The Introduction of Bill.......and the bins.

The car sat parked in the garage perilously close to kids bikes, lawn tools, shovels, etc.  I cringed when the wife pulled into the garage at warp speed, watching the girls fling doors open and then lunge to catch the door before it hit the Mustang.  (I can only imagine what happened when I wasn't watching).  I had noted the every increasing chips in the delicate paint and the disturbed dust on the doors and hood.   In desperation, I knew I had to get the car drivable and out of harms way.

I began to look for places to help get the car to a state of drivability with the thought that it would be easier to drive to a garage then to tow it.  I had taken the car to a body shop to get the doors and such aligned which turned out to be a good idea.  However, when it came to installing a parking brake, headliner and other intricate items, the outcome was not nearly as appreciated.  I needed a specialist and began to look in earnest.

I had just a few criteria for the shop. It had to be close and they had to deal solely with Mustangs.  Simple enough, right?  Well, look in the Yellow Pages, Google, etc and they are few and far between.  I was getting a little frustrated when I got an email on March 14, 2011 and it looked like this:

I had ordered parts from CJ Pony Parts (and others) but I had no idea they restored Mustangs.  I immediately emailed the manager, Bill briefly relating the story of how I came by the car and what I wanted to accomplish.  Bill responded the next day and assured me that CJ Pony Service could certainly help with the repairs and modifications.  He invited me to the Open House the following weekend, but I asked if it would be OK if I came the weekend prior, just to avoid the crowds and because I already had the trailer lined up to tow the car.  He offered to come in on that Saturday morning and meet me to drop off the car and go over the project.  Awesome, it's a done deal.

Saturday morning, I got up early, loaded up the car and all the parts I had purchased (3 bins worth) and drove the 62 miles to Harrisburg, PA with the precious cargo in tow. As I neared the building, I recognized the red roof from the website and turned into the parking lot.  When I approached the garage doors and while I was scanning the parking lot for cars, the garage door labeled "Shop 2" flew up and a large man stood there with a clipboard; it was Bill.  I was 10 minutes early and Bill had already arrived and was ready to go.  Impressive by military standards and greatly appreciated.

Now it was time to get down to business.