We're not greedy! It's okay if you can't manage a large donation. Most people can't. Donations of $5, $10, $20 are very much appreciated. Even $1 donations are a bigger help than you may think!
The Story
The following story is true...
In 2004, I had just graduated from high school and
was looking for an old classic car to restore. I used my meager $300 I got as a
graduation present and bought this '74 Ford Gran Torino from a middle aged lady
in my neighborhood. It was a clunker and barely ran when I bought it. But it had
history.
I've been working on this car for 3 years now
and got it running pretty well, but soon, the engine started smoking. After
looking it over, I realized that it needed to be rebuilt. So, I took the engine
apart and have been rebuilding it a little at a time as I am able to afford.
My friends have been helping me work on it and
we've put a lot of effort into it over the last 3 years. We all plan to get old
classic clunkers and restore them, then turn them into hot rods. We all would
help each other out in buying, working on, and maintaining these cars.
This year, a friend of mine named Garrett
announced that his dad is going to give him a 2005 Mustang GT 500 for his
birthday. This gave me an idea to make this a little more interesting. My friends and I are going to see if we can get the Gran Torino not only fixed up by the time Garrett gets his car in November 2007, but to turn it into a hot rod that can beat his future 'Stang, despite the huge disadvantage the older, heavier, less powerful Gran Torino is at.
We're planning to get the Torino suped up so
much by then, it'll leave his Mustang in the dust. A drag race will take place
after Garrett gets his Mustang, which will be broadcast live on the internet.
Please help us turn this classic 1974 Ford
Gran Torino into a hot rod that can beat the 2005 Mustang GT 500!
The Specs
As you can see, right now the Torino would be
lunch for the Mustang, so there's A LOT of work to be done, but with enough
money, I know my friends and I can do it!
Suggestions on how to
improve horsepower, torque, or overall performance are welcome. Please send your
suggestions to [email protected]
History
This car was owned by a woman named Barbara who used to live
in California when she was in her mid 20s. She was a bartender in a bar that was
frequented by musicians, including well known artists like Jon Bon Jovi and Joe
Cocker. These musicians got to know Barbara very well and confided in her for
many things. Often times they got too drunk to drive themselves home, and not
wanting to call a cab, they would ask Barbara to drive them home, which she did
on several occasions. Joe Cocker and Bon Jovi have ridden in this car! I am
working on finding some photographs to prove it!
Progress
Monday, April 9th 2007
We took everything out from under the
hood except the bare engine block due to lack of an engine hoist. Lemme tell ya,
engines are heavy! A few more donations would help that along nicely.
*hint hint* The windshield wiper motor is still there too, simply because it was
too freakin' hard to remove and wasn't in the way, anyway.
We painted the chassis black with high gloss automotive paint from AutoZone.
It looks a little coolerand it was super
cheap. It had nothing to do with anything so the money for that came out of my
pocket. It was about $15 for enough paint to do the whole chassis, and it shows.
Once I'm confident of the mechanical aspects of the car I'll do some minor pimping. Removing dents, getting a professional
paint job, re-chroming the chrome, a new cloth top to cover up the Bondo, a new
hood that isn't all wonky and fitting weird, etc.
We took out the dashboard and the A/C
vents to locate 2 things.
1) A hole in the firewall
2) A short in the electrical wiring that is causing the battery to constantly
drain.
It will require a complete rewiring as
all the cables are frayed-looking and have lots of insulation missing where bare
wire is exposed.
