1990 Ford Mustang left idle for 30 years proves not every restoration story ends happily ever after

This 1990 Ford Mustang, which sat idle for 30 years, is proof that not every restoration story has a happy ending.

YouTube channel Auto Funk wanted to get this Mustang up and running again after it’d spent decades out of commission.

The last time somebody tried to start this car was 20 years ago, and they didn’t have any luck.

Would the Auto Funk team have any luck?

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This 1990 Ford Mustang hadn’t ran for 30 years – was it a goner?

The restoration got off to a good start at first, as they found that the 5.0-liter V8 hadn’t seized.

But things wouldn’t stay positive for long.

When it came time to look at the fuel system, this is where issues began coming out of the woodwork, so to speak.

The Auto Funk team bought some fresh fuel along, alongside an extraction pump and two old containers.

The plan was to take out all the old fuel, which seemed simple enough.

There was just one problem – nothing came out.

After unbolting the tank, they got a closer look and the issue became immediately apparent – it was rusty.

In a situation like this, the fuel tank would need replacing, but they decided to power on with it for the time being.

The fuel filter was replaced, and the fuel line was disconnected, so only clean fuel could reach the injectors.

But even after all of that, the car still didn’t start.

A laundry list of replacements followed – the air filter, the distributor cap, the auxiliary belt.

Nothing gets the car going again.

By the video’s end, the Auto Funk team has not made any progress, but worked up a lot of elbow grease.

“We’ve got black hands, grazes and bruises, and unfortunately, we’re not ending on a high,” the host concluded.

As the day was drawing to a close, they had to wrap things up, with some optimism that they could pick up where they left other another day.

As Annie often sang, “Tomorrow…tomorrow, you’re only a day away.”

Car restoration stories – often challenging, always rewarding

We’ve seen a lot of restoration journeys over the years.

Some turn out better than others, but they all share one commonality – an awful lot of hard work.

One $100k E30 M3 was awoken from 10 years of solitude, whilst another man worked on a Ferrari for seven months.

Another Ferrari was returned to form after rotting in a barn.

Happy endings aren’t always guaranteed with restorations.

But as the saying goes, it’s not the destination, it’s the journey.

To see the Auto Funk team working on the 1990 Ford Mustang, visit their YouTube channel.

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