ENGINE: J-302
COLOR: T-Candyapple Red
DSO: 71-LA
TRANS: W-C4
LOCATION: Southern California
COMMENTS: History....
I purchased this car towards the end of my senior year of high school from my uncle in 1994.
My uncle had it for 12 years. I remember when I was growing up, seeing his car and always thought it was so cool. Most I remember was the taillights as he drove away. One time at his house when I as 16 he let me drive it. I was so nervous that I would wreck it.
I really didn't see the car that often, so my memory of what it really looked like was vague. I liked cars then, but didn't really pay attenion and know details, types, and makes of cars like I do now. When my mother told me that my uncle was selling the car, I said I would like to by it. But, I was buying a vague memory. My classmates asked me questions about what I bought (like is it a fastback or coupe and what engine it had) I didn't know. All I knew it was a red 68 Mustang California Special. I didn't even know what that meant.
My parents had driven two hours away to pick it up since I worked nights. They drove it back to where I worked and that was the first time I saw the my car. My coworkers and boss liked the car.
When I bought the car, it was in a very clean condition. But the paint was faded. Every time I washed and detailed the car, it took couple hours with all that chrome. All that time was spent and I didn't even wax the paint because it was faded. Everywhere I drove it, there was people making comments.
But my fear came true a few months later. I wrecked the car while going the college. I decided not to take the freeway that day and have fun on the windy surface road. I was going to fast around one of the curves as I squealed through it, but the next curve that was going it the other direction is where I locked up the brakes and slide nose first into the telephone pole. This particular had the main power lines and I knocked out the power to the whole west side of the valley. I did walk away from that accident with a light red mark on my forehead from the Grant foam steering wheel. All I had on was the lap belt. I was lucky that day. My uncle did call to check on me. I was so disappointed that I wrecked his car and I promised it would put back together. But, of course he really didn't care about that the car was wrecked.
I did eventually get the car back together and drove it a few years more during college.
This is my first car I owned. This car is the learning experience of restoration and repairs. I have made a lot of costly mistakes with this car with bad shops, bad decisions, and directions I wanted to go with the car. One bad decision was that one day driving home from college, it devleloped a large knock and smoke was coming out of the tail pipe. That was when I thought the car was done. I pulled it into the side of my parents house and parked it. Couple days later a freind of mine and I pulled the engine and trans out of the car. As we dismantled the engine and trans we discovered we were wrong. The knocking was caused by a bolt that came off the flywheel. And, the smoke was caused by a ruptured vacuum diaphragm on the transmission that dumped tranny fuild into the engine causing smoke. These were 2 simple cheap fixes and we tore it apart. The car could still be on the road today.
But over time and experience working on my parent's 76 ford truck and my Mustang, I was able to find the good shops and make good decisions. As I got older, my direction with the car has changed completely. I am going vintage with the car. Modifications are being done to of the period. Couple things maybe more up to date, but hidden (like a hydraulic clutch). The car has sat over these years, but things have been done, items purchased for the restoration, and performed lots of research.
Finally and hopefully the car will be driving this or begining of next year 2012.
