We haven't seen many Nightmist Blue '65-'66 Mustangs lately. Even at Mustang shows, it's a rare color and even scarcer on fastbacks such as Brock Berg's fully restored '66.
A Mustang fan long before he came across this car, Courtenay, British Columbia, resident Brock started his love affair with vintage Ponies in much the same way many of us do-at a young age and with a low-budget car.
"When I was in high school," he said, "I drove a '6411/42 hardtop that was in pretty sad shape. It had cheesy mags, lots of bondo, and a splash-and-dash paint job. It was fine for a while, but I couldn't wait to get into a more interesting car. In 1989, after entering the workforce, I decided to find an early fastback to drive and tinker with. I answered an ad in a Vancouver newspaper and bought this car. It was Nightmist Blue, had a 302, a ratty Toploader, and a whining rearend. The interior was a mix of '65 and '66 parts and the car had been hit so hard in the front end at one time, the floorpans were buckled right back to the rear seat. Sledgehammer bodywork had been performed to 'straighten' things out.
"After the radiator support, right aprons, crossmember, right framerail, and right floors were replaced, I decided to dive further. I stripped the car to a bare shell, media blasted it, and took it to Russ Schoenfelder-a top-notch street rod builder in Melville, British Columbia. After seeing the rods that he'd built from scratch, it was obvious that he was a perfectionist. He installed NOS quarter-panels, fenders, rust-free doors, a new taillight panel, trunk floors, and outer wheel houses. These were installed using resistance spot welds for the proper look.
"He custom fit the body panels and end caps for a flush fit and an even gap. The car was then primed with DP74 epoxy primer and painted with PPG base/clear Nightmist Blue. Then it was wet sanded and polished. The blue overspray was allowed to flow underneath the car and onto the floor pans. That led to a complete undercarriage detail job. The concours detailing articles in Mustang Monthly were used throughout the project.
"I assembled the car by myself in my garage at home. I had the headliner and seat covers installed, while NOS bumpers were rechromed. Most bright work on the car is NOS or restored originals. Except for the Goodyear Eagle ST P205/70R14 tires, I've attempted to replicate the car as close as possible to the way it looked when new.
"I was also able to find out a little history on the car through the local DMV, where I located the original owner. She was a friend of the owners of MSA Motors in Abottsford, British Columbia, where the car was special ordered for the owner's son. The fastback was going to be converted to a race car, but an apparent falling out between father and son cancelled the whole plan. It sat on the lot until she bought it in February, 1967. The car was ordered with the visibility group, a 289-2V, a four speed, and the special handling package. She is still mad at her husband for making her sell the car in 1972.
"The whole restoration project took 12 long years to complete, little by little, as time and money allowed.
"Long-time friend and Boss 302 owner Rick Tinga and I loaded up an enclosed trailer and drove through the night to attend the 21st Annual Mustangs Northwest Roundup in Bellevue, Washington, last summer. We arrived Saturday afternoon and spent the remainder of the day doing last-minute work on the car, missing the judged event. By Sunday morning we were entered in the People's Choice event. On its first outing, the fastback rewarded our efforts with a First Place trophy. If that wasn't enough, Mustang Monthly requested a photo shoot after the show. What a great day!
"Now having done the full resto bit, I plan to take a different path with the car and have a little more fun with it. I'd like to remove and store the 289 two-barrel and install another '66 289 block with TFS aluminum heads, a Cobra intake and valve covers, and Tri-Y headers, which will help take advantage of the 3.55:1 axle ratio and Auburn limited-slip differential already inside the 8-inch rearend. Although the first paint chip is going to hurt, I'm sure that driving the car will be really enjoyable."
Sounds as if the second decade is off to a fine start.