How History Led Me To Owning My Dream Car...

"J. Drew Silvers" (drewcoustic) 01/27/2014 at 12:37 • Filed to: first car, gear head, restoration, mustang

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Growing up, I always wanted just one car to suit me for the rest of my life – that car was a 1966 Ford Mustang coupe. Everyone wants the fastback models or the various iterations of the Shelby Mustangs, but from the moment I began taking an interest in cars while in Primary School, this was the car of my dreams and the car I knew would one day be mine.

When my father was in high school in the early 1970's, he borrowed money from my uncle to purchase his first car, which was a black on black 1966 Ford Mustang coupe. This car was his pride and joy – 289 V8, Cruise-O-Matic C4 transmission, and a 4-barrel FoMoCo carburetor. He spent most of the money he earned while working in high school on the car, first to pay back my uncle, then to have a diamond tuck interior put in, to buy some slotted mag wheels, and to have a custom lacquer paint job applied. My parents went on their first date in that car, and in 1978, they drove away from their wedding in it as well. A few years after being married, dad bought a 1966 Ford F-100 and mom bought a Fox Body Mustang, while the 66' went to sleep in the barn.

That was the car I knew growing up – covered in dust and bee droppings, sitting on slick, dry rotted Cooper tires, smelling of bad gas and musty interior bits, while sitting next to some hand plows and garden fertilizer. Even so, it was always the apple of my eye and the most beautiful car I had ever seen. As a ten year old boy, I would sit in the car and daydream about driving it, knowing that one day I would be old enough to fix it up and call it my own.

I grew up in a white collar Atlanta suburb, in an old, blue collar family. Most of the teenagers from the local high schools drove nicer cars than my parents did at the time and for the most part the only kids who took Automotive Technology classes were those looking for an "easy" course to fill a gap on their transcript. I enrolled in the introductory class as a freshman out of genuine interest and desire to learn how to restore my dream car. During this time was also when I started working in a retail store at minimum wage, sinking every paycheck I could into that dirty, old Mustang, learning from my mistakes in the process. I would spend a class period at school each day working on cars, and come home to further learn what I could from my dad and uncle who are not really gear heads in the mechanical sense, but had learned out of the necessity of growing up poor.

Sophomore year came around and with it, my sixteenth birthday. The countless hours I had spent doing trial and error repair on the Mustang were about to pay off, but I was out of money and the car was in desperate need of a paint job. As many dads do, mine always threw his pocket change into glass jars every night and told me that before I started driving the car on the road, we would roll up his coinage and get the best paint job put on it we could afford with that money. After a few hours of rolling, we ended up with around $1200 and took the car to the shop.

I wish I had more pictures documenting my first venture into car repair and restoration, but this journey began in the year 2000, and since they were still an expensive luxury, we had not bought a digital camera just yet. Because of this, all of the pictures I have were taken after the mild restoration work was completed, between 2002 and 2004.

There was a sense of pride I have yet to experience again the first time I actually drove the Mustang. My Mustang. The Mustang which held so much family history, meant the world to me as a child, and was now finally the reality of a dream coming true for me. I did not want to change much on the car from the way my dad had it before me. I kept the mag wheels, the diamond tuck interior, and even ran it with those old bias-ply Cooper tires for a few months after finishing the car. The thing is, I did not want to modify the car, but preserve the history of what I knew the black beauty to have always been. Attention? Yes, I immediately had all sorts of attention from people at my school as well as those on the road around me. My first love was now my greatest accomplishment.

Moving forward a few years, I had started college, was working full time, and no longer had the spare moments to properly maintain the Mustang since I was now driving something a bit more practical. I parked it on the carport at my parents' house, put it under a cover and there she stayed for a few years. I moved out of their home sometime after getting my first well-paying job and shortly after had the Mustang towed to my garage because in those years of sitting, the already jittery C4 transmission had rotted it's friction material to essentially nothing.

After my friend and I pushed my beloved dream car into my garage that day, I made the decision to make one modification I had always wanted to do, but never had the resources or knowledge to accomplish prior to that point. It was time to swap the automatic for a manual. Being a numbers matching, all original car, I bagged and labeled every single bolt that came off the Mustang that would not need to be used in the conversion.

The car is currently sitting right here:

After getting the Toploader transmission, linkage, pedals, and other little bits installed with the help of a friend whom I was teaching as we went, I lost my job due to a massive layoff in my company and have had to focus on other things for the past two and a half years. I now work with my dad again, just like I did in college, and am trying everything I can with my business experience to grow his company and so far things are going pretty well, but slowly. Having the resources to finish the car though? I am not quite there yet.

I named her Emily, and I see her sitting there everyday as if she is saying:

"It's ok. I waited for you longer than this the first time – I can wait a little longer."

This is how I acquired my dream car.

A rare combination of history and devotion is what made me a gear head.

Having a love for the experience is what sustains me.

Being a gear head is more than knowledge - it is a continual education and a common bond between people who respect the effort put into their projects and are not afraid of a greasy handshake every now and then. I have owned other cars over the years, but my Mustang (in any state) will always be my pinnacle of automotive adoration.

Grace and Peace,

Drew

Brian Silvestro > J. Drew Silvers 01/27/2014 at 10:35

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Looks like we got a BOSS 302 here.

CalzoneGolem > J. Drew Silvers 01/27/2014 at 10:41

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If I could go back in time I'd enroll in auto tech in high school. I was such a computer nerd at the time I would have never considered doing it. I looked down on the people in the tech classes.

505Turbeaux > J. Drew Silvers 01/27/2014 at 10:42

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rock on brother, good read, nice whip

DatASSun > J. Drew Silvers 01/27/2014 at 10:47

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GREAT READ .

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > CalzoneGolem 01/27/2014 at 10:52

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You didn't miss anything useful or important. I took both auto shop classes (Auto 1 and Auto 2) and it was just used as a joke elective by mouth breathers and third string jocks.

JR1 > J. Drew Silvers 01/27/2014 at 10:54

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Nice Mustang, I am sure it is a blast!

CalzoneGolem > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/27/2014 at 10:55

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I think it would have awoken the latent Jalop in me earlier. I didn't really blossom into jalopdom until much later. Shit, I was 22 when I got my license. Now I'm 33 and building/rebuilding a rat rod truck.

camaroboy68ss > J. Drew Silvers 01/27/2014 at 11:09

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Wow, great story! I can really relate to how you feel and the just the whole experience. I had the same type of thing my 33 ford pickup. My grandpa built it right before I was born and grew up in it. Going to shows, being picked up from school(which was always awesome) and just daydreaming of getting the keys and being able to drive the pickup. The day I got my liscense I wanted to get over to their house so bad so I could finally get the chance to drive it. I never have wanted to make changes to it because it has always be perfect to me. This year my grandpa gave me the truck for my birthday mainly since I have a job and making money I can fix it up. I have made changes and will make more but it's really just so that it functions and drives better because its such a blast to drive. Hope you can get your dream back on the road soon!

J. Drew Silvers > camaroboy68ss 01/27/2014 at 12:49

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Very nice truck. Good story as well.

J. Drew Silvers > CalzoneGolem 01/27/2014 at 12:54

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For us it was all about what you made of it. Our instructor wasn't an idiot and knew who was there to get an "easy" grade (90% of them) and who actually cared. He gave the attention and focus to us and pushed all the morons out the door with a "C" for a grade so they wouldn't come back. Myself and two of my friends were some of the few who cared. One works R&D for Nissan/Infiniti in Arizona now and the other works in special effects for Cirque du Solei in Los Angeles. They both got their start in our auto shop.

J. Drew Silvers > Brian Silvestro 01/27/2014 at 12:55

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No idea what the expression on my face is. Other than weird...

J. Drew Silvers > JR1 01/27/2014 at 12:56

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Thanks! I want to get it done, but I'm doing everything right this time when funds and time allow.

J. Drew Silvers > 505Turbeaux 01/27/2014 at 12:57

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Thank you, sir.

J. Drew Silvers > DatASSun 01/27/2014 at 12:58

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Much appreciated enthusiasm. Haha

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > J. Drew Silvers 01/27/2014 at 13:01

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From one Small Block Ford V8 owner to another, nice ride. Hope you get her back on the road soon!

J. Drew Silvers > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 01/27/2014 at 13:03

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Thanks! Nice car. What are the specs?

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > J. Drew Silvers 01/27/2014 at 13:08

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Thanks.

1968 Mercury Montego MX Cyclone GT Package

2 door hardtop coupe

302 V8, I upgraded it with an Edelbrock Performer RPM Intake and a 4 barrel Holley Carb. (was originally a 2 barrel)

3 Speed Merc-O-Matic (aka same C4 you had, but column shift)

I also just this past summer put on dual flowmaster super 44s. (they sound EPIC and I highly recommend them)

It's an oddly rare car. In fact searching all the internets I think there is rarely more than 1 for sale in the country. I have the original window sticker from the dealer it was sold at in '68 and it only has 50,000 miles on it (least of all 3 of our cars hahaha!).

It started life at about 210 hp though I suspect somewhere between 280-300 is a safe guess now, haven't dynoed. I have lots of plans for the car, but like you money is tight so they will come in bits and pieces. Needs paint, floor panel patches, head liner, carpet, wheels/tires, shackles in the rear to give it a little lean and then just cosmetic things like new valve covers/air cleaner/plug wires. Maybe some headers, because why not be louder right?

CalzoneGolem > J. Drew Silvers 01/27/2014 at 13:10

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I definitely could have gotten into it. I've always loved tinkering on things.

camaroboy68ss > J. Drew Silvers 01/27/2014 at 13:11

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Thanks, i like your mustang. That interior screams 70s and looks really cool don't see diamond tuft in many pony/muscle cars. See it more in early street rods and 50s cars built on the 70s

Brian Silvestro > J. Drew Silvers 01/27/2014 at 14:06

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It's not the first time I've used this joke

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awe46m3zcp > J. Drew Silvers 01/27/2014 at 14:16

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Cool story bro!

No it really is. Make sure you keep it to pass down to YOUR child one day.

J. Drew Silvers > awe46m3zcp 01/27/2014 at 15:17

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Well, I'm 28 and terrified of children, so I'll probably have to leave it to someone else. Haha

AM3R > J. Drew Silvers 01/27/2014 at 17:53

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Great read! And I'm serious, when you finish the MT swap and if you ever need to get rid of it, I'll buy it

offroadkarter > J. Drew Silvers 01/27/2014 at 17:58

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This needs to be on the front page

1337HPMustang > Brian Silvestro 01/27/2014 at 18:14

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joke-over-head person here

J. Drew Silvers > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 01/27/2014 at 19:40

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Very nice! The lines said "Torino" but I knew it was probably the Mercury. What a rare beast. That's the good thing about old cars, you can work as you drive and they still look nice. Though mine isn't streetable at the moment.

A3R0 > J. Drew Silvers 01/28/2014 at 08:23

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You are a legend for restoring this and manual swapping it. A million Jalop points are being awarded to you!

J. Drew Silvers > A3R0 01/28/2014 at 09:13

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Haha. That made me laugh. Thanks!

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > J. Drew Silvers 01/28/2014 at 09:17

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Thank you!

It'll be so great when it gets there though. It killed me when mine spent a whole summer in the garage for the intake/carb (which required running a wire to the electric choke and having the throttle controls rebuilt, the throttle on the new carb was opposite the original one). Just makes it soo much better when you get to finally drive it around!