Classic car restoration projects are a labor of love, and they often take several years or even decades to complete. For Rodger, the owner of this '65 Mustang, completing the restoration was something he had been waiting for since he was 14 years old. After enlisting in the Air Force, it got put on hold for many years, but he was eventually able to revisit it and build the Mustang of his dreams. Autotopia LA met up with him and documented the build in a recent YouTube video.
"Almost everything on the car is amateur built. My son Justin and I did most of the mechanicals," said Rodger. We love to see garage-built projects turn out as nice as this one did! Paint and body work were handled by a family friend in Arizona, who expertly smoothed the sheetmetal and applied a shimmering coat of BMW's Alpina Green metallic.
The Mustang sits on Heidt's Superride II front suspension, which was installed almost 20 years ago during the early phase of the project. The rear end uses a Detroit Speed Quadralink, and mini-tubs were added to accommodate wider 17-inch wheels wrapped in 235 and 315-width Nitto tires.
The car is powered by a 470-horsepower Blueprint Engines 408ci Windsor V8 with EFI, a set of Doug's Headers, and a custom 2.5-inch exhaust with electronically-controlled Varex mufflers. It's paired with a Tremec TKX manual transmission, narrowed 9-inch axle, and Wilwood manual brakes.
The trunk houses a baffled fuel tank, relocated battery, and safety features like a custom firewall, relocated fuel filler, and G-force-activated emergency fuel pump cutoff. There's also a 4-point rollbar to protect occupants.
Inside the Mustang, the clean factory look is maintained with original-style reproduction door panels, dash pad, and Dakota Digital gauges that mimic the original cluster. Corbeau seats offer improved comfort and stability for the driver and passenger.
Rodger's '65 Mustang project turned out great, and it certainly gets used. He says he recently drove from Southern California up to Seattle and back, totaling around 3,000 miles. Check out the full video from AutotopiaLA below to learn more about this cool build:
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