Street Racing Articles

[SuddenDeath]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: whitetop</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Are you going to replicate the mismatched silver paint?? LOL </div></div>

Actually, I considered it, but thought thats one thing I'm not going to do. It deserves to be done with some quality paint work this time around. In fact, we just sprayed the inner cowl today. First silver paint back on the car in over 35 years. It had been painted white twice! Wow, was that stuff tough to get off!

[SuddenDeath]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Dave Rifkin</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Tom thank you for taking the time to return this car back to it's original state. I remember reading the articles about that car when it was first built and fell in love with it.
Imagine how I felt when I saw it years ago for sale at the Atlantic City auction in such horrible shape. I guess it sold during the auction and I lost track of the car until a year or so later when I saw it parked in front of a freight service company on Delilah Road in Egg Harbor Township, NJ with a for sale sign in the window. (I can get the name / number of that company for you if you'd like to try and contact someone there)

Keep the pictures coming of the project; looks great so far. </div></div>

Dave,

I'm the same way, I remember reading that Sudden Death article in high school and never forgot it. For some reason, there is something about this car that just stuck with me all these years. I just thought it was the coolest Ford I'd ever seen!

Sounds like it was in poor condition when you saw it at auction. Do you remember what year that was? I'm guessing 1997? The car had been in Fort Wayne, Indiana in early 1997 being prepped for auction at a shop there. I wasn't able to get an ID on an owner though. I've already been through title history attempts, but unfortunately, Florida, Michigan, or Indiana do not keep title histories over 10 years, so I came up empty handed. I'm thinking of trying a private investigator in NJ to see if he can get me records, since being out of state, I can't access them there.

Any help is greatly appreciated!!

Will do on pics!

Tom

[SuddenDeath]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Fast67VelleN2O</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SuddenDeath</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I got it from a guy in Sicklerville, NJ. Looked to have spent years outside in the weather, paint peeling, tires dry rotted, all aluminum oxidized, etc. </div></div>

Wow! Thats one town over from me and I have never seen that car before!

-Matt </div></div>

I don't know if he had the car near his house or not. I don't know the location of the trucking company storage lot where it was kept. I'm hoping maybe Dave can help with that.

[SuddenDeath]

Here are some more in progress pics taken awhile back.

Had to fabricate a repair panel for the notched area of the cowl recess.

Here's a before pic of the engine compartment right after we pulled the engine. Note the gaping holes in the aprons and the rounded out cut in the center of the upper cowl:



After completing the cowl repairs:

[SuddenDeath]

This is the rear suspension as I got it, after someone hacked it up installing a coilover/ladder bar setup. They beat the floors in with a hammer until they ripped open, cut holes in the upper floors for the coilovers to mount to the roll bar of all things. I don't know what they were thinking. Thankfully, they didn't cut out the original leaf spring perches and mounts. It took me months of research to get the original setup right, including talking to Wayne Gapp about the car! Funny, once I had removed all the coilover brackets and collected all the correct parts, it just bolted right back in, in an afternoon.

BEFORE as I got it:



NOW back to the ORIGINAL setup!

[owners2]

That is one Bad Ass ride you have

[Tenney]

Plans for a reunion w/the Lisk Challenger (did they ever end up running in the day?)?

[SuddenDeath]

I think this is one of the few cars from that time that retains its original engine. I know the Lisk car no longer has its original radical pro stock Hemi (or the lenco trans), although it does have a Hemi in it. That would be interesting. Heck, would be great just to see some of these cars together again in any setting after all these years.

[Tenney]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SuddenDeath</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Heck, would be great just to see some of these cars together again in any setting after all these years. </div></div>

MCACN Woodward display?

[Plowman]

I like how you think.