MCOU Member's Motors Monthly (Oct. 2016)

"Alexander LaRocca" (alexjlarocca) 10/07/2016 at 12:10 • Filed to: None

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MCOU Member’s Motors Monthly is back and it’s a monthly article featuring different !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!  members and their rides. This month features Oliver and his green Mustang fastback; a classic muscle car with just a few differences and quirks that do well to reflect the personality of the owner. Read on to learn about the car through a brief interview with Oliver.

Photos by Jake Clay Media

How long have you owned the car?

I have owned the car just over a year. We bought it originally to flip it really quick and make some cash, but I fell in love with it the moment we went to see it and decided to keep it.

What’s your favorite part about this specific car?

My favorite thing about this specific car is most definitely the body style. There is literally no other car in the world more beautiful than a 1967-1968 mustang fastback in my humble opinion. I have had a mad obsession with them starting at the tender age of 8. Everything about the body lines and structure of it is perfect to me.

Describe the car in the least amount of words as possible.

Spartan.

What’s a bothersome quirk that won’t seem to go away?

One thing the car does that I’ve noticed since driving it for the first time creeks and moans a fair amount. It bothered me for a while, but now I quickly remember that not only is the car almost 50 years old, but that it is also good old fashioned American muscle car craftsmanship, and that it’s to be expected with any 50 year old American car.

What kind of attention does this car seem to attract?

It’s no question, this car attracts a lot of attention. It’s mostly older men and women or younger women. To my surprise, not very many young guys seem to find interest in it. In any case, I do get people honking at me and walking up to me constantly to talk about it, which I really appreciate because I believe the car is a fine example of automotive history, and deserves recognition for being such. I also think that the color of the car really amplifies the attention it gets. I don’t think it would get half the attention it does if the car had been black or silver, because it would blend it a lot more.

Tell us about that paint color.

The paint job on the car is an interpretation of a color called “Pacific Green Metallic”. It is a Ford color that was offered in the 90's. I didn’t paint the car nor did I have someone paint it for me, but rather purchased the car already painted the way it is. So I don’t know exactly who painted it or how they mixed the paint exactly, because it’s apparent that the color stands out more than the factory blend of pacific green. If I had to guess, I’d say they threw in much more metallic than ford did. Originally when I bought the car, I actually didn’t care for the color. But as time went on, and I started to really look at it; I really fell in love with it. So much in fact that I would now it rather be Pacific green than any other color. It really works with the car’s body and attitude.

This seems like such a classic build, but what sets it apart?

When people look at this car, they do not necessarily see exactly what it is that sets it apart, and that’s exactly how I would want it. I think it’s ideal to have just a bunch of little things that all work together to give it a car of glimmer above the rest, rather than obvious things. This is something I learned from Motors Club of Oakland’s finest, Alexander Schmantowsky. The paintjob works really well with chrome, and the 17 inch wheels on the 2 inch lowering springs give it a perfect stance. I’ve also done number of small things that most people don’t think to do, like hood pins, chin spoiler, chrome bullitt side mirrors, flat black all the chrome on the car that I don’t want calling attention to itself, etc. All these things along with the paint work together to really make it pop.

What are your goals for the car?

This car is a summer daily driver. Any day that it is sunny out, I’m driving the mustang. I am building the car however to also be auto crossed. Most of the money I’ve dumped into this car is in the drivetrain. That’s another thing that really sets this car apart that no one really sees, just hears through the exhaust. So my goal really is to build a daily driver that is capable of driving beautifully on the track. That to me, is the ultimate goal. The only thing I’m really eager to do as of now, is throw some Forgelines on her. That won’t be for a while though, as they cost around 5000$ a set. Y u do dis, forgeline?

Tell us about what’s under the hood.

I find more pride in talking about this more than anything else to do with the car. That is primarily because the entire drivetrain on this car, was built/installed by my own two hands, and with of course the help of family and friends. The engine in the car when I bought it was the factory numbers matching 289, backed by a three speed transmission, drum brakes, riding on stock suspension; which had me tempted to slap some 4x4 decals on her because of how awfully high it sat. I tore all of that out; literally everything, with the exception of the rear axle and driveshaft. The engine in the car now is a completely forged, roller 331 stroker, custom built in my own garage with the help of my brothers and wonderful fiancé.

It pushed just over 400hp to the crank. That may not seem like a lot for today’s standards, but when you have a 2900 pound little Mustang like mine, it’s more than most people can handle. Some of the mods on the motor are Trick and Flow TFS 170 heads, Comp cam, Airgap intake, and Hooker longtube headers. The 331 is backed by a Tremec 5 speed transmission, with a Hurst short throw shifter. The suspension on the car is a mix of Bilstein/Eibach at all four corners, along with some subframe and control arm mounting modification pointers made by Carroll Shelby himself.

When this gets tucked away for the winter, what do you drive instead?

When I put the mustang away for her hibernation, I whip out the 2006 Saturn Vue. This car is by far the most badass car on the road in the winter. It has a bad wheel bearing so it squeaks when it’s rolling down the road, giving the impression that a god damn tank straight out of Saving Private Ryan is rolling up on you and your crew, especially with its Military Green paint job. Not only that, but it has an exhaust leak at the manifold, making it sound similar if not better than a 2016 Porsche 911R. This fine example of American craftsmanship pays tribute to the mustang by sporting all of its sponsor decals on the rear window, so that after I blow by at 170mph in the Saturn, all far and wide can see what else I have stored away in my garage.

arl > Alexander LaRocca 10/07/2016 at 14:14

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Gorgeous car! That was a great read, thanks.