mustang corral

I am a big fan of old Ford Mustangs, and have wanted one since I was about 7 years old. In September 1994, I finally purchased a 1966 coupe from Bucks County Mustangs in Levittown PA, a Night Mist Blue 6cyl 3spd with about 75000 original miles.

The body wasn't much to look at with an overabundance of rust caverns, but the engine and mechanicals were easily restored to near perfect operating order very quickly. The interior was restored to clean functionality, and that rust bucket became a very hardy daily driver.

That car ran for about 70000 miles, until April 1998, when two cracked exhaust manifolds in a six month span forced me to realize that it would cost much more than I wanted to spend to completely restore it (none of the much-needed bodywork had been done yet), and it wasn't truly the Mustang I had dreamed of all my life.

So I ended up trading that one in on another daily driver, a black on red 1966 Sprint 200 automatic. This wasn't a bad car, but it was an automatic, and it still wasn't my heart's desire. After only 4 months, I decided that if I couldn't find the car I really wanted, the only thing to do was to have it built.

My current Mustang is a Guardsman Blue 1965 Fastback, and it started out as a 3spd with less than 60000 miles on a beat up 289. I drove this one as my main car from October 1998 until November 2000, when I purchased a Nissan Xterra, since I was making preparations to move to Arizona, fulfilling the dual purpose of having something else to drive in besides the Mustang in the high summer heat, and something to take full advantage of the many offroad trails in the desert and mountains.

As time permits, I'll put more of it's build history up, and any info on shows I decide to enter. Any mods done to it since the day I picked it up (30 Oct 1998) will be in journal... follow the links, baby...

A Day in the Life of a 1965 Fastback: Final Journal (2004-2005)

Feb 1: The horse was consigned for sale up at the Big Boys and Their Toys show and auction for most of the month January, and on the very last day of the sale show, a guy from Alberta Canada bought it, so soon, it'll be on it's way to it's new home somewhere in the Great White North.

I got a good price for it, but not as much as I'd hoped for (meaning, doesn't cover everything I've put into in the past 5 years). But it's going to a good home, and I know that guy will have fun with it.

Aug 31: Life is change. Anyone who tells you different is selling you something.

Speaking of selling, the time has come for me to let go. Circumstances have changed, Life has changed, and selling my horse has manifested as a reality I can no longer ignore or avoid.

Time to take more pictures of it... for my personal use and to use in the "for sale" ads I'll be placing for it.

Apr 21: Finally got the radiator looked and repaired, but now it's only a matter of time before it needs to be replaced. It's worn out to the point where it can't be rebuilt and coddled anymore... next time it overheats, it'll probably be close to gone, meaning I'll have to be careful driving it this summer, and not get caught out in the high heat.

Mar 20: Once again, the Copperstate Mustang Club's Spring Show was a blast.

Too many nice Fastbacks are showing up. I used to be able to get a 3rd place trophy easily... not any more.

The Mustang Shop brought out several cars, including a red 1968 Shelby, and one of the Eleanor replicas they've been building. Safe to say that Eleanor was likely the top attention-getter of the show, but I think my favorite was the 1966 Shelby GT350H -- a lovely black and gold Hertz Rent-A-Racer. The one I first fell in love with when I was a child, and the one I still want to own someday.

Pics will be up in the gallery soon.

There's another Mustang show down in Tucson next Saturday, but I don't know if I'll get down there or not this year.

Mar 8: finally bit the bullet and had the radiator fully checked out. it did need to be cleaned out and patched, but it also turned out that the water pump was bad, and needed to be replaced. the guy at the shop thinks it's still running too hot for desert driving.

as soon as i get a free moment, it's back to The Mustang Shop to have those guys pull and replace the thermostat. with luck, i could get it done before the club's Spring Show on March 20th.

Mar 7: the horse is now a star, making it's debut this afternoon in a short film being shot locally. it suffered no clutch grinding, even though it was being driven by someone who wasn't used to a stick shift. it performed beautifully, earning raves from the director.

Jan 15: the 4bbl carb has been rebuilt, and it seems like my hunch of having a leaky radiator is also correct... it's leaking around the top and bottom seams. still doesn't explain why i've not seen nary a drop of anything on the garage floor even though i know i'm losing fluids. they must all ooze out and evaporate while i'm driving, and not seep out when i'm parked. otherwise, i don't have any explanation for it.

but they've recommended a radiator shop nearby, and i'll be taking a trip there as soon as i have the money.

Jan 10: first time doing some real cruising around since the motor mounts and the starter wire had been replaced, and i've noticed some troubling behavior. it'll stall out when i slow down from doing highway speeds, unless i play with the gas while i'm stopping (which isn't an easy thing to do with a manual transmission).

my friends at The Mustang Shop took a look, and i don't need a tuneup, i need to get my carburetor cleaned and rebuilt. wunnerful.

2004-2005 Final Journal Entries
2003 Journal Entries
2002 Journal Entries
2001 Journal Entries
2000 Journal Entries
1999 Journal Entries
1998 Journal Entries
From the Beginning: The Restoration