1965 Ford Mustang Convertible

1976 Ford Mustang

This '65 Mustang convertible belongs to Young Owners Club member Casey McMullen of Sunnyside, Washington. It might be fairer to say, however, that this ragtop belongs to his entire family. Their long history with this vehicle began in 1975 when Casey's mom purchased the Mustang as her first car.

Eight years later, when the McMullens moved from California to Washington state, they brought the convertible with them. Other priorities pushed the car into the background, and for the next 20 years it languished unused in their barn under a lightweight cover. Even though the classic convertible sat on a bare-soil floor, it emerged from the long storage in decent condition.

The neglected car was a perfect platform for a father-and-son effort. The two men began their project by converting part of their barn into a shop, equipping it with the needed tools.

A lot of the fun is in the planning, and Casey says he and his dad burned the midnight oil many times discussing all of the possibilities. Originally, the goals were strictly performance-oriented, and the two planned on hopping up the engine while leaving the rest of the car alone. Those having done a classic-Ford restoration know that one thing leads to another, and a small dent repair here raises the subject of that little rust spot over there.

Casey and his father decided that any job worth doing is worth doing well, and they elected to go the whole route, including a new stroker engine and powertrain refurbishment. A fresh paint job in a new color and design was also part of the plan.

The project was certainly worthy of their maximum effort. After all, this Mustang was Mom's car-not to mention that it's also a V-8 powered convertible. Eight months later, the now-powerful Mustang emerged with both paint and bodywork looking good. Doing their car from top to bottom was a crash course in classic-Ford repair and restoration. We say Casey and his father earned straight As.

Source: [url=http://www.mustangandfords.com/featuredvehicles/mufp_0711_1965_mustang_convertible/]Mustangs and Fords Magazine[/url]