Author: Cj B

Top 10 list for restoration
1. Don’t completely disassemble the car the first weekend! Make a plan
first!!!!
a. Make a decision on what kind of project this is. Resto mod? Nut and
bolt resto? Nice driver? Your budget, time and resources will dictate this.
b. Create a working timeline that allows you to visualize the order in
which you will complete the car. Body before paint, engine rebuild before
decals, etc.
c. Every time you go into the garage to work, have a list of what you
want to accomplish. You will dream about this stuff…helps to get it on
paper.
d. Repair one part at a time. This keeps the project small and feasible.
Rather than looking at the engine bay and passing out….take on the
windshield wiper motor, then the wiper fluid tank, and so on.
2. Buy a set of shop manuals specific to your car. This is key to
understanding how parts go together and apart:

3. Get Organized:
a. Buy a Good DSLR camera, and take lots of photos…you never have enough.
Document the before, during and after. Organize them on your computer.
b. Plastic divider boxes for hardware. This is a better way to keep and
organize parts. Sandwich bags are only good when you are doing the initial
deconstruction. Clean them up and get them into the plastic boxes:
http://www.tapplastics.com/product/plastics/plastic_containers/tuff_tainer/226
c. Get Shelves: in your attic, garage, closets, etc. Label boxes, group
parts and shelve them. A disassembled car takes up way more space than an
assembled car. I liked to use plastic totes…as they don’t fall apart and
stack easy.
d. Take Notes/drawings. lots of them. Keep questions together.
e. Keep a binder. Put all your questions, notes, drawings, vendors,
receipts, etc, in a binder.
f. Keep a list of vendors, with notes about each. Network locally for
guys who know what they are doing. Ask around at car shows about painters,
engine builders, etc. Do lots of interviewing. NPD is a Mustang parts
supplier…many of their parts interchange with Torino and are much much
cheaper.
g.
h. Start a Spreadsheet with expenses/source. Nice to see what you’ve got
into the car and also a running list of what you have and haven’t bought
yet.
4. Don’t rebuild the drivetrain too early: these parts come with
warranties…which run out if your project drags on. My engine sat rebuilt
for 3 or 4 years. That’s not good.
5. Bench fire/tune your engine. I didn’t do this…as I didn’t want to mess
with it. Would have been much easier and less of a headache in the long
run. For many reasons…
6. Tools: Some really nice tools to have include; Quality Air compressor,
Sand blasting cabinet, ratcheting box wrenches, dremel tool, bench vise,
good socket set, shop to work in. Harbor Freight is great for the
expendables: sand paper, rubber gloves, zip ties, etc. take your chances
with tools.
7. Learn how to paint. “Spray bombs” (spray paint) are ok…for some things.
But using a spray gun or powder coating is preferred for high impact/use
items. You can do this with a good compressor and gun…and some trial and
error.
8. Cheapo: Sometimes going cheap is not good. I learned this the hard way
with a distributor. Pay a little more for key components that are rebuilt
correctly.
9. Use the TC Forum: ask lots of questions; refer to past posts, etc. I
learned so much on there!
10. Have fun: easy to get caught up and frustrated. Take breaks, work on
easy stuff and come back to the hard stuff. These projects are not easy,
cheap or perfect…otherwise everyone would do one.

Well, it’s been a while since I posted and I need to do a major update. I went home for Christmas and things were fine mostly. Spent a lot of time working out with Army and having a good time with him. I am not sure if he’s just being flirty or what but he kept calling me “Future husband” and making other dating jokes. He bought his first house which is super exciting and I’m really happy for him. He has all kinds of travel plans and I wish that he would invite me on more of them but whatever. We’re not super close or anything. It’s more about cocnvienvnve for him for sure.

Christmas Day was pretty annoying TBH. We were not supposed to be getting each other gifts but I come down and Andy had gotten TONS of gifts for everyone. I felt bad about not getting him anything and then my dad was like “You didn’t get him anything, that’s pretty mean”. WTF we all agreed I thought that we were not doing gifts this year.

Charles and I spent a lot of time facetiming and watching movies together in the evening which was super cute. He agreed to pick me up from the airport on Monday when I got back which was amazing. It made me so happy to see him when I landed and came out of the airport.

We went back to his place and hung out, he had to go to work so I Went back home. He came to my place latter that night and said he had a massive headache. The next morning he woke up with a bad temp and we ended up just going to his place and hanging out. Come to find out he had COVID.

So we’ve spent the last week together quarantined. I also tested positive for COVID. So whatever. At least now I’ve officially had it! It’s been interesting being stuck together for the past 6 days. We haven’t had any major issues but there have been some interesting things that I am not sure how I feel about with him. IE: I feel like he doesn’t want to really put any effort into planning things and deciding what to do. I felt like ti was always up to me to offer suggestions and then he would pick something. I wish that he would have aded some more time into giving me some options of what he wanted to do.

I really do like him and eh’s super sweet. I love that he loves to cuddle. I love his smile, we laugh and have a lot of fun together. even when he is sick. But he also confuses the fuck out of me. IE we have only had sex twice in the past week. Granted. I guess we are SICK technically.

THere’s also some things with how much other people are texting him which bothers the fuck out of me. I know he has other friends but like Eric of course has been texting him all the time. At one point, I saw one of the texts an it was something like “DO you have any symptoms” and my fucking crazy ass mind went and said “omg maybe they are talking about STD’s, did Eric give him an STD while they were together”.. But then later that night he told me that Eric was concerned Charles had given him Covid as well.

He has done some super sweet stuff too. IE one night we were laying on the couch and he kept playing this same song over and over and over again. I have been trying really and to not keep asking him “WHAT ARE YOU DDOING” So I just left it be. But then the next morning we were on tiktoc together and the song played, so I like “IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE GOING LAST NIGHT” watching these cute couples videos about the past year. And he said “NO, I was trying to make one for us”. It was SO CUTE. So he showed me this little video he made about us.

It sucks that we have had so much fucked up shit between us to start this relationship but at the same time it’s been great that we got through it all.

This song is so fitting right now. Charles hung out with Eric last night. I texted him goodnight and he replied: “I will. Eric and I are talking about deep shit. He feels like there are “loose ends”. Don’t worry. Just clarifying things with him. I’m a bit annoyed but better to tell him now than never”.

Ugh. I am just so nervous that this guy is going to do anything he can to get Charles back. It’s like we’re in a tug of war.

Things have been great with Charles, I’ve been happy, etc. He told me before I left for Iowa that he was going to spend Christmas with Eric and his Family. I expressed that I was’t comfortable with that and he cancelled which was nice of him to do.

I wish Eric would fucking just disappear. I know he never will. I know Charles and him are great friends and I’m just going to have to deal with this BS. But it really hurts every fucking time they hang out. Every time they hang out, I’m worried. “Will I hear from him the next day”.

Like last night, I told Charles, “Text me when you’re home safe”. He said “I will.”… I never got that text. It’s a repeat of what happened last time. Now of course I am sitting here waiting for him to text me. Thinking to myself: “It’s 7:10am, he’s said he worked at 8am, why isn’t he awake and texting me yet”.

I dunno, the other thing is that he’s still not 100% comfortable with my status which upsets me too. He’s getting on Prep which is great.

I wait and see…