We were blown away by reader David G’s ambitions when he sent us photos of his current barn find project. David is currently a student at WyoTech and was in need of a project to work on for school. David had to sale his 1957 Pontiac Star Chief to pay for school and was looking for a car to practice what he learned on. We think the car he found will test his abilities and give him lots of practice doing body work.
David and his fiance were out driving on some Wyoming back roads one day, when they spotted a 1926 Ford Model T on the side of a mountain. He went to talk to the owner about the Model T and one thing lead to another and before he knew it he was looking at this rolled over Mustang Fastback parked next to the owner’s barn.
The owner had rolled it over in ’77. He drove the car home and parked it next to his barn and that’s where it sat until David found it. He paid the owner $500 and towed it to a storage unit, where he striped it down and figured out what pieces he needed to replace.
Knowing what all he needed to replace, he headed down to Denver to a swap meet. Within the first 5 minutes of the swap meet he found almost all the body panels he needed for $200. He then set to work on rebuilding the Mustang at Wyotech.
After a lot of hard work and some help from his instructors and friends he was able to get the car straightened up and into the condition you see here. He had to straighten the roof, replace the rear floors, and replace and repair the rest of the damaged sheet metal The car had the original 298 engine and 3-speed on the floor, but David plans to swap the original engine for a modified 302.
David says he plans to make his Mustang into a great daily driver that can also be used for small car shows and weekend racing. We would like to thank David for sharing his find with us and we hope he keeps us updated on his progress. Good luck with your barn find and your education David.
Good luck man.
that’s the year I was born, hope you can fix her up it’s a great year lol! but anyways I would really love to see the progress after your done putting her back in shape :-)
Good Job Man!!!!
Thats a neat story
Great job. You are saving history. Keep up the good work.
The moment I saw the side pics I knew this car could be saved! I’m glad to see your so ambitious,and have the skill and great instructors to do this project! Keep up the great work,and please keep sharing more pics and your progress. Todd Birch
That Bronco looked cool, too.
All that work, just to have another (im sure RED) mustang on the road. Yawn. Shoulda kept the pontiac…
Don’t be a bully , we are talking about a young man with some serious skills !
Nice job. Like that body style alot.
The fastback has always been my favorite – glad you saw the potential, and have the skills to follow through ! Most other folks would have said “parts car” and written her off – keep up the good work ! (hope you get another 57 Poncho too !)
Oh- and I like those old wheels it had – Keystones ? Look like the Steve McQueen “Bullitt” Mustang wheels – did you get those too ?
good to see that another car that most would have given up on is going to be on the roads where it belongs again! Far to many people see mangled, basket case cars and just call them scrap, but when if you have the money, ambition, or skill, it can be done!
from a collectors point of view, you may want to keep the original drive train in the car. A restored numbers matching 65 Mustang fastback, will be worth more than the hopped up 302 under the hood. If you go the route of the 302….hold onto the original drivetrain!!
I agree with Johnny b!! Keep all that original stuff! Even if only in the garage for future use. Trust me, whenever you go to sell that nice fastback, I don’t care how fast you modified it to go, the buyer will be asking about that original running gear! (and the price will be greatly affected by it’s presence or lack!). Glad you get to enjoy a nice fastback!
Thank you for all the comments. I’m planing on keeping all the original parts and the 289 ….later on when i have extra money i will rebuild the 289 and put it back in once it’s all done. i also found a 98 mustang and I’m putting in the suspension , all wheel disc. we also got an AC unit for it . we want to make it a mild resto with modern upgrade will keep everyone posted.
David, I’ve taken some projects, but, damn… It looks awesome so far… Keep posting, this is one we all want to following… ;o)
Can I buy the Bronco?
Sorry this is late, but 298 was not the original engine, it was a 289. Maybe a type-o. It was ambitious project and lf the rear window had been broke, he might not have tried it. Just saying.
What is with the people not knowing the difference between the words “sale” and “sell” and how to properly use them the last couple years. Even pro writers do it.
Its a shame he had to “sale” his car. Or
Its a shame he had to “sell” his car.
I’m not a gramer natzi by far but a basic understanding of our home language would be nice!!!!
I`ll take the Bronco.
Way back around 1989 my buddy was ask to haul off a bunch of old wrecked cars and broken farm equipment by the dad of a local bodyman legend. He finds a couple 64 Galaxie’s with the tops cut off. The dad said he had a Galaxie with a 427 and after turning it over he told him he had to fix it, no free ride for the son, so the son buys a parts car and cuts off the top and welds it on the hotrod. The dad said it took him 2 tries but that’s how he ended up being one of the best bodymen around. He ran Pete’s Body Shop for decades until his death a few ago.
Good luck to you Dave I hope this will help u out there’s a place in paramount Calif called mustang country they specialize in those cars hope they can help u Finnish it it’s located on Lakewood bvld in between sommerset &Rosecrans hope this helps u out great find at a great price