Legendary Ford Magazine
Sadly the magazine closed in 2010



For a number of years this was the official website of Legendary Ford, a full-color magazine devoted to 50’s, 60’s and early ‘70’s Fords and Mercurys. Legendary Ford Magazine was neither affiliated with nor endorsed by the Ford Motor Company.
Content is from the site's 2005 -2010 archived pages. Enjoy the nostalgic trip back.

 

 June 17, 2010

It is with great sadness that we announce that Legendary Publishing Group is out of business. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we have been forced to close our doors.

To our valued subscribers, we have made arrangements for another company to take over your subscription - please see www.mustangmagazineonline.com

To our advertisers, vendors, and contributing editors, we will be forever grateful for your business and more importantly, your friendship over the years. It is our hope you will accept our deepest apologies for any inconvenience this may cause. It has been a pleasure to serve you these past 7 years.

We wish you the best and will continue to pray for each and every one of you.
God bless,
Colin & Dianne Date

 

About Legendary Ford Magazine

   

Legendary Ford is a full-color magazine devoted to 50’s, 60’s and early ‘70’s Fords and Mercurys. Initially a quarterly publication, we will feature an average of 6 cars per issue and at least two technical “how-to” articles. There will also be event coverage, and one full-blown feature on a famous Ford power plant per issue. We also plan to showcase racing Fords (one per issue), in the form of historic stock cars, LeMans cars, drag strip kings, etc.

The Premier Issue will feature the following cars: ‘67 Fairlane XL, ‘63-1/2 R-code Galaxie, ‘65 K-code Mustang, ‘55 T-Bird, ‘55 Mercury Montclair, and a ‘69 Cougar convertible. The featured powerplant will be the 427 sohc “Cammer”. We will have three tech articles; two geared towards Fords, the other strictly Mustang. There will also be event coverage from various shows.

Approximately 7 pages will be devoted to each feature car. Unlike all the other magazines out there, which show wimpy shots of engines and interiors, Legendary Ford will show large, full color photos of various interior and engine components, proving invaluable to the restorer.

We will feature only cars that are original, unmolested examples, or immaculately restored show cars. The cars will be stock original, or in the case of high-performance vehicles, have “period correct” minor modifications. No chromed out motors, red plug wires, or incorrect colors allowed!

Legendary Ford will feature one Mustang per issue, and that’s it! There are so many Mustang magazines out there right now, we don’t need to publish another one. Rest assured, the Mustangs that make it into our magazine will be very special Mustangs indeed.

~~~~~

An aside: I went to college in the late 1060's. For two years I lived off campus with a room mate. Her parents gave her a blue 1968 Mustang so she would not have to walk the 3/4 mile from our apartment to the main campus. The car also came in handy for grocery shopping and doing laundry. There were no laundry facility in the large victorian house that was off campus living for students from both Brown University and RISD. I think it cost about $2500 + at the time.

At the time I was envious and glad that we had those wheels. Today that car is a "legendary" classic, but at the time it was just my room mate's car.

I don't have a car any more. Moving to NYC with its public transit and taxi's made having no car easy. Those with cars either pay an arm and a leg to keep their car in a parking garage or do the alternate sides of the street dance moving the can back and worth. I just rent now. The other day I spent some time looking for a dog bed for my Lhasa Apso, Minsky. Her old dog beds were in need of replacement and by Minsky's behavior she was basically shouting out "dog needs bed and make it soon!" She's a character, but I got the hint. It didn't take long to find GoodnightDog an e commerce site that sells round dog beds covered in really nice designer fabric. I knew Minsky wouldn't care about the fabric design, but I was actually able to choose fabrics that coordinated perfectly for my living room and bedroom decor. The dog beds looked more like a pillow that happened to to placed on the floor that a typical dog bed. I loved the idea and it turned out the Minskey loved her two new dog beds - but that came later after they arrived.

Once I placed the dog bed order I then did a search to see the going prices for a classic 1960 -1970 mustang. Boy, was that eye opening. I doubt my room mate kept her mustang, but if she had and it was still in good condition (this is 50 years later) it would be worth easily ten times what her parents paid for it. It was a beauty when she first had it. Sporty, a beautiful blue, a great car.

 

~~~~~


 

Welcome to Legendary Ford Magazine

 

 

2004

LFM is taking the country by storm!

Well folks, word on the street is that LFM just keeps getting better!

Our subscriber base is constantly growing, thanks mostly to our loyal customers who are helping us “spread the word”.  Legendary Ford Magazine is not run by Primedia, or any other giant conglomerate. We are a small, independent publishing company  that is not tied to traditional “crank out as many magazines as possible” thinking. Our main goal is to provide Ford, Mercury, and 
Lincoln enthusiasts (from all over the world) with a premium quality magazine that is second to none. All we focus on is ‘50s, ‘60s, and  ‘70s cars of the Blue Oval persuasion. Period.

Inside each full-color issue, you’ll find the most spectacular feature cars you’ve ever laid eyes on. Our technical stories and features (all our tech is in glorious color too!), are very easy to follow, with  step-by-step instructions and informative sidebars. We feature stories by some of the best known names in the Ford business!

At LFM, you’ll find each issue is regionally themed, too. Our Premier issue (Nov. 03) was our “Black Tie” California cars issue. February ‘04 saw us traveling to Arizona, and May ‘04 had us deep in the Lone Star state. Our August ‘04 issue is Pacific Northwest themed; as we made our way to Oregon and Washington state earlier this summer. 
This fall, we’re heading to Colorado to take in a little Rocky Mountain air, and shoot some awesome feature cars. So, as you can see, we’re always on the move, bringing you only the best (and only!) all-Ford and Mercury coverage in the country.

We’ll be at Ford Expo 2004 this Labor Day weekend at National Trail Drag Strip just outside of Columbus, Ohio. If you get a chance, please drop by and visit us at the LFM booth!

 

LFM 4. 
Ships mid-August. Don’t miss it!



Pacific Northwest Edition 106 pages, 
all full-color

  • 5 awesome feature cars

  • 3 page pull-out poster

  • From classic 50s to 70s muscle

  • FE series engine featured

  • Disc brake tech
    and much more!

 


 

What's coming down the pike...

Where are we heading with Legendary Ford Magazine? If you're a subscriber, you already know. We're creating a dynamic all-Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury publication that is truly outstanding. Our Premier issue was a HUGE hit, and we're told our February issue is at another level altogether. We want to make sure every issue of this magazine is an instant classic, suitable for the collector's case!

Inside each full color issue you'll find the most spectacular feature cars you've ever laid eyes on. Our tech stories (how to's) are very easy to follow with clear, descriptive text and large, pin-sharp photography. Three-page pull-out posters, event coverage, industry news, and unique features (like road trip stories!), fill out our 106 page magazine. 

The Premier issue (November 2003) focuses primarily on California-based Fords and Mercs, while our February-04 issue is flush with Arizona cars. We're well into production on our May issue, which will feature some incredible Texas Blue Oval iron. After that, it's a 1000 mile road trip to Oregon. We'll be heading up to the Pacific Northwest in June to photograph some awesome feature cars for the August issue of LFM, then back again in late summer to cover the Ford Fever Classic at Woodburn, OR. We're working fervently to get Old Glory (our long term project '64 Fairlane) ready to make a few passes at this awesome event!

Look for LFM to start bi-monthly publication in Fall, 2004!

Our spring schedule:
•Legendary Ford Magazine will be at Fabulous Fords Forever (Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA) this April 18. Look for our booth near the milestone cars section!

•We'll be at the All-Ford Nationals at Carlisle, PA this year (June 3, 4, 5) in the retail/swap meet area. Rain or shine, c'mon by and visit us...

•LFM will also be attending/sponsoring numerous smaller local events in the southern California region this spring...

 



LEGENDARY FORD is a hit!

“I just got my copy of the premiere edition of Legendary Ford Magazine. “Worth the wait” is an understatement! Every square inch of this magazine screams “high quality”. And no, I am not lending my copy to anyone”. 
John Rotella, Director- 
LOVEfords.org

“...and all I can say is I was KNOCKED OUT OF MY SOCKS. This is the nicest all-Ford magazine I have ever seen. The effort put behind it is well worth the subscription price.”
Mark Reynolds, Director- 
Ford Galaxie Club of America

“…I also found the restoration tips very helpful. They are very easy to read and you do not have to page forward for continuation of the articles…”
Dick Rozum- 
Rozum Motor Company

“…Hey, your piece Floor pan Resto (in the Premier Issue) arrived just in time! I was just removing my interior for the first time with a sense of dread...you took the fear of using a new product away…I'm doing the same thing with my trunk and pans this weekend.”
Tim Fletcher

“This is my new favorite magazine! They have done a very good job. Anyone that missed the first issue don't miss the next issue!”
Gary Maynard

“Yes this magazine was well worth the wait…”
Jerry and Sue Lester



 

2005

LFM is entering its third year of publishing. With 8 issues under our belt, we’re now into year three, and coming up on Issue #9!

 

Isn’t is about time there was a great all-Ford and Mercury magazine on the market? 
Legendary Ford Magazine caters to all the classic Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln fans out there. What can you expect to find in Legendary Ford? Nothing but the best True Blue Oval iron from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. We begin where Super Ford left off, and continue the legacy.

Is Legendary Ford owned by Primedia? 
No. LFM is independently owned, and published by a dedicated team of Ford fanatics!

What’s happening in the Ford magazine market right now? 
Other than massive Mustang coverage, not much! Legendary Ford Magazine is all about the cars you never see featured anymore. Galaxies, Fairlanes, Torinos, Thunderbirds, Rancheros, Falcons, Lincolns, Montereys, Montegos, Comets, Cougars, Cobras, Mavericks. Does LFM feature Mustangs? We keep them to a dull roar, but we do feature one in each issue. With so many other magazines dedicated strictly to Ford’s pony car, we felt the world didn’t need another one. The Mustangs we do feature however, are very special indeed.

How many issues has LFM published? 
The premier issue of Legendary Ford Magazine appeared in November of 2003. It was dubbed the “Black Tie Inaugural” issue, and featured all-black cars from Southern California. February ‘04 was our first “on the road” issue. We traveled to Arizona to bring you cars from the desert Southwest, and we had a little fun on Route 66 in a Pantera. May ‘04 was our big Texas-themed issue, packed with cars from the Lone Start State. August ‘04 we traveled to Oregon and Washington State, and shot some beautiful Northwest Fords and Mercs. Issue #5 (December ‘04) saw us in Colorado. We flew to Denver and captured some gorgeous rare cars, Rocky Mountain style! Issue #6 (March ‘05) was called “Galaxie Quest”, because, well, you’ll just have to read the issue. Issue #7 debuted in June, and featured, among other classics, a genuine 427 AC Cobra. September marked our eighth issue, and celebrated the 50th anniversary of the fabulous Thunderbird. This was our first special commemorative issue, and has almost sold out already! Issue #9 debuts in December ‘05, and will feature a 428 powered ‘69 Torino fastback, a real 63-1/2 Lightweight Galaxie, a ‘63 Falcon wagon, and lots more surprises. Don’t miss this one!

LFM 9.    Ships December 29 2005



December 2005

LFM #9 Issue Highlights

-An exposé on the ‘63-1/2 “Factory Lightweight” Galaxies
-A full 7 page tech on “How to Lighten up your Galaxie” 
-Indiana “Brannan” and the “Lost Lightweight”
-Transmission Feature: C4 & C6 (Part 2)
-Feature cars: 1963 Falcon Wagon, 1969 Ford Cobra, 1970 Boss 302, 1973 Ford Bronco
-A road trip to Southern Pennsylvania’s “Lemon Grove”
-The Y-Block Shootout at Ford Expo 2005, Columbus, OH
-More vintage Ford ads
-Diecast Review: GMP’s ‘67 Shelby GT 500
-More My Ride(s) than ever!

 


LFM 8. September 2005



Don’t miss this historic issue, destined to be a Thunderbird 50th Anniversary keepsake!

September 2005 marks the 50th anniversary of one of Ford’s most spectacular legends: 
The Thunderbird! Legendary Ford Magazine’s issue #8 (due September, 05) 
will focus on the fabulous T-Bird, with 7 feature cars! 

How’s this for a stellar line up? 
1955 VERY early ‘Bird, 1957 Supercharged ‘Bird, 
a gorgeous ‘59 Convertible, 
sensational ‘63 “Bullet Bird”, 
an extremely elegant ‘64 Formal Roof, 
and a ‘75 “big as they come” land yacht T-Bird. 


We’ve also got stories on an international T-Bird, some history on the Daytona ‘Birds, and an incredible “Thunderbird Spotter’s Guide” put together by John Rotella of the T-bird Registry!

For the Pony car fans (don’t think for a moment we’ve forgotten you!), how about a ground pounding '69 Boss 429? That’s right, the Shotgun Boss, King of ‘em all!

Don’t miss part one of our Featured Transmission story: Exposing the C4 and C6 trannies...

Want more? There’s event coverage of the Ford Nats at Carlisle, 2005, a special pull-out poster commemorating the Thunderbird, My Ride, Code Cracker, and TONs more!

 



Welcome to Legendary Ford Magazine

 

2007

 

MAY - JUNE 2007
The May-June issue of Legendary Ford Magazine is a special commemorative piece celebrating 40 Years of Cougar! 
This is an LFM Special Issue, packed with Mercury's personal luxury performance car. It features "Cougar One", the very first "official" Cat from L-M. The issue continues with a '68 XR7 G, a '68 GTE, a '69 XR 7 428 CJ, a '70 "Boss 302" Eliminator, and a '71 Convertible packed with a 429 CJ and 4-speed! There's plenty more Cougar stuff too: Top 5 Fastest Cougars, a Cougar ID Guide, Cougar editorials, a "Traveling Road Show" 
Cougar from the mid-'70's, and even a Cougar Station Wagon (yes, they made them!). 

Other cars in this issue? How about a stunning 1966 Galaxie 500 7 Litre Convertible, and a super-hot Shelby GT 500 Mustang? We've also got great tech stories on installing front disc brakes on a '64 Galaxie and restoring the dash on a '64 Falcon. 

The second installment of "Thunderbird Italien", "Anatomy of a Y-block", and all the usual features you've come to know and love. This issue is destined to sell out fast, so get your order in today!

JULY - AUGUST 2007
Ships Mid-June

What’s up for the July/August 2007 edition of 
Legendary Ford Magazine? 

Plenty! This issue packs the full wallop of THUNDERBOLT POWER! Veteran racer and Ford Historian Charlie Morris uncovers the myths and magic of Ford’s dragstrip dynamo. Editor Colin Date spent an afternoon with Phil Featherston of Stockton, California capturing Phil’s incredible, REAL, Fairlane T-Bolt in digital posterity! You’ll get the scoop on these awesome cars, along with a 24” poster to put on your wall!

Feature cars this issue include what could be 3 of the nicest, cleanest, most correct Fords you’ve ever seen: Out of National Parts Depot comes their gorgeous ‘64 Lincoln Continental Convertible and their stunning ‘70 Mustang SportsRoof. This Mustang is NOT A MACH 1, but it could be the most highly-optioned non-Mach there is! Oh, by the way, it’s loaded for bear with 428CJ power! Also featured in this issue is an unbelievably detailed, factory correct ‘63 Falcon Futura Convertible out of Florida. 
It’s equipped with the 170 cubic-inch six cylinder engine, so there- everyone who thinks we’re just a bunch of high performance V8 guys, think again!

Tech and restoration in our July-August issue is a varied as there are Fords. How about the 5.0L conversion of a 1953 Mercury? Now here’s an interesting how to- not as tough as you’d think, and well worth the effort! We’ve also got a piece on sound deadener installation in a ‘64 Falcon, the continuing saga of the restoration of Thunderbird Italien, and Part 7 of “Saving Big Red”. 

Road Trip! Read all about the 9000 mile round trip trek from Tyler, TX to Anchorage, AK in a ‘57 T-Bird! We’ll also take you on a tour of an incredible private collection of all things Ford... Then there’s Phelon Motorsports “Project Faux Boss”; a super Mustang ready to set the Mustang world on fire! We’ve got My Ride, Code Cracker, Diecast Review, Left for dead, and TONS more great FoMoCo stuff. Don’t miss it!

 

Thanks to you, our VALUED SUBSCRIBER, after 3 years, 14 issues, and countless adventures, Legendary Ford Magazine will now be available in major bookstores through the U.S., debuting May 1, 2007! 
Thank you! We couldn’t have accomplished this without you. In keeping with titles and cover dates on the shelves, we are adjusting the cover dates to reflect a more timely presence in the bookstores. Starting with this next issue, the cover date will read March/April 2007 and will be mailed out to you in early March.

Frequently asked questions:
•Does this change the status of my subscription? 
NOT IN ANY WAY.
•Will I still receive the best possible price for my subscription compared to the bookstores? 
ALWAYS!
•Will I still receive my 6 issues per year, published and mailed bi-monthly? 
YES.


 

2008


The September/October issue of Legendary Ford Magazine is chock full of those heavenly survivors! Yes, all our feature cars in this big issue are bone stock, all-original, untouched cars. Well, OK, maybe a battery or a fan belt or some brake shoes, but hey, you get the idea.

We kick this issue off with a stunning 1959 Galaxie Club Victoria. Fresh out of hibernation, this car brings a whole new meaning to the word “original”. We’re also featuring a 1972 Pinto Runabout! Yes, this will be LFM’s second Pinto offering, and we’re darn proud of it! Wait ‘til you get a glimpse of this baby. It stole the show at this past years All-Ford Nationals in Carlisle, PA. We continue our original feature car line up with a sleek ’73 Cougar convertible out of Florida. How did this car manage to only rack up 28,000 miles? Then, the King of the Mustangs - the 1968 Shelby GT500KR! You got it: an all-original road warrior that’s survived to tell the tale. This Highland Green beauty is also our big poster car this issue. 

Sticking with our Survivor theme is a terrific story on barn finds. John Rotella’s Code Cracker and Cougar man Phil Parcells took a little jaunt out in the upstate NY countryside and discovered a couple of big ol’ barns packed with hidden FoMoCo treasure.  

What else is lurking in this issue of LFM? How about a follow up to the Hot Six Shooters story in the July/August issue! Yes, you six banger folks will discover even more ways to fry the asphalt! This time around, Michael Winterboer talks about head swaps, carb swaps, flow testing, and even offers dyno proven results! 

Want more tech? Jeff Ford digs further into his project ’64 Falcon’s interior, Tom Maruska’s ’57 F-code T-Bird gets ready for paint, we do a full review of Dearborn Classics’ ’64/’65 bumpers, and we introduce you to our 1965 LFM project car. 

There’s plenty more good stuff in this issue too, like the history of the Mercury Comet, the Scrapper II drag car out of Canada, and a mysterious Mustang that you’ll just have to read about! 

What’s coming up for November/December? 

TOTAL PERFORMANCE! This issue will be our big “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” issue with plenty of emphasis on Ford’s racing history. We’ll give you the rundown on Ford’s victory years on the stock car circuit, LeMans, the NHRA, and the street wars. 

This issue will feature a GT40 replica, a ’68 428 Mustang drag car, a ’63-1/2 Galaxie, a ’71 Torino and a few more surprises.  

We’ll have a piece on “40 years of Torino”, a radio recognition guide, dash and door panel restoration of our project ’65 Galaxie, some cool new Falcon sunburst taillights for the resto-mod crowd, a great road trip story in a late ’50s Mercury, some event coverage from Silver Springs, FL, and a whole lot more.  

If you haven’t already done so, subscribe now to ensure you won’t miss this extra exciting issue of Legendary Ford

 

 THE ULTIMATE MUSTANG MAGAZINE!

The special “ 45 Years of Mustang ” presented by Legendary Ford Magazine commemorates four and a half decades of Ford’s legendary Pony Car. This is a huge 196 page “masterpiece of magazines”, printed on heavyweight glossy paper stock. Full color throughout, the special issue will feature EVERY YEAR of Mustang, from the car’s mid-year introduction in 1964, through the latest, greatest 2009 model!

 

LegendaryFordMagazine.com