Something Similar, but Different – Goolsby Builds a 1969 Mustang Street Machine
Most of us have walked a car show or local cruise and admired a nicely done version of our favorite old car – say a 1969 Mustang, for example – and thought to ourselves, “Man, if I could build one, it would be just like that one!”
Add Blaine Nolan to that list. Years ago, he saw a charcoal gray ’69 Mustang built by Goolsby Customs and fell in love with it. That car also turned out to be the Goodguys 2016 PPG Street Machine of the Year. He talked with Jonathan Goolsby about recreating that Mustang.
“We said, ‘let’s build you a car, not someone else’s car,’” Jonathan tells us. “After I told him the things I would do different, he was all for the changes. He mentioned he would like it red, so we surprised him with the renderings and said, ‘here’s what your blue car is gonna look like.’
“He loved it and trusted us to do what needed to be done to build his car and not a copy.”
Starting with a complete ’69 Mustang with a title and good upper structure, the Goolsby team went to work. The body was heavily enhanced with subtle mods, including extended rocker panels with custom aluminum side skirts, tucked and smoothed front and rear bumpers, a one-off hood scoop, shaved drip rails, custom side vents, Goolsby door handles, smoothed quarter panel extensions, a custom rear valence, and one-off machined taillights Z-Rodz. BASF Yachting Blue Metallic paint with Storm Grey metallic accents was applied by the Goolsby team.
The 1969 Mustang is built on a Roadster Shop Fast Track chassis that features a Woodward steering rack, Baer Pro+ 14-inch disc brakes, and a GearFX 9-inch Ford rearend with 3.70 gears. The one-off wheels from Forgeline measure 19×9.5-inches in front and 20×12 in the rear and are wrapped in Michelon Pilot rubber.
A Roush 5.0-liter V8 producing 666 horsepower resides in a heavily massaged engine compartment. The engine features a full smoothed blower as well as custom-machined valve covers from Revision Rods and Rides. A Bowler-built T-56 six-speed transmission is controlled by a Bowler Night Stick shifter.
The interior includes a modified stock dash filled with custom gauges from Classic Instruments. A Sparc Industries Flux steering wheel tops an Ididit tilt column, while the Recaro Specialist seats and other panels are covered in Moore & Giles Espresso leather. A JBL sound system and an Alcantara one-piece headliner complete the passenger compartment.
While Blaine initially wanted a red version of someone else’s 1969 Mustang, we have to imagine that he’s beyond happy with this stunning blue example built just for him.
Photos: John Jackson, Damon Lee
