More so than any other hue, Fords with gloss black exterior paint schemes hearken back to the early days of the Ford Motor Company. Back in the early 1900's, Ford Model T customers could purchase any color Model T that they so desired, so long as it was black. Pretty much any restored vehicle looks great in black, if the bodywork and paint prep is superb.
Consider Long Beach, CA resident Walter Ruziecki and his Raven Black early 1965 Mustang notchback coupe for example. If you first encountered this particular Ford Mustang on the streets of San Jose where she was built, you'd swear that you had fallen through a worm hole, and you were back in October of 1964. Or perhaps you're pals with Marty McFly, and he took you back to that time in his DeLorean to check out a brand-new Raven Black Ford Mustang notchback coupe shining bright on the Ford dealership showroom floor that just happened to be equipped with the K-code, 271-horsepower, high performance, solid lifter V8 engine, and four-speed manual transmission.
Above: Here's how the notchback Mustang appeared in 2008, when still in the state of Washington, two years before Wally purchased the vehicle.
Mr. Ruziecki purchased the Mustang from a gentleman who lives in Washington in 2010. The pony car was built in the Ford San Jose, CA assembly plant mid-1964 and as such is titled as a 1965 model.
Above: The Mustang was disassembled at Mustangs & Fast Fords, in Santa Ana, CA and then media blasted in Huntington Beach, CA.
A shop in Santa Ana, CA, Mustangs & Fast Fords, disassembled the pony car and sent it out for media blasting at a shop in Huntington Beach, CA.
The bare to the bones Mustang was then transported to Costa Mesa Collision & Paint and Omnia Coachworks in Costa Mesa, CA for the painstaking bodywork and paint prep phase. Professional painter, Raul Ruiz finally laid down several superlative House of Kolors Raven Black topcoats and several clear coats.
With the notchback Mustang's Raven Black paint scheme now popping in the sun and dissolving in the darkness, the vehicle went back to Mustangs & Fast Fords for final assembly. The shop's owner Paul Gammerino and his team of Mustang automotive artisans reassembled the pony car. What needed replaced was replaced, and what could be restored was restored. In the meantime, the K-code mill had been rebuilt and reinstalled in the engine bay along with the Toploader four-speed transmission, driveshaft, and eight-inch rear end/rear axle.
Above: All new door panels and seat covers went into the interior.
Above: While Wally's Mustang originally had steel wheels and hubcaps, he replaced the steelies with the optional 14-inch Styled Steel wheels that were prevalent on many Mustangs that were powered by the top-of-the-line K-code, high performance V8 engine.
Above and below: New emblems, a new trunk mat, and a new spare tire cover finished off the notchback coupe's renovation.
Whether you're building a first, second, third, or fourth Generation Mustang back to bone stock condition like Mr. Ruziecki's stunning K-code notchback coupe, creating a pro-touring canyon carver, fabricating a 1/4-mile tarmac terrorizer, renewing a pony car to concours shows contention, or simply keeping your daily driver safely on the road, Classic Industries has the parts that you need to make it happen. You can shop online and enhance your search by downloading and/or requesting that an enormous Mustang Parts & Accessories Catalog is mailed to you. Simply click the button below to make it happen. Enjoy the American Muscle Car Hobby with Classic Industries!
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Above: Photos of the Raven Black early 1965 Mustang notchback coupe were taken by Vicente Diaz, photographer @ Classic Industries. The photo just above was provided courtesy of yours truly from the article, 'Visiting the Segerstrom Shelby Event Center - Mr. Shelby is Smiling!'