My dad helped me buy this truck when I was 15 years old (my 1990 senior picture above). It was somewhat stock in appearance aside from a darker shade of metallic green and the previous owner had installed a 302/C4 and a set of old school slotted mag wheels.

I drove it all through high school this way and at the end of my senior year, in 1990, I decided it was time for a full rebuild including some modifications I had been thinking about since I bought it.

I installed a Fatman Mustang II IFS crossmember along with some junkyard stamped control arms, spindles, and new rotors. I removed several leaves from the rear spring packs and put a 9" Ford rearend under them. I then painted the frame the same color that the truck was as I had planned on keeping it the same color it was.

Countless holes were then filled in on the firewall and I rebuilt that tired old 302 and started adding some color and shiny stuff. It was this time that I felt like there was still something missing or that I wasn't quite happy with it yet.

Still, I continued to paint and assemble the truck with what little money I had and pretty much had it back together in one piece except for interior and paint. I even rewired it with a Painless kit and fired the motor. Ready for a road test??? Not quite. The truck didn't have rear brakes, gauges, glass, etc. and I was off to college. Perhaps I should have waited before taking on such a project as the truck sat for many years after a head-first dive into a project that nearly overwhelmed me. I almost lost interest but I managed to hold onto the truck in storage (thanks dad & grandpa!) over the years and mixed several attempts to make any progress on it with college, a marriage, a divorce, life, etc.