Australian DIYer builds a 1970 Mustang Sportsroof for himself

There is a difference between building a car and building a home, even though both would require days of patience, money and skill. But it seems no such difference exist for Laurie Attard whose efforts make him the hero of all DIY car lovers of the world. It took three years to the 55-year-old Australian to build 1970 Mustang Sportsroof in his garage. This Ford car was one of the most famous sports car in racing circuits during the 1970s. With his efforts, Laurie has produced a road-friendly version of the sports car. Following is the detailed story of the making of this car and various specifications which might inspire you to go for DIY cars.

1970 Mustang Sportsroof

The inspiration

You may be wondering why should one invest three years for building an old car model. But Laurie has the answers. He is not a casual connoisseur of speed and power. Rather, he is an avid fan with a classic taste and a long association with sport cars. Earlier, he had worked on Nissan sports sedan, Capris and Falcon models. Not only this, he had worked with the famous Australian race car driver, Glenn Seton. He did fabrication and design for Seton's race cars for most of the time during their association. However, it was an old crush with the Allan Moffat Mustang that inspired Laurie to put three years for building this car. The iconic Australian touring car had won 101 races from 151 starts between 1969 to 1972.

The making

The making of this DIY car involved lots of trial and error. Laurie says he learnt the skills and self-trained himself during the entire process. This explains the long span of time required for making his perfect Mustang. He had purchased the Mustang in 2005 and found that it was a unique piece built by Ford. But the uniqueness didn't stop him from reliving the magic of the Moffat by himself once again. Laurie brought the car to its pieces first and started the rebuilding process in 2009. He worked on the 302ci engine of the old car as a base to convert it into a 347ci stroker. The engine is surrounded by an engine bay made from Laurie's custom-made components created on a manual mill. He says, it took 13 days to mill the components in hinges. The carbon-fiber airbox surrounding the eight throttles was also done by the Australian. The only outside help, he says, was taken for creating the upholestry while he took care of the fabrication work.

Picture Gallery

1970 Mustang Sportsroof

Laurie build 70 SportsRoof in the garage at home

The powertrain

The DIY car features a 347ci `70 Windsor engine which can produce 415 horse power (hp) and 567 Nm torque to allow the car to travel efficiently at 60 miles per hour (mph) on even the bumpy village roads.The car has a four-speed manual transmission and provides for an 11-inch single plate clutch. There is a twin 2-inch stainless steel exhaust along with H-pipe and high-tech straight-through mufflers. It also features both fornt and rear suspension and disk braking systems. The front suspension features RRS strut conversion. It has custom adjustable strut tops and koni adjustable shocks. The rear suspension has 1.77-inch-wide custom rear leaf springs, Kno shocks, and an adjustable Panhard bar. The front disc brake has PBR two-piston calipers, 11.7-inch rotors, braided lines XB falcon booster and XY Falcon master cylinder. The rear disc features braided lines, single-piston calipers and slotted nine-inch rotors.

The interiors and exteriors

Most of the parts have been assembled together by the Australian to provide a classy outside appearance and comfortable interiors. The DIY Mustang appears in PPG Ford venom red which provides for the classic appearance of the Sportsroof. Reflective side stripes, hoodscoop, headlight bucket and front grille assembly of the 1969 Mustang Sportsroof has been used. From inside, the car is comfortable for all type of regular rides. The interiors feature 1969 Mach 1 steering wheels, customized 1969 Mustang Grande front seats, modified fold-down rear bench and inertia reel seat belts. A Pioneer head unit with 6-inch front and rear speakers have been used for playing music. Other features include custom door trims, lighted pony sill covers and custom VDO gauges.

Via: Modified Mustangs & Fords