A 1968 Ford Mustang that spent years sitting in a barn and later on someone’s lawn has been given a second life. Instead of restoring it to factory condition, its new owner turned the neglected shell into a 435-horsepower muscle car using parts from several other vehicles.
The owner, Gilles, had wanted the Mustang for years before finally convincing a friend to let it go. By then, the car had serious rust damage, a missing interior, and plenty of work ahead.
His finished project recently caught attention in a Reddit post on r/musclecars. The person sharing the restoration explained that Gilles wanted a classic Mustang that could handle modern driving without relying on hard-to-find custom parts.
The result is a mix of old and newer Ford components, including an engine from a 1994 pickup truck. In an episode of Between the Wheels, Gilles explains how he put the car together and why he chose practicality over originality.
Worth The Wait
Barn find 68 Mustang transformed into this
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Getting his hands on the Mustang took patience. Gilles explained that the car originally came from North Carolina and had sat in storage for years before his friend acquired it as partial payment for work on a house.
It was meant to become a father-and-son project, but that never happened. As the Mustang sat outside, Gilles kept asking about buying it. Eventually, his friend agreed.
What he brought home was far from a running classic. Rust had eaten through the floors and lower quarter panels. The front end had also been damaged, and battery acid had weakened part of the frame.
Gilles repaired the metal himself, replacing damaged sections before tackling the paint. He even painted the car outdoors, using Wimbledon White with a pearl clear coat and contrasting stripes inspired by another Ford color.
Pickup Truck Power
Under the hood sits a 5.8-liter 351 Windsor V8 pulled from a 1994 Ford F-150. Gilles rebuilt the engine with Ford Racing X303 cylinder heads, an E303 camshaft, and roller rockers.
According to Gilles, the engine produced more than 435 horsepower on a dynamometer. That is a major jump from the Mustang’s original 289-cubic-inch V8.
Power goes through a Borg-Warner T5 five-speed manual transmission from a late-1980s Mustang. At the rear, Gilles installed a differential from a 1999 Mustang with 3.73 gears.
One of the more unusual choices is the aluminum driveshaft. Rather than ordering an expensive custom part, he modified one from a Ford Aerostar van, then had it welded and balanced.
His reasoning was simple. If something breaks while he is away from home, he wants to find replacement parts at an ordinary auto parts store.
More Than Horsepower
Although the engine gets plenty of attention, Gilles spent considerable effort improving the way the Mustang drives.
He replaced the original front suspension with a Mustang II-style setup featuring rack-and-pinion steering and tubular control arms. Four-wheel disc brakes replaced the original drum brakes, while custom frame connectors help stiffen the aging body.
The interior also reflects his approach. Front seats came from a 1988 Ford Thunderbird, while a homemade Shelby-style center console gives the cabin a more personal look.
Once the car hits the road in the video, its performance becomes clear. The host reacts with surprise as Gilles accelerates through the gears, describing the experience as more intense than his previous Mustang build.
One problem remains: a vibration in the driveline. He also admits he has never taken the Mustang to a track, so its quarter-mile performance remains untested.
Back on Reddit, commenters praised the restoration and its finished appearance. One user wrote, “Perfect color coordination,” while another expressed frustration with owners who leave promising project cars sitting for years.
For Gilles, the Mustang was the classic car he had wanted since childhood. After years of asking to buy it, he finally got the chance to build it his way.