One thing Bob and Nancy G. agree on completely: the ‘67 Mustang convertible is her car. Although Nancy is of the “petite” class, both in height and weight, she is definitely a “heavyweight” if you cross her. And if you mess with her car, you have crossed her. After Bob restored three classic Mustangs for their three children, Nancy had him do a “68 Mustang coupe for her. He did a great job and she loved it. He had his own restored cars and those were his, but the Mustang was hers. Then Bob was selling his El Camino in 1993 when a potential buyer said he wanted to buy the Mustang instead. As Bob describes it, “he made an offer I couldn’t refuse.” So he didn’t. In hindsight, he wished he had. When he went to Nancy for the pink slip, a chill descended on the Gray household. Even after Nancy bought a new brand-new Mustang convertible, Bob had to run the heater in the summer. It wasn’t until he bought a replacement classic, the ‘67 convertible, that the atmosphere warmed up. He bought it at a swap meet and there was hardly a body panel without damage, but it had potential. It had a 289 CID engine with a C-4 auto trans and a 9" rear end. Although it had power steering and brakes, it had no air conditioning, which didn’t seem necessary for a rag top. Bob rebuilt the engine and trans, redid the interior and top, and repared and painted the body. Nancy loves it and used it as a daily driver to work for a while. They have taken it on to car shows all over NorCal and Reno as well as on long-distance runs (named Big Dick’s Tours after the organizer, big-guy Dick Teague) with fellow Roamin Angels to Victoria, BC, Lake Havasu, AZ, San Bernardino, CA, Del Mar, CA, and finally the “Route 66-National Parks Tour.” That last tour, which came through the Mojave Desert to the Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion National Parks and back, has Bob thinking about adding air conditioning. 117 degrees Fahrenheit is not “topless” weather. And with the top up and damp rags across the neck, it’s still an oven inside. But the car itself performed great. HER car performed great. Bob was reminded of ownership when he refused to let her drive it one time. Every time she washed a pair of his shorts she sewed up the fly. When she finally forgave him, Bob swore never to make that mistake again. He will never forget that it’s her Mustang and she lets him drive it when she wants.

When Bob first painted it black rose, the white sealer coat showed through makig it an ugly shade of purple. Now it is 2005 Mustang Sonic Blue. The wheels are Cragars.

Although basically stock, Bob bored it .30 over and added a high-torque cam when he overhauled it. The only non-stock item in the dash is the satellite radio, which punches out awesome sounds.

2010 © Ron Cherry