"Surprisingly, I originally was a Mopar fan," confessed Peter Faull. "It had always been a good joke at work amongst the guys. I worked for Ford yet I loved Mopars. One friend used to tease that he knew of an old car I should see, because he was positive that car would change me into a Ford man. Reluctantly, I went with him one day to see this 'legend' he spoke of. Even though most of the car was in pieces, I could see the potential of the 390 fastback. I looked past its aged appearance and thought, This car is a beauty."
And so it was that this '68 Mustang GT fastback convinced Peter to, ah, dodge his earlier Mopar convictions. That the car was able to do so in the condition in which Peter first observed-strewn about in several boxes and wearing a dull, black topcoat-speaks volumes about the undeniable appeal of most any Mustang. And so he bought it.
Peter said a lack of available detailing and technical information on the 390 Mustang led him to the pages of Mustang Monthly as a valuable information resource during its obviously thorough 3 1/2 year restoration. We're flattered, and we would have to say that he used the information to great effect. With all traces of past abuses having being exorcised, the Candyapple Red four-speed now amply rewards the previous Pentastar man for his decision to jump ship.
Peter's DSO '81 fastback had spent its entire 96,000-mile life in Canada, and therefore provided something of a bodywork challenge for the London, Ontario, resident, along with Jim Gauvin and Ross Thompson at the Oakridge Ford body shop. They were fastidious in returning the code 63A fastback to the same form in which it had originally rolled from the Metuchen, New Jersey, plant-complete with a two-tone louvered hood with its integral turn signal indicators, wheel lip moldings, tinted glass, left-hand remote mirror, and bumper guards.
Matching the black C-stripe, and in classic contrast to the Candyapple Red base/clear exterior hue, is the standard black interior dressed up with the new-for-'68 front seat headrest option, as well as upper and lower consoles. The black camera-case dash is optioned with an 8,000-rpm tach, electric clock, and a trip odometer. Luggage room is enhanced by the Sport deck fold-down rear seat.
When it came time to rebuild the S-code 390, Peter turned to Chris Simon-a true Ontario FE-natic, whose brother's '68 GT500 ragtop appeared in our June '97 issue-for expertise, but performed the work himself. Since the car was missing the intake, carb, and air cleaner assemblies, the decision was made to go with a 428 Police Interceptor aluminum intake and a matching 780-cfm Holley. With the alloy manifold painted corporate blue and mostly hidden by a correct chromed-lid breather assembly, a peek at our underhood shot will show that Peter did it right-and the GT's hefty snout lost a few pounds in the process. Backed by a faithful Top Loader and limited-slip 3.25 gearset, the 390 runs as good as it looks.
Having sampled the First Place show trophies and the sheer pleasure of Mustang ownership, Peter told us he'd like to restore a GT390 hardtop as his next project. By the sound of that, there's little chance of a reversal of his conversion to the Blue Oval fold. He's one of us now.