FAMILY CIRCLE

YOU KNOW ALL OF US CAR people talk about the autos we once had and wish we still did… or ones that “got away.” I’ve got one for you. Back in the late ’70s, my dad and I were looking for a father-son project as I approached high school and my driver’s license. We decided on restoring an old Mustang. My dad had a Poppy Red (orange, really) ’65 back when I was born. One of my earliest car memories was of standing on my dad’s lap “helping” him steer the car. I’d even had my own Mustang… one of the original Mustang pedal cars.

My dad made me a deal: If I got straight A’s in school, we’d seriously look for a car to work on. I had been a good student, but never close to straight A’s. I agreed and even wrote up a contract that we both signed. Well, to his surprise, I got my first straight A’s, and the search began.

After looking at some Mustangs that didn’t fit the bill, we found an ad in a newspaper for a ’64 1/ 2 Mustang project: a 289/four-barrel/four-speed… convertible! It was located north of Spokane in Long Lake, Washington. It was indeed a project, missing many parts, trim, interior, needing paint, but it had great potential. We did a deal, and then I jumped in and we drove the car the 2 1/ 2