Pony Express - Carolina Regional Mustang Club

Pony Express
March 2015
CRMC
P.O. Box 481883
Charlotte, NC 28269
Pedal Pony
by Dave Goff
I recently had the good fortune to add an original 1965 AMF Mustang Pedal Car to the Goff Mustang collection. I thought
the CRMC membership might enjoy reading a little history of these Midget Mustangs, so here goes!
During this 50th Anniversary Year celebration of our favorite pony car, the Ford Mustang, we are all familiar with "feeding
frenzy" that took place when the Mustang was first offered for sale on April 17, 1964. Not only were over 21,000 Mustangs sold
the very first day, but a million Mustangs were sold in just over eighteen months. A lesser-known fact about the instant success of
the Mustang has to do with the miniature Mustang pedal cars that were sold in Ford dealer showrooms, right alongside their fullsized counterparts. How many Mustang enthusiasts know that 93,000 Mustang Pedal Cars were sold by Christmas of their first year
in production? Amazing! At Ford Dealerships, the "Midget Mustang" sold for only $12.95 (see advertisement), while in stores, the
pedal car would cost you $25.
Since I grew up in a neighborhood with no sidewalks, I don't remember much about pedal cars. If you've ever eaten at
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Punchy's Diner on Hwy. 29 in Concord, you have probably noticed Punchy's personal collection of restored pedal toys - everything
from cars, trucks, jeeps, airplanes, tractors, and even a Good Humor Ice Cream delivery vehicle. According to the website PedalCarPlanet.com, pedal toys came into being with the advent of the first cars and continued in popularity until the 1970's when plastic put real steel toys out to pasture.
The Mustang Pedal Car was manufactured by the same AMF Company that manufactured Harley Davidson motorcycles in
the '70's and today makes bowling equipment. After a very successful run which saw the Mustang become one of the hottest pedal
cars of all time, AMF sold the original metal tooling to a Mexican company that closed in the early '80's. The tooling reportedly
remained untouched for over 20 years. In 2004, Mark Luzaich of Windsor, California learned of the tooling and flew to Mexico to
retrieve the molds with the purpose of reissueing the famous Midget Mustang. That story might just qualify as a "Mexican Barn
Find Mustang!" The reissues were exact steel replicas of the original Midget Mustang, except for the $250 price tag and various
paint scheme offerings, including Pace Car and Shelby replicas.
Checking eBay, original Mustang Pedal Cars have sold for up to $1,400; restored originals have sold for $1,000; while the
reissues can occasionally be found for under $500 - a far cry from the original 1964 purchase price of $12.95! All of which may explain why in my 20+ years of AutoFair shopping I've only seen two examples for sale. A long time ago, we stumbled on an original
one in the Green Field but it was in such poor shape that we would have never recognized it as a Mustang if there hadn't been a
home-made sign that said "Mustang." Two years ago, we found a new-in-box yellow reissue that was priced at $300. Hindsight says
that may have been a fair price,
but at the time it seemed steep.
If you were in attendance at
the November Club Meeting you
heard me say that I had just purchased a one-owner, 1965 convertible pedal car, with original
paint, tires, and upholstery. Background: various members of my
wife's family descend on the
Metrolina Fairgrounds twice a year
for the Antique Extravaganza.
Many of you have met Gina's Dad,
Roy, and her brother, Dean, who
handled a majority of the restoration of the PinkPony, and more
recently, the Caspian Blue '64 1/2
convertible we had in the MORE
lot at the 50th. While strolling
around Metrolina on Halloween,
Roy asked me if I would be interested in an original Mustang Pedal
Car that he had spotted in one of
the booths. When he told me the
asking price (and since Halloween
was my birthday!), I got real interested. Upon examining the car (and having Gina check what they were selling for on eBay), I decided to take the plunge! Interestingly enough, Dean had also given the car the once-over, but decided it was too nice a piece of
history for his grandson to "abuse."
The lady selling the car simply said that she had "put the car up in the garage after her son outgrew it years ago." As you can
see from the accompanying photo, the car is currently in "played with" condition, but is 100% all there, even down to the AMF
sticker on the trunk lid. The front grill and tail lights have been replaced (How in the world did AMF ever think thin plastic could
hold up the way kids always crash into things?), and the quarter panel ornaments are not all there, but there is minimal rust, intact
original paint, and even the original steering wheel and three-speed shifter are in place.
The Hagerty magazine this month has an interesting report about a panel of restoration experts they recently assembled to
discuss the pros and cons of restoring a 1950's Buick or preserving it in its "as-found" condition. The consensus seemed to be to
make safety upgrades (new brake lines, belts, hoses, etc.), but to enjoy the car as it sat because "they are only original once!" I
think that will be my plan for my new-old Midget Mustang. I plan to clean out the spiderwebs, lube the running works, and gently
try some rubbing compound to renew the factory paint. She won't be perfect, but after all, she is a 50-year-old piece of Mustang
history to enjoy having in the garage alongside the big Mustangs. Not a bad investment for $125! Now if Roy can just find me a
dealer promo '67 Fastback!
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March 2015
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Murder Mystery Dinner
Have you ever attended a Murder Mystery Dinner? Our friends at Shadow Springs Vineyard
offer these performances during their slow season and they have set aside Saturday March 28th at
6pm exclusively for CRMC. There are 35 seats available for this event which will include dinner as
the 'Murder Mystery' is being performed while we dine.
If you have ever participated in the fall wine cruise then you are familiar with Shadow Springs
Vineyard and their great staff, they treat CRMC as valued customers and I have no doubt that this
event will be a big hit. The cost will be $45 per person and will include a glass of wine. We have
also set aside a block of rooms at the Fairfield Inn in Elkin, NC. which will also include transportation
to and from Shadow Springs Vineyard for those concerned about driving, the cost will be $109 for a
room for two and includes breakfast in the morning.
So, if you are looking for a night out with your significant other and just want to get your Mustang out and cruise with other members, contact Steve Hartung at [email protected] or
704-641-1305 for more info and to be put on the list.
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Ford NEWS
Ford recently unveiled the all-new GT, an ultra-high-performance supercar that serves as a technology showcase for top EcoBoost® performance, aerodynamics and lightweight carbon fiber construction.
The GT is one of more than 12 new Ford Performance vehicles coming by 2020. It joins Focus RS, F-150 Raptor,
Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT350R in the growing Ford Performance lineup.
Beginning production late next year, the GT hits the road in select global markets to celebrate the 50th anniversary of
Ford GT race cars placing 1-2-3 at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“As we at Ford drive innovation into every part of our business, it’s worth remembering that our first innovation as a
company was not in a laboratory, but on the racetrack,” said Mark Fields, Ford president and chief executive officer,
referring to Henry Ford’s win of a 1901 car race that inspired financial backers to invest in his company. “We are passionate about innovation through performance and creating vehicles that make people’s hearts pound.”
The all-new GT supercar features rear-wheel drive, a mid-mounted engine, and a sleek, aerodynamic, two-door
coupe body shell. It is propelled by the most powerful EcoBoost production engine ever – a next-generation twinturbocharged EcoBoost V6 producing more than 600 horsepower.
The GT makes extensive use of lightweight materials, including carbon fiber and aluminum – enabling outstanding acceleration and handling with improved efficiency.
Ford’s commitment to and capability in delivering technologies typically offered only in elite vehicles is evident in the
GT. These include advanced active aerodynamics, such as a deployable rear spoiler, and a host of material and technology innovations to help better serve the driver, such as SYNC® 3 – the latest version of Ford’s advanced connectivity
system.
“The GT is the ultimate execution of an enthusiast supercar,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product
Development. “GT includes innovations and technologies that can be applied broadly across Ford’s future product portfolio – another proof point that Ford continues raising the performance bar while ultimately improving vehicles for all
of our customers.”
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March 2015
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CRMC Officers
President
Mark Young
The Power of the Pony
Vice President
Woody Woodruff
Secretary
Vicci Brown
Treasurer
Steve Hartung
Regional Director
Mike Williams
Past President
Karen Demers
BOD at Large
Mark Hunter
Ray Michue
Jim Brooks
Gary Travis
Barry Stone
CRMC is a
Regional Club of
Mustang Club
of America
www.mustang.org
CRMC
Charter Date
August 24, 1978
March has arrived and hopefully the warm weather will accompany it soon. Show season can’t come fast enough. I have completed some of my winter car projects but not
all. I did manage to get new control arms and ball joints on the daily driver Ranger. That
is real work for sure. Thank goodness for free loaner tools. I still hope to finish the
weatherstripping installation on my T-top Foxbody, then do a spring oil change and
overall safety inspection on the Herd.
That is a critical step I hope all of you also either do or have someone do for you. A lot
of these cars are 20-50 years old now. And nearly all show cars are driven very little,
which is harder on them than driving them every day in almost every area except for
wear on the paint perhaps. Please take the time to pull your wheels and brake drums if
so equipped, inspect your rubber brake lines and check the wheel cylinders for seeping
and pads and shoes for wear. This is a great time to detail the wheels and wheelwells
inside and out, which earns points at shows folks! Put on the overalls and crawl under
to check the rear axle and transmission for leaking seals or other damage. Also remember those items are filled with fluid that needs replacing at regular intervals as well. Just
because you only drove 600 miles since your last oil change doesn’t mean it doesn’t
need changed. The short drives that these cars routinely see is extremely hard on the
oil. The engine never gets hot enough to fully remove the moisture suspended in the oil
believe it or not. Oil floats on water so that means there is a layer of water in between
critical bearing surfaces inside the engine. CHANGE your OIL! It’s not hard to do and
does not cost much. And brake fluid is not designed to last 10, 20 or 30 years. It needs
to be flushed on a schedule. Coolant also. Don’t cause trouble for yourself by not properly maintaining your show car. How many of our club cars do you think have 25 year
old rubber fuel hoses under the hood? How about brake fluid that was made in the ‘80s
or worse? They have been subjected to how many heat cycles over how many years and
miles? What is under your hood?
I am also faced with a maintenance dilemma this year that is new to me. I have a 2004
Cobra that still has the original tires on it. The tires are in excellent condition tread-wise
and have been properly rotated and stored so they don’t develop flat spots. But the
tires are now 11 years old. Most manufacturers don’t recommend driving on tires older
than 9, even if there is no evidence of cracking or dry rotting. Dare I risk being hurt in an
accident due to a blowout or possibly even just damaging the car if I were to lose control? I actually had a tire come apart on my ‘84 in 2012 that was so “new” (wear-wise)
that the white letters still had the blue protective film on them and the little “nubs” on
the tread from the casting mold. But they were 10+ years old. It happens!
Quickly on the horizon is spring AutoFair April 10th-12th. That is always a good time even
if the weather does not cooperate. The fellowship with your fellow car aficionados is
priceless and the event is free if you bring your car to show. If you have never been, you
should make a point to come out this year and make some new friends in the club.
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March 2015