From wrecked to restored: Car SOS saves Ford Mustang from a scrapyard

There are car restorations and there are car salvages… and this is certainly a case of the latter.

Set to star in tonight’s episode of popular motoring show Car SOS is this 1965 Ford Mustang, which the presenters say is ‘officially the biggest project to rebuild the most knackered motor’ it has ever featured.

Having sat under covers in a garden in Charlton, London, for the last 33 years, every part of the sixties Fastback had rusted through, with its doors hanging on by a thread after more than three decades of dilapidation.

The episode on National Geographic at 8pm charts the team’s efforts to return the American muscle car to the road. But there are some decisions made that could make Mustang enthusiasts and collectors – especially those back in America – wince…

Rusting to the brink of nothingness, the Car SOS team rebuilt the 1965 Fastback in 65 days - but there is one controversial change to the vehicle...

From wrecked to restored: This Ford Mustang had been sat under covers in the front garden of a terraced house in London for 33 years. Rusting to the brink of nothingness, the Car SOS team rebuilt the 1965 Fastback in 65 days – but there is one controversial change to the vehicle…

For those who don’t know Car SOS, the show follows a format: find a deserving petrolhead who has faced a struggle in their life; collect their cherished motor that’s fallen into a state of disrepair without them knowing; complete a full restoration in a matter of weeks; present the vehicle back to its rightful keeper with plenty of fanfare.

Tonight’s episode features a car that presenter Tim Shaw described on first sight as ‘comedy scrap’.

The extremely rusty 1966 Mustang belongs to 71-year-old John – a former mechanic, caretaker and odd-job man from Charlton.

John has owned his Mustang for over 40 years, but when tragedy struck his family over three decades ago, its upkeep was neglected.

John’s wife Lynn died in 1988 at the age of just 32 following a battle with cancer.

She passed away shortly after giving birth to a third child, John Jr, which left John as the sole parent to three children, forcing him to immediately give up his job and receive benefits. 

The much-loved Mustang – understandably – was put under covers in his garden, where it remained for the following 33 years. Though John always had the intention of fixing it back up, both the Ford and John have gotten older and rebuilding it had become a lost cause.

The extremely rusty 1966 Mustang belongs to 71-year-old John - a former mechanic, caretaker and odd-job man from Charlton who bought it 40 years ago but in the late eighties was left no choice but to take it off the road...

The extremely rusty 1966 Mustang belongs to 71-year-old John – a former mechanic, caretaker and odd-job man from Charlton who bought it 40 years ago but in the late eighties was left no choice but to take it off the road…

John's wife, Lynn (pictured here on their wedding day) lost her battle with cancer in 1988, leaving John as a single parent to three young children. He was forced to quit work to look after them and couldn't afford the upkeep of his much-loved Ford

John’s wife, Lynn (pictured here on their wedding day) lost her battle with cancer in 1988, leaving John as a single parent to three young children. He was forced to quit work to look after them and couldn’t afford the upkeep of his much-loved Ford

John had stored the Mustang on grass in his garden under covers for 33 years

Over three decades of British weather took a major toll on the vehicle, with it reduced to almost nothing but rust by the time the Car SOS team collected it

John had stored the Mustang on grass in his garden under covers for 33 years. Over three decades of British weather took a major toll on the vehicle, with it reduced to almost nothing but rust by the time the Car SOS team collected it

Car SOS Fuzz Townshend during first inspection of the car. He can barely hide the trepidation from his face as he considers if the much-adored classic car is even salvageable

Car SOS Fuzz Townshend during first inspection of the car. He can barely hide the trepidation from his face as he considers if the much-adored classic car is even salvageable

John's sons. Floyd (pictured second left) and John Junior (right) posed alongside Fuzz Townshend (far left) and Tim Shaw as the Car SOS hosts picked up the stricken '65 Mustang

Tim and Fuzz had to enlist the help of Sid (pictured), real name Nayan Patel, the owner of Sid's Paint Shop in the West Midlands which specialises in Ford Mustangs, to take on the bulk of the work to restore the car

LEFT: John’s sons. Floyd (pictured second left) and John Junior (right) posed alongside Fuzz Townshend (far left) and Tim Shaw as the Car SOS hosts picked up the stricken ’65 Mustang. RIGHT: Tim and Fuzz had to enlist the help of Sid (pictured), real name Nayan Patel, the owner of Sid’s Paint Shop in the West Midlands which specialises in Ford Mustangs, to take on the bulk of the work to restore the car

John’s son Floyd wrote to Car SOS asking if they could repay his dad for the years of selfless devotion by surprising him with his four-wheeled pride and joy ready to be driven on the road once more.

But, as viewers will witness tonight, the car’s dilapidated condition after years of neglect had put the Mustang on the brink of being binned rather than salvaged.

Having been parked on grass under sodden sheets in John’s garden in London for decades, the British weather took a significant toll on the car.

‘It was no different to dredging it from a canal. A scrapyard wouldn’t have wanted it – they want steel, and it was almost entirely rust. It was just brown with nothing to it at all,’ explains Tim Shaw – the co-host of the show alongside mechanic Fuzz Townshend.

Once in Sid's workshop, the car underwent a tyre to roof restoration, with any salvageable parts retained in order for the Mustang to legally retain its identity

Once in Sid’s workshop, the car underwent a tyre to roof restoration, with any salvageable parts retained in order for the Mustang to legally retain its identity 

With every panel of the car - and almost the entirety of its underside - rusted away, Car SOS says this was officially the biggest project it has embarked on in over a decade on TV

With every panel of the car – and almost the entirety of its underside – rusted away, Car SOS says this was officially the biggest project it has embarked on in over a decade on TV

The car was returned to the colour it had left the factory in 1965 - a cherry red. Shelby-style racing stripes - in grey - were added, while the suspension, steering and brakes were all upgraded to make it easier - and better - for John to drive

The car was returned to the colour it had left the factory in 1965 – a cherry red. Shelby-style racing stripes – in grey – were added, while the suspension, steering and brakes were all upgraded to make it easier – and better – for John to drive

With the engine not started for 33 years, it had seized and deemed beyond repair. Fortunately, a new - larger - powerplant was sourced and upgraded with fuel injection to increase performance

With the engine not started for 33 years, it had seized and deemed beyond repair. Fortunately, a new – larger – powerplant was sourced and upgraded with fuel injection to increase performance

‘Almost everything needing to be replaced,’ Tim says. However, many of the component parts required reconditioning and retained in order for the car to legally keep its original identity.

Fortunately, Tim and Fuzz enlist the help of Sid, real name Nayan Patel, the owner of Sid’s Paint Shop in the West Midlands which specialises in Ford Mustangs, to take on the bulk of the work.

The team had just 65 days to completely rebuild it before it was due to be revealed to John in front of a packed O2 Arena, London, at a Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live event. 

‘This by far THE worst car we have ever seen on Car SOS and the biggest restoration we’ve taken on to date, as well as the biggest risk and biggest reveal,’ Tim tells us, estimating that around 1,700 man hours were spent sourcing, fabricating and reconditioning parts for John’s much-loved Ford.

The controversial decision that will make some classic car collectors wince

In order to make the Mustang fit for the road, many of its major components – including the engine – needed to be replaced.

It also underwent some modernisation, including adding fuel injection, fitting wishbone suspension, replacing the old steering block for a more precise rack and installing disc brakes in place of the drums that the car left the factory with 58 years ago.

Making such wholesale changes to a car of this vintage might irk some enthusiasts and collectors, who will debate if a vehicle retains its originality with so many new parts. 

Though there is one major change to John’s Mustang that will do more than raise eyebrows among the classic-owning fraternity.

Most controversial of all was Car SOS's decision to convert John's classic Mustang from left to right-hand-drive. While collectors and enthusiasts will say this devalues the vehicle's classic credentials, Tim, Fuzz and John's family were adamant the Mustang should be something he could drive and enjoy for years to come

Most controversial of all was Car SOS’s decision to convert John’s classic Mustang from left to right-hand-drive. While collectors and enthusiasts will say this devalues the vehicle’s classic credentials, Tim, Fuzz and John’s family were adamant the Mustang should be something he could drive and enjoy for years to come

That’s because Tim, Fuzz and Sid embarked on moving the steering wheel across the car to convert it into a right-hand drive.

‘I doubled the workload for us because I had an idea because I have an opinion on left-hand-drive vehicles driven on our roads,’ Tim explains. 

‘The UK is obsessed with keeping cars “factory” or “standard” while the rest of the world points and laughs at us in the face asking why don’t we admit there is better engineering out there so that we can actually use it rather than leaving it in the garage and polishing it because you know truthfully that it doesn’t drive well.’

Shaw, who owns a Mustang, went on: ‘I’ve said it before and Fuzz said it after driving one on the show; a 1965 Fastback is one of the worst classic cars to drive – it’s massively underpowered, the brakes are crap and it only wants to go in a straight line.

‘And one of the reasons why the classic Mustang – one of the most iconic cars of all time – isn’t seen much on UK roads is because they weren’t sold in right-hand drive.’

As Tim points out, the decision went against what the UK Mustang owners club and classic car collectors recommend, with such significant adaptations to the Ford believed to be equivalent to ‘burning money’ but devaluing its originality.

You can make your own decision on the move by watching the episode.

Ford Mustang: A brief history 

Henry Ford II gives the world its first look at the all-new Mustang on April 17, 1964

Henry Ford II gives the world its first look at the all-new Mustang on April 17, 1964

When you think of American cars, the Ford Mustang is probably the first that comes into mind. 

It’s been around since 1964 and went through six generations that spawned all sorts of models and trims. 

It debuted as an affordable sports car and it quickly evolved into a powerful muscle car. It then became a not-so-powerful compact in the 1970s and switched to turbocharged performance in the 1980s. It rebounded once again as a muscle car in the 1990s and became a full-fledged sports coupe in the 2010s. 

The ‘Stang’ comes with an incredibly vast history and it’s arguably America’s greatest automotive legend. Even those who dislike American cars have a soft spot for the Ford Mustang – and why not? 

To this day it remains the fastest selling car of all time. 

Ford initially predicted sales of 100,000 cars in the first year but the heavily marketed all American Mustang actually tripled that and by the end of 1965 one million of them had been sold. Launched with a 2.8 litre inline six-cylinder engine it could reach 0-60mph in 13.5 seconds and had a top speed of 96mph. 

However, Ford quickly noticed a demand for higher performance versions and teamed up with race supremo Carroll Shelby who lightened the car, dropped in a 4.7-litre V8 and took it up to 120 mph and over 300bhp. By 1967 Shelby went even further with his GT500 model and a mighty 7-litre engine that could now reach 0-60 in 6.5 seconds. The muscle car was truly born.

Multiple re-inventions over the following decades: The Boss, The Mach 1 , the King Cobra, the Bullit and many more have given the Mustang a longevity other manufacturers can only envy. 

It is no wonder that the original Pony Car has a place deep in the hearts of all flag waving Americans and car lovers all around the World. 

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