TriStateTuners.com :: Home of Tristate Auto Enthusiast - Car Of The Month: August '06

Car Of The Month: August
WhiteFiveO's 1966 Ford Mustang

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/6864/whitefiveo1.jpg

TST: How and when did you get a hold of this car, and what kind of condition was it in?
Brian: Hmm about 5 years ago and the car ran and drove but every piece of metal on the car was rusted through, the 1/4 panels had holes and so did the floor and trunk.

TST: Where did you find it?
Brian: The neighborhood next to me, I was walking through one day and saw it.

TST: Is it something you were looking for, or did you just kind of fall into a huge mustang restoration?
Brian: No I was looking for that year Mustang but could not find one anywhere that was in my price range. Ever since seeing Gone In 60 Seconds I fell in love with Mustangs and when I found this one it was just what I was looking for.

TST: Was this your first Mustang?
Brian: Yeah I bought it to be my everyday driver and have it fixed up by when I got my license but once I started and wanted to do more and more things to it, it took a lot longer than we expected.

TST: How old were you when you bought it?
Brian: I was in the beginning of 8th grade so that would be what like 14 or 15.

TST: Do I remember that your dad helped you with this project?
Brian: Yeah, my dad and I did all the work ourselves, the only work we didn’t do was the paint.

TST: Did either of you have any experience with this when you started?
Brian: Yeah my dad did, he restored a lot of cars when he was younger and he also helped my brother do his first car, but this was my first.

TST: So how long did it take start to finish?
Brian: A little over 4 years, I started in the beginning of 8th grade and finished just in time for Senior Prom in 12th grade.

TST: Oh so is that how you arrived at prom then? Very cool...
Brian: Haha unfortunately no I didn’t. I tried to but waiting in traffic [on the way to prom] the car overheated--that was before all the bugs were worked out of it.

TST: Haha... well that’s too bad.
Brian: Yeah it was, but it was okay.

TST: But now its running strong?
Brian: Yes it is I put an electric fan on the car along with high flow water pump and bigger radiator.

TST: There you go, lesson learned.
Brian: Haha yup.

TST: So I'm sure there were a few obstacles along the way of the restoration, any real hang-ups worth mentioning?
Brian: Yeah I think the biggest was the fact that well the whole front end of the car is new-- like new frame rails and when we welded them on, something in the jig must have moved and the one rail was actually about ½” lower than the other so we had to cut that out and move it back to the right spot. Also another [hang-up] was that the roof had [originally] looked as if someone had jumped on it, I had about 20 hours in getting that roof flat.

TST: Well you'd never know now... So the car obviously isn’t your daily driver, but what do you really like using it for... just cruising, shows, or does it ever see the drag strip?
Brian: Mostly just cruising around having fun with it, it has been to a few shows and it will be to the strip once the car is tuned properly.

TST: Oh ok so its not completely finished? Any idea how much power it should be putting out?
Brian: about 350 crank horsepower

TST: So when do you plan to go in for the tune?
Brian: As soon as I have time, I want to get it on a dyno soon but I’ve been so busy.

TST: What kind of comments do you get on the car when you bring it out? I'm sure there are plenty but are there any that really stand out to you?
Brian: Everyone always says “nice car”, it attracts everyone not just like one crowd likes the car, and it really feels good when someone says “nice car.” It makes all the long hours working on it seem worthwhile.

TST: So are you going to keep this one forever?
Brian: I’ve thought about selling it but i just cant bring myself to do it, the car means a lot to me because of the fact that my dad and I built it together; I don’t think I will ever sell it.

TST: Do you have any other plans for a future project?
Brian: No real future projects but there will be a new engine coming in the car soon [for the Mustang] but I’m going to keep that a secret.

TST: Any shout outs or thanks you want to send out?
Brian: I just want to say thanks to my parents and especially my dad for all the help. Also thanks to my speed shop Velocity Speed and Sport in Bordentown.

Engine Mods:

289 Bored .30 Over
Edelbrock Cam
Gt40 P Heads
Crane Roller Rockers
Edelbrock Intake manifold
Edelbrock 650 Carb
Mac Long Tube Headers
MAC shorty h pipe Followed by flowmaster 40 series mufflers with dumps
MSD Distriburator
MSD 6AL Ignition system
Edelbrock Fuel Pump
High Flow Water Pump
Electric Fan
Oversized Radiator
Custom Billet Strut tower braces
Canton 7 quart oil pan

Transmission:

TCI Racing C4 trans
TCI 3000 Stall converter
8 inch Posi with 355 gears

Exterior:

Paint- Dodge Viper red with pearl white Shelby Stripes
Fiberglass 3 inch cowl hood
Fiberglass Trunk with spoiler molded in
Fiberglass ground effects
Fiberglass GT 350 front bumper
Reverse eye leaf springs followed by 620 coils up front to lower the car 2.5 inches
17x9 Torque Thrust II wheels wrapped in BF Goodrich G Force tires

Interior:

All black Interior
Custom Dash with Autometer gauges
4 Pt roll cage with Simpson 4 Pt harnesses

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