24 Years In The Making

An automotive odyssey that spans more than two decades

- Joe Greeves

There is some sage old advice that warns against trying to hurry great art, reasoning that it takes whatever time it takes. That notion certainly applies to building custom cars. While they may be functional, they are rarely depended upon for daily transportation, so the plan to build a dream vehicle often gets sidetracked by other more demanding priorities. Donald Keyes from Deltona, Florida, certainly understands the concept, watching the re-creation of his 1966 Mustang hardtop slowly take shape over a period of almost two-and-a-half decades. His automotive odyssey began when the car first became a member of the family back in 1991.

Donald and his wife, Alicia, were riding bikes through the neighborhood and spotted a plain-Jane Mustang equipped with a six-cylinder engine and three-speed manual. It was in poor shape with lots of sheet metal issues and a ragged interior, but there was potential hiding in the rubble. When the original $1,500 asking price was bargained down to $1,250, the car came home. Since Donald had limited body and mechanical experience—he describes himself as “more of a helper”—his wife’s cousin (Jon Olsen in Sarasota, Florida) was tasked with the first phase of bringing the car back to life. Olsen owned his own shop and had built many cars in the past, and he was the right man for the job. The task was comprehensive, however, since the Mustang needed new floors, a driverside quarter-panel, a new lower firewall, and a cowl. Olsen agreed to work on the car on a part-time basis as Donald could afford it, but with a 3-year-old in the family disposable income was scarce, and work moved at a snail’s pace.