Kathy and Keven’s 1965 fastback
Kathy and I have wanted
a ’65-’66 fastback for a very long time. over the years, the right car would
come along and we didn’t have the finances to buy it or we had the finances but
couldn’t find a car we liked. The search is finally over. We bought our
fastback from a friend of ours in San Antonio. Here is the history of our
mustang. The original owner was planning a move from Pennsylvania to San
Antonio, but didn’t want to drive her “old” ’57 t-bird. She traded the bird for
the mustang and moved to San Antonio. 26 years later the lady decided it was
time to sell the mustang. Several weeks of negotiating and our friend became the
second owner of fastback in 1990. He drove the car home, parked it in the
garage, began disassembly, and there it sat until we bought it in February of
2006. The car had sat dry in the garage for 16 years, by the time I drug it
home it had been rained on, sleeted on, and snowed on. Once the car was home, I
began to realize how solid and straight it was. It is virtually rust free and
body damage limited to a few door dings.
We have all heard stories of how popular these cars were when they first came
out, and this car bears proof of that. It was built on October 8, 1964 in
Dearborn. It sold on October 14, 1964 in Harrisburg PA, as witnessed by the
owner’s signature in the owners manual.
Our plans for the car is to put it together to our likings, making several
upgrades along the way. We hope to have it together this summer. Maybe in time
for Stampede, then summer of next year tear it down for paint. We hope to unveil
the finished project at the 2008 Grand National in mustang.
Check back here periodically, as I will provide new photos as we make progress.
Click here for First set of pictures
July 06 Update
Well, much progress has been made since the initial pictures were submitted. All of the old suspension, brakes, and steering were removed, and all systems were upgraded. 4-wheel disc brakes, Flaming River steering box, Global West suspension components, new coil & leaf spring, and stainless steel brake & fuel lines are installed. The new gas tank and carpet are in, and the old upholstery isn’t too bad, it’ll do for now. The wheels & tires are on and the car is finally on the ground. Over the 1st weekend in July, Kale Epperson helped me remove the engine & transmission from my ’68, and Bill Henson helped me install it in the ’65. Now comes the tedious part, waiting on back ordered parts, and getting all of the wiring, plumbing, exhaust, etc. sorted out. Hopefully my next update will be to tell you that the car is drivable.
Click here for Second set of pictures
January 07 Update
Good news! The Stang has been on the road for a few months now. It has been to the weekly cruise-in at Sonic a few times and to an OMC meeting once or twice. It has a few bugs still to be worked out, but it goes down the road straight, stops, and looks pretty good doing it. Next up is freshening up the interior and some detailing in preparation for our national show in April. I’ve decided to put the car in the occasional driver class. I know I’ll get killed on the paint, but winning a trophy isn’t the object. The object is just to be a part of what I think will be a great show. My next project after the show is to swap in a 5-speed trans, and just enjoy driving the car this summer, then, hopefully this winter I will start the disassembly process in preparation for the paint job. Kathy and I have a couple of ideas for the paint that we haven’t seen before, with some luck they will work out. Until the next update, I hope to see everyone at the show.
Click here for Third set of Pictures
March 07 Update
A little team work upholstering the seats.
Click here for Fourth set of Pictures
August 07 Update
A look at the interior work.
Click here for 5th set of Pictures