Some cool stories folks...I to have always been a Mustang Lover, I wanted one when I was 13 about to turn 14 ( Drivers permit time ) another man from my hometown had a dark green 1966 Fastback 2+2 with the HP 289.
That car caught my eye, and I began dreaming about owning a Mustang then.
It was about 2 years later while driving to a friends house, I passed a body shop, and noticed a 1970 Standard Coupe sitting wrecked...I turned around went back to the shop & spoke with the owner, asked what he wanted for this car..He told me the owner had wrecked it (hit a bridge embuttment) and wiped out the entire right side "It's Totaled" he said.."Does it have a title?" Ia sked He said "Yes"...I started thinking, I'm in Highschool, taking Body & Fender class, Could I restore it? Maybe?
He asked what I would give for a "a classic"...I told him my plan of restoring it, and he said "shoot me an offer", so I said I have $150 cash...He looked insulted at first,then says "you know it's sat here for over a year, not even been cranked over..Let's go see if it'll start & what it sounds like".
It took some charging of the battery,and some priming of the carb, but eventually it fired,coughed, and started..Some blue from the exhaust, and chatter from the lifter, aslight squeel from the alternator..But it was running.
After he said it was worth a $1000, I told him it was outta my price range, but if he ever came down on the price give me a call.
Two days later my 1967 Fairlane Coupe was rearended by a young lady, and an insurance adjuster came to assess the damage...He told me it was "Totaled", and asked what I paid for it..His little book showed it was $250 tops.
Even though I had perchased it for $65 from my brother I told him that I gave $300 for it..He settled and wrote me a check. I went back to the Body Shop and offered the owner $300 for the '70 Mustang, and he took it.
I took it to school and worked on it everyday, put salvage parts back onto it, aligned the pieces, porta-powered out some dents and creases, shot it with gray primer and was driving it by the end of May 1976.
Totaled it again in an accident on my 22nd birthday in 1982..Slid off a rain drenched road and T'd it into a 30' ditch embankment.
Skipping ahead to 2007 (June 29th), I went with my stepdad to an estate auction, and seen the nicest little 1965 Coupe that was for sale, and I intended to bid as high as $3500 to get it...I got it for $2375, and I'm now restoring/driving my second (#1 in our hearts) Mustang.
The '65 came with an already primered body, and over $3500 in parts, it has 35,000 on a strong 200 cid engine, drives very nice.
I'll always be a Mustang Man, and am glad to have owned 2 so far.
"Don't Crush 'Em..Restore them!"
Jeff Fleetwood
May 07, 2009, 03:51:34 PM
