I just recently reacquired a 2001 Bullitt Mustang, #265 in Dark Highland Green. She has accumulated 187K miles on her. This will be the build thread, to document its restoration/rebuild and turning it into an autoX/track toy.
Vehicle History
In 2004, we bought this exact Bullitt from El Cajon Ford in El Cajon, CA (outside of San Diego). It was a trade in from the original owner. We owned the car for two years, and sold it off to my dad. He had it as his daily driver for about 6 years in Albuquerque. He then sold it to my younger brother, who took it to Louisiana and it was his daily driver for most of the last 7 years. It has been sitting for the last year due to a miss above 35mph, and my brother was looking to get rid of it. I decided to buy it off of him and still keep it in the family. Here are some notable events in the cars history:
After a quick bath, here she is in her current condition. Paint has significant rock chips/missing on the hood. Hood scoop has deep gouge from basketball goal. Grille is peeling/faded. Clearcoat is flaking off and peeling on both rear quarter panels. Side scoop on right is missing. Scrape down right side rear quarter. Left front fender is partially black from previous repair. Bullitt gas cap is bubbling and has rusty screws. Rear badges are peeling/flaking chrome. The Bullitt specific side skirts are there and accounted for. Even in the current condition, that Dark Highland Green color really looks great, I love this color. The only exterior mods on it are the Mach 1 chin spoiler (old and faded) and the aftermarket headlights.
Current Condition - Interior
For 187K miles, the interior is actually in pretty decent condition. It is need of a good deep cleaning. The driver's seat outside bolster is torn to shreds. Even the seat cover (Pulled back in these photos) was worn through. The headliner is sagging towards the back window. There are a couple of broken vents on the driver's side. The trunk struts dont hold the trunk up and the weatherstripping in the trunk is broken/failing. The shift knob is misaligned, but it' been that way since we first purchased the car back in 2004. The Bullitt pedals are starting to wear thin. The Bullitt sill plates are in great condition. Radio works (haven't checked the tape deck or the CD player).
Current Condition - Mechanical
Right now it's hard to assess the current mechanical condition without a proper test drive. It runs, and it drives. I've only driven it in my neighborhood, from the delivery truck to my driveway. My brother said it developed a miss above 35 mph. He thinks it might be one of the coil packs going bad. The car currently doesn't have any catalytic converters, which means it won't pass the CA smog check which right now means I can't get it registered. Since it doesn't have any plates on it, it will sit until I am able to get it road worthy enough to get it to the smog place (and pass) and then to get it registered. Then I will be able to get a full assessment of it. The intake manifold and alternator both are pitted heavily, I think it is from the fire suppression that was used to put the alternator fire out. The tires have good tread on them, so that's good. Car is slow to start, but I think that the battery just needs a good charge.
That's it for the introduction to the Bullitt. Thanks for reading, commenting, and watching the progression.
Vehicle History
In 2004, we bought this exact Bullitt from El Cajon Ford in El Cajon, CA (outside of San Diego). It was a trade in from the original owner. We owned the car for two years, and sold it off to my dad. He had it as his daily driver for about 6 years in Albuquerque. He then sold it to my younger brother, who took it to Louisiana and it was his daily driver for most of the last 7 years. It has been sitting for the last year due to a miss above 35mph, and my brother was looking to get rid of it. I decided to buy it off of him and still keep it in the family. Here are some notable events in the cars history:
- Accidentally backed the car into a tree, denting the right rear quarter. Repaired before selling to my dad.
- Alternator caught fire on the freeway, was able to get the fire out before any significant damage. Paint blistered on the hood.
- Rear ended on the freeway by a driver too concerned with texting. Rear end damage fixed, hood repainted at same time.
- Catalytic converters have been removed.
- Head gaskets failed, causing car to sit for about a year until it could get repaired.
- Brother's ex-wife backed into it one morning, damaging left front fender.
- Scrape on the right side, dislodged right scoop delete.
- Scoop delete flew off on highway, never to be seen again.
- High winds blew over a basketball goal onto hood, creating large gouge/scape on scoop and hood.
- Has developed a miss above 35 mph, car has been parked for about a year.
After a quick bath, here she is in her current condition. Paint has significant rock chips/missing on the hood. Hood scoop has deep gouge from basketball goal. Grille is peeling/faded. Clearcoat is flaking off and peeling on both rear quarter panels. Side scoop on right is missing. Scrape down right side rear quarter. Left front fender is partially black from previous repair. Bullitt gas cap is bubbling and has rusty screws. Rear badges are peeling/flaking chrome. The Bullitt specific side skirts are there and accounted for. Even in the current condition, that Dark Highland Green color really looks great, I love this color. The only exterior mods on it are the Mach 1 chin spoiler (old and faded) and the aftermarket headlights.
Current Condition - Interior
For 187K miles, the interior is actually in pretty decent condition. It is need of a good deep cleaning. The driver's seat outside bolster is torn to shreds. Even the seat cover (Pulled back in these photos) was worn through. The headliner is sagging towards the back window. There are a couple of broken vents on the driver's side. The trunk struts dont hold the trunk up and the weatherstripping in the trunk is broken/failing. The shift knob is misaligned, but it' been that way since we first purchased the car back in 2004. The Bullitt pedals are starting to wear thin. The Bullitt sill plates are in great condition. Radio works (haven't checked the tape deck or the CD player).
Current Condition - Mechanical
Right now it's hard to assess the current mechanical condition without a proper test drive. It runs, and it drives. I've only driven it in my neighborhood, from the delivery truck to my driveway. My brother said it developed a miss above 35 mph. He thinks it might be one of the coil packs going bad. The car currently doesn't have any catalytic converters, which means it won't pass the CA smog check which right now means I can't get it registered. Since it doesn't have any plates on it, it will sit until I am able to get it road worthy enough to get it to the smog place (and pass) and then to get it registered. Then I will be able to get a full assessment of it. The intake manifold and alternator both are pitted heavily, I think it is from the fire suppression that was used to put the alternator fire out. The tires have good tread on them, so that's good. Car is slow to start, but I think that the battery just needs a good charge.
That's it for the introduction to the Bullitt. Thanks for reading, commenting, and watching the progression.