A ‘resto-mod’ job from the wheels up

Marty Gray’s Mustang is even better and safer than it was when it left the factory.

MARTY GRAY likes his cars to be true originals, but he doesn’t mind adding a bit of 21st century technology especially when it comes to the brakes and suspension.

A former mechanic, Gray has completed an immaculate ‘restomod’ restoration and modernisation project on the 1965 Mustang he bought from the US.

The 289 V8 coupe was a lucky online find, only being listed for sale after its original owner in Ventura, Los Angeles, became too ill to drive.

‘‘There are a lot of them in New Zealand, but what I wanted to do was import one, rather than buy one that was already here and had been done up.

‘‘I wanted to start afresh with one that was original.’’

Gray has always been a fan of American muscle cars and has previously owned Corvettes and Camaros, and a 1968 Mustang.

He’s always loved the very early Mustangs, the first of which were produced in 1964.

‘‘They were quite a novelty vehicle when they first came out. They are quite small compared to the later Mustangs.’’

His ‘65 was in good shape when it arrived after being purchased sight unseen.

The odometer read 61,000 miles, but Gray believes it had more than likely been round the clock, putting its true mileage at 161,000 miles. (260,00 kilometres).

‘‘It was a very, very straight original car and it had good bones. It didn’t have any rust.

‘‘Nine months before I purchased it, the old boy that owned it had a whole new engine put in it and overhauled the transmission, so mechanically it was really sound.’’

Gray drove the car for two years before beginning on the 18-month-long restoration project.

The first step was to strip the car back to a bare shell on wheels.

He said he never liked the prairie bronze exterior so the body was sent to the Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec) where the apprentices prepped and repainted it.

Favouring a gun metal silver colour for the exterior, Gray spent three weeks poring over vintage paint colour samples before selecting a 1968 Ford colour called pewter.

The cream interior was replaced with a smart red and white colour scheme.

When the WelTec apprentices finished their work, Gray began work putting it all back together, essentially the same car, but better.

‘‘I upgraded a lot of the components, put all new wiring in the car, and it’s over-specced so I could put electric windows in if I wanted to.

‘‘I also upgraded the brake systems, put disc powered brakes in, just to bring it into the modern day era of motoring so it is a lot safer.’’

With its upgraded suspension, the compact Mustang now rides and handles much better than it would have in 1965, he says.

Gray has now owned the car for nine years and says the restoration has turned out just as he hoped.

‘‘I had painted this picture Marty Gray has fully restored the 1965 Mustang inside and out, while adding a few modern safety features to boost the driving experience.

Photos: JOHN NICHOLSON/STUFF

in my head of how I wanted it to look, so I think it has come out pretty close to that.’’

He relied little on outside influences when devising a plan for the car, making the restoration a truly personal one.

‘‘The idea of copying something that someone else has done is not really of interest to me.

‘‘I think it’s more about building something you see that could be done with that vehicle rather than

copying someone else’s idea.

‘‘It is an individualisation, I guess,’’ he says.

Perhaps most importantly, the little muscle car retains its classic V8 Mustang sound.

‘‘A friend of mine, his father has got a late model Camaro and I had a drive of that.

‘‘They are pretty cool to drive, but he still said to me, ‘Yours’ still sounds real old school, I wish mine sounded like that’.’’