We've all either encountered it first hand or seen someone go through it: an absolutely glorious car that's unfortunately too far gone. This 1967 Ford Mustang fastback started as a rough Facebook Marketplace find with Shelby parts, a straight-axle front end, a rusty floor, a missing dash, and the kind of stance that made it look like it had escaped a local fairground monster-truck show. The builder calls it the “Felby” because it isn’t a real Shelby, though it wears enough genuine Shelby hardware to make the nickname feel more affectionate than insulting. This Fake Shelby Started With A Real Dream Hagerty YouTubeThe whole thing began with a childhood obsession. The builder wanted a '67 or '68 Mustang fastback inspired by the Highland Green hero car from Bullitt, the kind of car that makes every gas station stop take 20 minutes. The real movie car sold for $3.5 million, which is a small problem if your car budget exists in the same universe as the rest of us.That search led to a 1967 Mustang fastback sitting in Salt Lake City. It wasn’t a real Shelby GT350, but it had old Shelby parts, the right fastback shape, and what the builder called the “million-dollar look.” It also had rust, missing pieces, and enough uncertainty to make a 14-hour road trip feel like a coin toss with a trailer attached.The car’s condition was a mix of good news and bad news. Some frame and rear structure areas looked surprisingly solid, while the floors, cowl, fiberglass, and front suspension setup made it clear this wasn’t going to be a quick polish-and-cruise project. Naturally, he bought it anyway. The Build Got Ugly Before It Got Good Hagerty YouTubeBack home, the Ford Mustang quickly turned into a bare-shell wrestling match. The cowl needed major work, the floor needed patching, and the straight axle had to go. That old gasser-style setup may have made sense decades ago, especially for fitting a larger engine under a Mustang, but it wasn’t the look or feel this build needed.The team cut out the old brackets, cleaned decades of grime from the wheel wells, undercoated the underside, and returned the front end to stock-style suspension. The transformation was key because it brought the car back toward the way Ford intended it to sit. The funny part is that, without the engine installed, the new suspension barely moved, so the car still looked like it was holding its breath. Borrowed Pedigree Hagerty YouTubeThere were neat discoveries too. While cleaning the rear end, the builder found the original tag on the Ford 9-inch axle and traced it back to a 1967 Shelby GT350 or GT500. For a car that wasn’t a real Shelby, that’s a pretty wonderful bit of borrowed pedigree.The parts-bin nature of the build kept getting better. The car had original Shelby tail-light hardware, Shelby-style fiberglass, an early Cobra intake, and plenty of vintage pieces that made the project feel like a period-correct fever dream assembled by somebody with excellent taste and limited patience. The Sketchy 289 Somehow Came Alive Hagerty YouTubeThe engine choice was perfectly on-brand for the project: a 1966 289 V8 bought from Facebook Marketplace for about $1,000. On inspection, the bearings looked rough, with visible copper and wear, but the builder decided to run it anyway. A proper rebuild would have been the sensible answer, but sensible answers don’t usually involve reviving a fake Shelby in a driveway."The one thing that you can't buy is it has the million-dollar look." - DustinThe 289 got a high-volume oil pump, thick 20W-50 oil, Ford blue paint, Cobra valve covers, and a rusty top-loader transmission that also came from a parts run. The transmission had its own issues, including internal rust and pitting, but after some cleanup and fresh gear oil, it was declared good enough. Coming Back To Life Hagerty YouTubeThe first fire-up involved timing drama, brake cleaner, carburetor chaos, and flames. Eventually, the 289 settled into life, made oil pressure, charged properly, and sounded far healthier than its bottom-end condition had any right to suggest. The carburetor was reportedly built from several other carburetors, which feels exactly right for this car.Once the exhaust was installed, the Mustang finally hit the road. The brakes needed more bleeding, the carb needed tuning, and the engine smoked badly at first, but the car drove. Better yet, it looked right. The stance, patina, Shelby parts, and fastback shape came together in the way every budget build hopes for but rarely nails.Source: Hagerty (YouTube).