Recently I purchased a used Fisher Price Power Wheels Mustang on eBAY for my son for Christmas. I was interested in the 2005-2009 model, which is virtually impossible to find new, as the new 2010 model has already been introduced, even in kiddie versions.

I found a few and started bidding, eventually winning the bidding on one at half the price of a new one. The auction requirements were form e to pick it up, as it often costs almost as much as the car itself just to box and ship these things. Upon loading it into my van and taking it home, I noticed several of the panels were well worn and scratched up by the two boys who previously owned it. It really needed a new hood, seats, seat belts, steering wheel and rear deck. It really could use new rims and tires, but I decided that new tires were not going to do much more than old ones in terms of driving and traction, and a cheap fix for the rims could be a $4-5 can of chrome silver spray paint.

I found a couple of local Power Wheels service reps on Google and quoted out the parts I needed. One was a vacuum repair store, and the other was a hobby shop. Each had different pricing on each part, although they were approximately in the same range. I decided upon the hobby shop as they had better knowledge about such things. In a couple of weeks my parts were in and the restoration process began.

I was surprised at how much dirt was under those seats. It looked like many of those unrestored ’65 and ‘66 Mustangs I like to look at on eBAY that people without the time or funds to restore them sell for a couple of thousand dollars. Some of the “bright work” (really silver stickers, not chrome) was also dinged up so I got a new silver sticker sheet for the side mirrors and steering wheel. The stickers representing a mock dashboard were also pretty weathered, probably from the kids leaving the car out in the rain. This was the one part I couldn’t find to replace.

The hood and seats came out very easily, but the rear deck lid was a bit of a challenge. I was a little disappointed at the quality of plastic used for the hood and rear deck lid, not only for the replacements parts, but the originals as well. I’ve seen scale model kits with better higher quality plastic.

Another challenge was figuring out how to get the old steering wheel off. It assembled differently from a Barbie Jeep I assembled earlier for my daughter. I consulted the online assembly manuals, which are pretty good, and saw that the steering wheel center rim was only covered by a Mustang “running pony” sticker, another part that was near impossible to find. I pulled out an old “Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC)” sticker and put it over the new center rim once the new steering wheel was installed. I was getting good at this. The Barbie Jeep took me 2-3 hours to put together, whereas I was only about an hour into this project.

Last was a quick once over with some furniture polish. The manual recommends this over car wash or car wax since the car body made out of plastic.

Christmas morning was a blast! It was cold out but the kids went for a quick ride. The battery is probably the next thing to replace, as the old one doesn’t hold much of a charge for long. The gears might need a little work too, as the car sometimes has trouble going uphill on long grades. Then again, with my son being tall, and getting moreso every day, this will probably be back on eBAY this time next year. Keep looking!

By Car Chat Guy

Car Chat Guy is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of Car Chat Club Magazine. He has been a lifelong fan of cars, particulary Mustangs and Shelbys.

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