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  • 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.
    Comments 8 Comments
    1. Fearnot's Avatar
      Fearnot -
      Congratulations! What a great car.
    1. JTurbo's Avatar
      JTurbo -
      Awesome back story, and this car represents FEP and RoTM perfectly! Congrats!
    1. Dadsccat's Avatar
      Dadsccat -
      Great job. Car looks awesome.
    1. 82gt50's Avatar
      82gt50 -
      Congratulations and an outstanding restoration, I just went back to the build thread and read most of it. And this quote from the beginning in 2011: "This one was destined for the crusher because nobody else wanted it. So I stepped in and saved it." Outstanding.
    1. fascat's Avatar
      fascat -
      Congrats on ROTM. Your car looks great with a great story behind it. Well deserved.
    1. tORMENtOR's Avatar
      tORMENtOR -
      Congrats Homer, perfect example of a 84Gt Turbo.
    1. LT-84GTturbo's Avatar
      LT-84GTturbo -
      Congratulations! My wife and I met you at the 50th Anniversary show in Charlotte when you were nice enough to let us step over the wire to take a closer look at this beautiful car. We were so glad to see it in the Ford display representing its year. Well deserved.
    1. 1985 Motorsport Capri's Avatar
      1985 Motorsport Capri -
      Great to see folks saving the 83/4 GT Turbo cars. these are overshadowed by the 5.0's & never got/get the notice they deserve. and the rims really put this car over the top! way to go Bret!
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