A ’67 Mustang Fastback S-code 428 CobraJet

Pablo Sotelo came to this country from Argentina in Sept of 1997. At the time he was the furthest thing from a car guy. He knew nothing about American muscle cars having grown up with underpowered 4-cylinder European cars. All that changed though when he saw the movie, “Gone in 60 Seconds”.

He immediately fell in love with American muscle and dove head first and deep into the culture. Before long he acquired a ’66 Mustang coupe and with help from a cousin that owned a body shop, he turned that car into his first cruiser. Attending shows and swap meets he learned more and more about Mustangs until he knew what he really wanted.

Starting in 2007, every night, and he means every night for a year, when he got home from work he would search E-bay for a 1967 Mustang fastback. Then in 2008, he found a numbers matching S-code big block 4-speed car in El Paso Texas. This Mustang was a rolling shell that had otherwise been disassembled – a basket case. So, after securing permission from his wife, Suzanne, he and his dad and brother drove to El Paso to get it. In what could only be considered a muscle car miracle, the seller actually had all of the parts for the car in boxes. The ’66 coupe was sold to offset some of the cost.

Pablos’s GT came with a 390 which would have been awesome of course but in another interesting twist, he had a friend who was an actual ex-Shelby mechanic that decided to help him out. The friend had a complete 428 drive train from a ’68 Shelby GT 500 that he was willing to give to Pablo but Pablo would have to rebuild it himself. The friend let Pablo use his shop and taught him how but Pablo did the work himself. Also turns out that Isky Cams was a couple blocks down the street from the shop so Pablo was able to get a custom ground cam from the man himself. The 390 has been stashed away for some future use.

The car body was in excellent condition. The previous owner had replaced a couple of the floor panels but otherwise there was very little rust that needed repair. It is one thing to rebuild the engine but quite another to restore the rest of the car so Pablo went looking for a shop to do the full resto. During that time he went to a lot of effort to locate many of the parts that would be needed to complete the build. He found MCR online and delivered the car and all his parts there for the work do begin.

The build is basically factory stock with a few upgrades for reliability and a better sound system – nothing that can’t be undone if desired later. MCR did a driver level restoration so it will hold up to road conditions very well.

Pablo’s plan for the car is miles, lots of miles. Sure it will see some shows and other events but he didn’t spend all this time and effort to locate and build his dream car to let it sit. That’s one part of the car scene that Pablo didn’t pick up on, cars are meant to be driven.

Some will argue that the ’67 Fastbacks are the definitive year for the classic Mustangs. And that an S-code GT in Raven Black is as good as it gets.
Fastback models promoted speed with an aerodynamic shape. With a big block under the hood, this one can back it up.
The fastback styling on these cars continues all the way to the end of the trunk lid. Rear tires are classic Polyglas GT F60-15s.
Front tires are E60-15s. Wheels are 15 x 8 Shelby knockoffs. Pablo found these and supplied them to MCR.
Fog lights were part of the GT option package. Note the aluminum radiator behind the grill. Pablo also added a pair of electric fans to help keep the big 428 cool under pressure.
The long hood and short deck lid on the other end was one of the defining features of the first Mustangs that created the original pony car look.
This is the end of Pablo’s Mustang that most will see out on the road. That rear end peeking out from behind the fuel tank carries 4.11 gears. Those Goodyears will be crying out for mercy every time Pablo let’s this thing loose. Note the line running up the center of the back window. Pablo had to search the whole country looking for an original as they were only produced for ’67 and ’68 model years. The repos don’t have the line.
The car came with a 390 but who wouldn’t want to upgrade to a 428 Cobra Jet out of a Shelby GT 500? Pablo brought the rebuilt engine to MCR assembled but not fired up. Obviously, his work was solid as it is performing well. The engine is essentially stock except for the previously mentioned Isky cam.
The interior is also essentially stock with the obvious exception of the giant AutoMeter Tach. Not so obvious is a hidden Bluetooth receiver for awesome tunes. The kick panel speakers do provide a clue though. The Hurst Competition Plus will be put to quick use with the 4.11 gears.
Pablo and Suzanne plan to spend a lot of time in here. That is after all what this is supposed to be all about. No A/C, no power steering, no power windows or locks, just three pedals, a shifter and hang onto to something.
Remember when cars came with a full sized spare? Notice that it’s weight is over the right rear wheel.
Yes, there is actually room for two adults in the back seat.
It’s certainly not a hatchback or an SUV but fold the rear seat down and there’s enough space to pack for a reasonable road trip for two. Probably going to happen.
So much unlike today’s cars, American muscle cars were very distinctive and none more so than 60’s era Mustangs. No one would ever wonder what this is or confuse it with another make.