A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Where do I start? How about a plan. The problem with a plan is that I do not have a concrete set of requirements. Having been working in Software development all my life, we work through a fairly organized set of steps from project initiation, requirements definition, software development, testing and implementation. This is call a Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). There are many variations of SLDCs to create a software product. I'm sure that similar steps are used in many other aspects of product development. The product that I am developing is the resurrection of "The Custom".

The Custom is my 1965 Mustang with many custom features that improved on acceleration, handling, looks and more. My guess is that most of the custom features occurred before 1972 or so. I bought the car in 1979. It was in our town in a garage since 1974 or so. Mark Fransen, a local in our town, said he found it in a barn and was already customized. This was around 1974. Here is a list of features:

• Fiberfab Street E/T nose
• Shaved door handles and key lock
• Electric Solenoid operated door opening (pretty trick for 1972)
• Shaved Gas Cap and Truck Lock
• Electric Solenoid operated truck (again, pretty trick for 1972, commonplace now)
• Fiberglass Deck Lid and End Caps with spoiler
• Shelby GT350 Quarter Side Windows
• Shelby GT350 Quarter Side Scoops
• 1966 Pontiac GTO Taillights, converted to sequential signal like T-Birds
• 289 K-Motor
• Holley 715 CFM Carb
• Cobra Manifold
• Cobra Valve Covers
• Cobra Air Cleaner
• Cobra Aluminum 7-quart "T" Oil Pan
• Headers
• Doug Thorley Side Pipes
• 1968 390 Toploader 4-speed
• Scattershield
• Driveshaft Safety Loop
• Hurst Line Lock
• Chrome Shock Mounts
• Chrome Alternator Mounts
• Tuck & Roll Black Leather interior
• Chrome Roll Bar
• Chrome Leaf Spring (yes, Chrome Leaf Springs!!)
• 3.89 gears
• Shackle kit
• Traction Bars
• Custom Aluminum Radiator

Not many cars in those days were this heavily modified unless the were racing. Of course now they are called "Restomods" or "Pro-Touring" cars.

So my dillema is...how should I rebuild The Custom that I crashed into a tree thirty years earlier? Should I restore is as it was or upgrade to many new technology components along with retaining some of the old look and feel? I will take the latter approach.

For the last year or so I have been researching various options for The Custom rebuild. It made sense to define my goals as to what the car should be. First, I would like the exterion of the car to look very much like it did in 1979. I think the addition of rear flares that match the front flares of the FiberFab would be appropriate. Secondly, I would like to have the car setup with the latest in suspension and braking with a goal of an open track car that must also retain reasonable streetability. Next, the interior would be modernized, again with open track as the primary goal, but still streetable. The next component will be the engine. This is the toughest decision as all is based on cost. Ideally, I would like something like a Roush 427 IR, but that's a $20k+ motor. The budget will probably have to stop at $10K, which should allow a lot of flexibility. Also, the tranny will probably be the old Toploader with an eye toward a 5 or 6 speed in the future...again, budget limitations. Finally, the car will be blue with white stripes...can help it...it's classic.

Let's list some it out.

Body:

1. Restore the FiberFab Street E/T nose. This was the key to making this car unique. Research has led me to a couple other owners of the rare pieces. Now, rare does not necessary mean valuable...value is different to everyone.
2. Rebuld shaved door handles and door key lock
3. Rebuild shaved gas cap and truck key lock
4. Retain rear fiberglass deck lid and caps with spoiler
5. Retain Shelby GT350 quarter panel scoops
6. New Shelby GT350 quarter panel windows.
7. New read quarter flares
8. Rebuild taillight panel and retain 66 Pontiac GTO taillights (very unique)

Chassis:

1. Haven't investigated enough yet...need modern handling.

Uni-body

1. New front frame rails
2. Custom shock towers and inner fender panels (FiberFab nose)
3. New front frame cross member
4. Custom radiator support (again, necessary due to slope of FiberFab nose)
5. New Firewall. Possible custom flat firewall. Also possible to relocate back 2-6 inches for possible engine set back
6. New cowl
7. New full floor pan from convertible
8. Add convertible inner rocker panels for support
9. Add torque boxes.
10. Sub Frame Connectors.
11. Custom rocker jacking rails
12. Custom SFC to rocker jacking rails triangulated bracing

DriveLine

1. Engine will be Ford 351 W based - 400+ hp and 400+ lb-ft torque
2. TopLoader Wide Ratio. Later a 5 or 6 speed based on budget
3. Ford Nine-inch with Traction-Lok or other. Gearing TBD

Brakes - Must be 4 wheel disc, 4-piston fixed caliper, 13" vented, non-drilled rotors.

1. AP Racing
2. Griggs 4-on4
3. Brembo
4. Performance Friction
5. CNC
6. Other?

Interior - Functional for racing, barely comfortable for street

1. Dual purpose racing/ street seats
2. Shelby R-Model like gauge setup
3. Carpet? Maybe
4. Initial, minimal roll bar. Possible 6-point cage later
5. Shelby Rear Package Tray
6. 6-Point seat belt harness

There are still many decisions to be made, and many details not outline here. But this is the first step in moving forward. I've outlined many of the basic requirements for the build. Now, I need a true plan of action.

BTW, Happy Birthday Me! I turned 50 today...I've got 50 more to go!

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
Lao-tzu (604 BC - 531 BC)