Our Story and a Mustang Commercial, circa 1964

After many posts about local car shows, show-n-shines, cruises, and parades, I am going to take a minute to talk about my own Mustang, and share with you a commercial that I found on You-Tube. I hope you enjoy my Mustang story and the commercial.

When my wife and I returned from Taipei, Taiwan in 1969, we needed a car for her, since I was going to my next duty station in Keflavic, Iceland and she would have to stay behind for the next year. So her brother and I went out looking and found a 1966 Mustang coupe. It was red with a landau top and six cylinder automatic. So it was great looking and just what my wife would like. So we bought it. It cost $1500.00 plus tax, title and plate. We financed it for 18 months and, if I remember correctly, our payment was $55.00 per month after putting down $600. I was so excited to drive it home and let my wife see what we had found! She was very happy!

Off I went to Keflavic. I came home in February of 1970. We kept the car for a couple of years, and traded it in and got $300 for trade on a 1968 Dodge Challenger, 383 4bbl, coupe, white interior and beautiful bright blue exterior. I loved the Challenger, but always missed the Mustang.

We went through a number of "classic cars", starting with a 1955 Studebaker President Speedster "Golden Hawk" (another story!) a 1977 Datsun 280Z, a 1929 Ford Model "A" business coupe, a 1946 Chevy pick-up with a 350 4bbl, bucket seats and a great stereo system, and a 1989 Mazda RX7 that we would drive to go "Mazdaing" to pick up ice cream. There were different reasons for selling each one, but it was never a "good day" in my life when they were sold.

Then, about six years ago, the itch came again. We were looking in the GR Press and found a Mustang in Whitehall, Michigan, and, although they said it needed work, we took a ride with my wife's mom and dad and went up to see it. Well, like they said, it needed work. It was all in parts and a real mess. Me, I am not up to that kind of work. But the man said his wife would like to sell her 64 1/2 Mustang. I had seen it when we opened the garage. RED! That was good. An automatic! That was good. Real spoke wheels! That was good. I was almost sold. "What engine does it have?" I asked. It had the 289 V-8 4bbl. Sold! I said....oops. Will you throw in the front license plate with it!? She said yes, I said (again) sold!

We paid them and headed for home. My wife followed me. I was so excited to drive it back home!

Since then we have fixed, repaired, and replaced many parts. Actually, it didn't need much, but it had rarely been driven since being restored 15 years prior to our purchase. The tires had the twin red-walls, which looked good, but slipped and spun with barely any acceleration. They were 15 years old! So, four new tires. Four new shocks, gas in front, air in back, two coil springs, two leaf springs. Headers, custom made exhaust, Flowmaster mufflers, new seat belts, and a few other minor items over the next five years.

One more major thing to be done, but, darn it, it costs lots to paint an entire car.
I could have it painted for a few thousand, but I really would like a complete job which means taking off all chrome, all trim, stripping it down to raw metal, and shooting it with high quality Dupont paint. At my age, and with my slightly worn out body, it has to be someone else to strip it and paint it.

So it goes to the car shows as a "driver" not a true show car. We will never win a trophy, although we did receive a "sponsors choice" award at the Zeeland Car Show three years ago. Will we ever be able to pull it off and have a professional paint our Mustang? Probably not. Will we enjoy driving it to car shows, show-n-shines, parades etc? You betcha!

So, come visit us when you are at the next car show and you spot us there. We will have the hood up (just an engine) and the trunk (nice display) and you can take a look. I display it with pride. Afterall, it is a 1964 1/2 Mustang! Red. 289. 4bbl. and real spoke wheels!

Hey, maybe someone wants to take on painting a car to help an old guy out! Who knows what kind of strange thing might happen! Maybe "Pimp My Ride" will call me! Maybe pigs can fly!

Now, let's take a look at an ad for a 1964 1/2 Mustang. You must turn off my music first- just go to the sidebar, find the listed music, and click on the "II" at the top, left. Then click on the arrow in the middle of the You-Tube square. You are in business. Enjoy! Mike

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Well, I'll be!

Just when I wrote that it would never happen, here it comes! My wife and I attended the Walker (MI) Auto Show this morning, sponsored by the Walker AMBUCS. Not a big show - maybe 30 or so cars. As the morning progressed, yours truly noticed the judges were visiting our Mustang a bit more than usual. You guessed it!! We won our first trophy! Best Classic Car! Our thanks to the Walker AMBUCS, the judges, the Walker Festival Auto Show and all of the volunteers who made this event possible. You can bet we will be there next year and try again to impress the judges.

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Leave a comment if you would like. Just click on "comments" below.

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2008 Holland Car Show

Here are the last, but not the least, of the shots from the 2008 Holland Car Show.
I would like to point out that this show was presented as a joint venture of the Lakeshore Corvette Club and the Vintage Car Club of Holland. It was hosted by the Lakeshore Corvette Club. My thanks to the president of LCCH, Rick George, for that information. Rick and Deb, I hope to see you at some other West Michigan car shows! Feel free to stop by our Mustang. We will be in Jamestown at the Searchlight Ministries Fred Koning Memorial ClassicCar Show tonight, Friday the 13th. Zeeland will probably be next, unless we can pull it together for the Tony Betten & Sons Ford dealership on Plainfield.



What a row of Hot Rods. These were all 100 point cars as far as I am concerned. I am sure a number of them won trophys. I wonder what that is like....




This sharp 2000 Corvette belongs to Kim. I liked what he did to the arm rest. Blending the yellow and black leather adds something unusual to this car. Nice job, Kim.






When I was a kid, I used to see one of these, in white, running around Muskegon, MI. on occassion. I remember well thinking, man, this is something special. Bill brought this car today, a 1955 Corvette Roadster. This is a unique car in that it has never been restored, has over 92,000 (careful) miles on it, and Bill has owned it for over 30 years. This is #483 of 700 made, has a 265 V-8, 12 volt system, and produces 195 HP at 5000 rpm! Dual exhaust, Hi lift cam, and 3 speed stick shift. Thanks for sharing that information, Bill. Hope to see you again. By the way, that is yours truly in the driver's seat! Thanks again, Bill!!





Clark brought his one owner, 1976 Pontiac Firebird to the show. It has the 400cid engine and looks sharp. Clark, is it true this car can get 30mpg? I heard that somewhere...



This is a 1939 International Fire Truck, with a D-30 body and a 232 engine. Don, I would like to have added some more info. If you write me, I will add whatever extra information you would like about this wonderful fire truck.








"We did it" was what Allan wrote in the "special features" section. And "did it" they did. Clean, straight and ready to rumble, this 1964 Dodge Polara 500 with a 470cid engine, showed so well. Thanks for bringing it to the show, Allan!




I thought this was a nice touch, the gull winged doors, on this 2000 (?) Mustang. It was loaded with features, but I didn't get a shot of the window tag to give credit to the owner. So, if this is yours, please write me and I will update the shot with some good information.






I am taking a shot at this one. I was not going to publish the pictures since, again, I didn't get the information about it. I believe it is a 1946 Chevy Coupe.
Again, if I am wrong, please write! Help!!





What I liked about this sharp Plymouth GTX was the book of restoration that was there to look at. This car was a basket case! Look at the picture! They had to cut away the entire rear quarter panel and replace the sheet metal. If you look closely, you will see a perfect looking car! Is it yours? Let me know!





This 1929 Ford Model A Town Sedan belongs to Steve. I am ending this post of the 2008 Holland Car Show with these shots of one of my favorite cars of all time. I just love the Model A. Someday maybe I will own one again. This car listed a "Keri-Keen Karrier Trunk" as a feature. Pretty nice!

If you have anything to add to a picture, please write. If you would like to leave a comment, please do! Simply click on the comment button below. Mike

Garmin. Have You Tried GPS? Have You Tried Garmin?

Folks, I received my new Garmin just a few days ago. I ordered it on-line from Meijer Inc. at a very good price. It is a Garmin StreetPilot c340 and it is a blast!

I have been looking for a good price on a GPS for about a year. When I first saw one, they ran about $300 to $800 for an average priced GPS. While looking on the Meijer Website, I ran across a very affordable price of $143.99 for the c340 that usually sells for $399. And free shipping! That is a savings of over $250! Now, before you write me, I know that this was a discontinued model. But remember, the "shelf life" on most electronics is six to twelve months before it is either discontinued or replaced with an upgraded and up-priced model.

Back to the Garmin c340. Take it out of the box, put the mount on it, stick it to the windshield and you are ready to go! It is truly that simple! I do think they should have a warning on it to make sure you put it into the car before trying it out. Mine would not connect to the satellite from inside the house the first time. Now I can bring it back in and load up all of the addresses that I will be visiting that day for my job, all over town. Then just click on the preloaded addresses and I am off and driving. Clear display, bright colors, easy to follow! Touch screen for easy use. Many selections in the menu make it so fast and easy.

The voice is easy to listen to, although she does sound upset with me if I go a different direction than what she told me to! She seems a bit stern when I make her "redirect" her planned route. But the truth is, it is done quickly and effortlessly. There are always two ways to go around here to get to your destination. So if you take a right when she says go straight, she will recalculate the destination using your direction traveled and do it within a few seconds!


Did I say I love my Garmin?


If you would like more information on the Garmin, go to their website, or visit Meijer on their website and take a look. Meijer even has a "buy two" deal for about $288 for both. A package, one for you and one for the missus!

I bet you think they paid me a bunch for writing this post. Nope! I am just so exited to have this Garmin that I had to tell everyone to take a look. Don't wait long! They won't last at this price and then you will have to pay more for the "new" model.

For you classic car buffs, all you need is a "cigarette" plug to help charge the batteries. If you don't have a smokers model, it should still have the plug-in.
It is sure going to help me around the state this summer so I don't get lost finding the next car show!

Jamestown Memorial Day Parade 2008

This has taken a few days to write. Just so busy. But what a turn out in Jamestown! The crowd was the biggest it has been, I believe. The group that put it on (I am not sure, but maybe Jamestown Baptist Church?) did a terrific job of organization.
For those of you who expect mainly car shows and show-n-shines in my blog, hang in there. Take a look what a small (population 5200) community can do.
These shots are all taken at the "staging" area, the Jamestown Baptist Church.
Again, cudos to the organizers!




Horses, yes, there were horses. Including this two horse hitch. Looks like this driver is ready for the show to begin!




No parade would be complete without the fire department. These rough and ready firemen have the right equipment to not only fight a good fire, but to help save a life in an automobile accident. Paramedics are a standard part of our fire department here in Jamestown. A big "thank you" goes out to our firefighters!




This is a 1990 Chevy pick-up, but not your standard farm truck, that is for sure. This baby belongs to Ken and has a 454 engine, twin Holly carbs, huge Mickey Thompson slicks (must be 20 inches across!) that will take this thing to the finish line pretty quick! Great looking truck, Ken.




I thought this was a good use for old plastic barrels. Make them into little train cars, add some wheels and kids and voila! A fun time for the little ones! This was sponsored by so many groups in the local church, Jamestown Reformed, that I couldn't name them all!




This is a one-horse hitch, loaded up and ready for the young couple to head out west!
Good luck to them. It is a long haul from here to the West!




All the way from Kenya, Africa, these people are experiencing a part of America that should bring big smiles! Again, the local churches are at work sponsoring these fine folks and helping them learn all about the meaning of Memorial Day here in America.




A new car show is coming up! One of our newer churches, Searchlight Ministries, is putting on a car show. So if you are out and about in West Michigan on the date on the banner,
June 13th, from 6-9pm, stop on out for a good time. I am sure we will be there since it is only a mile from my house!




What would a parade be without politicians! Jim is currently our Supervisor and is asking for another term. All he has to do is win! Jim is a great guy and has done an admirable job this past 8 years. The car? A 1930 Ford Model "A" in excellent condition. It has been owned by John, Jim's brother, for over 20 years. He did the restoration himself. John has been working around cars all of his life, as did his father before him. Jim is an ex body man, restoring a few cars himself throughout the years.




And the competition! Pat is my neighbor and is running against Jim for Supervisor. She is very active in West Michigan with volunteer work. Her and hubby Dean, have brought back to life the Felt Mansion in Saugatuck, the White School in Hudsonville and, hopefully, will be instrumental in revitalizing the Jamestown Star School project. Go Pat! Good luck. To quote Pat's humorous "May the best woman win!," I would like to add, may the best candidate win!!








Sharp, Sharp! This very nice '57 Chevy Belair is one clean car. I don't think I have seen it around town. A big "hey" to the owner-(he was not around to get a name) come on down to Gemmen's this Saturday night and introduce yourself! A very nice ride!





This is the first time I have seen this GTO, also. They came with the banner for the car show, so I would guess we will see this car on June 16th. Come and support their local car show! Another fun night!








I hope you enjoy these pictures of this clean and sparkling black '39 Chevy coupe. I could find no problems with this car. The careful restoration is impeccable. Great work. If you know the owner, let me know so I can give him the credit he deserves. Thanks for bring it to the parade!






A very well done '53 Chevy coupe. It has the power glide transmission and shows very well. Again, thanks to the owner who was not around.



Even the kids get into it. Note the nurse is a bit young, but so is the wounded soldier! What a great idea, mom! My wife and I got a big kick out of it! This shows the effort that goes into our "little" Jamestown Parade!




Can you believe it? Goats for sale! Where else can you step up and buy a goat! I tried to get them both to smile and say hello. Just couldn't do it. My wife said this group was also giving away kittens. I hope they found a nice home for all of them!



I was saving this for Skywatch Friday, but think I will add it now. This is most of the many tractors that showed up for the parade. It seems that every farmer in town has his "special" tractor set aside for our parade. My hats off to all of the drivers of these great machines from our past.
If you are driving around the Jamestown area, take a trip out south of Byron Rd (84th) and see the many working farms. There are some award winning photographs to be made of these farms in action!




If anyone has any comments, corrections or additions, please leave a comment below. Simply click "comments." Thanks to all of the participants in this year's Memorial Day Parade here in Jamestown. I am very proud of our Township!