Fully Restored 1965 Ford Mustang 2-Door Coupe

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1965 Ford Mustang

My son and I did a full restoration on this 1965 Ford Mustang 2-door coupe. It was a first-time restoration, but I think we did a pretty damn good job, with help from experts along the way.

The 3.3 liter inline 6 was underpowered. We didn’t want to get embarrassed on hills and wanted to give it some power and make it fun to drive. As near as I can tell, we were able to build it up to close to 200 horse power, which isn’t far from the 220 of the 289 (Note: I haven’t done an actual Dynometer test, but based on the research on the upgrades to the engine and exhaust system, it would by just shy of 200 hp). Engine work and upgrades include the following:

Engine rebuild (shaved the deck to increase compression, new bearings and gaskets, new piston rings, polished crank collars… did everything short of boring the cylinders)

Hogged out the intake manifold and added a 2-barrel progressive carburetor (the second barrel only kicks in when you open the throttle, so you don’t sacrifice low-end torque and throttle response, but have the extra horse power when you open the throttle).

Put in a slightly larger cam, not big enough to make it hard to idle, but large enough to feed a little extra air/gas into the cylinders

Electronic ignition system – we replaced the original Autolite distributor with a Duraspark distributor system, performance ignition coil and spark plug cables.

Replaced stock manual 3-speed transmission with modern manual 5-speed. The original had no synchro between 1st and 2nd and was hard to shift down from 2nd to 1st gear, and the RPMs were high at freeway speeds. We put a manual 5-speed from an 89 Mustang in it – replaced the clutch assembly in the process. Now it shifts very easily and smoothly, has extra gears for better acceleration and cruises very comfortably down the freeway at 80 mph.

Duel headers with Flowmaster mufflers – has a nice throaty growl. Most wouldn’t distinguish it from a V8.

Duel Master Cyclinder Brake system – to mitigate the possibility of brake failure to all 4 brakes

All other engine components are new: starter, fly-wheel, radiator, hoses, belts, etc. For all intents and purposes it is a completely rebuilt engine with all new parts.

Beyond the engine, the interior and upholstery has been completely replaced and restored. The black and red of the interior upholstery matches the exterior black and red.

The body was completely sanded down and painted. The black has slight metallic. There are no bubbles or signs for rust. Note: this was a first-time paint job. There are a few slight imperfections in the paint (minor runs), but barely noticeable unless you are looking closely for them. We have the original paint if touchup is needed.

The wheels are American Classic, and are the largest/widest the car can support without major modifications to the frame. The tires are Goodrich Radial T/As.