Is it a manual shift? Those are a blast to drive!
It is an auto - which is why it sold so cheaply.
5 speed conversion is step 2, and a days work.
Those are a blast to drive!
+1
Very cool car, and a great project for you and your son!
Thanks Gary! My boy seems pretty psyched about it. Initially he wanted an import, which I’m not opposed to - but first he needs a cheaper, simpler platform on which to gain experience. The 5.0 checks the right boxes on that front!
That looks like a great project for you and your son Tom!
Chris, we shall see. Talk is cheap when it comes to project cars. Whether he’s willing to learn the ropes and put in the work effort remains to be seen. So far, he seems committed - but if this turns into a Father-Father project, then I’ll just take it under imminent domain…
Hear! Hear!
That’s how I ended up with my Wagon project. The Dad was building it for his son. Son agreed to help and either get a job or go to school. He chose to do neither so the Dad took it back and onto Craigslist it went. Then it went home with me. 
Good luck on the Mustang project.
My oldest would LOSE HIS MIND if I brought home a project like that. He’d probably even hug me (and he’s far too cool for anything but a bro hug these days).
Instead, in Dec. I brought home an '04 MDX (175k, 2 owners) that needed a PS pump & a lot of detailing. He provided the labor, & I sprung for a set of Blizzaks, LOL.
Tonight, he’s driving me & his brother to VT for a guys ski weekend. Seems like just yesterday we were building Pinewood Derby cars together…
Man I know THAT feeling. My boys were born, I blinked and suddenly they were grown. Bittersweet.
The '90 Tbird I gave my stepson ended up in the junkyard last week. Of course I got a convoluted description of the wreck and how it wasn’t his fault (nothing ever seems to be. Thank God he’s grown, out of the house, and left to his own crow to eat). Two days later my wife springs up with “maybe we can…” That’s all she got out if her mouth before she was cut off with"Hell no! I gave him a car with a list of things that needed addressed. Instead of fixing those things, I watched the car continue to progressively look and run worse(all with a replacement engine with 15,000 on it when I gave it to him) up until the point that he calls us to tell us it’s been totalled. He can do like we had to. He can either save enough money for a used car, or get a loan for a new one without the help of a Co-signature. I am not going to end up paying for a car I don’t want. Nor do I want to take possession of something that he has owned because he takes NO pride in ownership." She wasn’t to happy about that, but eventually conceded that tough love is in order after that.
To tell you the truth, if I hadn’t needed to make room for the '68 and her '79, I wouldn’t have given him the '90. I’ve watched him destroy too many things, vehicles included, to actually WANT to give him anything. I told her as much.
Anyhow, just needed to vent how MY fatherly gift went.
My other ride? Definitely nothing exciting, but I bought it with the purpose of lasting my 10 years so that it can be my son’s to use (not given, it’ll still be my truck, just the household vehicle he’ll have access to). Bought it new a couple of years ago, a 2015 Tacoma Doublecab. I purposely bought the last model year of the 2nd gen, as they’ve basically been unchanged since 2005 mechanically, and I expect it to last the 10 years with routine maintenance.
I’m not going to lie, it’d be kind of cool if instead of the truck, he wanted to find something to wrench on and make his own. He’s only 7 now, but likes to at least help tighten up the lug nuts right now.
When I bought my Ranger back in '06, it was between the Tacoma and the Ranger. I got a much better deal on the Ranger then I could on the Tacoma. I do like them. But not $5K more then what I bought. Both were new last year stock at local dealers. That is a nice looking truck and will give you great service.
Nice truck - and you’ll get your money’s worth and more. Toyota had a major PR disaster with the Dana Frame rust debacle a decade ago - but they stood tall and replaced frames on thousands of Tacoma and Tundra trucks. I respected that.
I went to look at Colorado/Canyons when I bought the Tacoma, but they were too new and offering no incentives. 0% interest and a decent amount off when I picked up mine. I work from home, so I have low miles as well, anout 5k per year. The truck should be a keeper, which is rare for me!
I like the Tacoma. What’s kind of funny is they are considered a mid size, but when I park my '95 F150 beside my brother in law’s '14 Tacoma, my truck is smaller.
I had a 2012 Tundra Crewmax before (and a Focus ST before the Tacoma). Parking the Taco near any full size now is crazy. It’s almost 2 feet shorter than the Tundra, much shorter, and much narrower. I didn’t need to tow anything anymore, so that’s when the Tundra was traded in. That was a great truck, too, though. I only had the Focus ST a year, I missed having a truck.
Here’s another on of my babies! 1956 Ford Country Sedan Thunderbird Special. 312 Y block and 3 on the tree trans… Lowered with Ford Arostar springs up front and 2 inch blocks in the back. She’s long, low, loud and sometimes fast…
![229221_10152118644510587_1499357042_n[1]2225.JPG](https://forum.classiccougarcommunity.com/uploads/db3333/original/2X/e/e9b78a87d6f361b43a32c052073d67de7aae0d4c.jpeg)
I like it!
Well gang - 3 months of hard effort and the LX 5.0 is about done. New suspension with Koni struts / shocks, 5 speed conversion, replacement of the radiator support/front apron/fenders/hood (past crash damage) and a good general freshening up of the 85,000 mile 302 (timing chain, oil pump, water pump, gaskets, rebuilt injectors) plus a fanatical top to bottom scrubbing and we’ve got a presentable and good running 5.0 Notch.
Great project, the boys put in a decent amount of effort and they love the result. Long story short - another worthy Ford lives on, and the next generation of Ford lovers ensured. Dave Wyrwas - seems like a long time since my oldest was a toddler and used to come to the Tewksbury cruise night in our 428 CJ !!
