Randi's dad, Ron, and his friend Al Valdez restored this '64 1/2 hardtop as a present for Randi's 18th birthday. Ron has been a Mustang enthusiast since 1979 and has restored quite a few cars, thus his daughter's interest in vintage Mustangs.
The hardtop was acquired at a private party sale in early January 1999. At first glance, everything seems on the up-and-up, but the more you look at the little hardtop, the more things you notice. Of course, the Magnum 500s jump out at you, but we're talking about subtle things, such as the conversion to the '66 200 from the 170ci engine (along with complete '66 wiring and gauges) Ford originally installed. Other items, such as the Custom Autosound stereo and aftermarket CD changer and amplifier (tunes are important at Randi's age), were added. Granada front discs and V-8 differential, a dual reservoir master cylinder with all new lines, and a 2 1/2-inch custom exhaust with a Flowmaster muffler and dual tailpipes are tucked in there as well. All these little touches make for a sweet-cruising daily driver for Randi. Why Dad even added power steering and air conditioning during the restoration for parking-lot maneuvers and the temperate Arizona climate, respectively.
Randi gets plenty of horn honks, "cool car" shouts, and thumbs-up approvals from passersby. And with her friends calling her Mustang "extremely cool," there is no doubt.
Randi will continue getting the looks, honks, and shouts for a while.
| Owner: | Randi Meekins |
| Location: | Paradise Valley, AZ |
| Model: | '64½ hardtop |
| Color: | Ivy Green |
| Interior: | Palomino vinyl and cloth |
| Engine: | 200 I6 from a '66 Mustang |
| Transmission: | C4 automatic |
| Challenge: | Protecting the car |
| (Randi covers the car at work and school, |
| and parks out of the way, among other things) |
| Mileage: | 89,000 |
| (possibly the second time around) |