1965 Ford Mustang Fastback - Yellow Boyd

You have undoubtedly seen this Mustang before. The Discovery Channel's American Hot Rod series built this screaming yellow car last year as a centerpiece for one episode. Respected hot-rod builder Boyd Coddington conceived the name Crazy Horse for this hot-rod Mustang effort. Crazy Horse was known as an intuitive, fierce warrior who was determined to defend the Lakota people long ago on the Western prairie. The Crazy Horse '65 Mustang fastback is a noble warrior, hellbent to both survive and defend the legend of hot Ford performance.

During his travels, Scotty Gray, an automobile auctioneer in Texas, unearthed this six-cylinder fastback as a '60s-retro birthday gift for his wife, Nancy. Because Scotty is passionate about hot rods and has quite an extensive collection of his own, it was only natural for him to hook up with Boyd to work on this dusty, rusty, old fastback. Boyd's Hot Rods in Southern California knocked it completely down on television.

Scotty's love for Nancy provided the emotional and spiritual energy to build one hell of a high-performance Mustang classic. He chose a Mustang because Nancy's passion for it caught fire more than 40 years ago when it was introduced in 1964, and it's never wavered. Nancy loved Ford's sporty Mustang as well as the lifestyle centered around owning one. It was a way of life she longed for, and Scotty made her dreams come true. He knew there was plenty of spiritual energy in this old Mustang fastback. It was a survivor.

Boyd and his team started with renderings of what the car should look like. When building an unusual Mustang hot rod, everyone involved in the project needs to know the expectations. Renderings help everyone stay in the same groove, keeping the project on course, but keeping this project on course wasn't easy. On the surface, the car looked like an easy trip. Beneath the surface, there was a lot of rust and body damage Boyd and his team would have to work through-all of it time consuming. The entire front-end assembly from the firewall forward had to be replaced with a junkyard clip. The floor pan needed a lot of custom fabrication.

When all of the sheetmetal work was completed, Boyd's team went to work on making the car fun and safer to drive. Classic Mustangs were never great handlers to begin with, and the four-wheel drum brakes were decidedly unsafe under normal driving conditions. Boyd's people fabricated a front-suspension package that would make this car all but unbeatable in the twisties. They also installed a Boyd's four-link rear suspension. Carolina Racing & Performance provided the technology to do all of this, including rack-and-pinion steering for pinpoint accuracy. QA1 coilover shocks in all four corners made an incredible difference in handling performance. Now it drives like it's mounted on rails.

Instead of the time consuming task of building an engine, Boyd's opted for a 347ci crate small-block V-8 from Ford Racing Performance Parts. Right out of the box, the 347 yields about 400 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque. Boyd's topped the short-block with Ford's GT-40 aluminum heads and an Edelbrock Victor Jr. single-plane manifold with Barry Grant carburetion, and that's a Walter Prosper air cleaner, available from Boyd Coddington. Keep in mind, this is not a high-dollar V-8 engine. It's an affordable package consisting of a nodular-iron crank, hypereutectic 10.0:1 pistons, and super-tough forged I-beam rods. Nancy can spin this puppy to approximately 6,000 rpm and not need a catcher's mitt to collect parts that involuntarily fly off. The 347 is a solid performer that yields both torque and fierce reliability. When you mix the 347 with a 2,800-pound ride, the Crazy Horse Mustang becomes a formidable performance foe.

Managing a 400hp small-block coupled with good old-fashioned efficiency takes a Dr. Evil AOD transmission and a Currie 3.90-geared 9-inch axle. The AOD delivers the power in gears One through Three. And when it's time to cruise, Overdrive works exceedingly well with those 3.90:1 cogs. A 2,500-stall torque converter enables Nancy to get the 347 into the torque curve before it hooks up to the 9-inch.

If you like these wheels-and we do-you'll have to stand in line for a set because these guys are one-offs from Boyd: 17- and 18-inch five-spoke specials manufactured exclusively for this car project. In front are 17x8s wrapped in P225/45ZR17 Goodyears. In back are 18x9s with P235/55ZR18 Goodyears. This is a lot of meat to stuff inside Mustang wheelwells, but it keeps a classic Mustang glued to the pavement under the most demanding conditions.

Inside, there are a lot of nice appointments that make Crazy Horse unique. This slick brushed-aluminum instrument panel and glovebox door are available from JME Enterprises. Lokar provided some cool, shiny bits, including the parking brake, pedals, and automatic shifter. California Mustang provided the rest of the interior. The steering wheel, which matches the wheels, is a Boyd original. A Hot Rod Air climate-control system is subtle, yet functional for hot Texas summers.

Outside, the slippery fastback is dipped in Boyd's Yellow with pewter Le Mans stripes running the length of the ship. This color combination gives the Grays a platinum demeanor wherever they take this one-of-a-kind Mustang.

There are a lot of terrific Mustang restomods out there. However, rare efforts such as this one stand out in the restomod history books. In addition to Hot Rods by Boyd, the love Scotty has for Nancy built this car. And it's that love that keeps this yellow Boyd going strong.

The Details
1965 Mustang Fastback
Owner: Nancy Gray, Rockwall, Tx

Engine

Transmission

Rearend

Exhaust

Suspension

Brakes

Wheels

Tires

Interior

Exterior