After searching for several years for a low mileage, showroom condition '85 I came to the conclusion that I was not going to land one for anywhere near the original sticker price.  I had just about given up and considered buying a $1000 rust-bucket '85 GT w/T-tops in Medium Canyon Red locally, when I found a pretty darn nice convertible on ebay that was only about 5 hours away.  I won the auction after talking with the person and clarifying that I was only bidding with the intent to inspect, and ONLY buy it if it was as good as advertised and with no suprises.  We both agreed on that, so I won the auction and proceeded west with trailer in tow. 

After a nice test drive and about 60 minutes of thorough inspection I decided this car was a legitimate low mile survivor and would make a pretty nice canvas to start a minor restoration project from.  Not that it needed much, but I want to make it concourse condition at some point in time.  It only has 39k original miles and for the most part is unmolested. 

It rode on incorrect 16" Pony wheels when I brought it home, but I quickly acquired a set of correct 15" factory 10-holes and spent a lot of time over the winter sanding and polishing.  I also found a decent used set of Goodyear Eagles to finish off the rolling stock.  

It had an MSD ignition module installed with upgraded plug wires & cap that looked out of place from an original perspective.  So I kept my eyes on ebay and wound up with a NOS Ford Motorcraft/Duraspark Ignition Module, and I found a set of factory replacement Ford Motorcraft plug wires.  After that the only think left under the hood to convert back to stock was the Energizer battery, which I was lucky enough to find a Ford Motorcraft battery at my local dealer.

The door panels had speakers cut into them as most people tend to do with these cars.  Within a few months I had removed them and taken them into a reputable upholstery shop in town and had the backing board filled in and the lower carpet section recovered with the factory look.  They turned out damn nice!   

The aftermarket radio was also quickly pulled and the opening covered with a OEM Radio Delete Plate.  Since this car came equipped with a standard AM/FM (non premium, dial type tuner) I took my time looking on ebay for a replacement.  I ended up buying a few used radios to end up with all the install brackets that I need, and found a NOS 1985 AM/FM Radio in Mustang Times - so now its time to get busy in the garage and get my factory original radio installed.  My plan is have the factory tunes in the dash(nothing to get excited about), but have a sleeper system installed in the trunk and in the console that gives me Satellite Radio along with MP3 connectivity, driving a hidden head unit, amps and sub system in the trunk with full range speakers mounted behind the rear seat - which I plan to convert to a fold-down seatback to let the sound escape!

At some point down the road it will need to be torn down and professionally repainted (I'd give it a 7 or 8 out of 10 in that department), but for now it is a fun little ride - and my wife has always wanted a drop-top!