Thursday, April 28, 2011

How it begins!

     It always begins with a dream for most. Mine began from the first moment I started calling any car with a sloped nose a "mean car". Friends and family call me obsessed but I consider myself an extreme automotive enthusiast. Consistently on the forefront of being a "car bore" my brain withholds about as much as a human can contain regarding random and sometimes helpful information regarding a car. I've owned several sports and sporty cars but I've never been able to quench the essence of owning my true beast. 

     I remember in June of 2000 living in Richardson Texas at the time seeing "Gone in 60 Seconds". Being a true car bore I remember seeing the original that my father introduced me to almost burning a hole in the VHS cassette (yes I'm that old). The car chase made the movie but I never really liked the "yellow banana" 1973 Mach 1 from the movie. To be perfectly honest I was never a Ford or a Mustang guy, I'll probably be chastised for publicly admitting this after going through what I have with my project but more about that later. Back to seeing the remake movie being a avid BMW fan during their "hey day" before the Bangle era of design, a friend of mine asked me if I would rather have the Black BMW 540i or the Shelby GT500 "Eleanor". Being of sound mind I without question chose the Eleanor GT500. Steve Sandford's design with the massaging of legend Chip Foose ended up in the ultimate Mustang for all car lovers. It's widely accepted by all crowds, the exotic crowd accepts it because of the substantial dollar value and exclusivity and the blue collar crowd accept it because of the attainable status and dream that they can turn their Mustang into their own Eleanor. When it came time for me to decide which weekend car I should treat myself with I had a plethora of ideas. I originally wanted to trade my daily driver in on a E39 BMW M5 but realizing modifications and maintenance on it would be astronomical I quickly said no.

     For the longest time and which almost happened I toyed with the idea of a C5 Corvette Z06 or a C6 Z51. I just couldn't do it! They were too mainstream, too common, to old man going through a mid life crisis and I was only 29. I needed something special something not seen every day. When I came back from my deployment in 2009 I flew back to Texas and to treat myself I rented a 2005 Ferrari F430 to quench my need for speed after being away for 6 months. $1800 for one day later I was no further in my quest. My brother Chris bought a very nice 1966 Red Mustang Coupe with a 289 and a C4 the perfect cruiser. This quickly fueled my interest in Eleanor once again! Once back to my brothers house I quickly scoured craigslist back home in San Diego for 1967-1968 Mustang fastbacks. I then came across my decision that would be a 2 year process that is still ongoing but close to fruition. I found a photo and a car in Lakeside in East County San Diego and I met my good friend Robert that day.

   Robert and I hit it off immediately we both shared ideas and dreams for this car we had both dreamed of owning. Due to Robert's situation he could no longer finish his dream and wanted to find somebody worthy of finishing it. I did not have the means to finish the car with out assistance and we came to a deal. I would buy the car and with Robert's assistance he would help me finish the car. To make the deal 100% Robert had to meet my wife Sandra for final approval, this is a big decision and I needed to make sure I wasn't making a irrational decision. Sandra's approval of "Robert has honest eyes" was enough for me and the next day I owned a rolling Mustang shell with Eleanor bodywork attached with a garage full of parts:




     Thus begins one of the most frustrating efforts but hopefully one of the most rewarding in my life. I hope this blog will convey the trials and tribulations and excitement during my build and if you are local San Diego go for a ride with me quite soon.

Jason

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