Power Profile: Randy Jacobson’s Midlife Is No Crisis

Randy Jacobson is as quick to share his knowledge as he is with his sense of humor.

“I refurbish vintage Mustang and Ford harnesses for the average hobbyist at realistic prices,” says the quick-witted Floridian.

My first car was a four-speed, A-code 1965 GT coupe, bought from a friend in high school in 1968. — Randy Jacobson

Randy spends much of his time on various Mustang-related forums troubleshooting non-customer’s problems and doling out healthy portions of his good-natured fun. Don’t let the internet laughs fool you though, Randy knows his stuff.

“My first car was a four-speed, A-code 1965 GT coupe, bought from a friend in high school in 1968. It was loaded with bad brakes, worn heads, a disconnected speedometer, worn tires, etc.” he chuckled.

The car would be Randy’s constant companion through high school, college and into grad school. Unfortunately, the nimble little coupe would meet an unceremonious end at the hands of a ’64 Willys Jeep.

Randy Jacobson, a.k.a. “Midlife,” has served as Regional Director, MCA Board member and the National Secretary of the Mustang Club of America.

Perhaps it was the growing need for a more modern car for everyday duties that took Randy further from the Mustang family for the next two decades. Memories of that first pony car were never far from his mind however.

“In 1998, I decided I had enough of the practical cars and in the interest of mental health, I committed myself to finding an exact duplicate of the car,” he explained.

Randy’s search would take him to Washington D.C. where he found ’66 A-code GT fastback, made an offer, and bought it.

“It wasn’t the same, but it was close enough,” he recalled.

True to form, the 150-mile trek home in the pouring rain resulted in a soaked cockpit. Just like old times, Randy set out with wrench in hand to bring this tired car back to life.

“It took six years, a move to Florida, building a detached garage and working weekends and holidays to get the car to reliable status,” Randy confessed.

During that time, he also joined the Mustang Club of America as well as his local Bay Mustang Club. In keeping with his outgoing and giving nature, he would eventually become an MCA Regional Director, followed by a stint on the MCA Board of Directors, and the MCA naming him its National Secretary.

Randy’s six-year restoration in his 'Garage Mahal' resulted in this beautiful ’66 GT fastback.

Midlife Crisis.

With a sharp car in his garage and an impressive MCA résumé in hand, Randy set out to find the next phase of his Mustang legacy.

“With 30 years of working on electrical equipment and electronics, I picked up a large storage bin of used Mustang wiring harnesses, which started the next phase of my Mustang hobby, refurbishing wire harnesses for the hobbyist at Midlife Harness,” he said.“It’s a great hobby and am surprised that not many do this kind of work.”

With 30 years of working on electrical equipment and electronics, Randy started refurbishing wire harnesses for everyday hobbyist.

Randy knows there are others who do concours-level restorations. “But that’s not my gig. I provide functionality over aesthetics for the everyday owner,” he said.

If you’re not having fun you’re probably taking it way too seriously and should sell your car and get a cat. — Randy Jacobson

With retirement approaching, Randy says harnesses are an enjoyable weekend effort, which allows him plenty of time to serve various Mustang-related forums with valuable experience and plenty of good-hearted ribbing.

Through trial and error (mostly error), says Randy, you can learn a lot by joining an internet forum. Breaking tasks up into bite-size pieces that can be accomplished in a day or so and not being afraid to ask questions.

“If you’re not having fun you’re probably taking it way too seriously and should sell your car and get a cat,” he quipped.