“Fully Torqued” on The History Channel Vehicle Feature: 1966 Ford Mustang

We recently introduced you to the “Fully Torqued” show on The History Channel. In a nutshell, it’s about a gearhead named Steve Pazmany who starts his own hot rod shop with his mentor Uncle ″Bird” Betts, an old-school rodder with deep roots in California drag racing.

Click here to all of the “Fully Torqued” vehicle features.

We’ve been showcasing Fully Torqued builds like this 1971 Chevy C10 and 1974 Ford Bronco to give you a closer look at the stuff Steve and Bird have been bolting together.

But lest you think this is a show about trucks, check out this 1966 Mustang from a recent episode.

Steve Pazmany drove this 1966 Mustang to Fully Torqued World Headquarters, aka Uncle Bird’s shop. Steve wanted to do a Pro Touring build, but Bird convinced him a restoration with some upgrades would be a better return on their investment. The Vintage Burgundy paint was tired, the passenger side front floor pan was rotted through, and there was exterior rust here and there, but the car ran and drove and the interior was all there. Even the vinyl top was in good shape; almost 10% of 1966 Mustangs came with one. (Image/Summit Racing)

Steve dragged home the pony car with big plans to redo it as a Pro Touring or autocross ride. Uncle Bird thinks his pal is nuts and talks him into a restoration with some upgrades.

The 289 was mostly stock save for a Holley four-barrel of unknown vintage, a Mallory distributor and Super Duty coil, and a no-name chrome air cleaner. It did run well and had a Toploader four-speed bolted to it, a big plus. Uncle Bird tore the engine down, had the block machined and bored .060 inch over for a set of Keith Black hypereutectic pistons. The reciprocating assembly was balanced, the stock iron heads were ported, polished, and fitted with Trick Flow roller rocker arms, and the camshaft was swapped out for an custom-grind solid lifter cam. This **COMP Cams Magnum camshaft** has very similar specs; 224° intake and exhaust duration at .050 inch of valve lift, .499 inch of valve lift, and a 110° intake centerline.

On the plus side, the Mustang was unmolested and had a running 289 V8 backed by a four-speed manual transmission.

On the minus side was a Swiss-cheesed floor, some exterior rust bubbles, and very tired burgundy paint.

The rebuilt 289 long block after the makeover. A rebuilt Autolite four-barrel carburetor sits on an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake manifold. Ignition upgrades include a PerTronix Ignitor distributor conversion, a Scott Drake coil, and Summit Racing™ Muscle Car Retro Ignition Wires. Bird added a slew of other Scott Drake parts including Hi-Po exhaust manifolds, valve covers, air cleaner, mechanical fuel pump, and a copper/brass radiator. The Toploader four-speed was blessed with a new Scott Drake clutch kit. (Image/Summit Racing)

Bird dove right in and rebuilt the 289 with some performance goodies like Keith Black pistons, a custom-grind solid camshaft (we’ll give you a similar COMP Cams part number in the parts list at the bottom of this article), an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, Trick Flow roller rockers, and Scott Drake 289 Hi-Po exhaust manifolds.

The Mustang got some new sheetmetal including floor pan patches, door shells, and a lower tail panel. It also got a bunch of replacement trim including a rear bumper, taillights, rocker and vinyl top moldings, sideview mirrors, and side scoops. The car was repainted in the original Vintage Burgundy color with some metalflake for added sparkle. (Image/Summit Racing)

The chassis was rehabbed with KYB shocks, Moog front control arms, and a Borgeson power steering conversion kit, and the Mustang’s body got a new floor, door shells, and a bunch of new trim before it was repainted in the original burgundy.