Showin' off a little bit

The lack of posts isn't an indication of the lack of work on our little project.
Since we got the Mustang on the road back in the first if May, we've had a number of setbacks, both small and not so small. The biggest problem we've had to date has been the front lower control arm mount that I "welded" back in May to try and get the driver's side front wheel in some sort of alignment. I say "welded" because my handiwork lasted all of a month before it broke. Fortunately, Daniel was only a block away from home, and the control arm was still attached, somewhat, so there was no tragedy.
The car had to sit in the garage for a week before I had time to work on it. Finally, I got out there early on a relatively cool Sunday morning and took the whole assembly apart again. Taking my time this time around, I ground off all my sloppy welds and made sure all weld points were clean and in good alignment. I feel pretty confident that these welds are better and stronger than before, but only time and a (slightly) aggressive teenage driver will tell.
We've also had frustrations with our steering wheel assembly. After getting the turn signals to work, and the front parking lights to operate independent of the brake lights, we had a problem with the rear brake lights not working. Fortunately, it was a quick fix, as I remembered that I had left one wiring connector disconnected, thinking it wasn't related to the rear lights. It was, and once reconnected all was well.
We had to order new horns, because although ours cleaned up nice, the innards were obviously shot, because neither one worked. A bummer, because new horns were rather expensive, but definitely needed. When they arrived, we promptly installed them, looking forward to hearing the Mustang sing her own tune.
She indeed did sing, even without hitting the horn ring! Apparently, our used steering wheel (eBay purchase) is warped and out of round so that when the wheel is turned to certain positions, the horn contacts make a connection and the horn goes off. For now, we've disconnected the horns until we can pull the wheel and try to resolve the problem.

The proud owner at his first car show

In spite of all this, Daniel has been enjoying the car, and this past weekend he got to show off his hard work at his first car show. New Smyrna Beach hosts a monthly cruise night on the main drag downtown, so we made a plan to attend. The Wise One had yet to ride in the car, so it was a great honor to have her accompany us. I was a nervous wreck as we made the 20 minute drive, because it was the first time (to my knowledge) that the car was run over 55mph for an extended period.
She ran smooth and true though, and we arrived early enough to get a prime parking spot in the middle of the show.
Daniel spent the next two hours holding court with all the old timers who came up to him wanting to know "who belongs to this car". The Wise One and myself sat back a bit to give him space as he described all of the work he had done to the car. I may be prejudiced, but it seemed like his little car was one of the more popular of the show. It surely is an eye-catching paint scheme, even if it is a bit amateurish.
Even with the heat of the afternoon sun, Daniel had a great time and I'm sure there will be many more shows in his future. And hopefully, each one will show a little more progress on the car.