Vehicle Description
The wonderful thing about vintage Mustangs is their
interchangeability. Not only do you get a wide variety of
performance and styling parts you can use to customize your pony,
but thanks to the long-running small block V8, upgrades can come
from the factory as well as the aftermarket. Dig this 1965 Mustang
coupe, a nice-looking cruiser with a fuel-injected 5.0-liter heart
that feels anything but old.
But before we talk about the hardware, take a look at how pretty
this coupe is. Perhaps also borrowing from a late-model color
pallet, the clean metallic blue paint looks right on the old
coupe's bodywork. Perhaps a descendant of Guardsman Blue, it has a
great shine thanks to a recent color sand and buff, plus an
inviting look that doesn't hide the Mustang's identity behind
excessive flash. Instead, it shows off nice sheetmetal, good gaps,
and a lot of love that went into the build. Clearly someone was
thinking carefully about this car as it was going together, and
they kept it simple; no stripes, no wing out back, nothing but a
chin spoiler to distract from that classic look. Bright chrome trim
is all quite nice, given that the aftermarket is full of
replacement stuff, and the whole car has a very polished look.
Sure, it has a few signs of use, but you won't be ashamed to show
up in this one at the local cruise-in.
The black interior looks quite stock, including the low-back
buckets wearing fresh seat covers, new door panels with matching
pleats, and fresh black carpets on the floor. The original
instrument panel is full of stock gauges in fair condition, and
there are auxiliary dials under the dash to watch the warmed-over
5.0. The shifter looks like it belongs on a manual transmission,
but it's actually managing an AOD 4-speed automatic overdrive,
which makes this Mustang a great highway cruiser. A factory 3-spoke
wheel is always a welcome addition and the stereo is an AM/FM unit
designed to fit neatly in the original slot. The trunk is neatly
finished with a reproduction mat plus a full-sized spare tire
assembly.
Since the modern 5.0 liter EFI V8 is just a Windsor-based 302, it
slides right between the '65's shock towers without a lot of
hassles. Torquey, smooth, and virtually bulletproof, the freshly
rebuilt 5.0 works as well here as it did back in 1993 when it was
powering a Fox-body pony. Keeping as many OEM components as
possible means it's reliable and easy to service with
over-the-counter parts, and thanks to Ford's wonderful EEC-IV
engine management system, it starts instantly and idles smoothly
every time, regardless of the weather. And you'll never get tired
of watching the jaws drop when you pop the hood at a show and
everyone sees that familiar long-runner intake and serpentine belt
drive system. The aforementioned AOD transmission is freshly
rebuilt and is the perfect complement to the injected V8. The
modern V8 powers the original rear end with fresh 3.50 Yukon gears
inside. A custom dual exhaust system was fabricated for the new
motor and it has that familiar 5.0 bark. The front suspension is a
custom A-arm setup with rack-and-pinion steering and 4-wheel disc
brakes give it modern stopping power. Cool Torque Thrust wheels are
always in fashion and they carry staggered BFGoodrich rubber that
fits the car's personality perfectly.
Given the price of the conversion and the quality of the paint and
interior, we have to call this car a screaming bargain. And like
most Mustangs here at Streetside Classics, we doubt it'll last
long. Call today!