I just wish the delivery girl would quit stalling and p*ss off so I can play with my new car...
I'll post pics later. I must first commune with my Mustang...
Friday 30 September 2011
Why a Mustang?
With a typical teenager's view of life, my son asked "what's the big deal about a Mustang?". And in a typical parental response I rolled my eyes, shook my head and mumbled something about spending too much time on the Xbox.
But... it's an interesting question. Why is it that almost everyone can immediately identify a Mustang? What makes it so special?
Well... look at it...
That is a classy car. The swept back headlamps and simulated brake scoops just make it. At the risk of sounding like an old fart, they just don't design cars like that anymore. For example...
Another nice car, but a bit like the others. And this is the new Ford Mustang!!!
And look at this...
WTF is that??? Did someone actually think that was a good idea? It's bad enough that this monstrosity was a conscious design decision, but there are people that actually buy these things. I don't know, maybe they're confusing the shocked looks on people's faces with envy. Go figure...
Sigh... it could be I'm just getting old. But I'll bet you a cup of coffee, you put all these cars in a parking lot and people will gather around the classic Mustang.
The design was way ahead of its time and more than worthy of the numerous design awards. They had a massive influence on the future directions of the automotive industry and have proven to be a timeless classic.
And now I actually own a piece of automotive history. Someone pinch me...
But... it's an interesting question. Why is it that almost everyone can immediately identify a Mustang? What makes it so special?
Well... look at it...
That is a classy car. The swept back headlamps and simulated brake scoops just make it. At the risk of sounding like an old fart, they just don't design cars like that anymore. For example...
Sure... nice looking car, but nothing stands out. How about this one?
Again, nice car... but looks a lot like the other car (a Ford looking like a Holden?). And how about this?
Another nice car, but a bit like the others. And this is the new Ford Mustang!!!
And look at this...
WTF is that??? Did someone actually think that was a good idea? It's bad enough that this monstrosity was a conscious design decision, but there are people that actually buy these things. I don't know, maybe they're confusing the shocked looks on people's faces with envy. Go figure...
Sigh... it could be I'm just getting old. But I'll bet you a cup of coffee, you put all these cars in a parking lot and people will gather around the classic Mustang.
And now I actually own a piece of automotive history. Someone pinch me...
Wednesday 28 September 2011
Getting her on the road
Phase 1 of my "Cunning Plan" will be to get my lovely Mustang on the road. Not only am I desperate to drive her, but my good mate at Caloundra Brake & Clutch (shameless plug) has all the knowledge and tools to help restore her, so it's important that I'm able to get her there.
She currently has California car plates and is left-hand drive. I won't change her over to right-hand drive (not mandatory on 30+ cars) as I reckon she looks better and will be worth more as she is.
So... what does it take to get her registered for the first time in Oz? Assuming she's as mechanically sound as we expect, the major issue will be compliance with Queensland vehicle codes. Called LO2 compliance, it sets out a minimum set of modifications required to get the car on the road.
As best I can understand, this mainly involves:
All of this is inspected by an engineer to ensure the work is done to a reasonable standard. I'll be getting in touch with an engineer in the next week to confirm the above list and what he'll be expecting. I'll post what I find out.
Once everything is inspected and approved, I take the compliance and roadworthy documents down to Main Roads to get her registered. Which raises the issue of registering an older V8 car in Queensland... basically, it's expensive. As in $1,000/year. But my intention is to join a car club and register her as a special interest vehicle (SIV)... also known as club registration. It's a lot cheaper, but has restrictions on using the car. Not a problem for me in the short term.
And finally... I'll need some insurance. Obviously classic cars have different needs and as such, there are specialist insurers. I'll be hitting the phone over the next couple of weeks to find out more... then I'll post what I find out.
In the meantime, she arrived in Brisbane yesterday and is sitting in a lot somewhere in town. I expect her to arrive on Friday. Be still my beating heart...
She currently has California car plates and is left-hand drive. I won't change her over to right-hand drive (not mandatory on 30+ cars) as I reckon she looks better and will be worth more as she is.
So... what does it take to get her registered for the first time in Oz? Assuming she's as mechanically sound as we expect, the major issue will be compliance with Queensland vehicle codes. Called LO2 compliance, it sets out a minimum set of modifications required to get the car on the road.
As best I can understand, this mainly involves:
- Replacing the standard lap belts with 3-point seat belts (over the shoulder).
- Installing child restraints (but can be hidden).
- Change headlamps so that the low beam points to the left, rather than the right as she currently does.
All of this is inspected by an engineer to ensure the work is done to a reasonable standard. I'll be getting in touch with an engineer in the next week to confirm the above list and what he'll be expecting. I'll post what I find out.
Once everything is inspected and approved, I take the compliance and roadworthy documents down to Main Roads to get her registered. Which raises the issue of registering an older V8 car in Queensland... basically, it's expensive. As in $1,000/year. But my intention is to join a car club and register her as a special interest vehicle (SIV)... also known as club registration. It's a lot cheaper, but has restrictions on using the car. Not a problem for me in the short term.
And finally... I'll need some insurance. Obviously classic cars have different needs and as such, there are specialist insurers. I'll be hitting the phone over the next couple of weeks to find out more... then I'll post what I find out.
In the meantime, she arrived in Brisbane yesterday and is sitting in a lot somewhere in town. I expect her to arrive on Friday. Be still my beating heart...
Tuesday 27 September 2011
So what do I do now?
Ok, where to start... I guess the first thing to establish is the objective. This is affected by the fact that the car's pedigree can't be established as the door plates were lost in the mists of time. So we don't know much about the car other than it is a 1966 Coupe with a 2bbl 289 built in San Jose.
Unfortunately, the San Jose plant did not use buck tags... so it's all but impossible to know what the car should have looked like. There is a very small chance that there is a build sheet hidden in the car, but most likely not as the San Jose plant procedures dictated throwing them out. You never know your luck though.
The backup plan is to treat her as a clean slate and do her up really nice. The seller had a number of parts and accessories to fit her out with a brilliant blue pony interior. After a bit of research, this is what we're hoping to achieve.
So... who needs original when you can have a Mustang that looks like that? ;o)
Mind you, we have a little way to go... here's where we're starting from.
How's that for a challenge?
Unfortunately, the San Jose plant did not use buck tags... so it's all but impossible to know what the car should have looked like. There is a very small chance that there is a build sheet hidden in the car, but most likely not as the San Jose plant procedures dictated throwing them out. You never know your luck though.
The backup plan is to treat her as a clean slate and do her up really nice. The seller had a number of parts and accessories to fit her out with a brilliant blue pony interior. After a bit of research, this is what we're hoping to achieve.
So... who needs original when you can have a Mustang that looks like that? ;o)
Mind you, we have a little way to go... here's where we're starting from.
How's that for a challenge?
OMG - I'm a Mustang owner
I first fell in love with the Ford Mustang from an advertisement photo in one of my mum's magazines. It just looked so cool. I tried to convince my folks that we absolutely had to have one, but it "wasn't practical" and had "way too much power". Duh!
My fondness for the pony car stayed with me throughout my life, but for various reasons I just never got around to getting one of my own. So let's not underestimate what this means to me... owning a Mustang is on my "bucket list". Huzza!
The new lady in my life is a 1966 Coupe that needs a bit of cosmetic work. Right now she's fit out in primer grey with a tatty black interior, so there's room for improvement. At the time of this post, she is on a truck somewhere between Sydney and Brisbane. It's turning out to be a very long, slow week.
I bought the car without physically inspecting it myself (I know - bad move), but it just wasn't feasible to visit in person as I was in Queensland and she was down in NSW. However, in my defence, I did do my research into the seller and the car... so I'm happy that I've minimised the risk a bit. Guess we'll see.
So... time to start planning. In the next few posts I want to set out my cunning plan for bringing the girl back to her former glory.
My fondness for the pony car stayed with me throughout my life, but for various reasons I just never got around to getting one of my own. So let's not underestimate what this means to me... owning a Mustang is on my "bucket list". Huzza!
The new lady in my life is a 1966 Coupe that needs a bit of cosmetic work. Right now she's fit out in primer grey with a tatty black interior, so there's room for improvement. At the time of this post, she is on a truck somewhere between Sydney and Brisbane. It's turning out to be a very long, slow week.
I bought the car without physically inspecting it myself (I know - bad move), but it just wasn't feasible to visit in person as I was in Queensland and she was down in NSW. However, in my defence, I did do my research into the seller and the car... so I'm happy that I've minimised the risk a bit. Guess we'll see.
So... time to start planning. In the next few posts I want to set out my cunning plan for bringing the girl back to her former glory.
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