Congratulations this month goes to Brett and Mary Smith (FEP Username: homer302) and their 1984 ½ Mustang GT Turbo as the winner of the August Ride of the Month. Brett and Mary purchased the GT in Decemeber of 2011 from a great friend and very soon after began to restore the GT to its original glory.



The car was a total basket case when Brett and Mary bought it. All the original paint was intact with only one minor dent. There was no rust to be found anywhere on or under the car. The GT had not run in 12 years and for at least part of the time, it was stored outside. The previous owner was a genuine friend of the family and had plans to fix it up but ended up developing Alzheimer's and had to sell it.



At some point in the Mustang’s life the driver's side window got busted out, which let all the elements in. Thankfully the car was in South Carolina so there was no snow and the ground underneath was sand and drained well. It eventually found its way inside which is where Brett first saw it. The pictures in Brett’s restoration thread here show, it was in pretty dismal condition. Brett made the sure the engine wasn't seized before buying the Mustang. He paid only $600 for car and that included a 25 mile tow to the house. The restoration was mostly just time and effort and not much money. Brett started with basic things and once he got it running, he moved on to more cosmetic items. Over time, he have replaced both fuel pumps, the fuel tank, the timing belt, the entire exhaust, all the brake system, the radiator, heater core, evaporator and all the weather stripping. Brett was able to find a set of nice original Canyon red sport seats for it in PA while he was traveling for work and bought them on the spot from another FEP member. He did replace the foam and springs, but was able to save the original material.




The Mustang won a class trophy in The AutoFair at Charlotte Motor Speedway The GT was in the Ford display at the 50th Anniversary show at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the car was on display inside the arena at the National Mustang Museum Groundbreaking ceremony July 29th. It was one of only 8 Mustangs to have that distinction.




As stated before the previous owner was a friend and mentor to Brett. Brett wanted to keep the car as original as possible as a tribute to his friend. Thankfully the previous owner was able to see the Mustang after Brett had most of the restoration finished and he really liked the way the Mustang looked. That made Brett proud of what he had accomplished. Brett also stated that the GT Turbo has been a joy to own and is true pleasure to drive every chance he gets. The GT Turbo is just a blast going down the road. Thank you to Brett and Mary for sharing their 1984 ½ Mustang GT Turbo with us this month as well as documenting its restoration along the way.