September 1999 - Archive

My Mustang was certified today by the Dutch authority for vehicle safety. This means I'm allowed to apply for official registration for the car and request Dutch license plates!

I didn't feel ready yet to start on the car myself, so I had several things repaired and/or replaced in order to get trough this check. Brake parts, radiator, battery, starter motor, starter relay and a lot more.

After paying the big bill, I was given lots of 'free' advice on what else I should improve on the car, like the complete exhaust system (which now is from an Escort and a complete joke), the righthand exhaust manifold (which is broken), the wiring (a mess) and parts of the ignition system. Personaly I think the best advice is to try and do it all myself to save some $$ !

Below are some more photos of the car as it looks now. You gotta love the re-vamped rear of the '67 model, including the 'deeper' tail lights! The second photo shows the ivy gold luxury interior, including the rarely seen four optional warning lights, in the middle of the dash. If you have any info on them - like original price / number in existence - please get in touch.

The third photo is of the original 289 2V engine. It looks worse than it actually is, but it seems that battery-acid sprayed all over the engine and the inside of the hood.

Without changing anything to the Mustang I tried to get it through the RDW registration inspection today. It failed. Brakes are a mess (only one is working a bit and I did like what... 90 miles an hour in Germany!), powersteering hoses are too close to the exhaust and, and, and...

Okay, now what?!?

9-9-'99 - 'Stang-Day!

With the help of a good friend I went to Essen, Germany to pick up the Mustang! Very exciting indeed! I did this with an 'one-day licence plate' as the car still needs official Dutch registration. Ofcourse I did most of the 2,5 hour drive with the top down which resulted in my first 'convertible sun burn'!

The ride did not go without problems though. Due to the hot summer temperature and a traffic jam, the engine overheated! After a little cooling down at the site of the road, that little problem was solved and we made it back to Amsterdam safely.