Saul Rivkin's 1970 XL Convertibles

Dear Galaxietes;
(is that proper?)

It has been many years since I have been featured in the news letter, I guess since I have not written lately. Let me tell you about myself. I've been a member since 1982, I believe. (Editors note: must be since 1983) I am 33 years old (by the time you read this anyway) and I have a wonderful wife of 2 1/2 years named Linda and a beautiful 17 month old daughter, Sarah Elizabeth. We live in Spring City, Pennsylvania which is in south-eastern Pennsylvania (15 miles northwest of historical Valley-Forge.) We are in the process of restoring a 100 year old 3-story brick Victorian house (...and I thought cars were tough and expensive!). It sits on two acres and has a two story barn. I have my work shop in the second floor and some spare parts in the lofts. The first floor features a club house with an indoor heated pool that is lined with Pennsylvania quarry stone. I also have a 16' x 40' shed for car storage. Anyway, now I'll share my love for cars.

My first car was the family hauler. It was a 1966 Ford Country Squire 9-passenger station wagon. It was gold with woodgrain and a black vinyl interior. The car also had black racing stripes down the left side of the car (a popular thing to do in the sixties). The 352 engine and Cruise-O-Matic trans ran strong to the very end, I can't say the same for the frame though! My dad bought it new off the showroom floor...It sat next to a Shelby Cobra, but he talked himself into something more practical, he told me. I did drive a '72 Buick Electra 225 2-door for a few years (I only paid $300.00 for it and it was clean). In 1981 I spotted an ad in the Philadelphia Inquirer for a 1970 Ford Convertible. I asked my dad his opinion, he told me to forget about it. So I called about it and got directions to go look at it. It was REALLY rough, but hey, I could AFFORD it. I drove it home 5 days later. After a few days my dad finally cooled down. The car is a dark blue XL convertible with a black top and interior. It has most of the options available that year; 429-4V motor, C-6 trans, buckets and console, power brakes, steering, windows, air condition, tilt wheel, electric trunk release, load level rear suspension, AM/FM stereo, clock with warning lamps. I had the body off the frame and replaced everything, rebuilt the drivetrain and then drove it some more. It has not been driven in a while and is waiting for a complete ground-up.

While the 429 car (as I refer to her) was in pieces, I got the itch for a convertible again. Of course I spot this gorgeous 1970 XL for sale. This one is a rare dark metallic aqua with a white top and interior. It has a 390 Engine, buckets, console, power windows, stereo, air, tilt, trunk, etc. Of course I had to have this car. Two weeks after buying it a friend and I drove it to a car show in Kentucky and received a third place trophy. I ended up giving it a cosmetic resto and started bringing home a lot of first place trophies, being a "regular" at the Muscle Car National series shows up and down the east coast. I now drive this car about 200 miles a year if I'm lucky to find the time. I love to tinker on cars but I am strictly a FORD man.

My other cars?...I have a1986 Ranger supercab that I lowered and customized with 16" wheels, ground effects and a 400 horse 306 small block Ford engine backed by a T-5 trans. It was featured in Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords in July 1994. I also have an '84 Club wagon for my wife's dog grooming business, a 1986 Bronco II that we run around in, a 1989 Merkur Scorpio (remember these?) that is our family car, and another '70 XL for parts. My latest project? I just finished my second Ranger. It is painted '93 Cobra red and has a turbo charged and intercooled 2.3 liter engine from an '88 Thunderbird. I added all the electronics from the 'bird. All this experience with Rangers and Fords has spawned into a small business for me. Sportech Motorsports, where I modify Mustangs and do Ranger engine swaps for people. This helps pay for my hobby. I do all my own work from detailing to full paint jobs.

All this and my regular job, a manager at Pep Boys, keeps me real busy. And since I have so much spare time, I just threw myself into the 21st century and purchased a new Hewlett Packard Pavillion computer. So here I am at 12:45 AM playing around, learning and corresponding all at the same time! I am enclosing a few photos for the newsletter to use also.
Yours truly,
Saul S. Rivkin

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