When Boy Meets Car: Dan Guyer and the 1967 Mustang of His Dreams Part II

It could have been a 6 cylinder with a three speed, and it didn’t matter, because it was THAT car.

Dan Guyer of Keystone Automotive, displays a passion every auto enthusiast relates to on a primal level. Of course he is talking about his 1967 Mustang convertible. In our last article about this red whip, we learned that Guyer had been after this exact car since childhood. And after longing for it since the year 1980, he finally got his hands on the steering wheel.

This particular Mustang came from the factory loaded with everything, including front disc brakes, a premium interior, even top-of-the-line seat belts. But none of that mattered. Guyer wasn’t in love with the idea of a high-end car, rather in love with the 1967 Mustang that he saw when he was just a kid. We all remember the first car that drew us in, and many of us have managed to get close. Landing the actual one is like capturing a unicorn. Guyer shares that the story never fails to drop jaws when he tells it.

Once Upon a Time…

The car has only had three owners in its life, including Guyer himself. The owner before him had it for around 47 years, and for many of those, it had been sitting. Naturally, Guyer would have to roll up his sleeves if he wanted things to work out in his favor. To get the car squared away, he worked with a man named Yogi Holsinger, a mechanic whose shop is near Guyer’s childhood home. In fact, when growing up, he enjoyed jumping his bicycle and would go to Holsinger to weld up the handle bars. While the car was still in town, Guyer and Holsinger worked on a few things before bringing it to its new home.

“I bought the car and I said to myself, ‘If I’m going to have a Mustang, I’m going to have a Yogi Holsinger exhaust on it.'” It was at this point that Guyer decided he would put some headers in the car, along with the full exhaust that he planned to do eventually.

Some Bumps in the Road

Like any classic project, a few other problem areas crept up along the way. Guyer needed to replace all of the brake and fuel lines. The car also needed a new fuel tank and a power steering line had popped that set him back for a bit. During this phase of the build, Guyer went ahead and installed stainless steel disc brakes to all four corners and overhauled the ignition system as well.

When the time came to start personalizing the car, Guyer went to the first place anyone would—the wheels and tires. He picked up some Ultra 454’s and when he installed them, he found that they were rubbing because the rear leaf springs sagged so badly. To give you an idea of just how bad it was, he put stock height leaf springs on the car and gained 2.5 inches of lift.

A True Love Story Never Ends

Guyer is moving right along with modifications to the engine. At this point, the car is in stock form with a 289 cu in 2 barrel. Guyer aims to install a top-end kit from Edelbrock, including heads, cam, and an intake, along with a 1906 Edelbrock 4-barrel carb. As for the drivetrain, it’s also stock equipment, including a C4 automatic transmission and an eight inch limited slip differential with 3.0 gears in it. Guyer shares that he would eventually like to address these areas as well with a T-5, to make the car more enjoyable to drive and a lower differential gear.

“What I envision is, at some point, this car will go for a rotisserie restoration and the whole nine yards. As for right now, I want make it into a fun driver. So, am I going to do a little bit of engine work? Yeah. Am I going to dress it up a little bit? Yeah. Will it be a crazy amount of work? I don’t know,” says Guyer.

He states that his goal isn’t to be the fastest guy in town, rather dreams about showing off the 1967 Mustang at cruise-ins and taking the kids for ice cream on sunny weekends. It’s not just some car to him. It’s the car. The one that captured him. And his main goal is to keep it something special.

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