This is the story of how a 1965 Ford Mustang became a beloved family heirloom. A friend of Brad’s father sold him the Mustang in 1973 after the friend received a promotion from an entry level position to a management position and wanted a more prestigious vehicle. His dad’s friend bought a Lincoln Continental and sold his Mustang to Brad’s dad.The Mustang became the family car. Brad’s trip home from the hospital when he was born was in the Mustang. When he was a toddler, Brad remembered dropping a screwdriver into the gas tank where it rattled around for years.
Brad would play in the car when it was parked in the driveway of his family’s home as a young boy. This driveway had a slight incline. One time, when he and his little brother were playing around in the car, flipping dials and pressing buttons, Brad could feel that the car was slowly rolling backward down the driveway. The car slowly rolled down the driveway into the road and narrowly escaped a crash with a neighbor’s car.
As he grew up, his family held onto the Mustang.
Brad’s father restored the Mustang in the 1980s, so Brad could drive it in high school. When he got it, the car had more than 100,000 miles on the original engine. Brad drove the Mustang through high school, college, and grad school.
After he graduated, Brad brought the Mustang back to his parents’ house to store it.
Then around 2009, he brought the Mustang to Barry for restoration. It had 285,000 miles on it.
Barry Wilson and his crew did a frame-off restoration and added:
- Ford 302 engine
- Drivetrain
- 5 speed Tremec transmission
- Air conditioning
- Four-wheel disc brakes
- Power steering
- Power brakes
- Electric parking brake and custom rigged the old cigarette lighter
Re-designing the dashboard
Brad worked closely with Barry to fulfill his desire to make upgrades that improved the comfort, reliability, and safety of the vehicle. He wanted a new stereo with Bluetooth technology, but he wanted to preserve the look of a 1960s car.
Brad said of the restoration, “I just want to go slow and look good.”
Gil, one of the Wilson Auto Repair mechanics, did the work to make the dash look modern.
When it came to replacing the headlights, he wanted the look of the old with the functionality of the new by adding halogen bulbs to the traditional headlamp housing.
Gil hid the modern radio in the glove box and replaced the original radio in the to maintain the vintage look.
It was important to Brad that the old radio stay because it was the only remaining part that both he and his dad had touched from the original Mustang. It was important for him to preserve those memories.
The Mustang becomes a school project
Recently, Brad’s 11-year-old son received a school assignment to create a project highlighting a family heirloom.
He wanted to feature the Mustang as a family heirloom. On the day of the project presentations, Brad parked the Mustang outside of the auditorium. When it was his son’s turn to present, he invited his classmates to gather by the window while Brad revved the engine outside while the students cheered.
The ’65 Mustang now
Brad drives the Mustang weekly and keeps it in good, working order. He has shown the classic Mustang in the Fort Worth Car Show and the Warbirds and Wheels Show in Lancaster.
His son plans to inherit it when he’s old enough to drive.
