To the Shop - A moment of truth

Well, I am a little late getting this post in.  The honey do list has kept me busy - so to catch up.  I took the Cal Special to Perks Auto Body and Customs in Clearfield.  They have a frame rack and were genuinely interested in seeing this classic get back on the road.  

I was in Vegas the past weekend and so I had to send my son to get the tires mounted as I had to steel my rollers off of this car to get my S-code GT Cougar to my house - more on this later!  He did a good job and made dad proud that he handled overseeing the process and getting my truck alignment done at Les Schwab in Layton.  They were super reasonable and charged only $4 to mount each tire.  I found out it was a good thing that I had tires for this - more on this later!  

So I dropped the car off at Perks and spoke with Chris, the owner, and with the upcoming storms, he promised to keep the car indoors and covered.  Gotta love those old SS wheels

After dropping off the GT/CS, I went over to pick up the Cougar.  We had tried to pull it with my F-150 the previous week, but it was a no-go.  We were pulling the car down to a low spot and the ground was really soft - not to mention the snow.  We almost got my truck stuck - I finally just mud bogged my way out with pedal to the metal - once the posi kicked in, we got moving.  So this time I called a buddy with a tractor to help get it out.  Even with 4WD, he still gave us a good mud flingin' show.  We hooked up the Cougar and I started home.  

On the way, I wanted to spray it off at the car wash.  When I got there the Cougar was bouncing funny - one of the rear tires died.  Not sure when or how, but it was FLAT.  I was close to Big-O so I drove over - no luck with any used 14" tires.  He told me that cars don't even come stock with 14" tires.  Really?!?!  He tried to sell me a new one for $70 - no thanks.  I called Les Schwab and they didn't have any used 14" either - what the @#$#@^?!?!  So I gave up, called my wife, went home, stole a roller from my 68 convertible, went back and put it on and came right home.  I will pressure wash at home.  So now I can start working on tearing down the Cougar and parting it out.  Kind of sad though - 68 S-code 390 4v GT XR-7 - but the interior has been removed, a lot of the engine compartment is missing and the rear passenger qtr was hit by a drunk in 1984 and has been parked since.  I originally bought it as a drive train donor car for my 68 convertible, but have decided to go another direction, so I am parting it out.

   

This has got to be one of the cooler license plates out there.  Too bad that the front plate is missing to make a pair.  The tag shows 84 as the last expiration date.

 This is the qtr where the car was hit by a drunk while parked on the street in Bakersfield, CA.

An interior shot - lots missing.

Anyway, I digress - my first car was a 68 Cougar...

So the moment of truth.  I got a call from Chris at Perk's today and they said that the frame is pretty much good to go.  The right rail is a little low, but it can be straightened and brought into spec!!  Best $350 I have ever spent.  Now that I know it is good to go, the fun will begin next week when I get it back and all is well.  Now to go looking for a rotisserie!!!