1967 Ford Mustang GT500 Restoration

It doesn't get much more iconic than this! The Ford Mustang has been an American muscle car icon since its creation in the mid 1960's. It has been idealized in movies such as Steve McQueen's Bullitt and Gone in 60 Seconds. The fastback is particularly popular due to its aggressive body style and unique stature.

When the owner of this Brittany Blue '67 GT500 came to us and said to tear it down and completely restore it we were excited to get started. The classic car was honestly not in terrible shape. Yes, it needed work but we've seen cars in far worse condition. It's always somewhat of a risk when you start to take a classic car apart because parts on these cars are not as easily replaceable anymore. Since we were doing a concourse build, if a part breaks, you can't just replace it with a part that looks somewhat similar. That part has to be replaced with the same genuine piece. Nonetheless, we knew that the finished product would be worth the work.

Concourse Restoration

Since this is a concourse restoration, part of our job as the restoration shop isn't just replacing what is there, it also involves doing our research and finding out what the car is supposed to look like in its original condition. When you start taking these classic cars apart, you begin to understand the history of the vehicle a little more like where it's been and what it's previous life was like. With this fastback mustang we learned that it had a previous restoration done at some point. However, it was not a concourse restoration. So, while many elements of the vehicle remained true to the original style, there were still a couple things that weren't quite right. For example, the carpet that was in the vehicle when it arrived at our shop was black while the original build sheet stated that the car actually had a caramel-colored carpet from the factory.

We replaced the carpet with the same color that was in the mustang when it left the dealership back in 1967. When comparing these two photos you'll also notice that the interior has been replaced and made to look like new again. We kept the original frames to the seats but wrapped them in the same leather and style that would've been in the car when it was new. Once the seats were reupholstered the door panels became a glaring sign of the vehicle's age so the customer opted to replace the panels as well. Now the interior looks completely brand new from top to bottom!

Engine Refresh

What good is a hot rod if you can't take it for a cruise and enjoy it? That's what this customer thought as well. So we removed the engine from this '67 GT500 and sent it off to our engine builder to be refreshed. We had to be careful, though as this was a numbers matching motor and losing or damaging any component would be detrimental to the value and integrity of the project. As you'll see in the video, we came across a leak coming from the intake when the engine was put on the running stand. This is why we use the running stand in the first place. Had we installed the motor and then found the link we would've had to take it back out and start from scratch. The leak happened because the intake wasn't sealing properly due to its age. We gave the seal some extra love (and silicone) and it was good as new!

Paint and Interior

A complete paint job wasn't originally on the work order for this project. In fact, the paint wasn't in terrible shape. It was certainly showing it's age, but there weren't any glaring imperfections unless you looked really close. But after the customer saw the potential the vehicle would have with new paint, he decided to go all in. Of course, we had to make the inside of the vehicle look just as good as the outside so the sets were re-upholstered and the dash and door panels were replaced.

It was an honor be able to restore this numbers-matching 1967 GT500.