My son's 1st car

[keepat]

Long time no post but I do check in now & then. I miss my 68 charger and I will build another, but for now I'm just finishing up with a two year restoration of a 72 Pontiac Trans Am and about to help my youngest son Kurt (15) build his dream car a 68 Fastback Mustang. Now I know it's not a Charger or even a Mopar but we are making a Bullitt replica with it! Where the car will look like an original highland green 68 fastback it will have updated brakes, steering, & suspension. The deal I have with Kurt is he buys the car and also pays for all the cosmetics and I will pay for all the stuff that will make it safer!
Here are a few pictures and I'll post some as we go!
Pat



The king on the day we picked up his car and drove it 130 miles home



We also have the original front seats



Original 289 runs great







             

[RD]

that is one helluva good looking car!!! wow.. ur son should be extremely grateful.

[keepat]

that is one helluva good looking car!!! wow.. ur son should be extremely grateful.

He's excited, very grateful & broke! 
Thanks!
Pat

[NHCharger]

Wow, clean looking car. That's one happy kid.

[Silver R/T]

lucky kid

[mikesbbody]

Nice! I wish I had that when I was 15 

[oldrock]

nice mustang! Glad to see i am not the only mustang fan around here  I look forward to watching the progress.

[tan top]

looks good &  a stick !! should be fun    intresting idea on the centre caps !! looks pretty good ! more race orintated

[Tilar]

That looks great, and he looks very proud of what he has. 

[greenpigs]

   Ok I will say it, leave the Mustang as is except for 4 wheel disk brakes and possible put a 5 speed in. Bullit clone Mustangs are like GL the world has MORE than enough already.

[jaak]

Awesome!  With your son building a Bullet 'Stang....You know you gotta build a black 68 R/T now!

Jason

[dkn1997]

I think those mustangs are really good first cars.  If you make it handle/stop better you have a winning combo.  That motor is perfect for giving it some giddy up without making it go warp speed. 

and it's on the smaller side so a young kid like him won't have to drive a boat around.  love the 4 speed too.  love the wheels... pretty much not one thing I don't like about that car.  and good for him for having the wherewithall to come up with enough cash to buy that.   

[b5blue]

I like it! Very nice starter car and 289 is a great little engine, start preaching safety as 1st cars normally pay dearly for early errors. (My son has shredded a few tires!) Best of luck with a great ride! 

[kingjoop]

dreamcar for many, but Kurts property! he's one lucky guy 

ps; great deal btw.. making the car safe 

[Troy]

Looks good! When I was in high school I had my 70 Challenger and 68 Charger and my best friend had a 68 Mustang fastback with a 302. Another friend had a 71 Mach 1 with a 351C and (sometimes) his dad's 69 Mach 1 (351W). I've been looking for a 67-68 fastback for a few years but keep getting sidetracked. I currently have a 70 Mach 1 351C 4-speed. I can tell you that parts are cheap and easy to find but, with so many after market manufacturers, quality can be really good to really shoddy.

Troy

[TruckDriver]

I showed this to my 15yo, and he is jealous. My son is a mega 1967/68 Mustang fastback fanatic. He is even a bigger fan of them when they are customised to look like the one in the remake of Gone In 60 Seconds.

[oldrock]

one really nice thing about mustangs is the parts are so readily available compared to chargers. Oh and the little 289 motors are sleeper motors. They are pretty tame stock but can easily be upgraded to boost performance and since they were so plentiful, upgrade components are cheap! I have a buddy with a 67 with a 289 and it runs really nice. As for the upgrades, I'd suggest the very first ones be a brake upgrade and retractable 3 point seatbelts. I did both of those to my 69 mustang and the power disc brakes made a huge difference. The seatbelts won't be something he gets excited about but if he happens to get in a fender bender, they could make a huge difference.

Again, great looking car as it sits and will surely be a ton of fun for the kid and his Dad 

[vancamp]

great looking car my first car was a 65 fastback mustang sold it and have been into mopars ever since drove a 68 383 satellite and a 69 road runner thru most of high school.

[Sublime/Sixpack]

I wouldn't mind having that car myself!

[FlatbackFanatic]

The car looks great! Can't wait to see it in green!!

[Supercharged Riot]

Wow. Someone should be reel greatful to have that as a first car.

[BBKNARF]

Very cool 

[FJ5WING]

SWEET!
my first car once I hit driving age was a 67 fastback! white with a blue gut.

good luck with it.

[rav440]

 

[69*F5*SE]

Wow, some kids have it all.  In this case dad has it and son gets it.  Very cool car.

[bull]

How does anyone afford a 68 Mustang fastback? Around here you can barely find a junk one for less than $10k.

Anyway, good luck with the car. I wouldn't mess with it myself either. Upgrade the brakes, fix a few odds and ends and run it.

[HITMAN 149]

hey pat!! 
ummm just so ya know... im housbroken... if you wanna adopt me!!!! and i already have my own 68 charger... just needs some more safty mods also!!! hehehe
yea i kinda agree... there really is nothing to a "bullitt" mustang other than it being highland green... unlike a GL or a starsky & hutch car... ect..ect... lol
id do it a nice metallic gray!!!! nice seats in there too!!!
gooooood luck with it!!! lucky lil kid!!!!!! 

[66FBCharger]

Keepat,
That is a nice first car! I have a 14 year old that desperately wants an old car. How did you get your son to save money up to buy the mustang? I am looking for tips to get my son to work and save money to get his first car. BTW he wants a Superbird but I think he realizes he won't be able to afford one anytime soon.
John

[Troy]

Keepat,
That is a nice first car! I have a 14 year old that desperately wants an old car. How did you get your son to save money up to buy the mustang? I am looking for tips to get my son to work and save money to get his first car. BTW he wants a Superbird but I think he realizes he won't be able to afford one anytime soon.
John

You tell him that if he doesn't buy his own car then he doesn't get a car. That's what my parents did for me. Ok, that's not entirely true - they told me that if I could "get the thing running" (the $300 70 Challenger that belonged to my brother) they'd give it to me but I had to pay for all parts, gas, and insurance after the initial 6 months. I don't know the laws in your state but started working and after-school job when I was 15.

Troy

[66FBCharger]

Troy,
That is exactly what I told him! I told him to ask my father what the first car my father bought me. My father told him " I told him (me) if he wanted a car, to save your money and buy one!" That is what I did and I bought my 70 road runner 440+6 4 speed (that I still have) at age 16.
I have a 66 Charger that my boy thinks I am going to give him. I have told him very clearly that he needs to work, save your money and buy a car. If he makes the effort and is close moneywise to what he wants, I will probably "help him out a little". Right now he blows every nickel he gets his hands on. It is frustrating!

[Darkman]

If the kid has got that much style and taste to buy a Mustang for his first car, could you please post up a pic of his first girlfriend (joke)?. Well done to him! Very nice ride 

[keepat]

We put all birthday, holiday, and report card money in their own bank account from day one for both of our boys. That along with all but $100 of any pay checks when they started working. Over 15 years Kurt had over $8,300.00 saved up and the Mustang cost him $12,500.00 so his mother & I lent him the balance that he will pay back this summer.
I think teaching our children the virtues of hard work, saving, and the responsibility of a loan is a lesson most never get.

I'm very proud of my boy's they both have maintained a 3.7 GPA or higher. They talk to their friend and never tex-messages. If you would ever meet them they would look you in the eyes introduce themselves and shake your hand and have done so from a young age. They are both better looking, a lot smarter, and a better person then I ever was at there age.
Thanks!
Pat                     

[HITMAN 149]

  to you and your family pat!!!!!!!!!
we need more parents in the world to grow families like you guys!!!!!!!!! 

[66FBCharger]

Keepat,
It sounds like you have a great plan for the kids. Great job!

[draftingmonkey]

Make them buy it themselves and they appreciate it more.  The last and only thing with wheels that my folks bought me was my Schwinn Stingray when I was 10.  After that I was on my own. Even to drive the family car I had to pay for my own insurance and gas. 
Looks like it will be a great father/son project that will leave him with great memories for years to come.