Welcome To The FortLauderdale
Mustang Club

American born, American bred -- Hooray for the USA!

June 20, 2008

Hi Everyone,

I guess it looks like things are slowing down for the summer. I do not have many new announcements. On June 7th several of us attended the Southwest Ranches birthday party. The event was held at the Equestrian Park so we all drove our Mustangs and did a Mustang display.

Later in the afternoon we went to Bob and Shirley's and did some swimming and canoeing and had a very nice bar-b-que. Thanks very much to Bob and Shirley.

As we have done most years in the past we are planning our weekend getaway to Matanza's Inn over in Ft. Myers Beach. For those that have not attended before it is a real nice weekend. This year our dates are July 18th through the 20th. Everyone is responsible for making their own reservations. When you call be sure to tell them that you are with the club.

On the Saturday we usually rent party boats that hold eight to ten people. We spend the day out on the beach playing in the water and picnicking. On Friday night we can make a plan depending on who wants to go and we will divide the cost of the rentals accordingly.

I would like to thank all of you who continue to come to the meetings and support the club. I know we are not quite as active as we use to be but we do manage to have fun when we get together. I would also like to welcome the Donaldsons back. George really surprised us last month when he walked into the meeting. It was good to see you again George.

See you all in a couple weeks, Rob

---

May 9, 2008

What could be better than Mustangs at an Equestrian Park? A pool party and bar b que afterward at Bob and Shirley Lyons house. Hope you can all come out and enjoy a fun day with the club on June 7th. We will start with a Mustang display at the Sunshine Ranches Equestrian Park located at 5840 SW 148 Ave (aka Volunteer Rd), Southwest Ranches, Fl 33331. This is east of I-75 between the Sheridan and Griffin exits. The park is north of Sterling and Volunteer Rd. The display is from 12 - 3 and then we will head to the Lyon's home for a pool party and bar b que. For those of you that were at the meeting this past Wednesday, please note the address above as it is different than we had discussed.

Most of you are aware that Dwight and Chris relocated to North Florida. If you would like to stay in touch the new address is 5258 Chestnut Lane, Greenwood, Fl 32443 and the phone number is 850 594 7465.

We have some other fun events coming up soon; the Festival Flea Market show on May 18th, The Dream Car Classics show in Hollywood on June 1st and Shirley is working at putting together another great weekend at Matanzas. Our target date at this point is the weekend of June 21. We will update you when we have a firm schedule.

Carl Hodges is recovering from bypass surgery. Our best wishes go out to Joan and Carl for a complete and speedy recovery.

Thank you all for coming out Wednesday night. It was nice to see a few extra faces.

Rob

---

Magic City Mustang's 1st Annual Car Show

May 4th

Located at World Ford of Kendall
15551 S. Dixie Highway
Miami, Fl.

10.00 AM to 3:15PM
magiccitymustangs.org
305-775-3307

---

April 8, 2008

Hi everyone,

This month you are getting greetings from your treasurer. First I would like to dedicate this newsletter to Marci. She recently revealed that this is the only fun mail that she gets. So Marci, this one is for you. Enjoy!

I would like to thank everyone for the beautiful flowers and your cards after I broke my ankle in February. It isn't fun being laid up and your thoughtfulness is very much appreciated.

It looks like we have some fun events coming up. In April there is the Sugar Festival Rod Run in Clewiston on the 19th. On the 26th is the Cooper City Founders Day car show. Ralph and Mickey will be leaving again shortly after this show. Hopefully some of you will be able to attend and say your goodbyes.

On May 10th we have another one of our fun events planned. We will do the road trip to the Clewiston Inn for lunch and the Tiki Bar afterward for socializing. May 18th is the Festival Flea Market spring show. For those that came to the fall show I am sure you agree that this is an event that you don't want to miss.

Other news with our club members, Dwight Tillman and Chris Sharkey have moved to Greenwood, Fl. They will certainly be missed by everyone. Bob Plomb also plans on leaving the area and relocating to Biloxi. We will keep you posted on that move.

Your Treasurer, Joyce

---

Upcoming Events have been posted

---

Silver Springs Weekend
By Ralf Wethli

If you like Mustangs you will surely enjoy the Annual Silver Springs Mustang and Ford Round up. This event has grown every year. The car count was 1600 this year with all the Fords and mustang and other Ford products. Cars were tucked into every available space in the park.

There are no doubt larger Mustangs events in our Great Land but none so easily accessible to our South Florida area. Several Club members took advantage of the opportunity .Some traveled to Ocala on Thursday before the weekend event to take part on the Mustang Monthly pony trail to Cedar Key.

Others Met Friday morning at the Palm beach Plaza to caravan to The Ritz Hotel with a side trip to Micanopy.

At this unique little town we enjoyed a walk along the old stores and made a few purchases.

We then had a great BBQ lunch at the General Store, if you have not visited this little place it is worth you while.

---

Hello Everyone,

Hope you all had wonderful holidays. It is that time of year when the club dues are due. Renewals, as always, are just $20.00. This is due no later than the end of March. Anyone that has not paid their dues by that time will not be receiving the April newsletter.

I have included the upcoming dates on the last page of the newsletter. Any date that appears in bold type is an event that the club is targeting. We hope that by supporting the other clubs with their events they will do the same for our club.

In 2007 the club did several social events that turned out to be a lot of fun. I am looking forward to more outings and get togethers for 2008. If any of you have a suggestion or a favorite place that you think we would all enjoy, please send me your ideas or come to a club meeting and fill us in.

With the holidays just behind us there are no new events that I have not already shared with you. I do want to remind everyone that the spring is the time for our annual Ford and Mustang roundup. We are working on dates and will have information out to you as soon as possible.

Lastly I hope that all of you that were able to travel to Silver Springs this past weekend had a safe and fun trip. See you at the February meeting on the 6th.

-Rob

---

President's Letter
December 6, 2007

Hi Everyone,

Just a few things this month: first I would like to mention Larry Hurst, a founding member of our club. Larry joined the club in 1982 and remained an active member for over 25 years. Larry recently passed away and his passing is a big loss to the club and the community. Remember Larry fondly in your thoughts.

There are several dates to keep in mind; those are on the back page of this newsletter. I would like to say what fun we have had at the 50’s 60’s party, thank you Charlie Kresge, at the SABA car show and the Festival Flea Market. It’s great to have my car back and be out and active again. I encourage all of you to get out and have fun with the club. The RM auction is coming up again in February and there will be more on that in January. Lastly I would like to thank Mustang Marty and Chris Sharkey for their recent and generous donations to the club. Thank you both!

Now I will turn this month’s letter over to Jim Letizia, a former member of the club, who has a great car and a great story. Look for pictures of Jim’s car in the coming days on our website.

It is truly amazing how a car can bring so much attention. 22 years ago a friend of mine called me to tell me of an abandoned Mustang on a horse farm off of Lyons Road in Coconut Creek. Upon inquiring I found out that this was a 1964½ Mustang convertible that looked more like a planter than it did an automobile. I proceeded to inquire about the vehicle, and the gentleman wanted $300 for the car. After considering this endeavor, the fact that it was an original red and red V8 car sparked my interest to bring this car back to life.

I flat bed the car home, and upon my wife observing the car, made the comment, “You paid money for that? I think he should have paid you to haul it away.” With that confidence I knew I had my work cut out for me. The first picture taken of this car in the field tells the story. I stored the car for eight years in a warehouse and did some minor repairs to the car. Replacing the floors, torque boxes, and complete suspension put the car back on the road, but the engine was tired and worn out. I knew that a complete restoration would have to be done.

Because of other Mustang projects that I was involved with, I saved this car to be the last one finished. Another eight years of storage occurred, but this time the storage was at my home garage. This way I could work on the car a little at a time, and over the past 8 years I slowly brought the car back. In the last two years I have concentrated all my efforts on finishing this car, and finally, after 22 years the car was presented in its first outing at the Festival Market show Sunday, December 2, 2007. The attention to the car was overwhelming, and I think everyone has a love for the original Mustang. Some great stories and memories were rekindled for those that walked by.

Truly the fun in the hobby is not the awards won or the attention to perfection, but the great memories that everyone seems to have about these cars. Mine is still being completed as there are many small details and minor improvements that continue to be made. I hope to show the car for many years and keep it as a reminder of truly a time and era that has gone by.

My first ride in a Mustang was in 1969 in the back seat of a ’69 GT 4-speed car. I remember asking my friend what kind of a car is this and where do I get one. My love for Mustangs began in 1969 after riding in that ’69 GT and I proceeded then to buy the last Shelby GT350 on Luke Bolton (now Plantation Ford) lot. The car was titled a 1970, but it was a leftover ’69. They told me it was the last one in the state of Florida, black jade, black interior, 4-speed 350. I loved the car and have always wanted to track it down today.

I joined the Ft. Lauderdale Mustang Club in 1970 which was at that time meeting at Luke Bolton Ford in Plantation. I remember winning a trophy for a rally that we entered the Shelby in and took a 3rd-place trophy. I still have that trophy today, and it’s hard to believe that that has represented 37 years of Mustang involvement. I bought my first Mustang in 1969 and was happy to be able to find a 1969 Mustang GT390 a few years ago. This is like the first Mustang that I ever rode in and to own one after nearly 40 years is a real thrill. I also own a 1969 Grande, a 1965 fastback, and a 1969 Corvette.

All of these are vehicles that I have acquired over the past 26 years as I re-entered the hobby in 1981. Our first Ft. Lauderdale Mustang Club meetings were at Koons Ford in Hollywood where I met some of our old time members: Larry Hurst, Joe Costantino, Sam Papanella, and a host of other names that most of you would remember.

I love to work on Mustangs and do most all of the work myself except the final paint. When I was a boy growing up my father restored cars in our garage at home until he opened a shop for a few years before his early death at the age of 56. I remember our first car that we built together back in the late 50s was a 1948 Kaiser and then a Henry J. A 1953 Studebaker Commander followed until my first car that I purchased from my Uncle Harry for $75, a 1955 Chevy 210 wagon. I was 15 years old, brought the car home and tore it all apart with my dad, and we called it the “bondo buggy”. We must have smacked two gallons of bondo on that car. I painted it royal blue with a gold interior, and since I played organ in a rock ‘n roll band, we used it to haul equipment.

My love for cars and working on them has always brought excitement and challenge, but most of all brings back great memories, my boys growing up, and a wife who has always supported me in this hobby. I suppose I have rescued seven or eight Mustangs from the graveyards and consider it a privilege to continually be able to physically do the work. It is getting harder, though, for without a car lift, getting up and down from under the car is getting more difficult as time goes on. I have great car memories of my childhood in the late 50s and early 60s, cruising down Rt. 6 and 2 at the edge of Lake Erie just west of Cleveland in the city that I grew up in called Lorain, Ohio, to memories of cruising Sunny Isles past the Castaways, to Haulover Beach in the late 60s and 70s, to our cruise nights now around the Ft. Lauderdale area, continue to bring great joy and excitement for these cars.

It has always amazed me, as an ordained minister and pastor of a church for the past 25 years, that a car is still one of the greatest talking points when getting to know people. Just having the car there gives you the access to ask people about their lives, especially their families, their loves, their hurts, and their concerns for life. I find no greater tool to get to know people and understand who they are and what they are all about than a classic or late model car. All car guys have one thing in common, and that is their love for a particular year and model. No matter what it is, it brings us to a common denominator of life which I have always believed to be community and relation-ships. Whether it is a church, a club or organization, or a business, our motivation to continue is not centered on a particular body style, or make and model, but is truly centered around the great people, friendships, and help that this hobby provides. I have met some of the most genuine and real people in this hobby, and we love to talk about the cars.

I hope to see you at the coming shows and look forward to showing this 64½ convertible that has a “rags to riches” story from planter box to a car that looks like Mom’s tomato sauce (Rangoon Red with a bright red interior). I also hope this will encourage you to keep working on your car and hopefully it won’t take 22 years for you to complete your project!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Jim Letizia
Senior Minister
New Covenant Church on the Lake
Pompano Beach



There has never been a love affair as lasting as the love affair the American people have with the automobile....We at the Fort Lauderdale Mustang Club extend our invitation to fall in love with one of the most classic of all automobiles...

the  FORD MUSTANG!

Welcome to the Ft. Lauderdale Mustang Club.  We are a club of Mustang enthusiasts located in sunny South Florida.

We are a MCA affiliated club we love all Mustangs 1964-1/2 to present, any condition if it is important to you it is important to us also.

We support fellow enthusiasts all over the State of Florida. The Fort Lauderdale Mustang Club is a nonprofit club dedicated to the restoration and preservation of all Mustangs the great American Classic the Ford Mustang.