Anyone else sick of mad mustangs.
09-07-2008, 10:19 AM
#21
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RE: Anyone else sick of mad mustangs.
^ for sure, I didn't mean to make it seem like I was saying you had a mid life crises. haha
its cherry's jubilee this weekend in monterey so I have been lighting up the tires a lot haha
last time I flipped a dude off in my car (about a year ago) he was a 30-something year old yuppie in a brand new benz haha
he bumped the back of my car on purpose then got out of his car pulled me out of my car and then proceeded to get the crap knocked out of him by the 4 other dudes I just so happened to be rolling with and the 5 other dudes in the car that was trying to follow behind me haha.
he was doing easily 50 mph in a 15mph school zone. haha
the cops came gave him a wreckless driving and road rage ticket and wrote us off for self defense haha
long story short, flipping people off takes it to another level.
its cherry's jubilee this weekend in monterey so I have been lighting up the tires a lot haha
last time I flipped a dude off in my car (about a year ago) he was a 30-something year old yuppie in a brand new benz haha
he bumped the back of my car on purpose then got out of his car pulled me out of my car and then proceeded to get the crap knocked out of him by the 4 other dudes I just so happened to be rolling with and the 5 other dudes in the car that was trying to follow behind me haha.
he was doing easily 50 mph in a 15mph school zone. haha
the cops came gave him a wreckless driving and road rage ticket and wrote us off for self defense haha
long story short, flipping people off takes it to another level.
09-07-2008, 10:34 AM
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RE: Anyone else sick of mad mustangs.
Great story Steve! Thanks for sharing.
Mid-life crisis? Hmmm. Youve got me thinking now.
When I was a little kid I loved cars, and always dreamed of owning a Corvette. One of my favorite TV show was The Dukes of Hazzard, so of course I had a soft spot for the General Lee as well. When I turned 17 I scraped up enough money to buy my first vehicle. It was a 1971 Ford F-100 pickup. It didnt look like much, but it had some serious power under the hood. And I loved it! I even installed a Dixie air horn just for the heck of it. In my 20s though, I mellowed out. I was content just driving my pickup trucks (a 98 Dakota and an 02 Ram 1500 both V6). Sure, I still eyed Vettes that drove by and when the new Mustangs came out I thought they were cool. But I never considered actually buying one. Then I saw it. I was surfing the web one day when I came across an article with a picture of the 06 Challenger Concept in Hazzard Orange no less! Something inside me clicked. I knew I just HAD to own one. When Dodge announced that it was a go, I started saving my money. That car re-ignited a passion inside me that I havent felt since I was a kid. So here I am. 30 years old, single, with no prospects (ie girlfriend) and I just dropped a $38,000 down payment on an SRT8. Does that make buying this car an early mid-life crisis? Or is it just the realization of a childhood fantasy?
Mid-life crisis? Hmmm. Youve got me thinking now.
When I was a little kid I loved cars, and always dreamed of owning a Corvette. One of my favorite TV show was The Dukes of Hazzard, so of course I had a soft spot for the General Lee as well. When I turned 17 I scraped up enough money to buy my first vehicle. It was a 1971 Ford F-100 pickup. It didnt look like much, but it had some serious power under the hood. And I loved it! I even installed a Dixie air horn just for the heck of it. In my 20s though, I mellowed out. I was content just driving my pickup trucks (a 98 Dakota and an 02 Ram 1500 both V6). Sure, I still eyed Vettes that drove by and when the new Mustangs came out I thought they were cool. But I never considered actually buying one. Then I saw it. I was surfing the web one day when I came across an article with a picture of the 06 Challenger Concept in Hazzard Orange no less! Something inside me clicked. I knew I just HAD to own one. When Dodge announced that it was a go, I started saving my money. That car re-ignited a passion inside me that I havent felt since I was a kid. So here I am. 30 years old, single, with no prospects (ie girlfriend) and I just dropped a $38,000 down payment on an SRT8. Does that make buying this car an early mid-life crisis? Or is it just the realization of a childhood fantasy?
09-07-2008, 10:42 AM
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RE: Anyone else sick of mad mustangs.
Its your story Skids... make it your own how ever you want to.
Mine is just living the childhood dream as you put it...
Surely I cant be old enough for a mid-life crisis...
09-07-2008, 10:51 AM
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RE: Anyone else sick of mad mustangs.
no your all good dude, I failed to read the crises part, so I would even begin to worry.
ORIGINAL: SKiDs33t
Great story Steve! Thanks for sharing.
Mid-life crisis? Hmmm. Youve got me thinking now.
When I was a little kid I loved cars, and always dreamed of owning a Corvette. One of my favorite TV show was The Dukes of Hazzard, so of course I had a soft spot for the General Lee as well. When I turned 17 I scraped up enough money to buy my first vehicle. It was a 1971 Ford F-100 pickup. It didnt look like much, but it had some serious power under the hood. And I loved it! I even installed a Dixie air horn just for the heck of it. In my 20s though, I mellowed out. I was content just driving my pickup trucks (a 98 Dakota and an 02 Ram 1500 both V6). Sure, I still eyed Vettes that drove by and when the new Mustangs came out I thought they were cool. But I never considered actually buying one. Then I saw it. I was surfing the web one day when I came across an article with a picture of the 06 Challenger Concept in Hazzard Orange no less! Something inside me clicked. I knew I just HAD to own one. When Dodge announced that it was a go, I started saving my money. That car re-ignited a passion inside me that I havent felt since I was a kid. So here I am. 30 years old, single, with no prospects (ie girlfriend) and I just dropped a $38,000 down payment on an SRT8. Does that make buying this car an early mid-life crisis? Or is it just the realization of a childhood fantasy?
Great story Steve! Thanks for sharing.
Mid-life crisis? Hmmm. Youve got me thinking now.
When I was a little kid I loved cars, and always dreamed of owning a Corvette. One of my favorite TV show was The Dukes of Hazzard, so of course I had a soft spot for the General Lee as well. When I turned 17 I scraped up enough money to buy my first vehicle. It was a 1971 Ford F-100 pickup. It didnt look like much, but it had some serious power under the hood. And I loved it! I even installed a Dixie air horn just for the heck of it. In my 20s though, I mellowed out. I was content just driving my pickup trucks (a 98 Dakota and an 02 Ram 1500 both V6). Sure, I still eyed Vettes that drove by and when the new Mustangs came out I thought they were cool. But I never considered actually buying one. Then I saw it. I was surfing the web one day when I came across an article with a picture of the 06 Challenger Concept in Hazzard Orange no less! Something inside me clicked. I knew I just HAD to own one. When Dodge announced that it was a go, I started saving my money. That car re-ignited a passion inside me that I havent felt since I was a kid. So here I am. 30 years old, single, with no prospects (ie girlfriend) and I just dropped a $38,000 down payment on an SRT8. Does that make buying this car an early mid-life crisis? Or is it just the realization of a childhood fantasy?
09-07-2008, 11:24 AM
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RE: Anyone else sick of mad mustangs.
Some of us are just car guys. The affliction just presents itself in different ways and different times.
Here's another one of my stories from the T bird club when I was member of the month and my Dusk Rose 57 was highlight Member's car.
I LOVE CARS
Growing up in metropolitan Detroit, the Motor City, you can't help but have a connection, direct or indirect, to the automotive industry, and I am no exception. My heart beats like a well tuned V8, and 30 weight high octane courses my veins. My adolescence and teen years were spent during the late '60's and early '70's. I was cruising Woodward and Telegraph when street racing was real, and long before cruising became nostalgic.
I LOVE FIXING THINGS
My first car cost $25.00 in 1974. I was a senior in high school. The 1965 Plymouth had nearly 100,000 miles on its "not been working for a long time" odometer. It came with a list, Monday put in oil, Tuesday put air in tires, Wednesday put water in radiator, and so forth. It's rusted holes had been covered with scotch tape and painted with house paint, the driver's door did not open. It was all mine. I learned mechanical and body repair on that car and it served me well through college and dental school. When it finally retired, I saved many of its parts and used them on the next used Mopar in my life, a 1972 Dodge Challenger with the same 318 engine.
Fast forward, after dental school, establishing a practice, married with a first born, and my desire for a special car resurfaced. A project car 1955 Thunderbird came my way. Far more severely gone than my '65 Plymouth, I saw in it the potential reborn. Held together by only the transmission hump, my Thunderbird Blue '55, became my tuition car as I learned the ins and outs of restoring a Classic Thunderbird. Once bitten, but not satisfied with the outcome, I sought a better raw car to restore. That is the car featured here.
This Dusk Rose 1957 Thunderbird (orignally Willow Green) was advertised for sale as a rust free California car. I was eager to build a true show car and having experienced the frustration of the rusty 55, this seemed to be a perfect project. The car was indeed rust free, and to its credit, it did have a black California license plate in the trunk. As I stripped the many layers of paint and body filler, it became apparent why the car was rust free. Every body panel had been replaced in whole or in part, at least once. Once stripped, I counted no less that 18 times the car had been hit. There is a body man in heaven who had sculpted so nicely the blending of imperfectly aligned body panels on this car. The car was completely disassembled, body left bolted to the frame. I spent 3 years preparing the car and enjoying the quiet personal time tinkering away, and the sense of accomplishment seeing each part come back to life.
Tha amature restoration is 10 years old. The body panels do not line up perfectly, the doors are hard to open and close. The hardtop remains disassembled. The engine is not original. The laquer paint is showing cracks and pops. The chromer ground out the rust, and the bumpers are wavy. The engine, brakes and gas tank need overhaul. It has, in its time, been persnickety to run.
Yet it is a head turner, and always a show stopper when I take it out. This car has atteneded the Revvin' with Ford Charity Previews at Woodward Dream Cruise, the Thunderbird Unveiling Day at Ford World Headquarters 2001, the Ford Centennial 2003, and recently the St. Ignace, Michigan Antiques on the Bay show, featuring Ford Thunderbird 1955, 1956, 1957. The car shows well to passers by. I think driving it as an open roadster (and yes, I've been caught in the rain) welcomes folks to take a look. The Dusk Rose color is popular with the ladies, and they always tell me they "love my car". When parked with classic Thunderbirds belonging to other members of our local American Road Club, I immediately see that other cars have straighter lines, crisper dash, more recently detailed engine bays. Yet, it is my car that folks take photos of. At the Ford events, I routinely invite folks to sit in the Thunderbird, and I'll take their picture with their camera. Thunderbirds make people happy!
Life goes on. My family grew, so did my dental practice. My Dad, also a Dentist, retired from the family business. I had purchased some other classic cars (59 Chevy El Camino and 1970 Dodge Challenger RT/SE 440 Magnum). I had purchased commercial buildings to store and restore the cars, as well as establish a full-blown working shop complete with hoist, welders, sandblasters and engine lift. I can talk the talk and walk the walk. In the mean time, priorities changed and working on the cars was sidelined. In its place came collecting Thunderbird memorabilia and its inadvertent fame.
In 1999, a patient of mine, who does commercial video work was freelancing at the Detroit Auto Show. He was given one of the original 1999 Thunderbird concept press packs, which, he in turn, gave to me. I started collecting memorabilia pertaining to the new Retro Thunderbird with a passion, and never looked back. In 2000, Mike Lamm was commissioned to write a book about the history of the Thunderbird in anticipation of this new generation auto. Unlike previous books, Lamm's effort focused on the development of the newest generation of the marque and the cultural impact of the Thunderbird in America. Thunderbird was coined,"An American Icon." Lamm contacted the Classic Thunderbird Club International, asking for research. The club directed Mike to Dot Lang, Bob Leach and myself, as we had been providing articles on Thunderbird history and memorabilia for the club newletter, for some time. We collaberated for chapters on Thunderbird history and Iconology in the book, "Thunderbird:2002". Along with text, I helped provide most of the full page color photographs of items in my collection to supplement the text. The book was published in January 2001. Shortly after the book was released, I received a call form the History Channel. They had bought the intellectual rights to the project and were duplicating the effort in a television format. I eagerly jumped at the chance to participate. In February of that year, a film crew came to Detroit/Dearborn and spent a week interviewing and filming design, engineering and marketing staff at Ford. Late in the week, I was scheduled for my time in front of the camera. I had promised to bring out the 57 if the roads were clear and dry. On a sunny, cold (18 degrees), dry Michigan February Friday, the Thunderbird ran flawlessly. Filming was done at an island park near the Detroit River. I was given a walkie talkie and the producer radioed instructions to me from a van outfitted with cameramen. We returned to my home later in the day for interviewing. My garage at home was converted to a sound stage and I was interviewed about items in my collection and we staged a short viginette in my library where I had displayed interesting items from my collection. The program aired just after the solemn events of 9-11-2001, and cemented my place in Thunderbird lore. I have since been asked to be guest speaker for a group of retro Thunderbird owners in Destin, Florida, and recently at the Ford Wixom plant for the reveal of the 50th anniversary special edition. Thunderbird enthusiasts from all over the world have sought me out, mostly to add to my collection, now over 7,000 items pertainig to classic and new Thunderbirds. The collection includes original Ford advertising, advertising of other products that feature a Thunderbird, original Ford promotional items, a wide variety of clothing and fabric goods, household goods like mugs and cookie jars. It includes many toys from the 1950's, like simple dime store toys and made in Japan tin lithographed battery operated cars. I have recent die cast Thunderbirds in all scales. I have nearly every color for the three years of dealer promotional models. I have magazine articles from around the world, dating back to 1954, and a complete collection of print and online reviews of the new Thunderbird. I have videotapes of movies and television shows that feature a Thunderbid in them. The possession of the items is not as dear to me as the emotion behind them. Most items represent a conection with another person. I've shopped swap meets, antique shows, toy fairs and the interenet. Many times items are simply "donated" to the collection by fellow enthusiasts winding down their collecting.
I STILL LOVE CARS AND I STILL LOVE FIXING THINGS
My family is nearly grown and my practice is secure. Soon I will cut more time away from the office and return to the workshop and turn the wrench again, restoring and maintaining the cars I love. I have plans for archiving and displaying my collection and hope the site can be used for car club get togethers. I enjoy sharing my Thunderbird experiences with you in my articles in the various Thunderbird club newsletters, and I thank you for your time in reading and responding.
Yours in Thunderbirding,
Steve Legel
January 2005
Here's another one of my stories from the T bird club when I was member of the month and my Dusk Rose 57 was highlight Member's car.
I LOVE CARS
Growing up in metropolitan Detroit, the Motor City, you can't help but have a connection, direct or indirect, to the automotive industry, and I am no exception. My heart beats like a well tuned V8, and 30 weight high octane courses my veins. My adolescence and teen years were spent during the late '60's and early '70's. I was cruising Woodward and Telegraph when street racing was real, and long before cruising became nostalgic.
I LOVE FIXING THINGS
My first car cost $25.00 in 1974. I was a senior in high school. The 1965 Plymouth had nearly 100,000 miles on its "not been working for a long time" odometer. It came with a list, Monday put in oil, Tuesday put air in tires, Wednesday put water in radiator, and so forth. It's rusted holes had been covered with scotch tape and painted with house paint, the driver's door did not open. It was all mine. I learned mechanical and body repair on that car and it served me well through college and dental school. When it finally retired, I saved many of its parts and used them on the next used Mopar in my life, a 1972 Dodge Challenger with the same 318 engine.
Fast forward, after dental school, establishing a practice, married with a first born, and my desire for a special car resurfaced. A project car 1955 Thunderbird came my way. Far more severely gone than my '65 Plymouth, I saw in it the potential reborn. Held together by only the transmission hump, my Thunderbird Blue '55, became my tuition car as I learned the ins and outs of restoring a Classic Thunderbird. Once bitten, but not satisfied with the outcome, I sought a better raw car to restore. That is the car featured here.
This Dusk Rose 1957 Thunderbird (orignally Willow Green) was advertised for sale as a rust free California car. I was eager to build a true show car and having experienced the frustration of the rusty 55, this seemed to be a perfect project. The car was indeed rust free, and to its credit, it did have a black California license plate in the trunk. As I stripped the many layers of paint and body filler, it became apparent why the car was rust free. Every body panel had been replaced in whole or in part, at least once. Once stripped, I counted no less that 18 times the car had been hit. There is a body man in heaven who had sculpted so nicely the blending of imperfectly aligned body panels on this car. The car was completely disassembled, body left bolted to the frame. I spent 3 years preparing the car and enjoying the quiet personal time tinkering away, and the sense of accomplishment seeing each part come back to life.
Tha amature restoration is 10 years old. The body panels do not line up perfectly, the doors are hard to open and close. The hardtop remains disassembled. The engine is not original. The laquer paint is showing cracks and pops. The chromer ground out the rust, and the bumpers are wavy. The engine, brakes and gas tank need overhaul. It has, in its time, been persnickety to run.
Yet it is a head turner, and always a show stopper when I take it out. This car has atteneded the Revvin' with Ford Charity Previews at Woodward Dream Cruise, the Thunderbird Unveiling Day at Ford World Headquarters 2001, the Ford Centennial 2003, and recently the St. Ignace, Michigan Antiques on the Bay show, featuring Ford Thunderbird 1955, 1956, 1957. The car shows well to passers by. I think driving it as an open roadster (and yes, I've been caught in the rain) welcomes folks to take a look. The Dusk Rose color is popular with the ladies, and they always tell me they "love my car". When parked with classic Thunderbirds belonging to other members of our local American Road Club, I immediately see that other cars have straighter lines, crisper dash, more recently detailed engine bays. Yet, it is my car that folks take photos of. At the Ford events, I routinely invite folks to sit in the Thunderbird, and I'll take their picture with their camera. Thunderbirds make people happy!
Life goes on. My family grew, so did my dental practice. My Dad, also a Dentist, retired from the family business. I had purchased some other classic cars (59 Chevy El Camino and 1970 Dodge Challenger RT/SE 440 Magnum). I had purchased commercial buildings to store and restore the cars, as well as establish a full-blown working shop complete with hoist, welders, sandblasters and engine lift. I can talk the talk and walk the walk. In the mean time, priorities changed and working on the cars was sidelined. In its place came collecting Thunderbird memorabilia and its inadvertent fame.
In 1999, a patient of mine, who does commercial video work was freelancing at the Detroit Auto Show. He was given one of the original 1999 Thunderbird concept press packs, which, he in turn, gave to me. I started collecting memorabilia pertaining to the new Retro Thunderbird with a passion, and never looked back. In 2000, Mike Lamm was commissioned to write a book about the history of the Thunderbird in anticipation of this new generation auto. Unlike previous books, Lamm's effort focused on the development of the newest generation of the marque and the cultural impact of the Thunderbird in America. Thunderbird was coined,"An American Icon." Lamm contacted the Classic Thunderbird Club International, asking for research. The club directed Mike to Dot Lang, Bob Leach and myself, as we had been providing articles on Thunderbird history and memorabilia for the club newletter, for some time. We collaberated for chapters on Thunderbird history and Iconology in the book, "Thunderbird:2002". Along with text, I helped provide most of the full page color photographs of items in my collection to supplement the text. The book was published in January 2001. Shortly after the book was released, I received a call form the History Channel. They had bought the intellectual rights to the project and were duplicating the effort in a television format. I eagerly jumped at the chance to participate. In February of that year, a film crew came to Detroit/Dearborn and spent a week interviewing and filming design, engineering and marketing staff at Ford. Late in the week, I was scheduled for my time in front of the camera. I had promised to bring out the 57 if the roads were clear and dry. On a sunny, cold (18 degrees), dry Michigan February Friday, the Thunderbird ran flawlessly. Filming was done at an island park near the Detroit River. I was given a walkie talkie and the producer radioed instructions to me from a van outfitted with cameramen. We returned to my home later in the day for interviewing. My garage at home was converted to a sound stage and I was interviewed about items in my collection and we staged a short viginette in my library where I had displayed interesting items from my collection. The program aired just after the solemn events of 9-11-2001, and cemented my place in Thunderbird lore. I have since been asked to be guest speaker for a group of retro Thunderbird owners in Destin, Florida, and recently at the Ford Wixom plant for the reveal of the 50th anniversary special edition. Thunderbird enthusiasts from all over the world have sought me out, mostly to add to my collection, now over 7,000 items pertainig to classic and new Thunderbirds. The collection includes original Ford advertising, advertising of other products that feature a Thunderbird, original Ford promotional items, a wide variety of clothing and fabric goods, household goods like mugs and cookie jars. It includes many toys from the 1950's, like simple dime store toys and made in Japan tin lithographed battery operated cars. I have recent die cast Thunderbirds in all scales. I have nearly every color for the three years of dealer promotional models. I have magazine articles from around the world, dating back to 1954, and a complete collection of print and online reviews of the new Thunderbird. I have videotapes of movies and television shows that feature a Thunderbid in them. The possession of the items is not as dear to me as the emotion behind them. Most items represent a conection with another person. I've shopped swap meets, antique shows, toy fairs and the interenet. Many times items are simply "donated" to the collection by fellow enthusiasts winding down their collecting.
I STILL LOVE CARS AND I STILL LOVE FIXING THINGS
My family is nearly grown and my practice is secure. Soon I will cut more time away from the office and return to the workshop and turn the wrench again, restoring and maintaining the cars I love. I have plans for archiving and displaying my collection and hope the site can be used for car club get togethers. I enjoy sharing my Thunderbird experiences with you in my articles in the various Thunderbird club newsletters, and I thank you for your time in reading and responding.
Yours in Thunderbirding,
Steve Legel
January 2005
09-07-2008, 03:02 PM
#28
Senior Member
RE: Anyone else sick of mad mustangs.
ORIGINAL: SKiDs33t
Mid-life crisis? Hmmm. Youve got me thinking now.
Then I saw it. I was surfing the web one day when I came across an article with a picture of the 06 Challenger Concept in Hazzard Orange no less! Something inside me clicked. I knew I just HAD to own one. When Dodge announced that it was a go, I started saving my money. That car re-ignited a passion inside me that I havent felt since I was a kid. So here I am. 30 years old, single, with no prospects (ie girlfriend) and I just dropped a $38,000 down payment on an SRT8. Does that make buying this car an early mid-life crisis? Or is it just the realization of a childhood fantasy?
Mid-life crisis? Hmmm. Youve got me thinking now.
Then I saw it. I was surfing the web one day when I came across an article with a picture of the 06 Challenger Concept in Hazzard Orange no less! Something inside me clicked. I knew I just HAD to own one. When Dodge announced that it was a go, I started saving my money. That car re-ignited a passion inside me that I havent felt since I was a kid. So here I am. 30 years old, single, with no prospects (ie girlfriend) and I just dropped a $38,000 down payment on an SRT8. Does that make buying this car an early mid-life crisis? Or is it just the realization of a childhood fantasy?
