eBay Motors is building a project '67 Mustang fastback. Given themoniker, "Fastforward Fastback," the car is already in progress at RadRides by Troy in Manteno, Illinois. Legendary builder Troy Trepanier isthe owner and resident genius at Rad Rides by Troy.
The motive to build Fastforward Fastback is simple: Demonstrate thateBay Motors is the best cars and parts source available for the entireexperience of restoring an automobile. With that goal in mind, the planwas to buy the '67 fastback through an eBay Motors auction, build itwith parts purchased from eBay Motors, sell unused parts through eBayMotors, and hit the show circuit with the final product. After exposingthe car in various car shows and events, Fastforward Fastback will beoffered to the public via (what else?) an eBaymotors.com auction, withthe proceeds donated to charity.
The Rad Rides crew intends to bring their unique look to the '67 Mustangby incorporating styling cues from the '05 concept Mustang. In additionto parts purchased on eBaymotors.com, other major suppliers have steppedin to be involved in the project. Ford Racing has supplied its awesome351/360-horse crate motor complete with GT-40 aluminum heads. With a nodto supercharged Mustangs of the '60s, a Paxton supercharger will befeatured on the car. The car will be shifted by a Ford AOD trans builtby Bowler Performance Transmissions.
Fatman Fabrications has supplied one of its brand new bolt-in StrutSuspensions for ponycars. Air Ride Suspension struts will be used withthe Fatman Fabrications Strut Suspension kit to give the car the RadRides by Troy killer stance. The car will wear Nitto tires and BilletSpecialties wheels. The cockpit will be an artistic blend of old andnew, with help from Tea's Design and a Kenwood and Diamond speakerssound system.
The initial disassembly of the car revealed some repair work that hadbeen done to the 36-year-old warhorse that was not up to Rad Rides'quality standards. For that reason, Troy decided it would be easier toreplace the entire front clip with one from a fellow Mustang partsbuddy, Ed Ohrt.
Follow along as Troy and the Rad Rides by Troy crew replace the frontclip of this Mustang. The metalwork, fabricating, and welding performedon the Fastforward Fastback are second to none, and helpful for manyfacing similar restoration challenges.
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In light of previous repairs sometime in its 36-year history, Troydecided to cut off the front clip and replace it with a better example. |
Here lies the carnage from a day at Rad Rides by Troy. Though many wouldhave worked with the front clip that came with this car, Rad Ridesquickly located a replacement for better end results. |
Notice the weld work that had been done many years ago. Rather than messwith it, Troy made the call to replace the entire front clip. |
The exterior sheetmetal is chemically stripped with Kleen Strip. Thenthe shell of the eBay Motors Fastforward Fastback is mounted on arotisserie. All interior and undercarriage metal is carefullysandblasted. Care is taken to regulate pressure so as not to warp ordamage any of the metal. |
Troy uses a cutting wheel to remove the rest of the original frontframerail sections. |
A big part of the Rad Rides by Troy look is a clean, uncluttered enginecompartment. For that reason, hours are spent perfecting the firewall.Take one last look at those provisions for heater hoses and heater box,because they are about to go away! |
The edges where the cowl meets the firewall are given special attention.Hard welds are ground down with a 24-grit, 3/16-inch-thick hard wheel.Roloc 36- and 50-grit discs are also used to get the firewall clean. |
Troy has almost a sinister grin as he holds the stock piece withprovisions for heater and lines that has been removed. New metal hasbeen welded in to smooth the firewall. |
To give the car the look typical of any street machine built at RadRides, most of the holes from the factory are welded shut. Any holesthat are needed will be made during the mockup stage of the build. |