ICMC - July's Featured Car

Eight years ago, I saw the Fastback at Wayne Johnson's Mustang Corral in Burlington. He had several fastbacks in various states of disrepair and damage sitting in front of his Mustang parts business. This one seemed to be in the straightest condition although it was what I would call "a rolling shell". The engine compartment was lacking engine and transmission. The interior was bare of anything (no dash, steering column, door panels, seats, interior trim, etc.) He said that the engine and transmission had been rebuilt and were ready to be installed. The seats had been re-upholstered and there was new carpet to be put in. He said that all the parts were there and if something was missing, he would get it for me. Wrong! I received about half and had to purchase the rest.

I had a young man working for me whose father had been in the car restoration business for many years and he told me that we could put the car together as well as paint it, without much of a problem. Well, I bought it and Wayne delivered it on a car transport trailer along with boxes of parts. Before we could get started on the project, Dave and family moved to Oregon.

Seven years later, Rich Melrose & Phil Black at Main Street Collision Center in Coupeville had built a new facility adjacent to our business. They agreed to assemble the car during the slow times of their business. It was a 1½ year project that was full of frustration. The "re-built" engine made funny noises and the transmission would not do what it was supposed to do. There were parts that were missing, etc. It was painted Tahoe Turquoise and was finally ready to have the finishing touches and get it running. It was transported to C.A.R. Repair in Coupeville where Lloyd Cesar and Marty Robinette were to get it ready for the road. We found out that the engine made bad noises. After a new re-built engine was installed, the transmission wouldn't shift right and there was a vibration in the drive line. Well, to make the long story short, after many more problems, large and small, the car is now running nicely with its "Cherry Bomb" dual exhaust with the quad tips.

There are still some missing parts to be bought and installed, but it is almost finished and is a lot of fun to drive. The participation in Oak Harbor's Annual 4th of July parade with I.C.M.C. members goes to show that it does pay to persevere and then pay some more!

However, when you hear shouts from a parade crowd to "Rev It, Rev It", it makes it fun and worth all the effort.

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