In November 1982, 43-year-old Bob Dobson bought his very first ‘Classic Mustang,’ a 1966 convertible. As luck would have it, it turned out to be a disappointment, though he says it was also a learning experience.

According to Bob, that first Mustang taught him that there are some key points to look for when buying an old Mustang convertible. “You really have to look at the undercarriage and the door gaps, both front and back,” he explains. If there is a lot of rust underneath and the door gaps are way off, it will be an expensive project.

Realizing the expense involved in fixing that first Mustang, Bob sold it and set out in search of another. In 1986, searching through many different auto magazines and online, he found another. Almost the same as the first one, but in much better shape. With only 77,125 miles on it, he knew what to look for this time.

Bob says the ad was kind of low-key, and the seller lived in Milwaukee. He went to check it out, and it ticked all the boxes, plus a few factory options like: Pony interior, automatic transmission, and power steering. All original! Bob became the third owner of a 1966 Mustang convertible.

Right away, Bob noticed there were a few things that needed to be addressed, but nothing major.

He immediately replaced all the seals, mechanically. The gaskets and seals were made of cork and rubber; they were dried out, so Bob replaced them with polyurethane parts. There wasn’t much wrong with the car, and Bob drove it everywhere.

Several years ago, Bob decided to have the car repainted to the original silver blue. He took it to American Classic Auto Restorations in Orland Park, Illinois. When he dropped it off, the owner said he would be calling him from time to time with updates on the progress, most likely letting him know something would have to be replaced. The good news was that when those calls came, it was to tell him that there wasn’t much to do structurally; his Mustang was in very good shape.

The Mustang’s body was stripped to bare metal, and the cosmetic repairs were made before painting. Since it was in the shop, Bob gave the go-ahead to redo the interior. The seats and door panels were redone to factory specs, and new carpets were installed.

Bob says the white convertible top has been replaced twice, both times by, Ogden Top & Trim in Berwyn, Illinois. While the dashboard hasn’t been touched, Bob says there is a Pioneer stereo system in the glove box. The factory AM radio is in the dash, but disconnected; the new radio uses the original speaker wiring. A factory option passenger side view mirror was recently added.

While the car got a facelift, the drivetrain has never been rebuilt. The Mustang now has 154,000 miles on it. The original 289 V8 2-barrel engine still runs great! The transmission is a 3-speed automatic and a stock differential. The brakes have been upgraded with a dual reservoir master cylinder for safety reasons. Seat belts were installed for the same reason.

A few things were done to make the car more dependable: an electronic ignition system was installed; the exhaust was replaced with custom dual exhaust with Flowmaster mufflers, and factory chrome steel mag wheels and radial tires made for a smooth ride.

Bob says he likes to take his Mustang on road trips. He has done Lap the Lake, a 1,200-mile round trip, three times in the last five years. He says there were between 43 and 106 other collectible cars that made the trips. He also took his Mustang to The Smoky Mountains in 2024. The last trip, he noticed that it didn’t ride as smoothly as it had been, so the next project to be done is to update the suspension, new upper and lower control arms, rear springs, and shocks. Having the amount of mileage it has makes it an expected issue to address.

Bob admits that he does not really go to as many car shows or cruise nights as he did in the past. He’s busy running a cruise night at his church twice a month at Palos Hills Christian Assembly Church, 10600 S. 88th Avenue. The shows are on the first and third Fridays, in June, July and August, from 5:30 p.m. until sunset. He describes his cruise nights as a ‘laid-back event, like a family picnic.’ His cruise night features mostly older classics, a DJ, and hot dogs. There is no charge for the evening, just people getting together to enjoy old friends or to make new ones. There are typically 60 to 90 cars on average.

According to Bob, he has a twin Mustang (in a way). His daily driver is a 2006 Mustang convertible, same color scheme, which is not an accident—it’s what he likes. He also says that the car is very comfortable to drive, and it has an “iconic look” to it.