Mess to Modern
Almost as soon as I finished my first restoration, a 1969 Mustang Coupe, I began thinking about my next project. I wanted a daily driver that had all the “cool” of a classic but all the conveniences of a contemporary. I’m not a purist. I’ve had my share of sloppy steering, manual windows, bad A/C, dim headlights and eight track tapes. I can get by without an in-dash GPS and rear view camera but how will I ever manage without power mirrors, power seats and fuel injection?
I’ve taken the Mustang to a few car shows and even managed a Top Antique award at one. It’s hard to stand out when you are just one of many Mustangs and even more Camaros. I wanted to build something a little unusual.
Some of my top possibilities were 64-65 Falcon, 67-69 Firebird, 66-67 Fairlane or 67-70 Cougar. Of these, the Cougar was by far the most scarce. In all of the shows I attended, I saw exactly ONE cougar at a show with 300+ cars.
I began regularly searching Craigslist ads across the country, looking for the perfect candidate. Since I intended to replace just about every major system, I hoped to find a bargain in a non-running, low option car. No sense in paying extra for that “like new” cheap paint job or “freshly rebuilt” drum brakes.
If you’d like to follow along as I transform this car from mess to modern, the story begins here: Craigslist Woes >>