Heavy Metal Affliction -- 1966 Mustang

If you have a Heavy Metal Affliction, you may have discovered it on your own, you may have acquired it over time, or you may have been born with it. For the latter, a love of cars, passed on genetically, setting the course for a life filled with a love of engines, wheels, and steel is a destiny we can all appreciate.

Forza community member Aubrey Evans of Bel Air, Md.--Gamertag Reminisce--was born into a muscle-car-loving family and, thanks to the influence of his father, he has fostered a love for muscle cars since before his age even hit double digits. He began saving for his first car at the age of 10 and, at age 13, his dad heard from a family friend that there was an old piece of American muscle stored under a tarp at a farm located a few miles away from their home. They didn’t know much more about the car other than that it had been sitting there a long time, but figured it was worth investigating.

A couple weeks later Evans and his dad went to check it out. When they arrived they didn’t know what to expect; it was a true cold call attempt to discover something worth restoring. As it turns out, the old farmer was happy to let them check it out and he revealed a semi-rusted, white 1966 Mustang. He went on to tell them he was the original owner, had raced the car in the early 1970s, and that it had been parked since 1977. The ‘Stang was in pretty rough shape, missing its interior, and was without the engine and transmission; in essence, it was just a rolling chassis resting in a lonely barn.

Evans knew then and there he had to have it. His dad must have been beaming when he saw the look of desire in his son’s eyes that matched his own yearning to fix up this hidden treasure. The owner said he would give them the car for free as long as they promised to restore it and get it out of the barn themselves. Yes, a true barn find that had been sitting for some 30 years! Evans and his dad agreed to the terms and went about getting the car out of the barn and home to their shop. Once they got it home, they laid out a plan to restore the car over a couple years with parts that Evans’ early teen budget could afford.

Evans spent all his savings to get the project started and then did odd jobs around the neighborhood to raise money until he was legally old enough to work. Once he got a part-time job, the project began to pick up speed. Evans and his dad found an inexpensive but sound 289 V8 with an automatic, and then they tracked down the interior pieces, and lastly addressed the paintwork. Finding the right parts at the right price was no easy task but, once they had everything collected, the fun really began.

Evans and his dad got the motor and transmission mounted and running in a weekend, then set about installing the interior. Piece by piece the car was coming together. Fortunately, Evans’ dad had a friend who was a professional painter; he was willing to paint the car for free so long as they supplied the paint and materials. A gleaming red was chosen to compliment the white interior. As the photos show, the paint came out beautifully.

Now they had to get the car ready for the road after its long respite in the barn. This included greasing the chassis, getting the heat working, and a thousand other snags to overcome. Once they got it road-worthy, Evans’ dad figured his son should be the first to drive it given all the hard work that he had put into the project, so the car sat and waited for Aubrey’s 16^th birthday and pending driver’s license.

He has been driving the car for some six months now and, while he loves what he and his dad created, he already has plans to upgrade the suspension, powertrain, and even change the paint and wheels. The car is beautiful but, in accordance with the central tenant of Heavy Metal Affliction, it will never be truly “complete”.

Here are a few words from the proud owner describing how his Heavy Metal Affliction developed:

“Interestingly enough, I was never a Mustang guy, hell I hated all Fords! I was a die-hard Chevy fan until my cousin let me ride in his 2003 Cobra, being in that car and watching him roast the tires shifting into 2nd at 35MPH really changed my opinion. My dad is the one that really got me into cars, the whole time I was growing up and to this day he has always had at least 1 classic Chevy and being around them my whole life really brought me into working on cars and having a true love for cars and is the whole reason I was a Chevy guy. Riding in my cousin’s car really gave me a fresh look on Fords and in 2006 my dad (surprisingly) bought a brand new Mustang GT and that also really pushed me into being a Mustang lover. Then once I got a Mustang of my own I really was simply infatuated with them and still am too this day. Now I have a respect for all cars pretty equally no matter the badge.”

Thanks to Aubrey for sharing his story and photos with us! This kind of hard work, dedication, and muscle car bloodline is appreciated by everyone in the world of Forza.

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