Let’s then take the case of young Tyler “Moose” Hellard. Hellard is the exception to the rule—it isn’t his decisiveness that varies from the theory—it’s his age. Hellard knows exactly what he wants all right, but he’s only 19 years old, and at 19 it’s just a whole lot easier to keep things in perspective. “I want a ’68 Mustang fastback.” Okay, then, that’s clear. Guess what else he’s clear about? “I want it low, fast and comfortable. And while we’re defining goals here, I want it to handle and look really cool, too.” You’re more likely to get what you want if you know it going in.

Hellard’s father Ted is a bona fide car nut himself, so Hellard comes by his enthusiasm honestly. His father’s personal stable includes a Deuce highboy and an under-the-radar but over-the-top ’70 Cuda that is still undergoing sequestered construction around their Calgary home in Alberta, Canada. Their search for a Mustang was relatively wide-ranging. After local efforts were exhausted, they traveled to the Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona to continue their quest. Nothing there seemed quite right, either.

During the course of his automotive deliberations, Hellard’s father made the acquaintance of Kevin Bradley, the youthful proprietor of Kreations, a top-notch hot rod shop in the rather unlikely location of Rio Dell, California (www.kreationsautobody.com). Rio Dell’s only real claim to fame at this point in history is Kreations Auto Body, home of Kevin and his Killer Kustom Krew. We suppose there must be some other good reasons for the place to exist—it’s just that nobody seems to know, or care, what those reasons might be. At any rate, Hellard’s father thought Bradley and his boys might be just the ticket to build the proposed Mustang, so all they had to do was find a car. Rio Dell is just a few minutes south of Eureka, California, the last outpost of civilization before you reach the Oregon border. You’ve guessed by now that it was nearby Eureka that eventually yielded a suitable vehicle for the project after all that far-flung searching.

The Hellards and Bradley agreed it would be better to start with a reasonably good car than to try to rescue something that was cheaper but needed more attention. The project vehicle was in pretty good shape. Bradley has called it a good starting point. Naturally the Krew stripped it immediately. Take a perfectly good, running automobile and rip it down to nothing but individual parts—ya gotta love hot rodding enthusiasm.

The first order of business was to refit the chassis. The front-end focus was to replace the stock suspension with a Heidt’s Mustang II front suspension assembly that sports a full 2-inch drop. The framerails were modified for strength, and custom subframe connectors were fabricated by Joel Brown of Rio Dell. The Ford 9-inch Detroit Locker-equipped rearend was narrowed 1 inch. It carries Baer 12-inch brakes and Koni shocks. The rear springs are custom 2-inch lowering units.

The front end is sprung with QA1 coilover units and features rack-and-pinion steering to direct the Heidt’s spindles. The brakes up front are 13-1/2-inch Baer Track system disc setups. There’s no shortage of stopping power on this pony. Front shoes on this little racehorse are Federal 235-45x17s on ET III 17x7s, with a complementary set of Federal 245-45x17s on ET III 17x8s on the backside. The local Les Schwab tire store took particular care to trial fit a number of potential tire-size combinations to ensure that the perfect setup was achieved. The result is a functional chassis that yields an engaging stance.

If you recall, one of Hellard’s requirements was that the car be fast. To accomplish that goal, Bradley called on 707 Automotive, which is right next door in Rio Dell, California. An ’04 Ford 302 small block was stroked to a whopping 347 inches. A Ford Motorsport 303 hydraulic-roller cam pushes the valves in a set of Trick Flow cylinder heads. Induction is a Demon 650 carburetor breathing through a Billet Specialties air cleaner. The ever-reliable MSD ignition system lights the thing off. The bulk of the rest of the components in the balanced engine are from Ford. Pressure relief is accomplished through Sanderson headers that feed a Kreations-created exhaust system that finalizes sonic tones with Flowmaster mufflers.

The transmission is an ’04 T5 Tremec five-speed engaged with a RAM clutch. The shifter is a unique one-off by Kreations. The lever extends back to the driver’s hand through the horizontal apparatus. No arm stretching for Hellard.

The body and paint on the Mustang are the most visible accomplishments of the Kreations Krew. The overall impression that the car makes is one of extreme smoothness, even though many of the factory accouterments remain in place. The driprails have been shaved, and the rear quarter panel pockets have been smoothed. The hood is an in-house-built one-off that really looks as though it belongs there. Under the hood, the inner fender panels and the core support are also hand built by Bradley and the boys. DuPont’s Hot Hues Sinful Cinnamon coats the very straight metal. Stock bumpers provide safety barriers at both ends of the car. All the chrome work was done by Sherm’s Plating in Sacramento. All the aluminum polishing was done at a central California polishing shop called The Shining.

Creature comfort was high on Hellard’s list of requirements. Bradley enlisted hot rod legend Howdy Ledbetter to fit a luxurious rust-colored leather interior to the Mustang. Ledbetter customized Glide front seats, and the rear is made to expose the speakers and make space for a little cargo. All of the interior metal and plastic surfaces are painted with a special paint. The handmade dash is another in-house special project, and it’s fitted with Auto Meter instruments. An extensive CD/stereo system pumps through an array of speakers, and the rear ones feature custom-made grilles by Kreations. Let no young man roll in a tune-free environment.

The pony car began to distinguish itself at its very first outing and has continued to do so. Trophies and kudos abounded at the 2005 San Francisco Rod and Custom show, and now, more than a year later, folks all around Canada are feasting their eyes on the coppery rocket. It looks as though Hellard will be comfortable with his decisions for a long time. The plates tell the whole story in the car’s name, of course: “Moosetang.”

So it seems that the long hunt for this car wasn’t such a wild moose chase after all.