As promised we have our first project here at That 10mm Garage! Now I could reminisce about projects of old, how I had this back in the day, how sweet those 3rd gear burnouts were, how great that exhaust sounded, and so on and so forth. However, looking in the rearview mirror is not a proper way to kick off a motorsports adventure. Today we are introducing “OJ” my 1989 Foxbody Mustang LX. It’s a hatchback with a 5.0L V8 (302) and 5-speed, good ole American muscle! 
Now OJ isn’t just another Foxbody Facebook Marketplace diamond in the rough or a Craigslist steal from some poor gearhead who has bills to pay. OJ is a one-owner, California driven, unmodified, and unrestored 25th Anniversary Mustang! Originally purchased by my stepdad back in 1989. It was his daily commuter sports car for decades. It spent most of its life in Bakersfield, CA making its way from work, to home, to the beach, and back again until his retirement. OJs days in the climate-ideal Central California allowed it to age gracefully, the original paint is still mostly there, along with all original body panels, and no rust which is a big win for us here at 10mm. My stepdad was old school, change the oil and if it isn’t broken don’t fix it, a commendable mentality.
Acquiring the 89 Mustang started a little over a year ago while my mom was visiting. One morning over breakfast, the topic of my stepdad’s Mustangs came up. Yes, you heard that right Mustangs, plural, he also has a 2003 Mustang SVT Terminator in the stable too! My mom was going on about how the Mustangs will be going to me and not my brother, he got a sweet deal on buying my mom’s house when she retired so don’t feel bad for him lol. This had been mentioned before and in my mind, I’m thinking it’s something written out in the will so it’s a long way off. As the conversation continued it became apparent that the 89 Mustang was just sitting under a car cover in the driveway collecting dust while the California sun was bearing down on it. So a confirmation/clarification phone call to my stepdad and the Foxbody was mine to come retrieve! Now it was just waiting for spring to arrive so I could make the multi-state trip south to pick it up. 
Now OJ was in running/driving condition but my gut was telling me “road trip” & “worthy” probably weren’t words to describe this classic. My stepdad’s description of how it was driving was the tip-off, when I asked how she drove on the highway and his reply was she’s a bit all over the place at speed lol. So I started planning while I waited for winter and the snow to melt. Fast forward to the tail end of March 2023. I enlisted my good friend Kris (fellow gear head & former mechanic), my friend David’s car haul trailer & a vacation request at work & we were headed south to sunny CA! Now time was not something we had on our side both Kris and I had full-time jobs so the down-and-back trip was truly that. The car haul trailer David had loaned me wasn’t much for looking at and we had our reservation about how it would perform on the 18hr+ drive but David assured us she was smooth and in good working order so we put full faith in that statement and hit the road early!
The drive down went as smoothly as any full-day road trip can go. The drama was minimal, the unloaded car hauler trailer lights worked well, the wheel bearings weren’t getting hot and most of all it was trailering well behind Kris’s Ram 1500. We had stocked up with plenty of snacks and drinks (my responsibility) and Kris was in the driver’s seat, per his request. After a brief stop in Walnut Creek, CA to meet up with some of Kris’s old friends to catch the tail end of the Gonzaga Mens Basketball at a local bar we rolled into Atascadero, CA right around midnight-1 am. My mom was up and pleasantly greeted us as we pulled in. My stepdad knowing me even had the 89 Mustang uncovered and unlocked knowing I’d be giddy with anticipation to jump in the driver’s seat so I did exactly that, considering the late-night arrival I reframed from firing up that ole 5.0L.
I believe the next day was Saturday and a good friend of mine, Warren was making the drive up from Los Angeles to kick it with us for the day. I was actually on my 1st test drive in OJ when I saw Warren rounding the bend, so I pulled up beside him, told him where to go & that I’d meet him back at the house. Kris and Warren were both part of my wedding party and were already acquainted. Back at the house we all got caught on current events and decided it was time for some food. So we loaded up and headed to the beach to get some proper seaside chilling. After a healthy lunch at Schooners in Cayucos, we wandered out onto the pier to soak up that California sunshine, something Kris & I are both familiar with from our years living in CA & sorely missed up in our neck of the woods in Eastern Washington. Warren being an avid surfer came prepared and was in the water catching waves while we hung out admiring his athleticism. After our quick hang at the beach, we headed back to Atascadero for dinner with my mom and stepdad. My stepdad prepared these great dry rub ribs that were incredibly delicious, even though heartburn caught me later that evening lol.
Sunday we slept in, rose slowly, and lounged around in preparation for our drive home. Warren was headed back to LA early to meet up with his family. We were in no rush to hit the road so we took advantage of the new jacuzzi that was recently installed and packed our tummies with a bunch of good home-prepared food my mom had in constant supply. After a trip to the grocery store to stock up on snacks and drinks & top off the gas tank it was time to get down to business. Back at my mom’s house we tidied up paperwork on the Mustang, hooked up the trailer, took some good pictures, and said our goodbyes. Due to the logistics of the driveway, we decided to load the Mustang up in a parking lot nearby before we hit the road. Now loaded, we double and triple-checked to make sure the Mustang wasn’t going anywhere & in a moment of truth we hit the highway! Much to our surprise David’s trailer was smoother than ever with 3,000lbs of Foxbody sitting nice and snug in the rearview.
Overall the return drive was going smoothly. Kris and I were listening to podcast after podcast and having some good conversations in between. We made it through the East Bay without incident and even stopped in to see my Grandma who lives in Concord, CA. OJ was steady in the background and the trailer showed no signs of stress and we were making good time. Little did we know but the road ahead had some challenges. Oh, sometime around 3 am we started to get close to Mount Shasta and the rain turned to snow and ice and Kris had to reduce our speed to well below the speed limit. At about 4 am we rolled into a gas station in Shasta to refuel and take a much-needed restroom break. Feeling the full effect of being awake at 4 am we climbed back into the Ram 1500 & continued our journey northbound. Shortly after Kris decided he was done driving and I climbed into the driver’s seat. I’m not sure how long I drove but all I can remember is just praying for the sun to rise. The roads hadn’t gotten any better and we were still south of Bend OR. When the sun finally started to rise I was praying it would give me the much-needed energy I needed to maintain course and keep driving but I was sorely mistaken and scummed to this reality as I pulled into the next available gas station off the highway. Kris and I staggered into the gas station, we both wandered off in different directions. A few minutes later after exiting the restroom, I found myself searching for Kris, now there were only 3 people in here how could he be missing… Turns out he wasn’t missing, I was staring right at him but in my sleep-deprived state, it wasn’t registering lol. Kris and I both agreed a parking lot nap was in order.
After a couple hours of much needed rest, we got going again, filled our belly’s with some food and kept on trucking. Road conditions as we got closer to Bend, OR improved as well. From there on out back to Eastern Washington it was sunshine and smooth roads. We got back to town late afternoon and dropped the trailer off at its home. Now the task of driving this 89 Foxbody home, 5 miles away, shouldn’t be a big deal, so I thought lol. Well the short trip home started off on a dirt road that had seen its fair share of traffic and washboard as a result. So it seemed that OJ was all over the place but I chalked it up to the dirt road, wishful thinking. As soon as I hit dry pavement though it was apparent this 1989 Mustang was worn out in every direction. The steering was extremely sloppy, pontoon boat steering came to mind, the suspension was completely gone, and it seemed the original springs were putting in 100% of the work to keep the tires on the ground. At one point I was going over a bridge and due to the heavy ruts worn into the lanes I was white-knuckling driving & had serious concerns about not making it! Luckily though the bridge was the biggest challenge and I was able to get OJ into my driveway without any additional excitement. Mission complete, I thought to myself, but really it was just the start of things. No worries though, it was time to start wrenching!
