Hand Tight Racing’s YouTube channel is giving us a front-row seat to one heck of a project: Turning a wrecked 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse into a full-blown drift weapon. The series is a raw, unfiltered look at what it takes to bring a salvage car back from the brink.

The story begins with a quick review of the Dark Horse. “It’s got a thousand miles on it and some funky electrical stuff going on obviously,” the Hand Tight Racing explained upon reviewing the damage to the vehicle. “This thing was hit pretty hard… Most of the PCM connectors are messed up…kind of bummed,” Hand Tight Racing admitted. Then they moved the crashed Dark Horse into the shop to begin the repairs.

Frame Surgery

For this part, Hand Tight Racing focused on the frame repair and the car’s first startup. The video shows the careful cutting, fitting, and welding required to properly integrate the new section into the Mustang’s unibody. With the structural work complete, the engine is then reinstalled.

After a tense wait, the engine roars to life, a major milestone in the project. Hand Tight Racing expressed excitement and relief at this success, setting the stage for the final assembly. “Maybe we’ll get a little bit of drifting in there, too,” they commented while firing up at the Dark Horse.

Hitting the Track

The final installment is all about getting the car back in one piece. Hand Tight Racing focused on the Wisefab angle kit and BC Racing DS series front coilovers: “It’s, in my opinion, the most important thing on a drift car ever.”

With the suspension sorted, the team tackled the exterior. Fitment issues led them to mount the PCM in a non-factory location. Rather than replacing the expensive factory latch, they installed the freshly painted hood with four hood pins. Finally, with the bumper and fender reattached, the rebuilt version of this crashed Dark Horse emerged from the garage for the first time. Hand Tight Racing sums things up, “It was time to get the hood on the bumper, fender, all that just to make this thing presentable for Holley Ford Fest.”

This crashed Dark Horse series by Hand Tight Racing series is a refreshingly honest look at a major rebuild. It may not be a polished and made-for-TV build; but it’s the real deal. With all the challenges and setbacks that come with it, it clearly shows what one can do with their car.