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Prominition
03-27-2012, 11:16 AM
My Dad bought me a1966 Mustang in 1976 for my first car when I was 14.

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I grew up in a rural farming town where my Dad and I would go for rides on weekends on country roads to give me an opportunity to drive my Mustang until I got my license. I saved some $’s and gradually purchased the traditional late 70’s bolt on upgrades - tires/wheels, air shocks, traction bars, Rally Pack, 8-Track player, FM converter that plugged into the back of the AM radio (remember those?), CB radio, black and white fury mat for the back window that mysteriously captured every fly/bee/bug that ever entered the car etc… Life was good!

Then came my Senior Prom in 1980. I spent the day washing/waxing and cleaning the car (known as detailing today) in preparation for the evening, got dressed in my then fashionable baby blue tuxedo, picked up my girl friend and departed to a neighboring town for dinner.

As we approached the town I saw my best friend parked on a side road and when I turned left to go talk to him a green 55’ Ford sedan plowed into the left side of my car catching 4” of the driver’s door and proceeding to take the left front fender and suspension with it. The Ford was going about 50 mph and couldn’t stop so the driver attempted to go around us on the two lane road. The force of the impact spun the Mustang around 1.5 times before we came to a stop. Fortunately no one was seriously injured. Needless to say we didn’t make it to dinner but did manage to go to the Prom for a couple of hours before calling it a night. When I woke up the next morning I went out to the garage and took this picture of my car…

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The driver of the car didn’t have insurance so my Dad and I spent the summer putting the car back together before I left for college. I bought a 1974 Camaro that summer for my college car and a 1977 Camaro a couple of years later. I sold most of the bolt on upgrades to my younger brother for his 66 Mustang and left the car parked in my Dad’s garage. Prom night was the last time I drove my Mustang.

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My Mustang has been in storage for 32 years and it’s time to do something with it. It’s kind of like a barn find in your own barn!! I want to do a car project with my three sons to transform my H.S. Mustang into a pro-touring ride similar to the rendering below. Lots of fabrication work to do - perfect for a "family project"! I thought “Prominition” would be an appropriate name for this Mustang based on the history my car has had…

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Picture of my son and I power washing my Mustang after 32 years of storage. Brought back some good memories for sure…

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I'd like to collaborate with some of the experts on this forum to help with the pro-touring aspects of this build. I've done some research but still have a lot of questions...

Here's what I'm currently considering:
- 03/04 Terminator engine
- TCI six speed with paddle shifter (want to do something different then the obvious Tremec 6 speed solution)
- MaxG chassis from Art Morrison
- Etc...

I have lots of questions like:
- What should I use for torque converter/stall speed?
- Rear end gearing and limited slip differential?
- Shocks?

I have many more but thought I'd prime the pump with these.

The car won't see a lot of auto-x activity but I'd like it to perform well when it does (or at least have the potential to do well - I'm sure I'll be the limiting factor...).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

ILLMATIC
03-27-2012, 11:41 AM
kool story

BulldawgMusclecars
03-27-2012, 11:48 AM
Wow, great story and car! Its good that you kept it all these years, and can now build it with your sons.

For one, I love the drivetrain choice...I have wanted to do a similar swap for years, and while I have suggested something similar to several customers and prospective customers, no one has committed to doing it. I'd go T56, personally, but a six speed auto could be fun too. With the blower, you won't need a ton of gear, but I'd still go 3.70 or so. There are lots of options on the limited slip, but I have had good luck with both Eaton and Auburn. For the convertor, I'd go fairly mild unlesss you plan on doing some drag racing...2200 or so should be plenty, if you're running the stock cams. The Max G chassis usually comes with Strange coil overs. I'd recommend the C6 front/3 link rear setup.

Prominition
03-27-2012, 11:58 AM
Thanks Joe for the advice. I'll do a little research on the Eaton vs Auburn... Not planning on doing a lot of drag racing - those days are behind me I think...

gjs14
03-27-2012, 12:58 PM
Love your story, I also got a 67 mustang when I was 15 and drove it on the back roads before i was 16 in my home town, I also drove to to prom with a new pant job but it came home safe after prom, now I'm deep in to a re-do.

Prominition
03-27-2012, 08:53 PM
Yep - sounds very similar to my HS experience - lots of great memories!

Looks like you're making good progress on your 67 build. Did you make a decision on your front end?

Wesley J
03-28-2012, 06:00 AM
I'm obviously biased as I have one, but I'd definitely go with the new 5.0 Coyote. Its a much better motor than the 4.6, comes with a warranty and is cheap as hell ($6k). Throw in a Boss intake and a tune and it makes in excess of 500 hp.

I think your idea of a 6 speed with paddles auto is cool. I wish someone made a tranny controller that did rpm matching on down shifts. That would be extremely cool.

My plan with gearing is to make 1st gear useful. With my T-56 and my 7800 rpm redline, I can go 55 mph in 1st with 4.10 gears. Seems like the highest reasonable gear I can go. Frickin theoretical top speed is in excess of 200 mph....

Anyway, i look forward to watching your progress.

Wes

78CobraII
03-28-2012, 11:34 AM
I read in one of the Mustang magazines that there is a company doing coupe-to-fastback conversions. Most if not all of the parts are available new. So if you want to go full on to avatar pic you could do so.

Oh...I read on your website that the conversion was in your plans. Great minds think alike! :)

RicerwannaB
03-28-2012, 12:28 PM
Awesome Project! Up until the GTO I've always been a mustang nut. I'd definitely look into the Coyote 5.0 vs. The 03/04 cobra motor goes. Seems like they're going for more $$. You might even be able to find a good deal on a used GT500 settup. If your not on Corral.net you should be. Alot of parts go through their classifieds.

gjs14
03-28-2012, 12:37 PM
Yep - sounds very similar to my HS experience - lots of great memories!

Looks like you're making good progress on your 67 build. Did you make a decision on your front end?

No I have not but I thinking about a stock front w/out bumper and I just got a short 67 Shelby hood.

Prominition
05-01-2012, 10:28 AM
I read in one of the Mustang magazines that there is a company doing coupe-to-fastback conversions. Most if not all of the parts are available new. So if you want to go full on to avatar pic you could do so.

Oh...I read on your website that the conversion was in your plans. Great minds think alike! :)

You might be referring to the 1968 Generation Gap (http://www.mustangandfords.com/projectbuild/mdmp_0906_1968_mustang_fastback/viewall.html) project in Modified Mustangs and Fords...

Prominition
05-01-2012, 10:35 AM
I'm obviously biased as I have one, but I'd definitely go with the new 5.0 Coyote. Its a much better motor than the 4.6, comes with a warranty and is cheap as hell ($6k). Throw in a Boss intake and a tune and it makes in excess of 500 hp.

I think your idea of a 6 speed with paddles auto is cool. I wish someone made a tranny controller that did rpm matching on down shifts. That would be extremely cool.

My plan with gearing is to make 1st gear useful. With my T-56 and my 7800 rpm redline, I can go 55 mph in 1st with 4.10 gears. Seems like the highest reasonable gear I can go. Frickin theoretical top speed is in excess of 200 mph....

Anyway, i look forward to watching your progress.

Wes

Thanks Wes for the Coyote engine option and for consuming the little free time I have reading your Code Blue build... Nice work!!

Prominition
06-05-2013, 01:34 PM
Finished coupe to fastback conversion. Did a little drip rail removal work while I was in the neighborhood. Next stop: Suspension and drivetrain...

Ron S
06-05-2013, 02:29 PM
Cool project, and I love the Avatar.LOL

In My humble opinion, the top 3 cars ever to come out of Detroit are the Mid year Vettes, the 70 Cuda, and the 64-66 Mustang Fastbacks, in that order. The lines on those cars are near perfect.

Love seeing the father son teams working on these cars.

Prominition
06-05-2013, 07:21 PM
Thanks Ron. Your car is definitly the inspiration for this build! I can't tell you how many hours I've spent reading/rereading your build or looking at various details in your photos. I'm a big fan of your car and your fabrication skills!! And the more research I do the more I'm thinking about adding a number of Corvette parts into the mix which probably sounds familiar as well. I figure I'm already off the main road...

T_Raven
06-05-2013, 08:52 PM
Glad you were able to get back to this car after all those years. I dig the fastback conversion. I picked up a cheap 68 coupe I want to turn into a fastback. Can't wait to see some more progress

rickpaw
06-06-2013, 02:51 AM
Nice project. Any more pictures of the conversion? My 68 coupe needed everything replaced from the door back, so I'm thinking about convert it to a fastback.

85coupe50
06-06-2013, 04:07 AM
Great work so far and a good story... Where did you source all the fastback conversion parts? I am looking to possibly do the same conversion to the 66 Coupe I have since it will already need the 1/4's, trunk lid and the panel behind the rear window replaced.

Ron Sutton
06-06-2013, 06:57 AM
If you desire optimum handling performance, from everything I see, Maier Racing is the top choice in Mustangs. I am biased, because Mike is a friend, but if you look at the West Coast Autocross results at Good Guys events, Mike Maier dominates & is leading the nation Autocross points championship ( ... to go along with his many other national championships.)

They specialize in Mustangs. If you're inclined, you can check out their stuff at: http://www.maierracing.com/

Best wishes.

65 Fastback
06-07-2013, 04:07 PM
Nice! I will be following along with this build.

Tim

cobragt
06-08-2013, 09:21 PM
Gateway Classic Mustang has shock towers to allow for the late model mod motors. I think with that conversion you have to use their front strut set up which is way better than the current front end set up.

Crestronwizard
06-10-2013, 03:53 PM
Looks like it's coming along.

raustinss
06-30-2013, 06:07 AM
DSE front suspension..dse front suspension.....dse front suspension...awesome story and killer car..hope all works out as planned, now go make that car a sick son of a bit*h

skooli
12-24-2013, 01:33 AM
Updates?

alfex
12-27-2013, 08:18 AM
Fantastic! I have a question. I checked out your website but I couldn't find the answer. Who did your concept illustration? I need an artist to help me with mine, and yours came out sweet.