In case you missed that day in the Ford option code class, the ’68 R-code got you a 428 Cobra Jet big block, 4.30 gears and some other goodies that combined to make a seriously bad pony car.

The Restoration Begins at B Rod or Custom

The previous owner had treated the Ford to a once-over, but Hensl decided the older restoration wasn’t good enough, so he sent the car to Larry Burchett at B Rod or Custom (865/281-8821) in Knoxville, Tennessee. B Rod had previously built Hensl’s ’67 Chevy II, so owner and builder were already familiar with one another and discussed the direction in which to take the Mustang. They decided to go beyond a straight restoration by improving panel fit and finish and adding a few custom touches along the way.

Bodywork and Metal Repairs for Better Fit

B Rod began work on the Mustang by plastic-blasting the body, a procedure that’s gentle and doesn’t harm materials such as rubber, glass or aluminum. Once the paint was gone, the builders discovered that the previous restoration had been more like a cover-up to hide bad repairs made to bad metal. The B Rod crew had to replace the rear quarters, floor and trunk to get things back to normal before they could even begin to make things better. After making the necessary repairs, they began to weld to the metal or grind it away to make sure the panel gaps were uniform all the way around and better than anything Ford could have hoped to achieve 40 years ago.

The builders also recessed the C-pillar vent 1/8 inch to improve its fit with the surrounding panel, and then they removed the curve where the door and front fender meet. B Rod narrowed both bumpers, pulled them in closer to the body and altered the rear bumper ends to match the peak of the tail-panel extension trim. These changes are all hard to spot because they only make the car look the way it should have looked all along, but put this car next to a pure restoration, and there’s no question as to which appears nicer.

Painting and Detailing the Mustang

After cutting all this metal, B Rod painted the car in the factory ’68 Ford Candy Apple Red paint nad then applied the white C-stripe to the car’s sides. Advanced Plating handled the chrome work.

Upgrading the Suspension for Performance

After firming up the unibody, the builders turned their attention to the Mustang’s suspension. They narrowed the original rearend and kept the 4.30 gears, limited-slip differential and stock leaf springs. QA1 shocks replace the stock pieces with Wilwood four-piston disc brakes replacing the factory drums for additional stopping power. The wheels are 15×8-inch American Racing Torq-Thrusts tucked inside 275/60R15 Goodyear Eagle GT radials.

Custom Wheels and Tires for a Unique Stance

The front suspension is more heavily modified than the rear thanks to the Global West coilover conversion. This kit’s supplied springs and shocks lower the nose of the car 2 inches to help give the ’67 a better stance. The front brakes, like the rears, are Wilwood discs with four-piston calipers, this time tucked inside narrower 15×4-inch Torq-Thrusts and 28×7.50-15 Mickey Thompson tires. B Rod built a new set of shock tower braces to replace the original Ford parts. The new design is adjustable for better function and polished for good looks.

Preserving the Rare 428 Cobra Jet Engine

Open the hood of this pony car and you’ll find that the rare 428 CJ big block is still under the hood—and why would anyone want to change it? Mechanically, this example is still stock, and that means it carries the factory ratings of 335 hp and 445 lb-ft of torque. But 1968 was a time when vehicle manufacturers actually underrated their cars’ true performance in order to squeak past some of the high insurance rates and maybe sandbag the sanctioned competition a little bit…or a lot! It’s entirely possible that the engine makes lots more power than Ford originally claimed, and as we said, these engines are rare. Not counting the Shelby models, Ford built only 1,299 R-code Mustangs in 1968. Of these, 1,044 were fastbacks, and if you scroll farther down the options sheet, you’ll find that this particular R-code car is one of only 63 that shares its combination of colors and options. Since it’s still a matching-numbers car, again, why change a good thing? However, a strong-running engine may still be made to look better. Just about everything on the top end of the engine—the finned valve covers and air cleaner, the carb, intake, pulleys and more—is polished or chromed for a ton of shine.

Interior Customizations and Comfort Features

Alterations made to the interior show a similar theme to that of the exterior: fixing the little things in order to bring out the best. Burchett took the Ford to Pro Auto Upholstery (865/633-8060) in Knoxville, Tennessee, and left it to the attention of Steve Holcomb. Holcomb re-covered the stock seats in black leather. He also covered the new dash and door panels that PJ Burchett, Larry’s son, designed and built. The younger Burchett based his design on an Eric Brockmeyer sketch and eliminated the stock gauge cluster. The new design incorporates just the speedo and tach ahead of the steering wheel, while the fuel, oil, volt and water gauges now reside in the top portion of the custom center console. The console also houses the Hurst shifter for the C6 automatic, along with the controls for the Hot Rod Air climate control. Additional touches include a Billet Specialties steering wheel, Lokar pedals and billet trim throughout the interior, including one custom spear that runs the width of the dash. A Sony stereo system completes the interior and provides a level of entertainment beyond that of the gas pedal.

Conclusion: A Better Mustang, Not a Pure Original

Hensl’s fastback shows that it’s possible to care genuinely for a rare, numbers-matching car without being slavishly devoted to preserving every original aspect of it, including the bad ones. B Rod or Custom did a great job of just making little changes here and there to fix the things that Ford overlooked and preserved the rest. That approach seems like the right idea to us, and while purists may scream foul, we know this: Hensl’s car isn’t a pure original, but it is a much better car.