The father-son restoration of Tim Whitaker’s 1967 Mustang took longer than expected, but the final result was a beautiful car.
Jim Krumel | For The Lima News
LIMA — Tim Whitaker couldn’t have received a better graduation gift from his parents, Tim and Kelly Whitaker.
They bought him a 1967 Ford Mustang.
Never mind that it was in terrible condition. That’s what actually made it special. It would be a father-son project.
“They found it on Craigslist in North Judson, Indiana. It was in need of a full restoration. You couldn’t drive it because it didn’t run,” Tim Jr. recalled.
He was 15 at the time they bought the car. The goal was to have it ready to drive before the Bath student graduated from Apollo Career Center. But it ended up taking four years before it was ready to go out on the road.
“We tore it completely down. My father did most of the bodywork and I did the interior. There were some long nights in the garage. Little by little, we got it done,” said Tim Jr., now 23.
He said he learned so much working alongside his dad. It was actually the second restoration project they worked on together.
“We did a 1978 Monte Carlo earlier,” Tim Jr. said
The first time Tim took the Mustang to a car show he brought home a trophy for finishing in the top 20.
“This car will always be special to me,” Tim Jr. said.
