Shaunda and Brian call the Mustang Wranglers of Oregon car club home. They understand the benefit of membership because the club has become a way of life – almost like going to church. But their place of worship is the world of internal combustion and the genuine good looks found in a classic Mustang fastback.

Shaunda bought her DuPont Blueberry Metallic Pearl ’68 fastback from fellow club member Scott Cutler. When Scott found the car, it was in pretty good shape but it needed a full-scale restoration, which he performed with help from friend Kevin Lohse. These two gentlemen turned this Mustang into an award-winning restomod.

Paydirt for the Jarretts was finding a turnkey Mustang project they could drive immediately. So they drove it – making upgrades as needed, such as a new battery tray, and so on. Shaunda says Scott has to strip the car down to bare metal because it had so many layers of paint. Underneath it all was a rust-free body ready for fresh primer and paint at the hands of Bruce’s Auto Body of Clackamas, Oregon.

Shaunda says she likes the car the way it is. Underneath is the original 289 mill with an Edelbrock Performer 289 and 600-cfm carburetor. The objective was to keep the car streetable and able to drive just about anywhere. They focused on mild street performance and reliability with an MSD ignition system, PerTronix Ignitor, Hedman headers through MagnaFlow mufflers, a f lat-tapper hydraulic cam for good low-end torque, a Flex-a-lite cooling fan, and more to compliment the balanced and blueprinted 289. Ford’s venerable C4 transmission still gets the job done, along with those 2.79 cogs mentioned earlier. Shelby underride traction bars keep the rearend stable when Shaunda mashed the gas.

During Scott’s restoration efforts, the entire suspension system was replaced, including five-leaf rear springs and 620 coils in front. Scott ran into ride-height problems and had to re-arch the rear springs to get the car’s rake just right.

Gary’s Mustangs transformed the interior from red vinyl to black to tie in with the Blueberry theme going on outside. Scott’s efforts on the car have paid off with a lot of nice rewards from shows where the car has been admired and appreciated.

Brian Jarrett is a mechanical engineer. So it seems logical he would amass just the right combination of parts and aesthetics that would work well together in perfect harmony. Brian chose a ’67 Mustang fastback six years ago as a platform for his dream ride. It was Ford’s Candyapple Red from the beginning on the San Jose line – only Brian decided to dress it in real Candyapple Red three-stage paint from House of Kolors for his car project. We like the deep richness of this House of Kolors finish.

Because Brian liked the retro look of real Candyapple, it made perfect sense to carry this theme throughout the car. Those are retro 17-inch Cragar SS mag wheels that offer us the tease of our past along with what’s popular today in a 17-inch wheel. Brian opted for 17x7 inches in front and 17x9 inches in back, all wrapped in Goodyear Eagles for the security of handling and the safety of a well-made tire.

Brian always knew he would build a powerful small block for his Mustang project. He placed the car’s original matching-number 289 on an engine stand in his garage and went to work on a 351W. Inside, more bore and more stroke achieves 427 ci for good naturally aspirated power without the wait of compressors and the risk of squeeze. Along the main saddles is a forged-steel Scat crank with a whopping 4.170-inch stroke. Scat’s 4340 6.200-inch rods allow dwell time at the top and bottom of the bores, which fattens the charge and boosts the power. Keith Black hypereutectic pistons saved Brian money without sacrificing performance and reliability. Ross Racing & Restoration provided its expertise, building Brian one heck of a small-block powerhouse.

On top, Brian went with what he knew worked well. Edelbrock’s Performer RPM intake yields terrific low-end torque, also enabling the 427 to keep a high-torque powerband from 2,000 to 6,500 rpm. Brian had the manifold powdercoated for good looks and ease of cleaning. Edelbrock’s 750-cfm carburetor compliments the Performer RPM and Crane PowerMax camshaft nicely. Atop the 427 reside Canfield racing heads with 2.02/1.60-inch valves and 1.6:1 Comp Cams roller rockers. Brian had the heads powdercoated in Ford Blue. Head decks were milled down to yield 88cc chambers and 10.9:1 compression. Intake and exhaust ports got some port and bowl work coupled with port matching for reduced turbulence.

When we stroke a 351W to 427 ci, we have to think of it as a big-block because it is huffing big-block displacement. Brian fitted the bottom end with a main stud girdle and ARP hardware. Melling got the nod for a high-volume oil pump, which was blueprinted and inspected. A high-volume Carter fuel pump and fuel-pressure regulator were enlisted to keep fuel delivery in check. That’s a Mallory Unilite billet distributor flanked with Hyfire wires. ARP hardware was used throughout for extraordinary reliability.

Behind Brian’s 352-turned-427 is a Richmond five-speed, designed to take the monster torque of a 427 ci small-block. Brian stayed with the car’s original 8-inch chunk, with an upgrade to 3.50 gears.

As a mechanical engineer, Brian understood the necessity of powerful brakes for a big Windsor stroker. Those are huge 13-inch Wilwood disc brakes with cross-drilled rotors and a big-bore 15/16-inch master cylinder handling the stopping duties.

Brian has enjoyed nice awards for his efforts, as well as having his Mustang in a NAPA television commercial in 2001. These are the fruits of hard efforts expended during a restoration. It sure is nice to be recognized for those efforts, he says. But, Brian will be the first to tell you none of it means a thing without Shaunda’s company and enthusiasm.