“Mustang Study Hall – Round 2”

By Don Bernasconi

     Well, another one is in the books!  The Mustang Study Hall that was held at the Robinsons’ home on Saturday 4/19 was a big success!  Study hall began at the world headquarters of the “Northwest Pony Shoppe”, and a practicum was conducted by Professor Scott Robinson, who took the class through his collection of Mustang hardware.  You will have to ask Dr. Scott how many Mustangs he maintains in his collection of study materials - I lost count.  Also, see if he can explain exactly how that Hudson Hornet and Barracuda fit into the curriculum - I suspect it has something to do with the perfect bathtub shape and wind resistance.

     Our study hall began with a short review on the value of tin foil used to keep paint away from lines and wires when the engine compartment is painted.  The paint booth was also covered during the tour, but kept short as Lance Lambert kept sticking his silver gray hair to the shinny black Mustang parts hanging from the ceiling.  (Now that’s a new way to color your hair!)  There was also not much that Scott could do about the snow and hail coming down on his outdoor collection, so the group moved inside to the warmth of the Robinson’s dining room.

     As the group of Mustang enthusiasts sat down to begin the real work of completing their 641/2 – 66 certification exams, the talk ran toward who had new or additional information about the skipped or incomprehensible questions from the last Study Hall.  Scott and others had done significant work toward resolving some of the more difficult questions, and more importantly brought in the books or internet references with the answers.  Unfortunately, some of the written documentation did not always provide the same solutions.  Not to worry though - there were plenty of first-hand accounts on who had seen what, on some Mustang somewhere, some time, in a car show out of state, which brought the truth to light.

     As the afternoon went on and as the snow continued to fall outside, many answers were discovered in a document while researching a completely different question.  Are those trunk lid hinge bolts painted on purpose or is that just overspray?  Can you really tell if a bolt is painted the car color in a black and white photo?  Well we will find out when we get those tests back!

     Lunch was provided this time by committee (potluck) and it was fantastic!  Everyone brought something from home or their favorite deli, and again held up the MNW tradition of fabulous food.  The BYOB part didn’t work out as well as I had planned, because unfortunately the store that I had bought my Coke at, only had those little bitty 6 oz cans, and they went down pretty fast.  Nancy however said that they were just enough, so no worries.

     Again the Judge Team and all the gang at Mustang Study Hall wish to thank Lois and Scott for their hospitality and generosity and for helping to make this another great MNW event.  Watch the website and the “Pony Express” for the next Mustang Study Hall.  The Judge Team and Mustangs Northwest are committed to training and assisting all our members to help improve their knowledge and enjoyment of this wonderful hobby.