While LRM routinely publishes Chevy rides, it's cool to know that a collection of Fords was on the schedule this year. During the San Diego Show in '06, the hunt was on to find some alternative rides and a couple of slow riders from East San Diego had exactly what we were looking for. However, when it came time to shoot on a sunny Sunday afternoon, only one ride was camera ready. Kregg Buesig rolled up with his wife, Lisa, and they weren't quite sure what to expect.
The eastside of San Diego where Kregg lives has been under quite a bright and colorful building redevelopment project, and the downtown area where we met was milling with people when Kregg and another lifer City Car Club member pulled into the Denny's parking lot. Measuring in at almost 20-feet long, Kregg's '79 Lincoln Mark V squeezed in nicely between my truck (a Ford) and an old tired mini-truck with Mexico license plates.
Early on, more than two years ago, the Lincoln passed its road-worthy inspection after the ceremonial hand-down from dear ol' dad, Robert Buesig, who had bought the car new back in '79. The car was actually stored for 13 years, unloved to a degree, until Kregg immediately installed a stereo system and added big 20-inch wheels, then gassed it down his block on Fairmount Avenue to parade for the homies. After a sighting from his partner Paul Zepeda, Kregg took some improvement advice, and soon enough, he found out that you can't chrome or paint just one thing without doing the entire car. The next thing you know, this ride is "Money Hungry."
Recruited to join City C.C. with members spread out between East San Diego, National City and other local hoods, Kregg played with airbags, enjoyed local drive-thrus, then got more serious about his club representin' duties now that he was flying a plaque in the back window. After siding with the club, he had Hector and "Mr. M" throw down on the quality paint and leafing techniques.
Going beyond the call of duty, Kregg had "Nico" apply fiberglass quarter panels for buckle-free three-wheeling action and semi-gloss black paint to the frame. When a job gets too big and hungry, outsource it, so all of the shine was provided by Molina's Chrome Plating, while the hardcore boys "Neto" and "Big Mike" at Bottom's Up Custom Hydraulics shoved, shifted and shoehorned the entire hydraulic package into the trunk.
What Kregg experienced putting together this long low was not much different from any other lowrider builder; it just depends on how good you want it to come out. And if you want it "camera ready," it will always be hosing your wallet. No matter. The owner's happy and so's his old man. "Seeing what I've done," says Kregg, "my father went out and got another silver '79 Lincoln for himself."
Money HungryOwner: Kregg Buesig
Vehicle: '79 Lincoln Mark V
City/State: East San Diego, California
Club: City C.C.
Engine/Drivetrain: The original '79 Ford 400-c.i.d. 6.6-liter V-8 was made even more power hungry with the addition of 2-bbl. carburetor, 400 automatic turbo transmission and Flowmaster exhaust.
Body/Paint: The long and sharp-edged Lincoln body style needed little bodywork as it's been protected by its own impact force field; not really, but it has been under the watchful eyes of its registered owners. Pro painter and handy sprayman Hector Ochoa (Crash & Fix, National City, California) poured the paint while "Mr. M" at Cisneros Pinstriping handled the fine-line brush work and silverleaf accents.
Interior: You get the feel of a classic '70s seating arrangement with gray plush leather and woodgrain paneling, thanks to Prieto's on the eastside.
Sound System: An Alpine IVA-D300 AM/FM DVD/CD mobile multimedia station with MP3/iPod touch-screen also includes XM radio rotation. Keeping the music moving are JL Audio amps and crossovers with Alpine 1.5-inch tweeters and 6x9 oval speakers.
Setup: The second most powerful part of the modified Lincoln was shoehorned into the trunk by "Neto" and "Big Mike" at Bottom's Up Custom Hydraulics in Spring Valley, California. Four red anodized Pro-Hopper G-Force series pumps with #9 gear heads, 1.5-inch red blocks, 0.5-inch steel-braided return lines, Pro-Hopper Blow Pro dumps, size 8 (front) and size 6 (rear) rubber hose lines, 14 Accu-Max solenoids, chrome 8-inch (front) and 12-inch (rear) cylinders, extra coil steel-braided brake lines and critical point frame reinforcement all figure into the picture.
Tires: P155/80-R13 Cooper LeMans whitewalls
Wheels: 13-inch 100-spoke wires