Well, I guess you guys aren't going to like my new damn front shock tower project....    

Fran Hernandez was a legendary part of the Ford Total Performance Program in the 1960's, for a while he based his office at Kar-Kraft and was heavily involved with Fords Racing Programs.  In July 1967 Fran brought this GT40 home  (because he could) and the local neighbourhood kids all arrived en massse to check it out.  These photos were taken by Fran's 17-year old son Randy

↑ Too Cool!!

 
   Photo of my Boss 429 being towed by the original owners 1969 Cobra. Mustang was brand new at the time.

 

These pictures make me SMILE! Thanks.... 

Randy, do you have any photos of your old, yellow 70 Ranchero, 429 SCJ 4 speed? That was a very cool car.
And cobraJoe,  my disdain for shock towers comes by honestly. Over the years, I have owned a 66 Fairlane GTA 390, 2 69 Fairlane Cobra fastbacks 428 Cobra Jets, 1 4 speed, 1 automatic, 2 70 Mustangs with 351 Cleveland 4 barrel M codes, 2 69 Mach 1 R code 428 Cobra Jets, (1 4 speed, 1 automatic), and a 70 Mach 1, R code 428 CJ 4 speed, so I have plenty experience and lost skin and blood changing spark plugs and installing headers with shock towers. Makes me appreciate the wise open spaces of the full framed 57-59 Ford cars, and even the much roomier engine compartments of the FOX Body Fairmonts and Mustangs that I have owned over the years. But good luck with your 68 Torino project.

[quote my disdain for shock towers comes by honestly.

Me too, that's why I cut the shock towers out of my 62 Fairlane. 

No worries,it's all good.
 I have owned my share of 65-69 Mustang Fastbacks (aprox. 15) including a '68 that a transplanted a Cleveland into; my comment was in a jest.
RMK, that picture is way too cool!

  Rory, the current owner sent me this recent photo of it. He told he hasn't really done anything to it and truthfully it didn't really need anything done to it besides detailing maybe. Odd thing with it is it had manual steering. Had this idler bracket / pulley that today would be extremely hard to find.

 

Yes, I remember seeing that idler pulley for the belt with manual steering. Also remember the factory rev limiter, and engine oil cooler, all part of the Drag Pack package. That is a bench seat car, isn`t it? So Gary from Mayne Island still owns the Ranchero? Funny, he bought my old 66 Fairlane GTA after I sold it in 1977.

  The Ranchero was amazingly stock when I bought it except for the wheels. I had a pair of Boss 302 trim rings and managed to get the last two in Canada from a Ford dealership in Winnipeg. I think they suit the car. I also replaced the clock for a factory ribbon tach. Gary sent me a copy of a Marti report for it. It was something like 12-15 built 1970 Ranchero 500's with that power train. Another one I wished I'd have kept.

  I think Gary also has a Cyclone Spoiler to with a big stroker in it?

I stumbled on a good Facebook page with a lot of Ford/Mercury history.  It is the Fran Hernadez page that his family has posted.  Here is a bit of his bio. 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063178541141

A few days after his birth in Chihuahua, Mexico, Francisco Hernandez's family moved to Los Angeles where he became a drag racing legend. He started dry lakes racing in 1939 and was a protagonist on the "Day Drag Racing Began" when he beat Tom Cobbs down the Goleta airstrip access road 10 years later. His fenderless '32 Deuce coupe won in part because it was the first drag racer to use nitromethane. In 1950, Hernandez went to work for Vic Edelbrock and from 1951-53 advised Rodger Ward on using nitro in his "unbeatable" Ford V8 Midget. In 1963, Hernandez was named head of Lincoln-Mercury's racing programs, where he guided the development of a true tube-chassis car with a fiberglass tilt body. The SOHC 427-powered 1966 Mercury Comets became the first fliptop Funny Cars and Hernandez recruited inductees Ronnie Sox and "Dyno Don" Nicholson to drive them. Later, Hernandez headed Ford and Mercury's successful Trans-Am programs.

Enjoy Terry
 

Quote from: rmk57 on 2024-12-22 11:41The Ranchero was amazingly stock when I bought it except for the wheels. I had a pair of Boss 302 trim rings and managed to get the last two in Canada from a Ford dealership in Winnipeg. I think they suit the car. I also replaced the clock for a factory ribbon tach. Gary sent me a copy of a Marti report for it. It was something like 12-15 built 1970 Ranchero 500's with that power train. Another one I wished I'd have kept.

  I think Gary also has a Cyclone Spoiler to with a big stroker in it?

Randy, you probably remember Tom Posthuma, he had a 64 Thunderbolt clone, and had several other cool fords over the years, including a red 67 Ranchero 500, factory 390 4 speed. Anyhow, Tom died a couple of months ago, and I heard that he had sold his 70 Cyclone Spoiler "restomod", that was a factory 429 4 speed Spoiler, originally Grabber Orange, (although I think Mercury called it Competition Orange). Tom got the Cyclone from a guy that had owned the Lincoln Mercury dealership in the Richmond Auto Mall. Gord had spent a bunch of money on "updating" the Cyclone, including having a Mustang 11 style front suspension installed, with rack and pinion steering, coil over 4 link rear suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, etc,and I believe it has a 514 aluminum headed 385 series engine, I wonder if Gary bought Toms Cyclone? It was painted black and silver.

Quote from: 59meteor on 2024-12-22 16:24Randy, you probably remember Tom Posthuma, he had a 64 Thunderbolt clone, and had several other cool fords over the years, including a red 67 Ranchero 500, factory 390 4 speed. Anyhow, Tom died a couple of months ago, and I heard that he had sold his 70 Cyclone Spoiler "restomod", that was a factory 429 4 speed Spoiler, originally Grabber Orange, (although I think Mercury called it Competition Orange). Tom got the Cyclone from a guy that had owned the Lincoln Mercury dealership in the Richmond Auto Mall. Gord had spent a bunch of money on "updating" the Cyclone, including having a Mustang 11 style front suspension installed, with rack and pinion steering, coil over 4 link rear suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, etc,and I believe it has a 514 aluminum headed 385 series engine, I wonder if Gary bought Toms Cyclone? It was painted black and silver.

  Sorry to hear about Tom. I spoke with him at the old time drags at Mission last August. I'm not sure about Tom's Cyclone being sold to Gary. I read about Gary piecing a 545 cid together on one of the BBF sites and that was a few years back. From Grabber Orange to black....why did everyone paint their cars black back in the day?