| Project 1 - How it all began |
| The 302 came to life with a twist of the ignition switch and the car moved foreword through an old C4. The column mount shifter slipped easily into drive and I was off on a test drive. Stopping was accomplished with drum brakes all the way around. After a quick ride around the block, I was sold. It was an unusual car that had reasonable power and could easily be worked on. I purchased the Montego for $300 and headed for home. On my 30 mile drive home, I soon found out what it meant to own a old car. After crossing a bridge and stopping at a toll booth, the toll taker asked me if I needed water or something. Nope, I?m fine I told him and continued driving home. By the time I arrived at home, I understood what the toll taker meant. Most of the water boiled out of the radiator and the engine was making a funny howling noise. My dad was on the case - told me to leave the car running and circulate water through the engine via the radiator cap. That did the trick, the engine cooled down, and I let the Montego rest overnight. |
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| That's me with the Montego shortly after I brought it home. The baby moons have already been installed and the car has been detailed. Picture circa 1987. |
| I still remember that day. Looking upon an old, tired, green 69 Mercury Montego for the first time with my dad by my side. I must have been 16 at the time, and this car was like nothing I have ever seen. Faded green paint with a red pin stripe, dog-dish hubcaps, bench seat with a large tear on the drivers side, and dents on either side where the owner found it would not quite fit in the garage. Slipping behind the wheel, I sat on a floormat that was used to cover the tears in the seat. The interior was stock, and the windshield was difficult to see out of because of a haze. The owner smoked a pipe in the car, and the soot was everywhere. |
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