wrecked 25k mile 83 GT?

[83GTJIM]

Last one. Door isnt shut. Sorry cant load more than one at a time. Probably an iPad thing...

[onetrackrider]

Nice, we like big pictures..

[In2Fords]

that is so awesome, real nice save

[vascj]

Finally got around to reading this entire thread, what a great story and a beautiful car!!! Awesome work.

[02Z06]

So great to see this car come back from the dead. THANK YOU for saving it!

[bluesfannoz]

Awesome job on the save! I remember two cars like this coming up for sale back in that time frame. One was a T-Top out of St Louis I believe and yes the other was an East Coast car. I had a red 83 at that time so I paid attention to their sales.

What DSO is the car from?

You might also check with the mustang registry and see if anyone registered the car before.

http://www.mustanggt.org/gtregfrm.htm

[AT6svo]

Wow! I remember seeing this car/thread sometime ago so when I shot to the last page to see the status I was amazed.

This is the automotive equivalent of Hollywood movie ending of "living happily ever after".

Its nice to see someone with dedication step up and do the right thing. Kudos to you 83GTJIM.

[83GTJIM]

Well the "wrecked 25k mile 83 GT" is going from the salvage auction to the car show! We are making our debut Aug 3rd. A couple of years ago I showed my 84 GT350 in this show and finished 2nd to a 84 SVO. My car wasn't that nice but neither was the SVO. It was painted the wrong color and had the wrong wheels- no big deal except this was in the stock class. I saw that same SVO earlier this year win its class at a smaller show so needless to say, I aiming to beat him this time. I'm concerned that the GT will have a hard time competing with the SVO simply because of its uniqueness. What do you guys think? We are lean & clean and ready to go toe to toe (hoof to hoof?) -new Motorcraft battery & cables, hatch struts & everything else cleaned & prepped except for the belt tensioner which I plan on getting blasted & clear coated this week. The car came together great & I love it. I will load a full set of updated pics tomorrow.

[83GTJIM]

[FoxChassis]

Excellent job!

[foxylady]

Looks great!!!

[02Z06]

Nice work! Thank you for saving this car!

[In2Fords]

Awesome work, Like I said before I was heartbroken to see such a nice example on the chopping block and with a best case scenario of being a parts car, or so I thought and my family owns a body shop!!!

I think you should have him, between the low mile all original and the rags to riches story your car is just as unique

[83GTJIM]

Hey FoxChassis- I pulled the buck tags off and got some pics (finally!) Also, here is the Marti Report and a pic of the old and replacement door label. Can you give me a breakdown of the buck tag? I have managed to figure out that the second tag was used for the road abrasion protection...THANKS!

[FoxChassis]

Buck Tag
MUSTANG = Mustang model line
213988 = 113,988th 1983 Ford scheduled for production at Dearborn Assembly
61B = Mustang 3-dr hatchback
F = H.O. 5.0L V8 engine
0473 = rotations # 0473
24 = (Medium) Red exterior paint color
DF
ST
AC = manual air conditioner
04 = rear glass with defrost, hatchback with spoiler
RA = road abrasion (lower bodyside protection)
HB = heated backlite (rear defrost)
GT = GT model/trim level
BR = black rocker panels
MBW = manual Borg Warner transmission (5-speed T-5)
03 = hood with scoop
V = visibility/light group
-A = Black interior trim color
NLR

[Barb1982]

Great job! The car looks GREAT!

[JTurbo]

Well done, car looks awesome!

JT

[noac]

Hey FoxChassis- I pulled the buck tags off and got some pics (finally!) Also, here is the Marti Report and a pic of the old and replacement door label. Can you give me a breakdown of the buck tag? I have managed to figure out that the second tag was used for the road abrasion protection...THANKS!

I wonder what the SE means on the buck tag? I see the car was ordered new, not from stock.

[FoxChassis]

The S and the E on the buck tag are hand stamps from assembly line workers....quality control checks.

[Capriman86]

Mick whats NLR?




Awesome to see the car come back to life!

[FoxChassis]

NLR = no longer registered (on FEP, for asking what NLR it means)

[Capriman86]

Hahhaahhaha!
ZING

Honestly, I can't believe that one is still not known yet, crazy.

[EJSVO]

Just a Terrific looking 83 !!

As an original owner of a Low Mileage 1986 SVO - My Opinion - Your work speaks for itself - Your 83 is car that others need to aspire to.

Others in any show you enter need to be very concerned.

Well Done !

[Jeremy86coupe]

Awesome job man! I'm so glad you were able to get fix this car and fix it the way it should be done. One thing to try on the tensioner is WD40. Soak a rag and wipe it down several times and see if it doesn't get a natural look to it. You can do that with any of the natural metal finishes that you have. I used to do that on the factory exhaust on my 85 and even thought it smoked some when you started it up the finish looked natural and the rust was gone! Good luck and I think you will take him!

[83GTJIM]

Thanks for all the great compliments and support. It really makes this hobby fun! Jeremy- I wish I would have read your post earlier because I already dropped the tensioner off the get blasted already. I have another one I will try the WD 40 trick on but I really want to keep this one as original as I can. I know, what is the point after it was hit on the door, but everything else was so clean and original. While cleaning the car up I noticed it still had the original air cleaner in it! Forecast is calling for a 40% chance of rain on show day...bummer. Keeping fingers crossed!

How can you tell the car was ordered new and not from stock? Is that what "retail" means on the Marti report? What would it say if it didn't say retail?

I have been trying to find out more about the history of the car but I haven't had much luck. I know the accident happened on 06-27-2010 at County Rd 620 and Holland Brook Rd in Branchburg, NJ (not 100% sure on town). The car was processed by Copart on 09-01-10 but sat there until it finally sold on 01-27-12...yep it was a year and a half after the accident before it finally sold! This leads me to believe the owner and the insurance company could not agree on a value and the car couldn't be sold until the claim was settled. I found a business card in the car from a Sports Center in East Keansburg but other than that I am in the dark. I will keep digging because there has to be a great beginning to the story!
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