some photos of the car. obviously these are before any work — other than dusting it off — gets done.

so i think it’s going to be a pretty doable project, all together. and, as michael says, “my my my. gotta love a car that looks that fast sitting still. and under a quarter inch of dust.”

so, we unpiled the stuff from around it (mostly — it’s still got an old shop furnace behind it that needs to be moved, then we’ll be able to push it out of the garage). then i mucked out the trash from the inside — inadvertently causing the situation that involved me inhaling disintegrating seat cushion, which for the record i highly don’t recommend you do. it needs to have a shopvac taken to it, then scrub and bleach the headliner and interior upholstery. i plan to buy a dust mask before that next step, though, i think.

as for the work that needs to be done, i think this is a decent to-do list to start off with — in no particular order:

• replace windshield wiper fluid reservoir and wiper blades.
• replace driver’s seat cushion and upholstery.
• replace front passenger seat cushion, possibly also reupholster.
• scrub and reinstall rear seat cushions, which are not mounted correctly.
• replace brake pedal pad
• scrub headliner and interior rear moldings.
• replace both door interior panels and door pulls.
• replace both window handle knobs.
• replace driver’s side seat knob (for pushing the seat forward
• replace the padded dash top panel.
• reinstall the heater
• replace the AM radio with an AM/FM stereo
• repair the holes from the FM transponder and CB mounting brackets
• rewire the seat belt reminder light and buzzer
• replace wiring, light sockets, and bulbs in dash instruments
• knock out dents in the rear from backing into a tree
• replace all taillight mounts, light sockets, bezels, and lenses. repair holes broken from light mounts into trunk compartment.
• possibly replace trunk lock from where someone obviously tried to force it.
• order new keys from Ford — the helpful ford rep advises that they only stock key designs from 1996 on, and i guess that means that if i can’t find the original keys, we’re going to be replacing some locks and the ignition switch..
• polish up the chrome rims, and replace all four tires (that’s gonna sting)
• rebuild the transmission
• replace the oil pump
• replace the battery
• examine and fix anything busticated in the main engine block
• replace belts, spark plugs, oil filter and all those details
• replace quarterpanels/fenders
• sandblast and repaint
• possibly (probably) replace headlamps and parking lamp bulbs
• check the exhaust system