Fiber-Fab #13...

1964 1/2 MUSTANG

OWNED AND MODIFIED BY LEE MATHIAS

ENGINE:

Original 5-bolt 289 (D code), bored .030", forged pistons, balanced, blueprinted, high volume oil pump, 7 quart competition oil pan. Windsor heads, big valves, ported and polished, screw-in studs, hydraulic hi-po cam, double roller timing chain, serpentine belt drive accessories. Weind intake with a 750 cfm Holly, MSD 7 ignition, electronic tach drive, electric fuel pump.

TRANSMISSION:

Tremac 5-speed, modified bell housing, Centerforce clutch, roller bearing in crankshaft, original clutch linkage.

REAR AXLE:

3:50 Trac Loc, 9" housing, Lincoln rear axle with disc brakes.

BRAKES:

4-wheel disc, original fronts modified by Stainless Steel, rear Lincoln, metallic pads, dual master cylinder with rear proportioning valve.

SUSPENSION:

Modified Global West road racing setup. Lowered 2 1/2" front and rear, tube upper control arms, 820 front springs, Koni shocks (4), 1 1/2" front sway bar, 3/4" rear sway bar, under ride traction bars, C7ZZ rear springs, all solid bronze or teflon bushings throughout.

WHEELS AND TIRES:

American Torque Thrust 16 X8 polished. 225-50 ZR 16 fronts, 245-50 ZR 16 rears

BODY:

Fiberfab front clip (one of 13 known to still exist), square headlight openings, T-bird hood scoops, shaved hood, Shelby hood pins, hood mounted tach. 64 1/2 doors, pony lights and panels added. Rear quarters flared 1", Camaro taillights, Shelby trunk lid with remote release, 73 gas cap, rear power antenna.

INTERIOR:

Removable dash, 66 pad, mechanical gauges in 66 housing, in-dash air conditioning, 70 tilt wheel, repositioned switches, parking brake warning light, power top, AC and radio console, Recaro seats, 3" competition seat belts (2" rears), Shelby roll bar, Shelby quarter trim panels, fire extinguisher.

TRUNK:

Space saver spare with bottle, jack and lug wrench. Trunk mounted battery

Some Background on this vehicle (by LEONARD MATHIAS )

A BRIEF HISTORY

"THE POINTY CAR"

When you have built stock Mustangs and Shelbys for 20 years, you kinda get a hankerin' to do something really different. I owned the Mustang Farm and was constantly coming across neat parts and cars. This car started off in 1985 as an idea to build a radical, modified car. I had obtained a 65 K 2+2 from Lee Wilmot. It had a FiberFab front clip, Shelby windows, side scoops and 67 Magstars. I began to save parts, a Lincoln rear end, Shelby package tray, Shelby tach, Deluxe interior parts, a pair of Recaro seats and more all found their way to the car to await creation. I started trying to build a Superbird wing.

About this time, I purchased a 64 1/2 convertible from a guy who rebuilt health club equipment. He and his brother had driven the car through high school. It had been in his family since new. Steve had disassembled it, mounted it on a wood dolly with wheels, stripped the paint, removed all the rusty metal and zinc chromated the shell. All the attaching parts were cleaned and prepped. He had over $10,000 worth of new parts including complete Global West suspension, Ford sheetmetal, a ton of NOS parts, rebuilt engine, B&M trans, Mallory ignition, Stainless Steel brakes, and more. He had started to build in dash AC, hand forming the ducts. The new taillight panel already had the Camaro lights mounted. He did not have a welder, nor a place to work. All the nuts, bolts, new and used parts were in boxes, stacked in his garage. The car was in a mini-warehouse. I bought the whole package.

It took two days to sort the parts out and relable the boxes. With the modifications to the convertible, the logical choice for the ultimate custom was to sell the 2+2, keeping the special parts, and build the 64 1/2. Stock sheetmetal was installed on the fastback and it was last seen on it's way to Belgium. The guiding ideas was to build a Mustang that would be hard to recognize as a Mustang. To use only Mustang parts of 60's vintage.

The Camaro lights were retained after much soul searching, but it gives the Chevy lovers something familiar to look at when we race. The stripes were inspired by the GT-40.

It originally had Crager Tru-Spokes and carried the GT-40 image from sloping nose with square lights to the spoilered decklid. The original C-4 gave way to a 5 speed of later vintage. It took four years to build the car and Steve used to come by every six months to check on the progress, I wish he could have driven the finished product. The car has been on the road over 6 years and it is still not perfect, but does something like this ever really get finished?

I have been teaching high school auto shop over 6 years. Each year I take the yellow car to show them. That's all they talk about for days. Seniors tell Freshmen about the "Teacher's Pet". The highlight of last year was when I let them put a Centerforce Clutch in it and change the rear chunk. I continually try to share my life-time love of cars with the kids. But they are of a different cut, if it does not have a "system " or "bull frogged" it is not cool. We used to put STP, Hurst, Crane, Moon and Sunoco 260 stickers on our wheels. Theirs say Kenwood, Auto Extremes, and Thumper. Must be the generation gap.

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