Recently, I have to admit i've been getting pretty bored with my car, and becoming less and less interested in it. I'm going to go so far as to say I have thought about selling it and finding a roller Fox Body to put the engine I am planning on building into.
Fast foward to today. Lazy day... decide to clean the Mustang and my Jeep up, even though it probaly didn't beak 60* today, lol. That was a cold hour or so washing both vehicles.
The extent of my driving was in and out of my driveway to move them around, didn't have any plans on going anywhere nor did I feel like making any.
So tonight I make a run to the gas station to get some incredibly hot coffee to warm up on, and decided I'd take the 'Stang.
I jump in, and start her up and start to take off down the street. I'm just idling down the road as I am trying to let it warm up for a minute before I actually have to get on the highway. The radio was almost silent and the only other noises were the blurble of the Flowpath's and the crispness of the X-pipe, and the faint knocking sound coming from the engine when it's cold (it doesn't seem to say "i'm going to break", it's more like "i'm getting old, and I know one day you will breath new life into me").
Make it out to the road, no traffic. I ease into it and slowly cruise down the road listening to the exhaust and patiently waiting for the heat to warm up just a little more.
After a little cruise, I pull into the gas station... car is clean as a whistle and dripping wet (dew), not to mention how driving under the canope at the pumps magnafies the exhaust 10 fold.
So I get out, and this guy walking out of the building says "nice car man", to which I replied "thanks, I appreciate that alot", because someone saying that never gets old to me. It makes me feel good about the work I have put into it. The work that I alone have done to it (save for the gears).
As I am leaving, the car is resonating very loud under the roof of the pumps, a guy walking out of the store glances over when I blip the gas to take off. Wether they like it or not, I love grabbing peoples attention with the exhaust.
I pull out into the road smoothly and calmly shift my way back home, feeling the tourqe of the engine that is loving the cold air.
I get home, and instead of shutting the car off, I leave it running and start walking down the street to listen to it idle in the distance... ahhh the sweet, sweet sound of an American V-8...
Watching the steam roll out from underneath the bumper (dumps) and curl it's way up the back of the car had some wierd effect on me, and it instantly made me realize exactly why I bought this car, and what my plans are for it. On top of that, it made me realize that almost no matter what other issues I might be dealing with, almost no matter how down in the dumps I might be, my Mustang is an outlet to channel those feelings through, and a tool to make myself feel better about almost anything.
Sorry that was so long, but it was basically an epiphony I had tonight... theres some BS i'm dealing with that gets me down alot, and anytime I get the feeling I had earlier it helps me to see through it all.
Anyway, I know I really want to start modding it again. I want it to be something big though, not just another bolt on. I really want to retire it for the winter and pull the engine and either rebuild, or replace it with something better (5.4 w/TF heads?!) but I'm not at a point financially to do that right now, but I can figure something out probaly.
Just made me laugh that a 10minute total trip made me realize all that stuff about the car and everything else.
Anyone else had that happen before? I swear I'm not insane...
Fast foward to today. Lazy day... decide to clean the Mustang and my Jeep up, even though it probaly didn't beak 60* today, lol. That was a cold hour or so washing both vehicles.
The extent of my driving was in and out of my driveway to move them around, didn't have any plans on going anywhere nor did I feel like making any.
So tonight I make a run to the gas station to get some incredibly hot coffee to warm up on, and decided I'd take the 'Stang.
I jump in, and start her up and start to take off down the street. I'm just idling down the road as I am trying to let it warm up for a minute before I actually have to get on the highway. The radio was almost silent and the only other noises were the blurble of the Flowpath's and the crispness of the X-pipe, and the faint knocking sound coming from the engine when it's cold (it doesn't seem to say "i'm going to break", it's more like "i'm getting old, and I know one day you will breath new life into me").
Make it out to the road, no traffic. I ease into it and slowly cruise down the road listening to the exhaust and patiently waiting for the heat to warm up just a little more.
After a little cruise, I pull into the gas station... car is clean as a whistle and dripping wet (dew), not to mention how driving under the canope at the pumps magnafies the exhaust 10 fold.
So I get out, and this guy walking out of the building says "nice car man", to which I replied "thanks, I appreciate that alot", because someone saying that never gets old to me. It makes me feel good about the work I have put into it. The work that I alone have done to it (save for the gears).
As I am leaving, the car is resonating very loud under the roof of the pumps, a guy walking out of the store glances over when I blip the gas to take off. Wether they like it or not, I love grabbing peoples attention with the exhaust.
I pull out into the road smoothly and calmly shift my way back home, feeling the tourqe of the engine that is loving the cold air.
I get home, and instead of shutting the car off, I leave it running and start walking down the street to listen to it idle in the distance... ahhh the sweet, sweet sound of an American V-8...
Watching the steam roll out from underneath the bumper (dumps) and curl it's way up the back of the car had some wierd effect on me, and it instantly made me realize exactly why I bought this car, and what my plans are for it. On top of that, it made me realize that almost no matter what other issues I might be dealing with, almost no matter how down in the dumps I might be, my Mustang is an outlet to channel those feelings through, and a tool to make myself feel better about almost anything.
Sorry that was so long, but it was basically an epiphony I had tonight... theres some BS i'm dealing with that gets me down alot, and anytime I get the feeling I had earlier it helps me to see through it all.
Anyway, I know I really want to start modding it again. I want it to be something big though, not just another bolt on. I really want to retire it for the winter and pull the engine and either rebuild, or replace it with something better (5.4 w/TF heads?!) but I'm not at a point financially to do that right now, but I can figure something out probaly.
Just made me laugh that a 10minute total trip made me realize all that stuff about the car and everything else.
Anyone else had that happen before? I swear I'm not insane...