Jerry Choate's 1965 Ford Mustang

If you’ve never met Southern California’s Jerry Choate, extend your right hand and say hello. Graying, mid-30s, broad-shouldered, blue eyes, charming, big-hearted—time-tested tough with a wealth of street smarts, Jerry knows a thing or two about Mustangs. Most of the classic and late-model Mustangs that visit Jerry’s West Coast Classic Mustang in Canoga Park, California, are restomods. Often, they roll in stock and leave modified. That’s just the way it is for enthusiasts who meet Jerry. They quickly learn the benefits of building an upgraded, restomod Mustang.

Jerry received his inspiration from his father, Jerry Choate Sr., who passed away nearly nine years ago. Early on, the elder Jerry placed a wrench in the hand of an impressionable young man who has never forgotten the special things his father taught him. Little did Dad know where that wrench would lead his son.

Jerry feels right at home with restomods because he’s a born daredevil. On the weekends, you will find him out on the California desert cracking the throttle of his Yamaha YZ-250 bike, roaring across the firmament with the fury of a genuine back-street guy. The following weekend, you might find him on the water, shaking up the aquatics with the open-headered roar of V-8 power coupled with aquatic insanity. “Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve just reached bruising altitude...” That’s just the way it is with Jerry. He approaches the world with his hair on fire.

So you can imagine our interest when Jerry completed his six-year project—a ’65 Mustang fastback packing a 500hp sucker punch. You were expecting something less? Not from Jerry Choate.

Jerry’s efforts on the fastback began eight years ago, before he and his wife, Delia, founded West Coast Classic Mustang. Back then, the fastback resembled 10 miles of rugged highway—damaged sheetmetal, a tired 200ci six, and worn interior. Jerry dreamed by day and worked by night. One step at a time, a seemingly gone fastback parts car was transformed into Jerry’s vision. Building this Shelby R-model street replica was not easy. Just when Jerry was making headway, the ’94 Northridge, California, earthquake propelled the fastback body right through a closed garage door. Most people would have given up and called the insurance adjuster. Not Jerry. He hauled the Mustang out of the rubble and continued toward the mark.

As Los Angeles mopped up in the earthquake’s aftermath, Jerry honed his slippery fastback to perfection. He wanted the car to be faster on the street than anything around. He also wanted it to out-look anything and everything for miles around. It would have to have a reputation before it even hit the street. “Never Lift” became the Mustang’s theme.

While the body was taking shape, Jerry went to work on a powerful mill displacing over 351 cubic inches. He started with a ’69 351 Windsor block and heads, which were deburred until they were void of flash. The crankshaft was nitrided, polished, and chamfered. H-beam rods and Ross 12.5:1 pistons were precision balanced and stuffed in the .030-inch overbore cylinders. A high-lift roller cam was installed. On top, the heads were fitted with stainless valves, screw-in studs, guide plates, and Crane roller rockers flanked by stud girdles. On top is an Edelbrock Victor Jr. single-plane, high-rise intake with a 750-cfm double-pumper Holley. Jet Hot-coated JBA headers scavenge the spent gasses, funneling fumes through large-diameter pipes and two-chamber Flowmasters. This beast shakes the ground with seismological fury, leading to Jerry’s suggestion that you throw away your supercharger and nitrous injection because he will spank your keister hard with this naturally aspirated 351W.

Forget the Borg-Warner five-speed, because Jerry’s 351W will make scrap metal out of it in short order. Vintage Ford Toploader iron and steel channel the twist to a 9-inch housing with 3.89:1 gearing.

Jerry’s objective transcends the street because this is really a Mustang built for the track. Were it a drag racer, it would crack the quarter-mile in roughly 10 seconds. But because the Mustang is built for circle track, Jerry has outfitted the chassis accordingly with five-leaf TMC rear springs and 600-pound coils up front. Super stiff Koni shocks keep the contact patch constant. American Torq-Thrusts—15x7 front and 15x8½ aft—impress the optics. BFGoodrich Comp T/As—225/50/15s front and 245/50/15s rear—keep the Mustang glued to the asphalt.

Inside, Pro Products’ leather upholstery from Distinctive Industries covers the bucket seats. The Shelby spare tire insert is clad in high-quality naugahyde—call it “fleather” or “fake leather.” The dash sports a home-grown, five-dial, Ford instrument panel outfitted with Auto Meter gauges, handcrafted by Jerry himself.

Call this a work-in-progress show car because Jerry still isn’t finished. Up next? A full roll cage, R-model backlight, and completion of those ’66 Shelby quarter windows fitted just in time for our photo shoot. Like we said earlier, never lift...