Ridge Runner

What was your first car or truck , bought and paid for by your very own self . Mine was a 1935 Ford pick up .I paid $50 for it at a wrecking yard in Lindsay California . I was 16 when i bought it and still in high school. I built the entire thing all by my self ,with directions from our local paint and glass shop .It had a 67 cougar nine inch rear end ,289 hipo and 4 speed bought from a wrecked 66 Hertz Shelby Mustang .I loved that old truck .In fact i painted it 4 times in two years to keep it looking fresh ,i was told i painted it more times than i changed my socks HAHA! i wound up having just about $3000 in it when i was finished ...and that was with 4 paint jobs ! It started out white then Black ,then Corvette Emerald Green ,then Flame red . I found pics of it Black and Emerald Green but that is the only pics i can find .I drove this little truck 5 days a week between Fresno and Bakersfield and never had it break down .I finally sold it in 1984 to buy a 1978 Ford pick up ,that i still have .It took me several years to find another one ,in the hunt for another one i wound up with 6 35 -37s .soon i will have one of the 35s done . What do you think of those wide tires hanging out of the rear fenders ...LOL Hey i was 17 at the time of these pics HAHAHA!

Make sure you cover up those bushings first ,it would not be fun trying to clean the powder out of them once baked .

I also have the hood scoop for a 68 Cougar GTE .It is made from an original with the correct mounting nuts .The first two i sold on Ebay got caught up in a bidding war .The first one went for $400 ,i couldn't believe it .The second one went for $418 then someone else started making them and they dropped down to $125 so that is what i started selling them for .

That is sweet ! I the mid 80s i tried to buy an original Trans Am racer .It was a 69 ,competition orange ,with a Cross Boss intake .The original Boss 302 was blown up with a piston rod through the block .It was complete but with the motor and 4 speed taken out but it was all there .It was fully caged and still had the racing tires on it .I don't remember who the driver was but the name was still on the roof . It was parked behind a barn in Exiter Calif. and i happened to see just the front end of it one day .I stopped and asked the old guy there about it ,he didn't want to talk to me .I offered him $2500 for it and he said no .I found out a couple of years later the old man had died and the car was sold for $1500 .

i will stick with Con way.

I have straightened them ,get them as close as possible and file it to fit ,you cant remove a lot but if you get it close a file will finish it off .I have made a wood template of the side that needs to be straightened and very gently hammer it into shape .i have done it with out heat but a spot that needs to be moved a lot ,i would heat up.

Hey i found out i can sell those bees . Had a rogue hive still here and sold them for a couple of dollars to a local bee keeper . he said next year he will drop off some empty hives and we will just let them fill up .I told him he can have all he can catch.

Hey ,it is one piece ...thats 4 for 4 ,shipped with out damage . That box was probably a little easier to open ...I ran out of glue ! Don't worry though ,i will buy another case ,that should do at least 2 boxes .HAHA! You will probably need to dolly down the mounting holes in the hood ,they tend to be mushroomed up from tightening the original scoops .

Almost forgot to ask ...Did it gain any weight on the trip HAHAHA?

You will probably have to lower the hinges a bit to make up for the thickness of the fiberglass hood ,and you may have to adjust the front latch and bump stops down as well.

The bottom will be raw fiberglass and painted ,unless you coat it with something like lizard skin .It should hold up to your original springs if the hinges are in good shape and work freely ,oil them first .I am not sure light springs will stay up when open .

Did it make it ? I was afraid it may have to go by submarine .

I have been thinking about the b pillars for fast backs .Those plastic ones warp and the card board ones will roll up and the material falls off .I would like to make them in fiberglass with a factory looking finish and set up for the lights .I think i could make a set out of aluminum ,texture them and then make molds from that .I think i still have an original here i could use as a pattern .

Those outer covers need to be there ,they are the bump stop for the suspension .

I have been thinking about making these two pieces The end caps for the package tray trim for the non fold down seat for the 60-70 .The set i have is in pretty good shape ,the paint is rubbed off in places but the grain finish is very good .I would like to make a two sided press mold so they will be finished on both sides like the original .They are very delicate so it may be a bit tough to make the molds .I have had a few people looking for them and i just found this set in my parts pile . I made the latch cover panels mold for the fold down seat ,they are really nice with just about perfect grain .I also made the hockey stick mold . This is about the only back seat trim i don't have yet . The originals are fiberglass just like the rest of the interior trim panels .

Nordan bumpers are about the best i have used .National Parts carries them . I haven't seen new chrome that will last ,it cracks and peels ...if they didn't buff through it when it was rechromed .My Shelby fender eyebrows pitted setting in a cabinet still wrapped in tissue paper and in the boxes .

Does it still way the same 68 pounds it did when it left here ? hehehehe!

I didnt use as much glue on this one ,only half a tube HAHAHA. But i still wrapped the hood in a plastic bag and taped it up good inside the box .With all the rain over there i should have put floats on the hood just encase .

That is what i like to see ,very well done .Any bondo will just be a light film . Bravo !!

I just did both front aprons and the radiator support in a 67 coupe with the motor in ,not fun .It is easy enough to weld but getting in there to grind is a total B****. The gas tank and fuel lines were also still in place ,something else i do not like when i do aprons . Make sure the lines are tightly caped,no fumes , if they are still in .

I have 245 60 15s on my 69 Shelby replica all the way around .Not sure if they will clear stock front fenders but they clear the Shelby fenders .The back is no problem . I had 245 60 14s on my old 70 fastback on 7 inch Magnums .I like the ride of the BFGs

yeah ,the original panels had light cracks ,they are in the mold so they transfer to the new panels like pressing a penny in clay . it is just about impossible to find un damaged original panels or i would make a new set of molds .i used Rustolium texture paint on the smooth spot on the last set of panels i made then painted over the entire panel and they came out great .

Not a problem ...the shipping companies will take care of that .

Have you guys priced boxes lately ? Especially big boxes ? :( I should have some coming soon ,may have to sell a kidney !

Never had a problem with high pressure pumps except for the gauges ,plastic oil lines will blow off or break .usually the gauge is not high enough to work .I would try another gauge .