COCHRANE— Boasting a rich line of beautifully restored Mustangs, Jim Dziadyk’s latest ride is a classic find.
The 1966 Mustang GT Fastback was a great discovery, he said.
The Mustang was a barn find Dziadyk located in Summerland, B.C. “pretty much in pieces."
He saw the back of the Mustang hidden in a corner and knew he found a car he needed to restore.
“There’s a lot of guys that take cars apart and don’t put them together,” Dziadyk said. “I find them. I’m the guy who puts them together— I love restoring them and I like driving them.”
It took him about three years to get it ready for the road.
The 1966 Mustang has a 302 engine, a five-speed transmission from a 1989 Fox Body Mustang with power brakes and disc brakes at the front.
When building the engine of the beast Dziadyk said it needs to be a V8.
“You can put anything you want in it for an engine or power train,” Dziadyk said, explaining that he builds his cars to drive. “I don’t build them to spec or anything because if you do that then you don’t drive them— This way I build it for driving it.”
Dziadyk also fully restored the original colour and original interior of the Pony.
The ’66 comes from a long line of Mustangs he has restored. To date, Dziadyk has returned 12 Mustangs to their former glory.
Dziadyk began fixing up cars in the 1980s. He always had an infinity for Mustangs, he said because they are small and easy to work on.
He added they are great cars to work on because they tend to hold and often increase their value.
“You don’t make money selling them, you make money buying them,” Dziadyk said. “I’ve bought and sold them and I’ve kept some.”
He has rebuilt Mustangs ranging from 1965 to 1969. He also gave each one of his three kids a restored Mustang.
He has found Ponys in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia to work on, Dziadyk said, adding that it takes patience and a willingness to negotiate when one finds a gem.
When restoring Mustangs Dziadyk said he uses a mix of restoring to the original specifications and adding in a few choice modifications.
“It’s sort of mix-mash,’ Dziadyk said. “They’re ground-up restorations.”
He is currently working on a 1966 Mustang Convertible sitting in pieces in the garage in the midst of a restoration. It was a lucky find, Dziadyk said, explaining he discovered it in a garage in Cochrane.
Dziadyk said he expects it will take about three or four years until his latest project is fully restored.
