Anyone can write a check, hand their beloved car over to a professional, and get a fantastic creation back, but it takes a special kind of person(s) to be able to take a classic that has seen plenty of better days and turn it into a masterpiece in their own backyard. Gregory (Scott) Foreman, and his wife Cindy, of Brighton, Colorado know this well, as they poured blood, sweat, and tears into building this amazing ’66 Mustang right in their own garage.

Where It All Began

The Foreman’s affinity for the Ford pony car didn’t really start until later in life. In fact, it was the fifth-generation Mustangs that really caught Scott’s eye and prompted him to really become involved in the modern muscle car scene. From there, it was a domino effect.

“Ever since I saw the 2005 S197 body style,” Scott told us when asked how long he had been into Mustangs and how it all started. “We got a 2007 GT and got hooked on them. A year later, we got a lead on a ’66 coupe and that’s the car you see now.”

With plenty of passion for Fords and a 1971 Pontiac Firebird custom car build already under his belt, Scott opted to take on the task of building the first-gen pony they had picked up for just $3,500, and boy was that quite the task.

“We did all the body work first, painted, and then did the interior with stock seat covers-it seemed the best way to do the job at the time,” Foreman told us. “The wife and I sanded all summer to get all the coats of paint off the top, trunk, and doors as that was the only part of the car that was original. The quarter panels, hood, and front fenders all needed to be replaced. ‘Rust’ is a nasty word in carland.”

He continued, “When we started sanding to bare metal, we found body lines that you could not see as it had four different colors painted on it previously.”

For two years, the Foremans worked hard on their classic Mustang, replacing body panels, painting the car in a one-stall garage and getting the car mechanically sound.

Once they got the car moving under its own power, the first thing the Foremans did was take the car around the block with no windows, windshield, or glass to speak of, wide-open headers and grins from ear to ear plastered on their faces. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long after that the couple came across another obstacle.

“We had it all done and the 289 ci went south so a rebuilt 302 ci went back in,” Foreman told us. “Since that swap was after paint, we had to be very careful. We’ve had it together for nearly five years now and no problems.”

The Digs

Despite the rough condition that the Foremans purchased their ’66 coupe in, and the old 289 ci engine going kaput just shortly after the car was deemed complete, the first-gen Mustang turned out fantastically well.

Just like we alluded to before, the Foremans had to replace the majority of the car’s body panels due to rust and damages sustained in its previous life. Once that was done, Scott painted the car himself in a one-car garage with PPG paint in the fifth-gen Mustang color Ford Vapor Silver.

To give it a unique touch, a wide PPG Pearl Alloy stripe was laid down the center of the hood. Stan’s Sign Co., a company specializing in paintwork for 18-wheelers, topped off the paint scheme with orange pinstriping details around the Pearl Alloy stripe and on the rear deck lid.

Making the car stand out even more is the fact that it lacks a lot of its original chrome except for the bumper, small running horse tri-bar emblems on the front fenders, and the rear taillight surrounds, an aesthetic choice Scott made to give the car a more clean look, he told us.

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Classic in every aspect, it was important for the Foremans to keep their Stang looking mostly stock.

Matching the exterior, the interior is also coated in Pearl Alloy paint with black accents. The seats are original and have been recovered in stock material. The dash features a fresh coat of black paint and a new dash pad to keep everything extra clean while the Mustang’s stock gauges remain in working order, just as the factory intended. The car also features a classic, but non-stock stereo, which was expertly fit right into the factory radio opening with no cutting involved, and a stock-like shifter.

Under the home-straightened, gapped and painted body, you’ll find the car’s stock frame, which now features GT350 springs, all new bushings, KYB gas shocks and a 1 ¼-inch sway bar up front, and KYB shocks and a 7/8-inch sway bar in the rear.

The Mustang also features a faster GT350 steering box atop stock steering components.

Planting the car to the ground are Falken 225/45/16s wrapped around Cragar SS wheels. Stopping power for the pony is taken care of by disc brakes in the front and station wagon brakes in the rear with larger drums.

Powering the pony is a 1970 302 ci V8 engine, which was rebuilt to stock specifications with the factory Ford camshaft and stock polished crank. Adding character to the engine are cast iron cylinder heads, an Edelbrock intake manifold and carburetor, Hooker headers and a PerTonix ignition.

This setup is backed by a T5 5-speed transmission, which spins an eight inch rearend with 3.55 gears via a shortened driveshaft.

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Built Ford proud, this rebuilt 302 ci V8 is the perfect powerplant for the Foreman's classic Mustang!

“The best mod was the 5-speed and front and rear sway bars,” Scott told us. “If I were to do it over, I’d do the same except add power steering and AC. But that is on the way…they are never done.”

A Shining Light Of Approval

As soon as the car was finished, the Foremans took the coupe over to the previous owner’s house to show him the finished build. As it turns out, the car had originally been the man’s project starting when he was a teenager, but ended up sitting at his parent’s house for many years untouched before the Foremans picked it up.

“The whole family is into Mustangs and they were all outside when we pulled up in the ’66,” Scott told us. “The first words out of his mouth were, ‘No way!’ He was so excited to see the car completed! His mom went in and got her camera and took a bunch of pictures of all of us with the car. It was really cool to be able to share the accomplishment with the prior owner and get his vote of approval.”

Since the car was finished back in 2010, the Foremans have enjoyed their classic Mustang (and the rest of their fleet-two fifth-gen Stangs) to the fullest, and plan to continue to do so.

“We believe cars are meant to be driven, and since we did all the work on this car ourselves, we’re not afraid to drive it,” Scott explained.

“We figure if anything happens, we’ll just fix it.”

Of course, the car wouldn’t have been possible without the devotion and passion that Scott’s wife Cindy also put into the build, as well as the help and support she showed Scott along the way.

For that, Scott Foreman thanks her.

Now a part of the Front Range Mustang Club, the Foremans and their classic pony have seen countless shows and plenty of interest in their home-built ride. One of the most noted awards that the car has received since its completion is the First Place Up and Coming Award given at the annual Horsefeathers car show.

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Thanks goes out to the Foremans for sharing their awesome home-built Mustang with us.

For more photos from our photo shoot with the classic pony, be sure to check out the StangTV Gallery below!