Restoring a rusty and beat-up classic car is no small task, especially if you undertake the entire project yourself! Reader David B recently shared photos of his Mustang Fastback, and he transformed this wreck into a street machine worth being proud of. He did the bulk of the restoration, which took a lot of time, but I’d say it was well worth it. Be sure to take a look at the finished product below. Special thanks to David for sharing his project with us!

David estimates that it took him over 2,300 hours to transform the Mustang from a non-running, mismatched project into the driver it is now. On the upside, it was a V8 car to start with! The 289 wasn’t looking so hot back in 2006, but he has it running and driving great now.

After fixing all the rust and dents, he painted the car the original, or close to it, shade of blue. He added a few custom touches to the car, but they were mostly cosmetic, like the racing strips. It sure looks a lot better now than it did 18 years ago.

Whether you restore a classic car yourself or pay someone else to do it, what matters is that you enjoy the car once it’s done. I’d say that David is doing just that! We hope he can continue enjoying it for years to come. Would you have taken on this Pony project yourself?

We love seeing your classic cars, so send us your photos and stories to [email protected].