- Joined
- Oct 8, 2015
- Messages
- 65
- Reaction score
- 64
- Location
- Castle Rock, CO
- My Car
- 1973 Convertible, 351C H-code. AOD swap in progress
2000 Harley Softail Standard
My story begins back when I was 15 and living in California: I was working as a machinist after school and summers, driving as an amateur circle track and kart racer, and I had just bought a 1988 Harley Sportster for $800 to restore. The guy I was working wanted an '88 Sportster to build into a drag bike, so he offered me a trade. He traded me his '73 Mustang convertible, which came on a trailer and in milk crates. I figured, since I couldn't drive it yet anyway, I'd take it and restore it. Figured $800 for a classic Mustang couldn't be that bad of a deal, right?
The numbers-matching 351 Cleveland was in another machine shop with a guy who wanted $2000 just to tell me where it was. It was gutted on a shelf. $5000 later, the block was machined 0.010 over and the heads rebuilt. I still had to do the bulk of the assembly, but at least I got it home. I spent the next year and lost count of how many thousand dollars at Kragen Auto Parts and National Parts Depot (which was just down the road, pretty handy. They're a great Mustang parts supplier, if you haven't heard of them) putting the car back together. By the time I had my full driver's license, I had an awesome Mustang.
Fast forward 30,000 miles, 4 moves, 2 kids and a Navy career later and she's a garage ornament. The summer sun in Cali and Charleston wore out the cheap paint job, and the Washington winters finished off the body work and electrical system. The convertible top motor is toast, the driver's seat frame is cracked, the chrome is pitting, the engine's rear main seal doesn't, and the rear end and torque converter are also leaking. With the move to high elevation here in New Mexico, the seals have fried out and the fuel system and carburetor need upgrading. It also doesn't help that some dumb 15-year-old did the last restoration on it. I bought an AOD from a Country Squire station wagon a few years ago, but haven't had time to put it in yet, but I'm trying to get back into the habit. Hoping to find some motivation here.
I call the car Zelda, after F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife. She wasted all his time and money, ruined his writing career, and drove him to an early grave.
Looking forward to meeting you all,
Jake
The numbers-matching 351 Cleveland was in another machine shop with a guy who wanted $2000 just to tell me where it was. It was gutted on a shelf. $5000 later, the block was machined 0.010 over and the heads rebuilt. I still had to do the bulk of the assembly, but at least I got it home. I spent the next year and lost count of how many thousand dollars at Kragen Auto Parts and National Parts Depot (which was just down the road, pretty handy. They're a great Mustang parts supplier, if you haven't heard of them) putting the car back together. By the time I had my full driver's license, I had an awesome Mustang.
Fast forward 30,000 miles, 4 moves, 2 kids and a Navy career later and she's a garage ornament. The summer sun in Cali and Charleston wore out the cheap paint job, and the Washington winters finished off the body work and electrical system. The convertible top motor is toast, the driver's seat frame is cracked, the chrome is pitting, the engine's rear main seal doesn't, and the rear end and torque converter are also leaking. With the move to high elevation here in New Mexico, the seals have fried out and the fuel system and carburetor need upgrading. It also doesn't help that some dumb 15-year-old did the last restoration on it. I bought an AOD from a Country Squire station wagon a few years ago, but haven't had time to put it in yet, but I'm trying to get back into the habit. Hoping to find some motivation here.
I call the car Zelda, after F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife. She wasted all his time and money, ruined his writing career, and drove him to an early grave.
Looking forward to meeting you all,
Jake
