The article features Jeffery Alton's Lime Gold '68 fastback. I also own a Lime Gold '68 fastback; however, mine is in pieces right now. I purchased the car three years ago, after rescuing it from a field. The car hasn't been on the road since 1975, but I hope to change that soon! The pictures of Jeffery's fastback were inspiring, and they gave me the enthusiasm to finally finish my car.
Once finished, my car will look very similar to Jeffery's. The only differences are, mine is equipped with the standard hood, black interior, and the 390GT four-speed combo. When showing my family and friends the project, they constantly ask, "What color are you going to paint it-red, right?" I explain to them that I will return the car to its original condition, including its original Lime Gold Metallic color, to which they reply, "Yuck!" It would be nice to finally show people how nice my car would look when finished. I'd like to find out more about the paint job on Jeffery's car, such as how much bodywork was involved, the primer used, and which type of paint was used. I've enclosed my address and phone number, so that you may pass it along to Jeffery.
Hopefully, my car will one day grace the pages of Mustang Monthly. There is an interesting story and some interesting "before" photos to go along with it. Thanks again for a great magazine!John R. LegelSherman Oaks, CA
It has been our experience that most metallic colors look better in a basecoat/clearcoat finish. You would do well to also color-sand the car with 1200-grit paper and a soap/water mix to get all the orange peel out. Do this carefully in a clean area, then buff the paint using a pro-level rotary buffer. This will provide the slick finish that will give the Lime Gold an ooh-and-aah finish.
We'll forward your info on to Jeff. Good luck, and we hope to see you and your Lime S-code at a show soon.
Ruh Roh!I subscribe to Mustang Monthly for tech tips that cross over to my two '69 Cougars and two Cyclone Spoiler IIs. The articles are helpful and generally on target.
However, there are two topics in the article, "20 Tips You Can't Live Without" (Dec. 2000, page 20) written by you that I'll take issue with.
In the Cool Tip section you stated that R-134a causes a "warmer cabin, shorter compressor life..." You're dead wrong on this.
I purchased my '96 Ford Ranger new, and it blows so cold at the registers on A/C or Max A/C, I have to turn it off. While crossing Death Valley in August 1999 and stopping in Stovepipe Wells that had an outside temperature of 121 degrees Fahrenheit, I nearly got thermal shock when I stepped out of my truck, because it was so cool inside and so hot outside. The truck has 96,000 miles on it, and the A/C has performed flawlessly, as have many other brands' factory R-134a systems that I'm aware of.
I operate some heavy equipment earthmovers that have factory-installed R-134a systems in the enclosed cab. When properly maintained, all of them get cold-real cold.
In the Dimmer View section you stated that "thirtysomething years old (headlight switch) was not designed for the higher draw of the Halogen bulbs." OK, I'll subscribe to that, but where have you been?
All of my Mercurys have Halogen bulbs (one for approximately 20 years), and I haven't blown a headlight switch-and I doubt if I ever will.
My grandmother is the original owner of a '64 Chrysler New Yorker. I installed Halogen headlights approximately 20 years ago, and the headlight switch is the original one (count on it, because she has service records dating back to day one).
It's not a perfect world; people make mistakes-but as a group, "crybaby magazine editors," as I call them, should think some of their printed-for-public information through.
If you step back and think about the two topics I've addressed, you'll see they have no merit based on your words in print, pertaining to the real world.