Marc found this weeks Kleenex killer... a guy was going to give his cherished 73 Mustang to his kids. They didn't want it. So it sat. He was going to fix it up, but ALS struck him. Then his high school classmates (Class of 85) got together (in July 2022) and restored it (finished in July 2023) to how it was back when they all were in high school together

As a teen, in the early 80s, Craig realized the Mustang Mach 1's were in his price range, and he looked through all the Auto Traders he could.

Craig soon located a '73 Mach 1, when he was a high school Junior, with a 302 / 3 speed manual, it looked great, was in good shape AND in his price range. 

The 302/3 spd was soon replaced with a 351 Cleveland with 4 barrel heads with a lot more horsepower and a lot more fun. The car got a reputation for street racing and many people have memories or stories about that car. 

The Mach 1 took Craig through graduation and beyond. He vowed to never get rid of it and to one day do a thorough restoration. Over time some upgrades were done and parts were bought for future use. As  happens all too often in these situations, life gets in the way.

Fast forward 3 decades and Craig now has a wife, 3 kids, a house, a degree from Texas A&M, and all the adult responsibilities. He also has something no one would ever want... ALS.

During a conversation with some of the guys at a high school reunion, Craig mentioned that he still has his '73 Mach 1 from high school but it was not running and he hoped to one day get it running again. Brett has a '69 Mach 1, Mike has a '34 Ford, and Richard has a '69 Camaro 

 The group of men all share a common love of classic cars and conceived a novel idea for their friend; to refurbish and rebuild Reagan’s 1973 Mach 1 Ford Mustang that he drove as a teen.

 Richard got together with Brett, Mike, Curtis Smith, and John Davis. A plan was formulated and a Facebook post from Richard:

 (Richard and his friend Robert have a man cave called Rusty Nuts Garage where they hang out, work on classic cars, and bring automotive dreams to life, as a hobby)

As most of my friends know last weekend some friends from high school threw a sort of impromptu reunion for yes 37yrs, during the party I discovered that Craig Reagan still has his high school ride, a 1973 Mustang Mach 1.

 Well Craig has ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), it's the most debilitating and frustrating thing I've ever seen. Imagine your brain is 100% but you can't move any part of your body.

 Anyway over the years he has accumulated a lot of parts etc. to restore his car until he was diagnosed. Well a few alumni and I have decided Craig needs to go for a ride so Rusty Nuts Garage is up for it and with a gofundme to pay for parts, of course no labor and no cost goes to Craig and family. 

He set up a project album on Rusty Nuts Garage Projects page, so everyone could see the progress

https://www.alsmach1.org/  for all the project photos, or https://www.alsmach1.org/rust-repair/ for the rust repair. They went all in to get all the rust out. 

Craig has been to Washington, DC multiple times to fight for ALS patients' rights, from the halls of Congress, to the White House for a body bag protest, to a protest at FDA headquarters, to the offices of ALSA. Three visits were with top FDA employees where he pleaded for the agency to get promising therapies to ALS patients more quickly. Craig continues to fight for ALS patients today.

https://www.kxxv.com/brazos/aggie-alum-with-als-talks-drug-research-dream-car-built-by-friends

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/als-patient-restoring-ford-mustang-joy-friendship/

https://www.facebook.com/craig.reagan.31