We’ve recently completed a 1970 Ford Mustang convertible restoration here at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop. This is a cool Mustang Restomod with a rich history, and has been in the same family since the summer of 1972! The V8 Speed team completely disassembled the car for rust repairs and suspension upgrades, fixed the rusty and damaged body, and repainted the Mustang in a nearly-original color.
It’s powered by a Ford 302 V8 backed by a C4 automatic transmission, and was equipped from the factory with air conditioning. Our customer drove the car often, as it was her first car back in 1972. Over the years, the ‘70 Mustang was driven by the next generation in the family, until it was wrecked in 1993 and subsequently parked. It had not been driven since then, and we were happy to return it to the road once completed.
The Restoration Process
The V8 Speed and Resto Shop team disassembled the entire car, and stripped all the paint to reveal previous damage and rust repairs. The convertible Mustang was mounted on a fixture in our fabrication shop to keep the body structure supported and true, and sheet metal repairs began. The quarter panels, rear tail panel, doors and floors were all replaced with new steel.
While this car is restored to appear original, we modified a few aspects of the car for better drivability, reliability, performance, and more enjoyment. For example, we installed an upgraded front suspension system from Rod and Custom Motorsports, which provides a tubular upper and lower control arm assembly based on the later Mustang II geometry. It also features an oversized sway bar and a rack and pinion steering unit for more precise control and modern Mustang Road feel. Improved front disc brakes are also installed, along with all new plumbing and brake lines to help the Mustang stop better. Familiar but upsized 17” Magnum 500 wheels from Scott Drake are wrapped in Bridgestone tires.
Watch The 1970 Ford Mustang Restoration Videos
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Adding Complimentary Technology That Fits The Theme
The 302 small block Ford V8 was rebuilt, and is now topped with a FiTech fuel injection system for modern-day reliability, which is also controlling the electronic distributor and ignition timing. This car came from the Ford factory with air conditioning, but we elected to install a more efficient A/C system from Vintage Air, which uses current refrigerant to cool the air. The front accessory drive is a black serpentine system from CVF Racing, complete with a high-flow water pump and higher output alternator.
The color is very close to the original Ford Medium Bright Blue, but it’s been tweaked a bit as preferred by the owner for a bit more… pop! And where the original paint was a single-stage blue, today’s urethane 2-stage basecoat / clearcoat shines far more than the original finish ever did.
New Interior With A Familiar Look
The V8 Speed and Resto Shop interior shop rebuilt the bucket seats and rear seat, upholstering them in the original white / parchment hue, and a new black carpet covers the sound-deadened floor. The top frame and hydraulic system was restored, and we installed a new white convertible top. Fresh glass looks crisp and clean, Dozens of new trim pieces from Classic Industries were installed to make things new again inside.
This family heirloom 1970 Mustang Convertible is nicer looking, and nicer to drive, than it was when it rolled off the assembly line brand new. We at the V8 Speed and Resto Shop are honored to have the opportunity to bring it to a new level for many more years of family enjoyment.
Weather It’s a stock original restoration, a mild restomod, a road-hugging pro-touring machine, a fiery hot rod, or a full-out custom, the V8 Team has what it takes to bring your dream car to life. Contact us anytime to chat about your desires and how we can create a one-of-a-kind ride just for you!
Author: Miguel Pujols Content: Great job, she’s better than new, hope the family enjoys for many smile per mile of years ahead! The classic always appeal to me its like stepping in a time machine, but a RestoMod where it counts makes it so much sweeter…
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Author: James Hutchins Content: Absolutely beautiful! Love the very sensible upgrades making her a sweet daily driver or a show car. A true win win.
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Author: Jason Hull Content: Looks so sharp and clean. You guys sure do good work. I would be honored to build classic’s with you guys ! Keep em coming. We can’t get enough of them. I’d love to see what you could do to My 1970 Camaro too. Lol
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Author: Rick Read Content: Absolutely gorgeous! I like every thing that was upgraded to modernize the car, I’m loving it!
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Author: JSR Roadrash Content: Your team does outstanding work. Beautiful Mustang with a great history.
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Author: Annatar the Maia Content: What comes out of your workshops isn’t work, it’s art.
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Author: Trip Reviews Content: Although I like an all original mustang this is a fantastic updated 1970 Mustang. The classic look has been maintained and yet it is new. Nice. 👍
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Author: GPLIPP Content: Another home run guys. Well done!!
Author: Charles Dalton Content: There are so many things well done on this car but I kept coming back to the panel gaps. They look like they were cut with a laser – holy mackerel!
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Author: KFH Content: More great work… A Real Beauty!!!
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Author: Codename C.A.R.S Content: Nice car!
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Author: John R Smith Content: I had the identical car, except mine had the deluxe interior, which included a console. Absolutely the worst car I ever owned, because of a complete lack of quality control during assembly. Virtually everything was wrong with the car, and I only owned it for 3500 miles. Sad, because it was a neat little car.
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Author: Kenan Turkiye Content: There’s something about metallic blue and chrome on a good car.
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Author: echoi Content: This restomod is the gold standard on what a restomod should be. Compared to cars with chrome air cleaners, chrome valve covers, Obnoxious 20″ rims, those generic jeep LED units, and obnoxiously loud speakers in the back. Eeewww
Join hundreds of cool cars and fun seeking enthusiast on April 30th for the first Cruisin Lindbergh Night of 2022! There will be lots of awesome cars and amazing people up and down the Boulevard! Cruisin Linbergh is a celebration of cool cars, great people, and the American spirit. Take a few cruise laps on Lindbergh starting from Tesson Ferry and Lindbergh Blvd., being sure to support the local businesses along the way. It all starts at 6pm on Saturday, April 30, 2022 and runs to 10pm. Check out the cool cars, relive great memories, and create new ones at the same time! This Daily Mix video interview with organizer Jason LiCavoli (starting at 10:49) tells the story.
This is a family friendly event, with safety and respect in mind.
Cruisin’ Lindbergh Values: 1) Be respectful to people & property 2) Have fun 3) Have integrity 4) Be Positive 5) Support each other
Find out more about the event at the official website and Facebook groups – and pick up an official shirt while you’re there!
1970 Buick GS 455 Stage 1 4-Speed Convertibles at Muscle Car & Corvette Nationals Video V8TV
The Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals had enough cool cars on hand to make any Muscle Car fan’s head explode. In this video, we chat with Dan Vasic about the amazing 1970 Buick GS 455 Stage 1 4-Speed Convertible display. These are some very rare and powerful cars disguised as luxury rides, and the display was very popular at the MCACN show!
From the V8 Archives… the build series blogs from 1997 covering the complete restoration of the 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle known as the “SS496!” This was a great car, complete with a custom 496 stroker big-block Chevy, Global West suspension, Vintage Wheels Works rollers, Hydratech boosted Baer brakes, Magnaflow exhaust, and a whole host of restoration parts from YearOne and OPGI.
We performed a complete restoration on this car from start to finish, pulling the body off the frame, replacing the floor, quarter panels, and performing other major rust repair. Fast Times Motorworks built the custom big-block Chevy engine, which sent over 550 horsepower through a turbo 400 transmission and a 3.73:1 geared 12-bolt posi rear end. Our team completed the bodywork, paint, and assembly to make this Butternut Yellow pro-touring Chevelle a standout.
But more fun was that this was one of the first cars built by the V8 Speed crew, and these videos were from a time when very few were shooting and posting blog videos about cars. The blogs take us all the way to the SEMA show, and culminate with a feature video on the car when complete. The video resolution is only 480P, but if the car still looks awesome today!
1969 Chevelle SS496 Blog Part 1 – Deadline: SEMA, 2007 V8TV Video
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1969 Chevelle SS496 Blog Part 1 – Deadline: SEMA, 2007 V8TV Video
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1969 Chevelle SS496 Blog Part 2 – Deadline: SEMA, 2007! V8TV-Video
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1969 Chevelle SS496 Blog Part 3 – Deadline: SEMA, 2007 V8TV-Video
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1969 Chevelle SS496 Blog Part 4 – Deadline: SEMA, 2007 V8TV-Video
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1969 Chevelle SS496 Blog Part 5 – Deadline: SEMA, V8TV-Video
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1969 Chevelle SS496 Blog Part 6 – Deadline: SEMA, 2007 V8TV-Video
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1969 Chevelle SS496 Blog Part 7 – Deadline: SEMA, 2007 V8TV-Video
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1969 Chevelle SS496 Blog Part 8 – Deadline: SEMA, 2007 V8TV-Video
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1969 Chevelle SS496 Blog Part 9 – Deadline: SEMA, 2007 V8TV-Video
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1969 Chevelle SS496 Blog Part 11 – Deadline: SEMA, 2007 V8TV-Video
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1969 Chevelle SS496 Blog Part 10 – Deadline: SEMA, 2007 V8TV-Video
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1969 Chevelle SS496 Blog Part 13 – Deadline: SEMA, 2007 V8TV-Video
Kevin Oeste and Mike “Q-Ball” Clarke chat about a video shoot from the 2022 Firebird Fest pre-run. Later, the upside of classic cars with drum brakes, because disc brakes are better, but in all cases? This is the first V8 Radio Podcast featuring the new “Cruising Tune” of the show, where we share a classic song, or a new favorite, that lends itself to providing a soundtrack to your next road trip. This first song is “The Heart That Never Waits” by Blues master Joe Bonamassa. After a short walk down Chicago and AM Radio history, we announce the launch of a new Podcast! Kevin will be hosting and producing the new Bonneville Up To Speed podcast, which covers the world of land speed racing and the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA). Of course, the Automotive Trivia is fierce, but there are some good laughs on the V8 Radio Podcast, your favorite car podcast!
This restored 1955 Ford F100 pickup was restored by the owner’s father, and came to the V8 Speed and Resto Shop for some upgrades to make it more enjoyable to drive.