Issue link: http://e-delivery.uberflip.com/i/752745
We all have melines in mind when we start building a hot rod. Some melines are based on "when I have some cash," or based on certain events that we would like to have the ride finished for. Or the more flexible, as in the case of my '51 Dodge Coupe, at least finished before I re re. However, some mes those melines get pushed around, due to unforeseen circumstances. For Rick & Marcy Lamanes '66 Mustang, the meline got pushed up. He first acquired the car in 1979, a er his brother passed on. His brother had planned to rebuild it, a er his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, but wasn't able to finish it before she was too sick to travel. Ten years ago, Rick brought it from the acreage, a er his older brother, Dale, told him to do it one piece at a me, so he started pu ering on it. Then this year, the meline changed. Marcy is now dealing with her third bout of cancer and Rick has been diagnosed with cancer also. The outlook isn't very good, and the two decided that come hell or high water, they wanted to finish this car and get it to the coast for one great ride. Well, when word of this got out and things started happening fast. It started with Rick's sister, Bernie, star ng a social media campaign to raise some funds and awareness. One of the first groups to step up to help was Gary Sr. and Gary Jr. from Calmar Big Country Auto Paint & Repair. They whistled that hull into their shop and worked relessly to get the prep and paint done. A good friend Mike (who has us convinced he has no last name) stepped up with his upholstery skills to make sure the interior was s tched up from door to door, with some custom touches on the seats. Barry, at ABC Muffler and Hitch, wanted to make sure Rick could hear the right blend of V-8 and Marcy, so he stepped up and handled all their exhaust needs. A er all that, it went to Carstars, who generously donated a bay for the car to reside in, while other work was ongoing. "They spoiled us with anything and everything we needed," says Marcy, as she points out the white stripes. "They hired a guy to do that for us." They supplied tools and technicians to make sure the project kept rolling. A high school buddy, aptly named Rod, got together with 5 or 6 buddies to chip in and make sure the Mustang had a good looking set of wheels of it. Nobody involved with this project did it for the "free plug" or was hoping to squeeze some adver sing out of it. It was all just good folks doing the best they can to help a family going through one of the toughest stretches of their life, and they want to make sure they had a good looking set of wheels to do it in. At GarageShots, we felt pre y lucky to be involved in such a ght knit community and wanted to say thanks to those who step up for projects like this. RICK'S '66 1 1 6 G A R A G E | S H O T S