Howdy, I first wanted to say thank you for all the help y'all have given me without even knowing it. I have been lurking around on here for quite some time now. I can honestly say I would not nearly be as far along in my build as I am without that vast amount of knowledge I have gained by doing so.
I am a lifelong Mustang fanatic, well actually it started when I was 6 years old. I was at the drag strip with my dad when I saw a blue fastback pulled up to stage. I remember thinking it was the most beautiful car I had ever seen. Right then and there I knew that at some point in my life I wanted one. The obsession started immediately. Even before I was close to driving age I started learning about them and my Dad used to get a kick out of letting me rattle off why the car we just saw was a 65' or a 66 or a GT etc.
Anyways without giving my complete life story, I finally got my hands on a 66 fastback about a year and a half ago and have been building my dream car ever since. I still have a pretty long road to travel but it's really starting to come together. Apologies for the poor photo quality. I am really bad about stopping to take pictures. Too busy having fun with the task at hand. So, now without further adieu. My build.
I suppose at this point I should probably explain what it is I was looking to accomplish with this car. I want the most reliable, street driveable, car that I know how to build as of right now. I want it to handle well, stop well and never ever decide to take my 2007 instead because the 66 is a pain to drive or I am scared it will break down. Or it's too loud or low or whatever all that stuff is that those of us who have built a few so often end up with. I didn't want to build something I was afraid to drive much more often than just special occasions. I wanted replacement parts to be available at most chain stores and I wanted it to have good manners when asked and enough grunt to scare a passenger or myself when asked to.
Bottom line, if it was boys weekend with my buddies in Vegas, would I hesitate for even a second to take the 66. If at any point in the build the answer was yes. Then I needed to rethink my direction.
I however did not want to lose the charm of driving an old car. So as a designer it was really important to me that the choices I make still have the car feel classic and nostalgic. I have decided to think of it as a what I would describe as a "secret" restomod. All the reliability and fun of modern tech but never lose the spirit of what driving a classic feels like.
I found the car in central Texas, and literally bought a plane ticket and flew out the next day. It ticked all the boxes. 66,fastback,4-speed,A-code,pony interior,A/C, etc etc. Though now I have replaced so much I guess most of that doesn't matter much. But to answer the question now. Yes, I have held on to all of the original parts. They are now all cleaned and tagged being stored for the "next guy."
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It looked pretty solid but as always after I dig deeper it clearly followed the rule of. Take all the rust that you CAN see and multiply it by 3.
![Image]()
Took a few weeks to get it shipped to LA.
![Image]()
My shop supervisor approved the project though, so that good news.
![Image]()
It was in "running" condition. But very tired and had quite a bit of suspect work done over the years by the last owner. So I started stripping and scraping to address any rust or structural issues first.
![Image]()
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Added in torque boxes on both sides.
![Image]()
![Image]()
And subframe connectors.
![Image]()
![Image]()
I have seen floors in worse shape but obviously these wouldn't do so time to start cutting.
![Image]()
I have no idea if it would be considered "best practice" to install the subframe connectors first. But I decided to do it since I had already measured the car and knew it was square to original dimensions. So I didn't want anything to move around when I cut the floors out. It is also the same reason I did the torque boxes first. Seemed to me it would be smarter to keep it square from the start rather that have to re-square it later.
![Image]()
New floors went in pretty well. I ended replacing a lot more that I probably needed to. But I figured why cut out the front and back individually when I can replace both in one shot.
The radiator support and battery area also had a bit of rot. So those were also replaced.
![Image]()
![Image]()
As it turned out my trunk had some pretty poorly done fiberglass repairs. So as per usual for me, I cut out mre than probably needed and welded in replacement panels.
![Image]()
Sorry, but it doesnt look like I took any pictures of the trunk after the new panels went in. I at this point had also completely cleaned the entire underside of the car and sprayed several coats of semigloss black epoxy to seal it. Basically just getting the rust gone and the chassis (unibody) ready to receive a new suspension and brakes.
Keeping with my them of easily available parts. I chose 2007 Mustang GT brakes over aftermarket setups. I think they are more than adequate for the weight and I can get pads or a rebuild kit most anywhere.
The front suspension is a "control freak" coil-over setup with adjustable AFCO shocks. Allowing me to dial in adjustability like dampening and ride height with basic tools.
![Image]()
![Image]()
Next it was time to sort out the rear suspension and diff. I decided to tackle it all as one unit. So as with all things car restoration. First, out comes the scraper and wire wheels.
![Image]()
![Image]()
I went with the TCI triangulated 4-link setup. Also added in the rear adjustable sway bar kit and adjustable billet shocks. This shot was obviously after a ton of work but you get the idea.
![Image]()
![Image]()
Detroit tru-trac with 3.55's ready to drop in, but I wanted to get the rear suspension and housing installed first.
![Image]()
Everything all back in place. At this point I had also made all of my brake lines and figured out getting the parking brake to work with the 2007 brakes.
![Image]()
![Image]()
It felt really good to get the car back on the ground. It had been on stands for one reason or another for quite literally months. So it was cool to have it at height and looking sort of like a car again.
![Image]()
I am a lifelong Mustang fanatic, well actually it started when I was 6 years old. I was at the drag strip with my dad when I saw a blue fastback pulled up to stage. I remember thinking it was the most beautiful car I had ever seen. Right then and there I knew that at some point in my life I wanted one. The obsession started immediately. Even before I was close to driving age I started learning about them and my Dad used to get a kick out of letting me rattle off why the car we just saw was a 65' or a 66 or a GT etc.
Anyways without giving my complete life story, I finally got my hands on a 66 fastback about a year and a half ago and have been building my dream car ever since. I still have a pretty long road to travel but it's really starting to come together. Apologies for the poor photo quality. I am really bad about stopping to take pictures. Too busy having fun with the task at hand. So, now without further adieu. My build.
I suppose at this point I should probably explain what it is I was looking to accomplish with this car. I want the most reliable, street driveable, car that I know how to build as of right now. I want it to handle well, stop well and never ever decide to take my 2007 instead because the 66 is a pain to drive or I am scared it will break down. Or it's too loud or low or whatever all that stuff is that those of us who have built a few so often end up with. I didn't want to build something I was afraid to drive much more often than just special occasions. I wanted replacement parts to be available at most chain stores and I wanted it to have good manners when asked and enough grunt to scare a passenger or myself when asked to.
Bottom line, if it was boys weekend with my buddies in Vegas, would I hesitate for even a second to take the 66. If at any point in the build the answer was yes. Then I needed to rethink my direction.
I however did not want to lose the charm of driving an old car. So as a designer it was really important to me that the choices I make still have the car feel classic and nostalgic. I have decided to think of it as a what I would describe as a "secret" restomod. All the reliability and fun of modern tech but never lose the spirit of what driving a classic feels like.
I found the car in central Texas, and literally bought a plane ticket and flew out the next day. It ticked all the boxes. 66,fastback,4-speed,A-code,pony interior,A/C, etc etc. Though now I have replaced so much I guess most of that doesn't matter much. But to answer the question now. Yes, I have held on to all of the original parts. They are now all cleaned and tagged being stored for the "next guy."
It looked pretty solid but as always after I dig deeper it clearly followed the rule of. Take all the rust that you CAN see and multiply it by 3.
Took a few weeks to get it shipped to LA.
My shop supervisor approved the project though, so that good news.
It was in "running" condition. But very tired and had quite a bit of suspect work done over the years by the last owner. So I started stripping and scraping to address any rust or structural issues first.
Added in torque boxes on both sides.
And subframe connectors.
I have seen floors in worse shape but obviously these wouldn't do so time to start cutting.
I have no idea if it would be considered "best practice" to install the subframe connectors first. But I decided to do it since I had already measured the car and knew it was square to original dimensions. So I didn't want anything to move around when I cut the floors out. It is also the same reason I did the torque boxes first. Seemed to me it would be smarter to keep it square from the start rather that have to re-square it later.
New floors went in pretty well. I ended replacing a lot more that I probably needed to. But I figured why cut out the front and back individually when I can replace both in one shot.
The radiator support and battery area also had a bit of rot. So those were also replaced.
As it turned out my trunk had some pretty poorly done fiberglass repairs. So as per usual for me, I cut out mre than probably needed and welded in replacement panels.
Sorry, but it doesnt look like I took any pictures of the trunk after the new panels went in. I at this point had also completely cleaned the entire underside of the car and sprayed several coats of semigloss black epoxy to seal it. Basically just getting the rust gone and the chassis (unibody) ready to receive a new suspension and brakes.
Keeping with my them of easily available parts. I chose 2007 Mustang GT brakes over aftermarket setups. I think they are more than adequate for the weight and I can get pads or a rebuild kit most anywhere.
The front suspension is a "control freak" coil-over setup with adjustable AFCO shocks. Allowing me to dial in adjustability like dampening and ride height with basic tools.
Next it was time to sort out the rear suspension and diff. I decided to tackle it all as one unit. So as with all things car restoration. First, out comes the scraper and wire wheels.
I went with the TCI triangulated 4-link setup. Also added in the rear adjustable sway bar kit and adjustable billet shocks. This shot was obviously after a ton of work but you get the idea.
Detroit tru-trac with 3.55's ready to drop in, but I wanted to get the rear suspension and housing installed first.
Everything all back in place. At this point I had also made all of my brake lines and figured out getting the parking brake to work with the 2007 brakes.
It felt really good to get the car back on the ground. It had been on stands for one reason or another for quite literally months. So it was cool to have it at height and looking sort of like a car again.
