 C4 Corvette. First year for that generation, everything is unique. Although not my dream generation of corvettes, I love this car. Ever since my uncle put me in his Corvette, I’ve wanted one. When I joined the Air Force my goal was to finish up by second degree become an officer and by a Corvette.
Ok enough for this evening. Tomorrow I’ll give you the run down on each. I have a great story on how I got the Corvette.
Thanks for reading.
Tim
