Jeff Fischbach's 1965 Mustang Convertible

To whom it may concern:

I thought I'd take a moment to recognize Marlo & Marlon for all the hard work they have put into my car. When I came into the shop a couple of weeks ago the rear-end of my '65 convertible was nearly dragging on the ground. When Marlon disassembled the rear suspension, he found original 35 year old leaf-springs. He preserved the top leaf with the original part number for possible future concours restoration, but bolted in a set of new springs, shocks and welded in a 3/4 inch sway bar, just for kicks. The difference is unbelievable! Not only did it lift the car OFF the ground, but now the tires stay ON the ground. In effect, I gained HP at the wheels. Plus, no more twisting around corners, and all of the rear-end rattle is gone.

I wanted to get Tractionmasters™ and sub-frame connectors--not to mention the whole front-end redone--but Marlon insisted that I feel the difference that just the rear-end made before deciding on other options. To this day, I'm not sure if that was good nature, or good business. Truth-be-told, when I left the shop, the difference was so dramatic that I didn't think I would need to return, but now I figure, if that's what I get from shocks, springs, and a roll-bar, what would happen if I let them loose on the front-end?

I would also like to extend a special thanks to Marlo (Marlon's dad). For as long as I've had the car, the steering has felt really loose. I wanted to get it taken care of, but another mechanic told me that I needed to replace the entire steering gear. I'm not prepared to spend that kind of money, and I'm proud of the number of original parts I've been able to preserve. When Marlo backed the car into the shop, he asked if I wanted my steering fixed. I told him I didn't think I could afford it. So, he popped the hood, lubed the gear and in 5-minutes he was done. Later, I took it for a test-drive... amazing! Completely fixed and it didn't cost me a dime! Plus, he put in a set of reconditioned rear-seatbelts on the same day.

Thank you guys! It's like a new-old car.

Best regards,
Jeff M. Fischbach

PS - Sorry I didn't write sooner, but it's hard to hold a pen at these speeds!

Don Donnely's 1971 Little Red Pony

I found my 1971 Mustang Convertible in 1983. She wasn't always sexy red... Originally, she started out a medium, metallic, bronze. I met her waiting for someone in a parking lot... a "For Sale By Owner" sign on her. It was "love at first sight!" At that moment, her owners drove up and she came home with me that night. I had become the third man in her life and she was still the same natural beauty she had always been. Unaltered, she was almost perfect.

Then a strong dose of realism... a terrific car that looks great, doesn't always handle great. Why does it float? I took it to Firestone and they said it needed a new front end... Cah-ching! The new front end didn't fix it so it went back and they reworked the front end. It was no better the second time, but at least it had a new front end.

Because the ride was still poor, in October '99 I had new springs and shocks (front & back) installed... Cah-ching! I changed tires and brakes... Cah-ching! The work was done incorrectly. The mechanic is "out of business" and my pony was even worse than before. In addition to an awful ride, there were all kinds of unwanted noises coming from the front of the car.

The first MOCC (Mustang Owner's Club of California) event I attended was the Suspension Clinic, January 21, 2001, at Marlo's Frame and Alignment. Many MOCC members attended and my pony was the first on the rack... Marlon Mitchell (MOCC President) and his dad, Marlo crawled underneath to explain what work needed to be done. They would say things like, "notice the improper angle of the ball joint" or "wow, that swing arm looks like it should be in a cast", but everyone was crowded around and I really could see very little... except for the constant drip of the defective water pump.

Well, I decided to go for it, one last time, and let Marlon apply his 18 years of suspension secrets and Marlo's 45 years of expertise to my convertible... Cah-ching! They worked on my stang and their magic has returned her to my sexy little red pony. She is more responsive than she has ever been. A mere touch of her steering wheel and she does what you want her to do. The unwanted rattles and squeaks are completely gone. She still deserves more attention (new top and paint), but over time, all of her needs will be met too!

Thanks Marlon!

Jim Hansen's 1969 Mach I

Seven years ago I was faced with the proposition of either rebuilding the engine in my '86 5.0 Ltr. or trading it in on a newer Mustang. Another type of car was never an option. I've had 3 Mustangs over the past 20 years and there is no other car. One day my wife and I were out looking at '88-'92 "Stangs" when my wife spotted a '69 Mach I 351 Windsor 2 br. No air - Total Blue color. It's the car I always wanted except it wasn't the GT500 KR. I decided this was the next best thing, and I intend to make this Mach I the best it can be. So, after talking with other Mustang folks, I started this project by rebuilding the suspension by the best guy for the job: Marlon Mitchell at Marlo's Frame and Alignment.

Marlon installed a complete front suspension with polyurethane bushings and a 1" sway-bar with greaseable bushings and brackets. Plus, a complete rear suspension: Springs, polyurethane bushings, 3/4" adjustable sway bar, and rear Traction Master bars.

She's new and perfect! Thanks Marlon.

Ken Roussin's 1966 Fairlane GTA

To whom it may concern:

Last fall, while restoring my '66 Fairlane GTA I decided to install a set of full length sub-frame connectors to prevent excessive body flex. Stress cracks behind the back corners of the rear windows are common in big block '66 and '67 Fairlanes and I wanted to eliminate the possibility of this happening to my car.

I originally intended to have the sub-frame connectors installed by a shop that specializes in preparing vintage Mustang race cars, but I was told it would be weeks before they could even consider doing the work. A few days later, at Cruiser's Car Wash, a local cruise destination, I was talking to a fellow about my dilemma. He wasn't even driving a Ford but immediately told me about Marlon and Marlo's Frame and Alignment. The following Monday I called Marlon and discussed my needs. Within minutes I was convinced that Marlon could properly do the work and it felt as if I had known him for years.

The next morning my car, behind a tow truck, arrived at Marlon's shop. My car was immediately disconnected from the tow truck and placed on a rack. Marlon explained exactly how he was going to do the work and assured me I could pick the car up that afternoon. When I returned later in the day I found my car completed and Marlon partially collapsed from heat exhaustion. It had reached 105 degrees in the Valley that day and the heat, combined with welding underneath a car wearing heavy welding clothing had about done Marlon in, but he kept his word, not to mention completely inspecting the suspension, at no charge.

If you need suspension or frame work do yourself a favor, take your car to Marlo's.

Ken Roussin
Winnetka, Ca.

Patrick Selfridge's 1952 Ford Pickup

It's hard to know where to begin with all that Marlon and Marlo have done for my 52 Ford and myself. I had an independent front suspension system installed by a chassis company that, to put it mildly, butchered the job. I went to three different alignment shops to fix steering and drivability problems before I found Marlon--none of whom could cure my problems. Within minutes of Marlon and Marlo putting my truck on their rack, they shook the front end and found that one of the rack-and-pinion mounting bolts had not even been tightened by the company that installed the suspension. This alone was never caught by any other shop.

In a sense Marlon may have saved my life right there. My truck's steering wheel also would not center --again noone could figure it out until Marlon and Marlo. Since then we have gone on to get my truck's ride height and suspension exactly the way I wanted it.

Marlon and his Dad have :

• Installed two inch drop spindles and custom mounted calipers
• Added new coilover shocks
• They helped me select Front and rear sway bars with poly bushings and mounts they custom fabricated
  
• C-nothed the frame in the rear and removed the SAFE amount of leaf springs along with custom fabbed rear shock mounts to achieve the height I wanted
  
• And installed new 3: 55 gears we picked out together

My truck now drives like a brand new one -- all thanks to Marlon and Marlo. They took their time, used the Best parts avilable and really listened to what I wanted. Marlon continues to consult with me on just about every facet of building this truck, and I can't thank them both enough!

Patrick Selfridge
stlrfutbal@aol.com