Mustang of the Month

Chuck & Anette Botsford
1976 Mustang II Blue Coupe

My Mustang and I were united in the fall of 1994. I call her Attitude. She cost me a walloping eight hundred dollars. She replaced my 1978 hard top coupe that was my high school graduation gift. The '78 was starting to rust out structural members, due to coming from a place where they salt the roads in winter. She started her life as a 1976 Mustang II Ghia build in San Jose. My first modification was in 1995, putting the Centerline knock-off wheels and tires from my '78 on her.

In 1998, I decided that I would like the car to be one color. Something that she's never been, since I owned her. I bought the cheapest blue automotive paint, some sandpaper, and masking tape at a cost of $76. I started with painting the drivers front fender, headlight header panel, front bumper, and rear bumper from my old parted out '78, as these panel were damaged on Attitude. The following weekend, I painted Attitude. I ran out of time and wasn't able get the bumpers back on. However, after driving around for a few days, I realized how much I liked the look of the missing oversized bumpers.

In 2000, the engine that I put in the year prior from a wrecking yard was dying. I had it rebuilt by the local machine shop. The following year, the C4 automatic transmission was having problems. I dropped in a T5 transmission from a 1985 Mustang, clutch pedal assembly and linkage from my old high school car. While I had things apart, I installed new headers and re-routed the exhaust system. The old exhaust pipe was wedged between the leaf spring and gas tank. When I was done, the exhaust popped out just in front of the rear wheels instead of out the back of the car.

Starting in 2003, remembering how she looked in '98 without the bumpers. I started making plans and modifications. I worked on her most weekends in my gravel driveway. Making sure that she was ready to roll come Monday morning, as I drove her during the week to work. First was the rear bumper. Then removing the half vinyl top. Replacing the rear side opera windows with hard top side windows from the '78. Followed by removing the side trim and replacing side marker lights with ones from my dear old '78. I painted the roof and rear quarter panels in Midnight Storm Blue and added Arctic White rally stripes. I put the doors from the '78 on temporally as I prepared and paint the doors.

I stopped driving her as a daily commuter in 2005. With the addition of a garage and not driving her all the time, I was able to finish her by 2008. Which includes, building a hood scoop, front bumper, front valance panel, and front spoiler. I painted the engine, engine bay, and front half of the car. In 2011, I stripped her down to the bare unibody. Repaired some rust issues. She got a new coat of paint. Again Midnight Storm with Arctic White rally stripes, also this time adding ghost flames to the front. I added some subframe connectors and painted the underside of the car. I made some stainless steel headers and all new stainless steel exhaust system. All new interior as well. Replaced the carpet and pad. I made new door cards, headliner, rear side cards, and rear seats. Also installed a roll bar, racing harnesses, and racing seats. Replaced all fake wood panels with real wood. Adding a PC for audio and navigation. I toiled almost every weekend, and two to three hours after work almost every day on her for three years.

She hit the road again in the spring of 2014 to do Mustangs Across America. Since then we have been in 32 of 50 states. Including a stop at Ford’s World Headquarter in Dearborn. Over the years since then I have replaced the rear leaf springs to a four link with coil overs. Then changed it to an Airride system. Changed the clutch linkage to a hydraulic system after doing four parades in a row. I swapped the T5 transmission to the T56 magnum transmission after frying it at the race track. I've been gathering parts for a new engine, as the current one has a hundred forty thousand miles on it since the rebuild in 2000.