In order to know where I am, you need to know where I’ve been.
For me, the idea of the wagon has been instilled in me at an early age. The first one I can remember is a 1972 Grand Torino. Crap brown in and out. My dad bought it in 74 and sold it for scrap- due to rust- in 76, but I have fond memories of riding for hours in the back, playing with my Tonka trucks and matchbox cars in the cargo area. That wagon- and Ford- left such a bad taste in my dads mouth, that he, to this day, has owned neither another wagon, or Ford.
One sexy beast, when it wasn’t rusted out (not ours, just a random internet pic)
I, on the other hand, have owned numerous vehicles from various manufacturers. Corvettes to Olds 88’s; Audi to VW; and BMW to Mercedes and others- but there was always something missing.
Enter late 1992. Went to trade my 318 for a car with A/C (Texas gets HOT in the summer) and there it was. Pretty, white with blur interior. Not sure after all these years if it was a 91 Olds or Buick, but I remember it had the vista roof! Anyway, I brought it home to show the wifey. She asked one question, “how much?” $13,000. OUCH! For a Specialist I the Army, that was more than a years salary! NOGO. Took the car back and got her a 90 Taurus wagon instead for ½ the price- which I traded in 10 years later with 188K on the clock. I found a 78LTD wagon with the 351M which I abused for 3 years and sold for $100 more than I paid for it.
More to the point, I loved that wagon so much, that when it came time to retire, I knew what car I wanted. The search was on.
I looked at all kinds of wagons. Too rusty; clean, but too expensive; leather; or just plain wore out.
I found a 96 MAB with wood locally- for sale- $3500, but when I went back to get the number, it was gone. Showed up at the local Volvo dealership a week later for $7500.
Then I came across this one. A 96, MAB, WB4, AND a tow pac? I drove down to Jacksonville to take a test drive and knew that “this is the one”.
This is the pic from the Craigslist ad……
When I bought this car, I had no idea of the potential it had. I can’t remember why, but I needed something and found ISSF. Then I saw what these cars could be. So the mods began. They had to start small and free as I was still making payments on it.
When I got it home:
First mod was to tint the winders:
then paint the home plate:
That didn’t take long, so I removed the “home plate” and added the Home Depot CAI, did the TB bypass….
All was good until I went to my first Wagon Fest. That’s when I, and my son, discovered the “type” of person that owns these cars- friendly, and willing to share knowledge about what mods work; and more importantly, which ones don’t.
Al of the mods, save for the HD CAI, were either free, or at an extremely reduced price. Nothing- and I mean NOTHING is new. Every mod in my car is someone else’s unwanted stuff.
Rear power mod:
And then I came across these Imp SS wheels. Tore up all to hell, but cheap.
a little experimenting and a couple of days later……
The difference was dramatic to say the least:
Other mods taken over time….
2.5" Frankenstein exhaust:
SSRI
Fuel rail covers and a can of paint:
Added some donated chrome pieces
and as she sits now…
Not bad for a daily driver that I put 19,000 miles a year on if I do say so myself........
Soooo, anyone have a set of Street trends tinted headlights they want to part with cheap??