About that Red 73 Convertible

[Gene_J]

Some folks have been asking if I actually picked up that red 1973 Mustang convertible. The short answer is no.

My sister had a friend that just got divorced and got the car in the settlement. It was red with a white interior with Cragar SS rims, 351C with an auto trans and air cond that needed some work. I went to look at it and it had no obvious rust and seemed complete. It needed the seats recovered, a battery and a new top.

She didn't have the title but said she would find it or apply for a new one. I dragged Paul over there and we quickly got it running after installing a battery. Paul who is a long skinny guy looked underneath the car and found a massive trans leak and a sheet of tin riveted to the floor.

The carb leaked badly, the trans would not stay in gear for long and the top would not go back up. We found that the body repair was less than stellar. While the left rear quarter panel looked good the new panel had been welded over the old rusted panel.

So a carb rebuild is 35 bucks, a top is 800, seats would be 1000, a rebuilt FMX trans would be 800 and the floor would be 1800. The power top cylinders were an unknown.

I made her an offer and she turned it down. She still had made no effort to get the title. I moved on.

She had to move so she gave the car to her nephew who just returned home from Afghanistan and had lost an arm. Well he really needed the car more than I did. Things work out like that.

And now here is a turn for the weird. She died last week from a brain aneurysm at her office. She worked in a medical clinic and they could not save her. She was kind of young to have that happen to her.

I still can't help thinking that all this would have been on my mind every time I would drive it. My 66 coupe went through a few estate sales before I got it but I never knew those folks.