Here’s the latest gift for the car enthusiast on your Christmas list -– a brand-new body shell for a 1967 Ford Mustang convertible. 
 
 Even better, this car body will match or improve on the fit, finish and quality of the original, said Dennis Mondrach, Ford Restoration Parts licensing manager. 
 
 The $15,995 auto part is the fourth reproduction classic Mustang body available to restorers, joining the ’65 convertible, the ’67 fastback and the ’69 fastback. 
 
 Made by Dynacorn International, the body panels are stamped from modern automotive-grade steel that is slightly thicker than the original, according to Jim Christina, Dynacorn’s general manager. There are also newly engineered reinforcements in known stress areas to add strength and rigidity to the body, he said. 
 
 “These days, the chances are fairly slim of finding a restorable, rust-free ’67 Mustang that has never been wrecked,” said Mondrach of Ford. “As the value of classic Mustangs has increased over the years, garages, barns and scrap yards have been picked clean.” 
 
 The automaker said the body can be built into a functioning car using one of the six engines the original vehicle was offered with or with a modern powertrain. It is rustproofed and primed and is otherwise ready for painting and assembly, Mondrach said. 
 
 More than 90% of the parts needed to restore a 1967 Mustang convertible are available new as Ford-licensed reproduction components, allowing enthusiasts to basically build from scratch a new Mustang of that era. 
 
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 Photo: A brand-new body shell for a 1967 Ford Mustang convertible. Credit: Ford Motor Co. ||||| Follow Viknesh Add to circle 
 
 
 
 Remember the brand new 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible body shell unveiled at the 2011 SEMA show? 
 
 Well, now you can add this 1967 Mustang Convertible body shell to the growing stable of Ford-licensed restoration parts as well. 
 
 This means that classic Mustang fans can now build or restore the ’65 convertible, ’67 and ‘69 fastbacks and the ’67 convertible versions of the iconic muscle car with the safe knowledge that their vehicles have a body that’s literally good as new. 
 
 To qualify as an official Ford-licensed restoration part, the ’67 body shell has to meet or exceed the fit, finish and quality of the original. That challenge was met once again by the guys at Dynacorn, which have not only replicated the original ’67 convertible, but made it better. 
 
 The body panels, for example, are stamped from modern automotive-grade ‘virgin’ steel that’s slightly thicker than the original. Then, to further add strength, the panels are assembled using modern welding techniques. 
 
 To build up a Mustang using the body shell, the powertrain, suspension and brakes, the electrical systems, the interior and trim can either be bought new or transferred from an existing car to the new body. The good news is that more than 90 percent of the parts needed to restore a 1967 Mustang convertible are available new as Ford-licensed reproduction components. 
 
 This means that the ’67 convertible body can be built to just about any specification that was available when the car was new. Ford’s big-block engines from that era, including the 390, 427 and 428-cubic-inch motors, bolt right in with no modifications necessary. Also, the ’67 body can be used as a basis to build a replica of the Shelby GT350 or GT500 convertibles. 
 
 The 1967 convertible body shell is now available to order from the Ford Restoration Parts catalog and is priced at $15,995. And while this may seem steep for what is essentially an empty shell, the chances of finding a rust-free ’67 Mustang that’s never been wrecked will be next to impossible. As the value of classic Mustangs has increased over the years, garages, barns and junkyards have mostly been picked clean. ||||| Lynda Alsip of Hollister sits inside her 1967 Ford Mustang at California Towing in Salinas on Monday. The vehicle, her first car, was stolen from her 28 years ago and was recently recovered by the California Highway Patrol. David Royal - Monterey Herald 
 
 Salinas >> Before Monday, the last time Lynda Alsip saw her forest-green 1967 Ford Mustang was 28 years ago. 
 
 It was her first car. They even shared the same birthday, said Alsip, who was born in 1967. She bought the car for $800 at the age of 17, with a little help from her dad who has since passed away. 
 
 But about a year after she bought the car, it was stolen from outside her apartment complex in Salinas. Before she had the chance to install her personalized license plates — “LYNDA 67” — it was gone. 
 
 “I never thought I would see it again,” she said standing in a Salinas tow yard next to her car, which was recovered in September by the California Highway Patrol. “It’s like winning the lottery. It happens to very few people and for it to happen to me, it’s just an amazing feeling.” 
 
 The car was located at the Salinas’ Department of Motor Vehicles. A man was trying to register the Mustang to his name after having it for about 23 years and doing some work to it. 
 
 “It had been out of the system for so long that it came back with no file. All of the files for the vehicle had been purged,” CHP officer Jaime Rios said. “The officer did some digging and found out the car was stolen in 1986 from Salinas.” 
 
 Officer Chris Menchen, who did the investigation and recovered the vehicle, said the man said he bought it from a storage and had just come around to registering the vehicle. Officials are still investigating whether or not he knew it was stolen. 
 
 Alsip was apprehensive when Menchin first contacted her. 
 
 “At first I didn’t think it was going to be a happy call. None of my kids were home, and both are at a driving age. But then he asked me if I had ever had my car stolen and I immediately thought: ‘Oh my god! You found my green 1967 Mustang!,’” Alsip said. 
 
 On Monday morning, Alsip reunited with her car. She said sitting in the car “brought back a lot of emotions,” especially now that her father is no longer living. 
 
 “It’s very bittersweet, it’s an amazing feeling to get this car back. It’s an amazing blessing. I couldn’t ask for a better Christmas present. It’s unreal,” she said. 
 
 Alsip said her father taught her how to change the oil, adding that if it weren’t for him, she may have never been able to afford the car. 
 
 If still around, Alsip said, her father would tell her “Only you, kid,” about getting the car back so many years later. 
 
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 Now, she says she’s “going to put it in the garage so no one can steal it and then get it back to road-worthy condition.” 
 
 “This will always be in my possession from here on out,” she said. 
 
 But before driving back home, Alsip added a final touch — she was finally able to install her personalized license plates. 
 
 Ana Ceballos can be reached at 726-4377.
– The 1967 Ford Mustang is no longer an endangered species. Just in time for classic car buffs' Christmas, Ford has added a brand-new shell for the '67 Mustang convertible to its Ford Restoration Parts line, giving enthusiasts a chance to build their own from scratch, the Los Angeles Times reports. The $16,000 auto part is built with modern techniques that make it stronger than the original, Motor Authority notes. "These days, the chances are fairly slim of finding a restorable, rust-free ’67 Mustang that has never been wrecked,” a Ford exec says. “As the value of classic Mustangs has increased over the years, garages, barns, and scrap yards have been picked clean.”