Dan & Cristy Cordeiro's 64 1/2 Conv.

My name is Dan Cordeiro, and my car was the first one featured in the GHMC car of the month about 25 years ago, and since most of you were not members then, and some of you not born, I thought I would write another ar-ticle. My car is a 1964 ½ Rangoon Red, Ford Mustang Convertible. I bought my first Mustang, a 1965 coupe, when I was 15, and have owned at least one Mustang ever since. We bought the convertible 31 years ago. It was my dream car. The first production of the Mustang. Ours was produced in Detroit, and shipped to San Jose, on July 10, 1964.
I had always wanted a 1964½ convertible. One day I was reading the want ads and saw that a mechanic in Vacaville had 3 for sale. I called immediately, and we ran up to check it out. It was totally unrestored with the original running gear, motor and transmission on a pallet. I bought it for $3,000 and my adventure in restoration began. It has a 260 V8, automatic transmission, power steering, and a power top. There are many differences from the 1965, the main one is that it has a generator.
It is a matching numbers car. Every nut, bolt, paint, battery, interior… is to original specifications. The Mustang Club of America has a points program for judging cars in Nationally judged shows. It is judged on authenticity and cleanliness. My car is a 694 out of a possible 704 points. It is considered a Gold car in the Concours Category. This is the reason I am careful of where I drive it. Keeping it up to the judged level is no easy task.
We do, however, drive it locally. It is in local shows and parades. We recently trailored it to Las Vegas for the 50th Anniversary Celebration, and often to Redding for Kool April Nights. Our game room has a wall displaying the numerous awards it has won. It has been featured at the California State Fair, the Auto Show in Sacramento, and the car and I were extras in the Will Smith Movie, The Pursuit of Happyness - all 30 seconds that made it on screen. It has also made appearances at SF Giants baseball games carrying former players for their Old Timers nights. It has given rides around the field to Tito Fuentes, Billy O’Dell, Mike Krukow among others and we were able to get autographs from Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and many other legends. It also gave Lon Simmons a ride for his final night of commentating for the SF Giants.
Along the way of owning our beloved convertible, we have also added a matching pedal car which was sold at dealers in 1965, but also a gas powered, power car. They are accessories that always appeal to the kids.
Not only has this car been a great investment, but it has provided our family with endless hours of riding with the top down, in the California sun.