Homebuilt 1966 Ford Mustang Coupe Restomod with 302 Power – Hot Rod

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Would you believe us if we told you this pristine 1966 Ford Mustang Restomod was put together in a home garage by a guy who’d never even built a car before? Yup, Stan Hawkins restored his 1966 Mustang coupe from start to finish in the comfort of his home in Visalia, California.

As Stan tells it, this is how it all started: “When I retired as a product development engineer in 2013 at the age of 69 I needed a project. I’ve always loved working on cars but never had the time to do it from bottom to top. I felt I might be too old until I met another old guy with a hot rod Model A pickup in a parking lot at the hardware store. We talked, and I told him my concern. He looked at me kind of funny and said, ‘Well I’m 74 and working on several right now.’ That gave me the inspiration I needed!”

The Mustang Stan ended up purchasing had been sitting in a backyard with weeds growing all through it and even “a family of mice where the intake manifold used to be.” The less-than-ideal condition of the ’66 meant he had his work cut out for him.

Over the next three years, Stan learned to weld so he could replace all the rusty sheetmetal and learn to do all aspects of body and paint from bodywork to level-sanding to paint. He also put together a rebuilt and hopped-up small-block 302 for the restomod Mustang and rebuilt the entire suspension. Inside Stan installed Dynamat, foam sound deadening, weather stripping, a complete TMI interior, and even a new windshield.

“At 2,900 pounds the car is very fast, and my grandkids love riding with me—especially when I do a big burnout on a back-country road!” Stan told us. Need inspiration of your own to begin working on that project you’ve dreamt of for years? Hopefully Stan’s story will do just that and remind us all that it’s never too late to learn something new.

Building a Mustang of your own? Here’s more details on Stan Hawkins’ 1966 Ford Mustang Restomod:

  • Small-block Winsor 302 bored 0.030-inch over
  • Forged pistons with stock cranks and rods
  • Aluminum heads with 2.02/1.60-inch valves
  • Comp Cams FS 281 RF roller camshaft kit with roller rocker arms
  • Edelbrock 2121 dual-plane intake manifold
  • 650 cfm Edelbrock Thunder AVS carburetor
  • Pertronix Ignitor III distributor with Flamethrower coil
  • Flowtech long-tube 1-1/2-inch headers and Magnaflow 2-1/2-inch exhaust system with X-pipe
  • Rebuilt C4 transmission with 2,000 rpm stall converter
  • Ford 8-inch rearend with 2.80:1 gears for 2,500 rpm at 65 mph
  • “Shelby drop” front suspension
  • Manual rack and pinion steering conversion
  • Disc brakes front, drum brakes rear
  • Subframe connectors, Monte Carlo bar and export brace
  • BFGoodrich VR16 Comp 2 AS tires with REV Wheels Chrome Classics
  • Velvet Red Pearl paint
  • Interior kit from TMI




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