1965 Mustang GT Coupe Restoration Complete – San Diego, California

After a year long restoration, the 1965 Ford Mustang GT Restomod is now complete. The customer was all smiles when he said “it’s fast.”  The freshly restored A -code coupe was entered in it’s first car show, and received 2nd place in the 1965 Modified Class at San Diego Mustangs by the Bay. I believe it was due to the finger print I forgot to wipe off of the door handle. It was still a great show, and all the hard work from JBA Performance Center, Custom Autobody & Paint, and Ar-Jays Upholstery paid off.

Project Highlights

• Complete Rotisserie Restoration
• JBA built & Tuned 302 Block Stroked to a 331
• 438 HP @ 6300 RMP 400 FTLB @ 4400 RPM at crank
• Tremec TKO 600 five-speed
• Modern Driveline hydraulic clutch kit
• Currie Enterprises 9-inch posi rear end with 3.83 gears
• JBA ceramic-coated headers and Exhaust
• Global West Sub-frame connectors
• Borgeson integral power steering system
• SSBC dual aluminum master cylinder with brake booster
• 4 Wheel Willwood 13″ brakes
• Polished Torque Thrust II 20×8-inch wheels
• Pony Interior Conversion
• Stock appearing AM/FM radio with Focal sound system

The Crew
JBA Restoration Specialist – David Toth
JBA Engine Builder – John Elderhorst
JBA Lead Mechanic – Tim Naylor
JBA Mechanic – Steve Fenn
JBA Exhaust Fabricator – Scott Case

Special Thanks To
Ar-Jay’s Upholstery
Custom Autobody and Paint
Al & Ed’s Stereo

Follow the progress of the restoration:

Restoration Part 1

Restoration Part 2

Restoration Part 3

Custom Instrument Gauges and restoration

Air Conditioning Box Restoration

1966 Ford Mustang Fastback – Engine Compartment Restoration

This was an engine compartment restoration that I did about 7 years ago at John’s Mustang and Classics. The engine compartment had a lot surface rust, and had bad flaking paint. Luckily, there was no rust holes, but it did require taking everything down to bare metal. The engine compartment was treated with POR 15 rust treatment, re-seam sealed, and painted with a satin black.  All the hardware, and brake lines were replaced with stainless steel.  Also, all the under hood electrical harnesses were replaced. The engine was built by John’s Mustangs.

Give Your Classic Ford Mustang Some Space

There is more to a Classic  Car than just being old. The collectability, popularity, and it’s body lines are what makes a car a Collectible Classic. A true Classic Car enthusiasts appreciates the lines and angles, and how they intersect to create the look of the car. Progressing into the 60′s, a car’s shape took on a less rounded appearance, and the fins slowly receded. However, the designers of Classic Mustang still created it’s body lines and angles with a purpose. Once, they designed the Mustang’s overall shape, they had to figure out how to attach all the supporting parts and accessories. Parts that were attached on angles posed a little bit of a challenge, so they designs special spacers. These spacer allowed mounting studs to go through the panels straight while not bending or warping the metal when tightened. Over the years, many of these have gotten misplaced during servicing or replacement of  parts. They either do not get put back on, or a bunch of washers were used as a substitute.  If  you over tighten these  parts on your car’s painted surface, you will either bend the mounting hardware, or damage the paint.  During a restoration on a 1965 Ford Mustang GT, I took some pictures of some of those hidden spacers. Some of these spacers look different depending on the year. There are spacers used on your Mustang’s interior as well, but I have not started to assemble the interior yet. I will cover those later. If the spacers are missing, they are available used and some  new.  Many of these spacers are available from manufactures like Drake Automotive Group (aka Scott Drake Enterprises).