Better by the Pair, George and Bev Mosqueda’s ’70 SS396
It all started with the convertible. Club members, George and Bev Mosqueda, wanted one, but they are real hard to find. After looking for months they found a candidate in Lynnwood, Washington and George and fellow club member and long time friend, Kevin Durkee, jumped on a plane to go check it out. The owner of the convertible had gotten the car as a gift from his dad in high school and had kept it for seventeen years. Despite a few tears of remorse from the now previous owner, the dynamic duo were on their way back to the bay area in George's new car. It was not an uneventful trip, though, as one of the weary travelers could attest after a 3 AM jump start at a rest stop. Oh, yeah, and then there was the time right outside of Lynnwood, when the throttle stuck wide open. Okay, so they limped home and it was definitely restoration time.
Well, off she went to the body shop. "Six weeks", the owner promised. Then it was another two weeks and then two more. After a year without the convertible, Kevin found another car on the web and George took a look. He could not believe his eyes when he saw the paint job. It was a hardtop, but it matched their convertible's paint combination, paint code 28 body and white top. A couple weeks and a couple of phone calls later, another road trip was in order. Kevin and George drove to Clovis, California, east of Fresno. The car was covered when they arrived; they drove it out out of the garage and it was clear why the owner was ready to part with it. Fluid was all over the engine compartment but after some plumbers' tape and wrenching on the tranny line, no more leaks. Even with those problems, the owner appeared to be having second thoughts, so George and Kevin decided to make a quick getaway before he could change his mind. A few miles down the road they heard a thunk; a few more miles and the sound got worse. The problem seemed to be the way the front wheels attached to the hub. Over tightening was all they could do for the moment and once again, they limped back home to San Jose. After new rims and tires, head work, transmission work, new carburetor, Petronix ignitor, overhauled suspension, overhauled factory air, dash and wiring, and new sound system the hardtop is as good as new.
Everyone should be happy. They had a new coupe, all ready for crusin' -- but -- the convertible? Oh, yes, the convertible. It was still in the body shop. Eventually it did come home and then there was the task of finishing all the other things - like a complete front end job, including a beefed up motor boasting a Comp. Cams Extreme Energy asymmetrical cam that gathers a crowd when it is started. Then they added a 3.73:1 rear end and a warmed over tranny with shift kit. Clearly these two cars are a great example of American Muscle at its finest. But, now that the cars are done, there is the question of ownership. George, of course, can't drive two cars at once. Bev gets her name included at the top of the page but George claims he has all the bragging rights because that's "guy stuff".
The license plate frame on the convertible tells us George's vision of reality, but we're not so sure. Notably, at a recent Run Through the Canyon event, both cars were registered. George drove his convertible, but believe me, Bev was lookin' pretty good driving the coupe. She even led the pack for a while on the way from the Saratoga check point to the picnic. I think the deal is done. So next time you see Bev Mosqueda in HER 1970 SS396 coupe, be sure to say "hi."