The 65 Mustang Car was pronounced as a most beautiful at that time! Lou Anne and Sean from Sacket`s Harbor, New York spent great time having fun at 65 Mustang Car shows, which resulted in them striving for a muscle car themselves. For the occasion of their twenty years of marriage, they got a unique present. The project started as a simple restoration work and grew into a representation of a union between two souls. Ripp has chosen the 65 Mustang Car to be the way they celebrated their twenty years of love.
As Sean says, the both of them were searching for a drop top dating back from 1965, but they had no luck in finding something they could afford. Then, a friend of theirs called them to tell that he got on a sale the type of a 65 Mustang Car they were searching for. It had a V-8 289 engine and a 3speed trans and it was painted Poppy Red. So, they went to take a look at the fast back. They recall it was a good ride, but the color was awful. They bought it in 2001 and was in 3 years use, till the filter for gas leaked and caused a fire at the engine bay.
Sean recalls that he promised to rebuilt the 65 Mustang Car motor till the next spring the latest, but it took him seven years to finally finish the whole thing. The work postponed because while cleaning the engine compartment, they discovered that the apron at the front was rotten and the battery was pretty damaged due to acid leakage. Reparation was a must and the insides were in quite a bad shape as well. Sean`s first thought was to restore the `Stang but later on a reader`s question they found in a magazine opened them another, different perspective.
The editor to this respond that they should repair it and then ride it. Lou opted for the Redfire Metallic. She got this idea from another Stang owner. Mineral Gray were painted the stripes on the hood.
Sean and Lou were more of a custom type of people, so when they redid the interior they used gray for the upholstery, since it accentuated the other details. Better steering, bigger brakes as well as bunch of other changes took place in order to make the car safer.
The body and the paint work was done by Randy Bailey from NY. Sean was helping Randy all the way through, doing overnights and weekends which gave him a new perspective on how a restoration really looked like. Few years passed, but they finally restored the rotisserie with a clearcoat and a basecoat buffed body and with a basecoat/clearcoat under carriage, and department of the engine being featured a new trans.
When the car was home, Sean and his brother Mike immediately started working on the electrical assemblage, or the final stage. Things started to get harsh while trying to get the wiring of the Ford to function with the Spal fan, the inclined column of the steering, the single-wire alternator and the power lock doors and windows, all of which are GM components. Adam, Sean`s son did the polishing on the hardware and the stainless bolts, while Mike fabricated the custom stainless and aluminum pieces.
Dave Edgerton from NY did the final work on the rest of the specifications. Sean is more than grateful to all the guys who have been working with him in order to get the car back on the road. After ten years of work, Lou and Sean were finally enjoying their 20th anniversary gift, only it was thirty years that passed since.
However, here are some specifications of this hot rod. It features a Ford cast 289 block made of iron, now being a 292 cubic inches one, that 2.87 inches stroke and 4.030-inch bore. The original connecting rods and the steel crankshaft were kept. There are also an aluminum 289 intake manifold and 600 cubic inch per minute carburetor from Edelbrock, both having a finish from Endurashine.
The transmission is 4 speed Top Loader with stock clutch from Ford.
The rear suspension is consisted of Stock Leaf springs with 1-inch lowering blocks and the front of coil springs and an A arm and a pinion and rack steering manual from Flaming River.
The dedication and the effort these guys put on the car can be clearly seen from the way that the interior looks. There are Flaming River stainless steel tilt steering column; an upholstery custom made by RP Interiors, Horseheads, Tea`s Seats sport bucket seats NY; Hotronics window crank switches; glovebox-mounted Auto Meter Phantom instruments; Electric Life power windows; custom made English wool headliner, Dynamat sound deadener; billet pedal covers; custom shift knob; Medium Gray upholstery from leather; retractable seatbelts; 14-inch steering wheel from Billet Specialties with custom made leather; Custom Auto Sound stereo and speakers; doors being lock by a remote; custom trunk and door panels, etc.
The exterior has been painted in Redfire Metallic paint having some gray stripes on. Tri-bar headlamps and molded-in rear valance were also added.
We cannot help but wonder what are Lou and Sean planning for their 40th anniversary?
Finally, Ford celebrates their 10 millionth Mustang with some pretty insane stuff. You can check it out on this link!
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