She has finally arrived...

[Johnny M]

So after 18 months of headaches my car is finally home....Thankfully it arrived safe and sound after the long trip across the Atlantic.












The fun starts now......

Johnny

[daveSanborn]

The shop turned out great.  It looks like you've got plenty of lights.  How are you set for room in there now that the car and all the parts are stored there?  Do yourself a big favor and keep all of those new parts well protected/covered while you're building the car.  Bodywork dust WILL get EVERYWHERE.  If the car stays mobile, when weather permits I'd push her outside for any heavy bodywork.  It's sometimes easier than cleaning up all of the dust.... especially when you're sanding fiberglass.

[Johnny M]

The shop turned out great.  It looks like you've got plenty of lights.  How are you set for room in there now that the car and all the parts are stored there?  Do yourself a big favor and keep all of those new parts well protected/covered while you're building the car.  Bodywork dust WILL get EVERYWHERE.  If the car stays mobile, when weather permits I'd push her outside for any heavy bodywork.  It's sometimes easier than cleaning up all of the dust.... especially when you're sanding fiberglass.

Thanks Dave and Yea, I am delighted with the shop..I put in two rows of of double fluorescents along with all the usual toys. I am not too bad for space now that I have sorted out most of the parts. I have separate storage space for any parts that I will not need until later in the build.

I've hardly done any work this week....and I guess my schedule for this weekend is pretty full!  :dance

[Fast68back]

Must be very exciting. For those of us not in the know. You bought the car here in the states and sent to to a bodyshop and then to you? Or you bought it here and loaded it on a container with a lot of parts and shipped it back and it took 18 months? Give us some background, then get the hell to work getting her done.

[Midlife]

That's quite a nice box you have there for your kids to play in.  We only get cardboard boxes... :jam

[Johnny M]

Must be very exciting. For those of us not in the know. You bought the car here in the states and sent to to a bodyshop and then to you? Or you bought it here and loaded it on a container with a lot of parts and shipped it back and it took 18 months? Give us some background, then get the hell to work getting her done.

It all started about 2 years ago...Decided I wanted a Mustang, then a FB, then an Eleanor...I eventually found a car about 18 months in a small shop in NC..price was ok and i asked them to carry out the metal work and get it rolling...Things went very bad, the guy tried to expand but failed and then decided to stop taking my calls.....I had my car and all my parts sitting with him. I was about to jump on a plane to see WTF was going on but thankfully Duane was able to help me out and went over to see what this guy was up to....

Once i found out that my car and all my stuff was still there i jumped on a plane with my brother and another buddy and headed for Statesville, NC....Rented a 26ft u-Haul truck and headed down to this guys place to load all my stuff up....He had done some of the work (badly) but i was just glad to get my stuff out of there...So i loaded up and headed for Northern PA where we had a 40ft container booked to take some drilling equipment back to Ireland...

Long Story Short the guy filed bankrupty and i lost about $6k....

Yes, it sucks but it could've been worse....I'm just glad i have my car home and i can get working on it...

And Midlife.....what kids?????  :drunken_smilie all my money goes into my car until such an event happens!!!!!

[Fast68back]

Man, thats quite a story/ordeal, sorry you had to go through all that. How long did it take to actually get there from when you loaded the container?

[Johnny M]

Man, thats quite a story/ordeal, sorry you had to go through all that. How long did it take to actually get there from when you loaded the container?

Loaded the container about 5-6 weeks ago..about 3 weeks at sea and a week either side for customs....

[blue65coupe]

glad she's home, have fun

[cmayna]

All I can say is WOW.  Talking about not giving up on the car of your dream.

[AzPete]

And some of us complain about missing a part or a crappy paint job.

Good luck with the rest of the build. Hope there are local shops that can do the work you need help with.

[Johnny M]

All I can say is WOW.  Talking about not giving up on the car of your dream.

No chance....this one is going all the way.....

[Johnny M]

And some of us complain about missing a part or a crappy paint job.

Good luck with the rest of the build. Hope there are local shops that can do the work you need help with.

I have a few good car guys that can help me but very few people near me have experience working on US cars.....but watch this space,,,i am counting on you guys for help.....

[daveSanborn]

Johnny,

Focus your attention on replacing/fixing any bad metal/metal work.  Then have fun messing with the FG.  Once the metal work and body work is done, the car can go to the paint booth.  Until the car comes back from the paint booth, there's not going to be a lot of fun in your life.  Plan on misery, little to no free time, and a lot of frustration.  Assembling the car is the EASY part.  It's getting to that point that is the pain in the arse.

To make your build easier, you may want to consult with a local body shop.  Body work is body work, I don't care what kind of car it is.  There's got to be a local body guy around your area looking to make a few dollars on a side job.

[Sluggo]

Worst case you can fly me in on weekends. I might have to bail out pretty soon.
The American Auto industry just went into super panic mode.

[Johnny M]

Worst case you can fly me in on weekends. I might have to bail out pretty soon.
The American Auto industry just went into super panic mode.

Get in line after Dave........If you like beer and building mustangs then get on a plane......

[Johnny M]

Johnny,

Focus your attention on replacing/fixing any bad metal/metal work.  Then have fun messing with the FG.  Once the metal work and body work is done, the car can go to the paint booth.  Until the car comes back from the paint booth, there's not going to be a lot of fun in your life.  Plan on misery, little to no free time, and a lot of frustration.  Assembling the car is the EASY part.  It's getting to that point that is the pain in the arse.

To make your build easier, you may want to consult with a local body shop.  Body work is body work, I don't care what kind of car it is.  There's got to be a local body guy around your area looking to make a few dollars on a side job.

Dave,
I agree, I will be taking care of the metal work this week and I have a good panel beating coming around tomorrow so we can make a plan on body work.

I spent most of the weekend sorting parts.....I couldn't resist mocking it up....



Johnny

[garner67]

Sorry to hear about all the drama, but it looks like everything is in your hands now.

Great story.  Keep us up-to-date with your progress, and I'm sure you'll get plenty of guidance when you need it here.

What paint color?

[Johnny M]

Sorry to hear about all the drama, but it looks like everything is in your hands now.

Great story.  Keep us up-to-date with your progress, and I'm sure you'll get plenty of guidance when you need it here.

What paint color?

Thanks,

I will more than likely go with the original E-Car colours but that could change further down the road....