Dave and Janie Narducci
1970 Project Pony
My 1970 Ford Mustang Coupe Grande’ was presented to me as a present by my wife, Janie, in October 2006. I came home from a business trip and when I opened the garage door, there she was. Needless to say, I was ecstatic---for many reasons. This had ended a 10-year hunt that my wife had been on looking for the car of my dreams. I had always wanted a car that was restorable, but in pretty good shape and partially cleaned up from the previous owner. It was also a 70 model, which happens to be the year I graduated from high school, so that’s very special as well. It was given to me as a Boss 302 clone, many new parts and fairly clean. The 302 engine is not the original, although it appears that the grabber blue paint was the original color. According to the VIN, it had a 302 220HP when manufactured, made at the Dearborn plant. Some cosmetic work was done by the previous owner, who rescued it from a field in Kentucky. The rear quarterpanels were both replaced along with some patchwork under the hood. He claims it was on its way to the crusher when he nabbed it. My wife bought it from him on Ebay and my stepson helped her in the selection process, completely without me having a clue. My plans for the car are to turn it into a classic muscle Restomod, with emphasis on classic, and I’m lucky enough to have a nephew who is not only a master mechanic, but a Mustang enthusiast as well. His friend Johnny is also exceedingly knowledgeable on the early models, too. We started teardown on January 6th, 2007. It is now without engine, the C4 A/T it came with, the modified exhaust, and lots of the smaller stuff, too, headlights, grill, taillights, etc. As I have always been a fan of early model Mustangs, but never had the opportunity to work on them or learn about them, I’ve been learning a lot just in the couple months I’ve had her. I’m looking forward to learning a lot more, and watching the dream take shape in the months to come. Our goal for completion is Christmas of 2007. I plan on attending the National in April in Mustang and the RestoMod Show in Reno in May for lots of ideas, but in the meantime, any ideas from club members on sources for nice, high-performance, high-quality replacement parts are appreciated. The general plan is to put a 351 Windsor in her (after we rebuild it) while the body is in paint. Plans also include a manual transmission, disc brakes, modified FloMaster system, suspension changes, wheels and tires, all new interior, new wiring, new dash, sound….I can’t even type these words without getting excited! My nephew Mark just happens to have a 351 Windsor! What a guy. He is pictured with his daughter Riley in a few of the pics. So, I’m looking forward to getting involved in the club and meeting everyone soon. Until then, take care and drop a line to say hello any time.
Dave (and Janie) dcn505@cableone.net / ljn505@cableone.net
Click here to see the whole story told in pictures
(this is really cool)