With the body work complete Ron and his crew moved to the interior. The dash was customized with a full fiberglass redesign, incorporating additional gauge locations all filled with Auto Meter Ultralite II meters and a single DIN stereo mounting location featuring a Pioneer head unit. SCAT Pro Car seats, custom five-point harnesses, a tilt steering column, and custom gray carpeting round out the interior upgrades.
Of course Ron's fastback isn't just a looker for a static display at the SEMA show. No, he built the car to move, handle, and stop too. Underhood is a built 347 stroker featuring ported Victor Jr. heads and backed by a Tremec TKO-600. The 500-plus horsepower is put to terra firma through a late-model Cobra IRS center section that's hung between a Control Freak IRS system. Up front a Rod & Custom Mustang II suspension system is nestled between the framerails. Since the small-block fits easily between the shock towers Ron decided to keep them for their strength and for a stealth look underhood. QA1 coilovers at all four corners allow custom ride height settings at the turn of a wrench. Lest you think Ron's car is only a cruiser due to the fact it has a Mustang II setup, you'd be wrong, as Ron open tracks the car whenever time permits. We witnessed Ron tearing up the road course at the Mustang 45th in Birmingham, Alabama, with his fastback, even passing some well-prepped track cars.
The fastback turned out to be everything Ron wanted in a classic Mustang with a little modern flare on the inside and the outside. Owning classic Mustangs like a '70 Mach 1, his previous '65 fastback, and a couple of '71-'73s, as well as late-models such as a '90 GT, and '94 and '05 Mustangs (both custom-painted in Grabber colors) he finally has a ride that has a little bit of all of them wrapped up into one sweet ride that can be a show car, weekend driver, or track monster whenever he needs it. Of course he couldn't have done it without the support of his family-wife Kim and daughter Allison. Up next is a custom '78 Mustang II for Allison as her first car. We're sure she'll be riding in style if this fastback is any indication of what Ron and his crew can accomplish in just a short 12 months.
The Details
Ron Schoch's '65 Mustang fastback
Engine
347ci stroker
H-Beam rods
Kuntz & Co. ported Victor Jr. aluminum heads
Demon 650 carb
Edelbrock intake
Polished valve covers
Vintage Air front runner system
Vintage Air A/C
Tuff Stuff chrome mini starter
Canton road race oil pan
MSD billet distributor
MDS 6AL ignition
Stuart water pump
Ron Morris adjustable motor mounts
Dyno tested to 550hp
Transmission
Tremec TKO-600 five-speed manual
JMC hydraulic clutch
Rearend
8.8-inch Cobra IRS center section
4:11 gears
Exhaust
FPA ceramic-coated headers
Full 3-inch exhaust
Walker Race Magnum mufflers
Suspension
Front: Rod & Custom Motorsports Mustang II, QA1 coilover shocks, tubular control arms, Flaming River manual rack-and-pinion
Rear: Control Freaks tubular independent rear, QA1 coilover shocks
Brakes
Front: Stainless Steel Brakes Force 10 disc, 13-inch rotor, four-piston caliper
Rear: Stainless Steel Brakes Force 10 disc, 13-inch rotor, single-piston caliper
Wheels
Front: American Racing Shelby Razor gunmetal with polished lip, 17x9, 5.5-inch offset
Rear: American Racing Shelby Razor gunmetal with polished lip, 17x9, 6.0-inch offset
Tires
Front: Nitto NT555, P245/45R17
Rear: Nitto NT555, P285/40R17
Interior
Custom dashboard cut & smoothed, Auto Meter Ultralite II gauges, MP Products door panels, RCI five-point harnesses, SCAT Pro Car seats, Flaming River tilt steering column, Budnik steering wheel, full Dynamat interior dampening, Pioneer head unit and speakers, power windows using stock cranks as switches
Exterior
DuPont Hot Hues Bombay Blue w/Neptune Jewel Stripes, flames by Dauber, '05 Mustang quarter glass, '05 Mustang door handles, flush-mount windshield, shaved cowl vent, molded ground effects, molded sidescoops, shaved driprails, molded quarter extensions, smoothed engine compartment, Shelby R model front valance, Shelby R model cowl hood, Scott Drake billet taillight bezels, Scott Drake sequential LED taillights, Sylvania HID headlights