1973 Ford LTD - True Blue
Beto MendozaWriter
Back when Rudy Sandoval was about thirteen years old, a good friend of his had a brother that was in Amigos Car Club. "He and I used to take off in his brother's Caprice Classic, and we used to cruise Arroyo Seco with him," recalls Rudy. While Lowriders surrounded him when he was coming up, it wasn't until three years ago that Rudy took his plunge to build one himself. "I own a variety of cars including a Barracuda, a Porsche, a '56 Boyd Coddington and few others, but I grew up in the Lowrider scene."
"One of my good friends, Carlos, has been a member of Groupe Car Club for a long time and he helped push me, so I ended up getting in the club," says the proud plaque-flier. When the time came to purchase his first Lowrider, there was no question about the make and model car that Rudy was going to get. "I knew I wanted to build a traditional Lowrider, so I went and got an LTD from my friend Saul, who had already done the '76 front clip swap on it." Once the car was purchased, it was taken apart and basically everything on it was redone. "I didn't want a show car; I wanted something I can drive, slam it on the ground, scrape, and just enjoy it without having to worry too much about it." Rudy also owns a '58 convertible and has also owned '61 and '62 convertibles, but his favorite car by far is the Ford LTD. "To me there is nothing like it, they lay real low and they look like they are a mile long," Rudy says with a smile. Rudy currently has a '76 Ford LTD in the works and if everything goes well, it will be out this summer.
"Thanks go out to Carlos Leos for all the help and advice, and I would like to personally thank my wife, Claire, and my children, Rudy Jr., Rosalie, and Sophia for their support."
Tech Specs
"True Blue"
Owner: Rudy Sandoval
Vehicle: 1973 Ford LTD
City/State: Los Angeles, CA
Club: Groupe SoCal
Body/Paint: After shaving all the emblems and adding a '76 front clip and '74 trim, Fabian/Burrito, at Carlos Customs, in East L.A., finished the bodywork and Carlos, of Carlos Customs, candied the LTD by using true blue pearl on the car and oriental candy blue on the top. Danny D. came in to finish off the paintjob by adding his fine lines.
Interior: Jose of G&G Upholstery in East L.A. remolded the original seats to give it a more modern and custom look. A billet steering wheel was added.
Sound System: Beto, of Los Angeles, installed the Alpine head unit and amp with four 6x9-inch Sony speakers.
Chrome: Yolanda, of Yolanda's in East L.A.
Setup: Ray, of Laid Out Customs, installed the two air pumps and a five-gallon tank.
Tires: Coker 5.20's with a 5/8 white wall.
Wheels: 72-spoke 14x7s.
