1967 GT500 KR: Restoration and Paint Job

At the time, the GT500 KR was the most powerful Shelby Mustang produced by Ford and Shelby American. It rightfully carried the name KR which stands for King of the Road. It came equipped with a thundering 428 cubic-inch Cobra Jet V8 that made an impressive 335 horsepower. Ford was able to offer great power at a great price and so the popularity of the KR erupted.

So when we were presented with an opportunity to restore a numbers-matching 1967 GT500 KR, we were happy to do it!

We are cautious with all of our customers' cars because it's getting harder and harder to find parts for classics these days. But, we have to be extremely cautious with numbers-matching vehicles. You cannot misplace a single thing. It is numbers-matching for a reason and if we lose or damage a part, it could cost the customer thousands of dollars in lost value. Today, it's getting harder and harder to do all-original restorations because parts for these classics are becoming more scarce every year. But, we like a challenge.

The goal of this project was to make the customer feel like he had been transported back to 1967 and was looking at the car on the showroom floor of the Ford dealership.

When this GT500 KR came to us, it was in okay shape. The paint had several signs of aging including cracks, fading, and many chips. The chrome was starting to show signs of rust and the soft top had seen better days. So after evaluating the customer's options, he decided to go all in with a new paint job, new soft top, and re-chroming all of the original pieces. This GT500 KR also received a new front windshield and seals. Take a look below at each stage in the paint process.

Stripped the GT500 KR down to bare metal.

Once the car is stripped down to bare metal, the most grueling part of the restoration begins. Stripping the layers of paint away exposes all of the rust that the paint was hiding. We take the time to correct any rust because once the it starts to show through the paint, it's often too late to repair. Below you can see an example of how patches of rust are repaired during this process.

First, a problem spot is identified and marked.

Third, the rusted piece is replaced with a brand new piece of metal.

Then, the new piece of metal is welded into place.

Finally, the patch the sanded smooth to seamlessly blend in with the rest of the body.

Once the entire body is inspected for rust and patched accordingly, then the prep work for the paint begins.

The first coat of primer is applied and smooth out to correct any remaining gaps and body issues.

The new windshield and seals are installed.

Since we were freshening up the exterior, it only made sense to carry that momentum inside to the upholstery and engine bay. For the upholstery, we installed all new carpet and door panels to give the car a clean and polished look.

Now for the fun part. Since we are all about performance, the engine bay is where we like to spend most of our time and this '67 GT500 KR was no exception. We pulled the engine out and sent it off to our most trusted engine builder for a refresh. While the engine was out we also painted the engine pay just to clean it up and make it look brand new. In addition, we made sure all of the existing components for the engine were thoroughly cleaned and ready for when the engine was ready to be reinstalled. This was a seemingly small but very important step because, as we mentioned before, we wanted the customer to feel as if he was looking at a brand new vehicle and it's the little touches like that that lead to big results.

Refreshed and restored engine bay of the 1967 GT500 KR.

Be sure to check out the video HERE for a complete overview of what what into this car!