Paul did all the bodywork himself, but insists that it was only possible thanks to the tutelage of his father, Sherman, who has been teaching him the art of metal manipulation since he was a boy. Paul did all the bodywork himself, but insists that it was only possible thanks to the tu The rear bumpers were removed. A new front bumper was fabricated using the original back bar and a Chrysler minivan panel for the lower half of the front valance. The rear valance panel was completely hand-formed from sheetmetal. The stock taillights were recessed and covered with clear acrylic lenses with black horizontal lines painted on the inside for a “blacked-out” appearance.The rear bumpers were removed. A new front bumper was fabricated using the original back b The stock dash has been painted Grabber Orange to match the exterior of the car. Paul’s kids burn their buns on the stock black Naugahyde buckets during the summer, and they tune out the traffic with a Sony AM/FM/CD player. This car is a driver. It’s been to events in Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and a whole bunch in Wisconsin. Paul likes to go to shows to get ideas and to show others what a little imagination and hard work can create.The stock dash has been painted Grabber Orange to match the exterior of the car. Paul’ If you’re gonna drive a car that resembles a Pinto, you need to make sure you can back yourself up in case of an intersection confrontation. What better way to make a 2,800-pound car humiliate the competition than an Edelbrock Performer Package–equipped 302? Paul yanked the 302 out of his first car, a ’69 Fairlane, and added Performer aluminum heads, cam, and intake with Holley Projection 2 fuel injection, BlackJack 1-5/8-inch headers, and 2-1/4-inch exhaust with dual Flowmaster 3 chamber mufflers. The battery was moved to the trunk, er…hatchback, and the gas tank was removed and replaced with a Triangle Engineering 15-gallon aluminum fuel cell, which is mounted from underneath the car, isolated from the hatchback interior with an access door. Nifty.If you’re gonna drive a car that resembles a Pinto, you need to make sure you can bac You like different? You want oddball? Are you ready for something bizarre? Well take a look at the atypical triumph of the tenacious Paul Zimmerman. Its a cool and unique 78 Mustang II Hatchback. Did we just use hatchback and cool in the same sentence? Yes. Yes, we did. You might think that Fords Mustang II was a joke; that it isnt a performance car so youre not interested. But this isnt your average gutless piece of plastic. This car has more in common with its mighty Mustang brethren than it does with a paltry Pinto. Its different, goes fast, was built cheap, and gets the snot driven out of itall the necessary qualifications for a bad-ass street machine. Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
