Editor's note: This is part of a new series at KSL.com featuring some of Utah's coolest cars. If you own a customized vehicle — from sports cars to semi trucks — email fjolley@ksl.com with a photo of the vehicle and a brief description for consideration.OGDEN — When Chuck Putnam first got behind the wheel of his 1968 Ford Mustang California Special in the winter of 1987, it was ironically in Oregon, and the car's condition was anything but special.

Nevertheless, Putnam saw something remarkable lurking beneath the crack and faded veneer of the tired, old Mustang and wasted no time in ponying up the paltry sum of just $2,800 to buy it.

After returning from an LDS mission, Putnam whipped the pony back into shape and it served as his daily driver for the next decade, during which Putnam considered selling off the car twice. Fortunately, his wife talked him out of it both times.

"When she talked me into keeping it the second time, I just thought 'OK, I'm going to do what I've always wanted with it,' " Putnam said. "The next week I just started tearing it apart, stripping it down to bare metal."

Putnam's dream build would come after a long road filled with many obstacles. He had four young children to support and budgets were tight, but Putnam persevered. He took on side jobs, saved bonus checks from work and even started selling his own blood— literally putting his blood, sweat and tears into rebuilding the car.

In true gear-head fashion, Putnam did everything on the car himself: Body work, paint, engine, interior— you name it, he did it.

The car was nearing completion in early 2012, but after Putnam cut out the original shock towers in favor of coilovers and a rack-and-pinion steering system, the engine bay looked a little too empty. This prompted him to drop a 351 Cleveland between the fenders, complete with a custom-made shaker scoop.

The 351 turned out to be problematic, so Putnam purchased a 4.6-liter V-8 from a 1996 Cobra, only to find a hole the size of his fist in one of the cylinder walls. Discouraged, but not defeated, he purchased a Mercury Mark VIII to donate it's heart, which turned out to have a bent connecting rod.

In the end, with the block from the Mark VIII, a new set of forged connecting rods and pistons, the forged crank and aggressive cams from the imploded Cobra motor, along with a set of '99 Cobra heads, Putnam was finally able to fill the engine bay with the muscle needed to motivate the Mustang.

Wanting the motor to sit as low as possible in the car, Putnam fabricated his own motor mounts and eventually his own oil pan, complete with baffling and windage trays capable of handling the occasional track day. This also required a custom set of headers, which Putnam fabricated himself as well.

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Putnam finished off the motor by fabricating a custom upper plenum, which supports the functional shaker hood scoop, donated by a '70 Mach 1, and houses the MAF and throttle body. He backed all that up with a T-45 five-speed manual transmission.

At this point, most would be satisfied with the state of the now resto-mod Mustang, but not Putnam. He coveted the independent rear suspension from the 03-04 Mustang Cobras and set out to install one in the '68. As a result, the car had to be mini-tubbed and required Putnam to completely re-engineer the entire rear suspension, which led to him devising his own Formula-1-style push-rod suspension that can be seen hiding in the trunk of the special. 17-inch wheels were required to clear the new suspension and ended with the Mustang sporting 315s out back.

Putnam fabricated the custom dash himself and filled it with a set of AutoMeter gauges to keep tabs on the Mustang's vitals. He also fabricated a custom center console that he molded cup holders into with fiberglass.

The Mustang may have passed into Putnam's possession as nothing special, but it is now as special as Mustangs come.

Chase Christensen is a wildly successful bench racer who believes life is better with regular oil changes. Follow him on Twitter at @ChaseChris8 and email him at chasechristensen8@gmail.com.

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