Just before I turned 16, I got the itch to buy a classic Mustang. I had friends that had them, and so I was determined it would be my first car as well. Luckily I had started a neighborhood yard business 3 years prior and had enough saved up to buy a starter model on my own. I happened upon this Fastback by chance — I didn't really know what a Fastback was at the time and definitely wasn't looking for one specifically — and the test drive by the owner was all I needed to know this was the car for me. For a 16 year old kid this was one of the fastest cars I had ever been in, and with the skinny rear tires you could do the "one wheel peel" all the way down the street! I convinced my dad that this was the right car for me, and we got it.
The car was a base-level Fastback (no options like power steering or AC) with a 302 and 4-speed toploader transplanted from the original 289. The body was in fairly good shape as far as rust goes, but it could have used a fresh paint job and there was a bondo job gone bad on the driver's rear panel. Unfortunately after paying $3K for the car my funds were pretty depleted. I had enough to redo the interior with fresh carpet, seat covers, and door panels to make it nice. We also went into the top end of the engine and installed a big cam, 600 double-pumper Holley, and a few other performance mods. After getting it back on the road I promptly blew out the rear gears within two weeks with the newfound power.
Luckily I was surrounded by a dad that was very mechanical, and numerous friends and family that knew a lot about maintaining and fixing issues with the car. It was definitely a great opportunity for me to start the learning process and build a love for taking a car and customizing it to be exactly what I want. This car definitely helped increase my interest in Mustangs, and more specifically opened my eyes to the Fastback body style which is now a favorite of mine.
