A Dream and Huntsville Dragway
Back in my early 20's I was obsessed with cars. I owned an Oxford White 1989 Mustang GT (still own it as a matter of fact), and loved tinkering with it when I had the time and money. And of course, I loved racing it.
Racing cars is not a cheap pursuit, so I had to do my own maintenance. I spent much of my 20's on my back underneath my Mustang, replacing gears, axles, transmissions, exhaust, clutches, you name it. And when I wasn't doing that, I was hunched over under the hood fixing something I broke or making a performance modification.
That all came to end once I got about halfway through with college. I'd spent a few years in the military, so I had a late start to college yet I was trying to keep up with others who were spending money left and right to go faster and faster. Eventually, cylinder heads and camshafts turned into couches and curtains when a new house came into the picture, and I stepped away from the car to start building my life.
My Mustang sat for a few years, I was exhausted, and honestly tired of it. I just wanted something I could rely on every day. But I came around to it. I did a mini-rebuild 23-24 years ago, rebuilt engine and some other good parts, but it wasn't until 2005-2006 that I rebuilt the entire car. The intent was to paint it and it would be done, I replaced every part on the car but never painted it. The paint is not terrible, but its clearly showing its age.
Now, in 2024, I am at a crossroads. The car is in need of a rebuild again. I have had the car since July 1990, buying it from my Dad who bought it new in December 1988, so I am not selling it. But I want to rebuild it completely this time. New engine and transmission, wheels/tires/brakes, and have it painted. I'd been losing interest in that dream until I made it out to Huntsville Dragway last weekend. It was test and tune weekend, just folks bringing out their cars and seeing what they'll do. I'd not been in about 10 years when I raced my car for the last time.
After the day at the track, the bug is back, I am ready to go again, perhaps take my new Explorer ST down the track and start working on the Mustang once again. Oh yeah, I took some photos of other folks having fun with their cars and motorcycles. It's a photography genre I have never tried, so I need some practice, but I took a few I liked. Here there are!
