This one stayed in the family

In one form or another, we’ve all heard this. You’re out and about and someone spots a classic old car and you hear some version of this comment, “I used to have one like that. Sure wish I’d have kept it. Would be worth a lot right now.”

Problem is they don’t remember that back then it was just a car like any other. Few expected them to be highly collectable one day. They just drove them to work and school and ran all the usual errands with them. And just like today, they eventually wore out and needed to be replaced and fewer still had a place to just park it and leave it. Though even if they did that didn’t stop it from continuing to rot and rust and further deteriorate.

Every once in a blue moon though you’ll run across someone that not only kept their high school car but actually continued to drive it, even if it was only occasionally. Now it didn’t hurt that the car came from Texas and ended up in Kentucky far away from the rust belt states up north.

Pete Evans’ dad purchased this ’65 Mustang from the original owner for his older brother to use during high school and eventually college. After the brother graduated, Pete got it about the time he started high school and he drove it all the way through college. Pete, with his dad’s help, kept the Mustang going with junkyard parts and even pulled a 289 from a ’67 Fairlane and slapped on some Windsor heads and a 4 bbl carb.

After college he started a 30-year career in the Army and got married. By this time the Mustang was getting a little rough around the edges and this is the point at which many would have sold the car and moved on, but not Pete. He and his wife Jeanette kept the Mustang and continued to use it as a daily driver.

Of course there are stories to tell. Like the times when the transmission would come out of Park and cause the car to go rolling down the driveway or to roll out of the garage with the driver’s door open. Then there was the time Jeanette lost control on a wet road and rolled the car onto the roof. Fortunately, a local farmer was able to help her out of the car. She was fine but Pete had to find someone to replace the roof if he wanted to keep his Mustang.

Eventually, the Mustang reached a point where it was mostly parked only being driven once in a while on the weekends. Then, in 2013, Pete came into an inheritance and decided to use some to restore the old Mustang. Pete found MCR and the restoration began in 2014.

Since Pete and his wife had always enjoyed driving the car that was the goal of the restoration. Their Mustang was repainted the original Burgundy with an OEM finish. The engine remains a 289 but with power improvements. It sounds healthy with dual exhaust but still drives like stock. The original C-4 transmission was also rebuilt with a factory style converter. It stays in Park now! One drivability update that was added was a front disc brake conversion.

With Pete’s high school Mustang essentially new again, he and Jeanette can now use it like a daily driver again, take long road trips or just enjoy cruising on a Saturday night.

A couple of exterior mods were added. GT fog lamps just look great on these cars.
The wheels are all the originals. The addition of modern radial tires is practically a must for any car built as a driver. The handling, braking and ride improvements are well worth giving up a bit of originality. Behind the front wheels is a disc brake conversion. Again, well worth it over the factory drums.
Pete’s dad was ok with adding dual exhaust, but headers were out of the question. The GT style trumpet exhaust tips are a great if subtle upgrade.
Another GT addition is the white stripe along the bottom of the doors. It’s another simple upgrade that adds a lot to the overall appeal.
While the first roof replacement wasn’t bad work and it was certainly functional, MCR did replace the entire roof from the body up to get it back to factory perfect.
The 289 is warmed over some but not so much as to make it difficult to drive. Deviations from stock include an aluminum intake and a 4-barrel. Engine color is early HI-PO black with a chrome air cleaner and valve covers in keeping with the High Performance option look. Note that the brakes are still manual and Pete stuck with the factory exhaust manifolds.
Another practical upgrade is a six blade fan. Radiator is the original 20-inch size. Notice there is no power steering pump. This is a light car and once it’s moving at all, power steering really isn’t necessary.
Just like it was when it was new. Well, except for the disc brake pedal and the factory style “Rally Pack” tack and clock combo on the steering column. A Retrosound radio and modern speakers were also installed because good tunes are necessary for a good cruise night.
As nice as new cars are to drive, there still is something appealing about simple mechanical controls. No fancy electronics, no complicated computer systems, just flip the switch or move the lever and it’s done.
Another simple upgrade was the “Pony” interior. Since the seat covers needed to be replaced anyway, why not go with the deluxe versions? Like the rest of the mods the Evans’ did, it’s a subtle update that nevertheless adds to the overall appeal of the car.
Another part of the Pony interior upgrade is the luxury door panels with the light.