Corvette's at the
World Space Expo
Kennedy Space Center
November 2007
For Sale or Trade

December 2nd, 2005
As Published in V2-I48-#68 December 8th 2005

Hello everyone. Friday night I think winter may have arrived in Florida. It was not freezing but we were most certainly chilled. The weather had an effect on the number of cruisers that registered for the cruise. We had a total of seventy nine cruisers in attendance.

As a result there were not many cars in attendance that I have not written about before but I did find two that were visiting from Massachusetts. The first is a blue 1973 Ford Mustang convertible. This car had a blue vinyl bucket seat interior. It also had a nice white convertible top and was motivated by a 302 and an automatic. This Mustang is a fine example of what the Mustang had become in the early seventies. Many have described the car as heavy, fat, and definitely in need of a diet. 1973 was the last year of this body style that went from 1971 to 1973. In 1974 the Mustang thanks to Lee Iacocca went on a diet and was built on the Ford Pinto chassis. The new car was now known as the Mustang II and would survive mostly unchanged until 1979. The Mustang II doesn't seem to have many fans now but has the honors of being the best selling Mustang of all time.

The second car to spark my interest was a 1977 Chrysler LeBaron two door coupe. This car had some unique styling in that the trunk lid design resembled some of the old boat tail autos from many years gone by. This car also was rare because it is a two door. It was a very nice shade of dove gray in and out. This one even got some faux lake pipes.

Another car that was out of its element Friday night was a gold 2002 Chrysler Prowler rag top. It was pretty, but too cold for a convertible, especially with the top down as this one was.

We also had a total of four checker flag winners Friday night.

The first was Alan Faver with his blue 1973 Ford Mustang Convertible.

The second was Dean Stires with a black 1996 Ford Mustang Cobra. Deans car was customized with after market tail lights, spoilers, head lights and a grille.

The third flag winner was Alex Tijerine with his gray 1985 Mazda RX-7 coupe.

The fourth flag winner was Steven Conley with his 2001 Ford Mustang GT Steeda coupe. Because of the cold temperature we didn't arrive very early and didn't stay after the cruise. As a result I don't have a lot to say this week.

OOps I almost forgot. As we were leaving Old Town we smelled smoke but didn't know where it was coming from. When we got to the end of Trophy Row we saw the Osceola County Fire Crew across the street in spectator parking. They were busy putting out a “Car-B-Que”. I have made light of it but it really is a serious subject.

I have noticed that while working in the automotive field since 1987 that one car manufacturer has had a problem with there cars catching fire. I am sure you have witnessed the news coverage of the Ford trucks catching fire because of a faulty cruise control module. My observation says that the problem far exceeds the Ford trucks. I have seen alot of Ford Crown Victorias, Mercury Grand Marquis, Lincoln Town Cars, Ford Taurus, Mercury Sables, Lincoln Continentals, Ford Mustangs, and Ford Explorers that have burned up.

The only cars I have not seen burn are the Ford Escort and the Ford Focus. I know that part of the problem is that Ford uses a plastic clip that holds the fuel lines together and as they age they get brittle and break which allows the lines to come apart and spray fuel all over. They have used these clips since the late seventies or early eighties but it did not become a problem until the fuel pressures rose in the fuel injected cars after 1986. I think they also suffer from some wiring issues as well with some fires starting under the dash as well.

If you own a 1987 or newer Ford I would recommend for your own safety that you do not park it in your garage or within twenty feet of anything you value. I am surprised that there has not been a probe by either the insurance companies or the National Highway Transportation safety administration, but to my knowledge there has not been except for the trucks. Until next week have fun and cruise safely.







 

Read the first eight installments of
"The Disease"
by Gregg Nelson Sr.

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