Gearhead for Life

From the start when I was young I always loved cars. As a child I had more Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars than all the rest of my toys combined.Literally I had a toy chest that was full to the brim and a closet that was flooded,all with cars.Gear head from the start.By far my 2 favorite cars have always been the Mustang and Trans-Am.Must be from watching all those Smokey and the Bandit movies and Cannonball run movies.It's no wonder that when I got my license at 16 i was truly in my element now.

Well what can I afford now at only 16? An '86 S-10 with a 2.8 V-6 and a 4speed manual that needed a replacement engine from a junkyard.Bingo! We had tons of fun with that truck,and it truly was the reason why I was so interested in challenging myself further in mechanics. Why else would anyone buy such a piece of crap fixer-upper for 100 dollars and do the work themselves if they weren't interested in setting high goals for their own vehicle. I got my first job as a LOF Tech...(a Lube-Oil-Filter grease ball)...or as it's pronounced like a loaf of bread.Yup I changed oil for a living back then at a shop...where i met some great people and had some great time,and learned many things over time about engines and overhauls.Eventually becoming a class3 tech,I left the shop and pursued my other passion,construction.
The money was far higher and this would allow me to retire my poor ole '86 S-10 and finally get something new.Brand new.So at the ripe age of 18 I financed a brand new 1999 Mercury Cougar with a DuraTec v-6 and a 5 speed.This was one fast car.150 on the speedometer.

This next car would prove the insanity of car customization. It was my second car,and it was going to be anything but stock before i was done with it. It wasn't a mustang,but it was a Ford. Ford makes Mercury and at the time,the body style of the new Mercury Cougar was cutting edge.An entire new platform that took 3 years of design before they re-released the car in 1999. In 1996 The Mercury Cougar was discontinued and its body style went from "old-timer" to racer ready.The curves of the car and the sharp lines it had compelled me to buy it.I knew that i could make this car something phenomenal.