Engine Tries to Jump out of Wrecked 2015 Mustang GT
YouTubers are building a ’66 Mustang restomod with driveline from ’15 Mustang GT. First, they have to see if the donor engine runs.
The guys over at VTuned Garage definitely don’t shy away from a wide variety of builds. At various times they’ve tackled cars as varied as a Nissan GTR, Honda S2000, and a BMW M4. You can keep track of the work they’re doing on their YouTube page and on Instagram. One of vTuned’s current builds is shaping up to be pretty cool: building a muscle car based on a 1966 Mustang restomod.
As part of the project they recently purchased a wrecked 2015 Mustang GT so that they can use most of the mechanical components from it in the ’66 Mustang. And they’re not stopping with just a stock GT engine. They’re planning on adding a supercharger or twin-turbos. Yikes! That’s going to be an insane car.
They’re also planning to install modern brake and suspension components. This should be a pretty well-rounded build. vTuned got lucky with the Mustang they bought at auction. Unfortunately, the car was involved in a pretty horrendous crash. The driver’s side is smashed in almost all the way to the center console.
Once vTuned has all of the components out of the way at the front of the engine more damage is revealed. “The left frame rail is completely pushed down… and everything looks like it’s shifted back.” After that the Mustang’s front wheels are pulled off so that they can access the subframe. Once the entire front subframe is removed vTuned rolls it over to the front of the 1966 Mustang that’s going to be the recipient of all the parts. “It almost lines up,” says vTuned of the newer subframe. “It’s a little too wide so either we’ll do some adjusting on the control arms or we’ll do a nice little widebody on the car.”
After that vTuned turns their attention to the engine in the donor Mustang. The oil pan was damaged in the accident so a new, $70 oil pan from the dealer was sourced. With the new pan installed and the engine topped up with oil, it’s the moment of truth.
Amazingly, the engine fires with a twist of the key, the V8 coming to life with a happy burble. But check out how much the engine moves in the engine bay! Without the subframe and engine mounts to stabilize it, the engine moves what seems to be almost a foot.
Next up is removing the motor from the crashed chassis. That’s easy enough once the exhaust manifolds and the driveshaft are disconnected. Well in theory at least. “We pulled the motor out, and the transmission. It was pretty tough because everything was jammed up in there.” This is definitely a build that will be exciting to watch the progress. Classic Mustang styling combined with modern power is going to result in a pretty awesome hot rod.
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