Published by on July 15, 2008
I’ll try to post notes, progress, news and photos of my slow but sure restoration of a 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible.
From what I know about the car, it rolled off the Deerborn, MI assembly line on December 31st, 1965. It was sold new at a dealership in Davenport, Iowa. I know very little about the car from then to when it came into my family’s possession in the 80s. In 1986, my dad purchased the car from a man named Grant Williams in Anamosa, IA as a gift to my mom (who had a 66′ black coupe back in her late teens). To my knowledge, the owners in Anamosa were 3rd owners and ran it in parades. My parents say they believe Grant or his dad were the previous owners of the Ford dealership in Cedar Rapids, IA before Bob Zimmerman bought it.
For reasons that still baffle me, the previous owner removed the duel exhaust, the Autolite 4100 four barrel and intake manifold, not to mention beautiful J color code Ford called “Rangoon Red”. I was told that the paint job, which was made sometime in the late 70s was well done, however they used a 1970s Corvette color called “Classic White”. They had an automatic transmission in it but when they sold the car they gave my dad a bunch of parts and the T10 4 speed manual transmission, which my dad had put back in.
I was only 10 years old when the car came to our house. Not exactly in a financial position to fund a restoration. My PennySaver paper route just didn’t make ends meet with under 150 houses, $.03 per paper, twice a month. The car was a “20-footer” (looked nice from 20 feet but closer up you would see imperfections), as my neighbor at the time, Bill would say. Coincidentally, Bill had a large interest in classic cars and a large collection. He bought an old Ford garage in Urbana, IA and had several Mustangs, Thunderbirds and Corvettes. As I remember, he was the president of the Thunderbird Club of Iowa and a great resource and inspiration. I didn’t only get a few bucks a week for mowing his yard, I received stories, insight and tips about the hobby.
Early on, the car was in decent shape and drove ok. My dad had a lot trips to various mechanics to make it a little more reliable. I know I’ll need to modify this list when he corrects me, but I believe he had the brakes, shocks, tires (org reproductions) and electrical system throughout the car replaced along with a new gas tank and heater core. All this was done in a little shop on Main Street in Anamosa called Red’s. He had Horn Automotive in Marion, IA rebuild the engine with a slightly higher lifting cam than original. A new drivers side window was put in because the current window was for a coupe, which wasn’t curved enough and was cutting into the convertible top. Along with that was a new front windshield window. He also had the transmission and clutch replaced.
During my late high school days and into my first years in college, circa 1994, my dad and I pumped a little more into it. This included new door runners, original dual exhaust, rear GT valance with original chrome exhaust tips, 4 bbl intake, Autolite 4100 4bbl carb, new air cleaner, water pump, painted engine, distributor. Dad, feel free to post additions to that list if I’m missing something (which I’m sure I am). There were new torque boxes purchased to replace the rusted versions that allowed the unit body framework to sag, however they have yet to be installed. The transmission needs to be rebuilt as the gears are starting to become difficult to shift into and the clutch spring on the throw-out sticks a little with the clutch pedal not fully retracting after taking your foot off.
Recently, I got it up on a lift and took a bunch of photos of the floor panels, frame and whatever I could see. It needs a lot of work but I received complements on how good the car’s shape was in, seeing as it has been in Iowa its entire life. The inner and outer rockers are really bad, along with the floor pans. The trunk metal seemed pretty serviceable as well as the engine bay. I guess the photos will say a thousand words so I’ll save my fingers.
I’ll keep this page up to date and hopefully it will be of help to others in the project. I’ve learned a lot off of reading other’s restoration blogs. At the very least, it is a place I can simply journal my experience, so I can look back.