diff --git a/WHATSNEW b/WHATSNEW
index c684322bd1..c0fe5ea7dd 100644
--- a/WHATSNEW
+++ b/WHATSNEW
@@ -33,6 +33,12 @@ Fixed bugs:
    failed to download JAI.
    Github Pull Request #191
 
+ * When building and installing Ant distribution from source, the build script
+   would change permissions on unrelated files in the destination directory.
+   This is now fixed and such unrelated files in the destination directory
+   will be left untouched.
+   Bugzilla Report 66164
+
 Other changes:
 --------------
 
diff --git a/build.xml b/build.xml
index 8d401aac7e..48378b0782 100644
--- a/build.xml
+++ b/build.xml
@@ -1057,14 +1057,6 @@
       <include name="*.pl"/>
     </fixcrlf>
 
-    <setpermissions mode="755" failonerror="${setpermissions.fail}"
-                    nonPosixMode="${setpermissions.nonposixmode}">
-      <dirset dir="${dist.dir}"/>
-    </setpermissions>
-    <setpermissions mode="644" failonerror="${setpermissions.fail}"
-                    nonPosixMode="${setpermissions.nonposixmode}">
-      <fileset dir="${dist.dir}"/>
-    </setpermissions>
     <setpermissions mode="755" failonerror="${setpermissions.fail}"
                     nonPosixMode="${setpermissions.nonposixmode}">
       <fileset dir="${dist.bin}">
@@ -1158,14 +1150,6 @@
       </fileset>
     </copy>
 
-    <setpermissions mode="755" failonerror="${setpermissions.fail}"
-                    nonPosixMode="${setpermissions.nonposixmode}">
-      <dirset dir="${dist.dir}"/>
-    </setpermissions>
-    <setpermissions mode="644" failonerror="${setpermissions.fail}"
-                    nonPosixMode="${setpermissions.nonposixmode}">
-      <fileset dir="${dist.dir}"/>
-    </setpermissions>
     <setpermissions mode="755" failonerror="${setpermissions.fail}"
                     nonPosixMode="${setpermissions.nonposixmode}">
       <fileset dir="${dist.bin}">
diff --git a/manual/install.html b/manual/install.html
index c959dbe9e1..1aef1c7093 100644
--- a/manual/install.html
+++ b/manual/install.html
@@ -697,6 +697,7 @@ <h2 id="buildingant">Building Ant</h2>
 Your are now ready to build Ant:
 </p>
 <blockquote>
+  <b>It is highly recommended that the directory path that you pass to dist.dir, in the following commands, points to an empty directory</b>
   <p><kbd>build -Ddist.dir=&lt;<i>directory-to-contain-Ant-distribution</i>&gt; dist</kbd>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(<em>Windows</em>)</p>
   <p><kbd>sh build.sh -Ddist.dir=&lt;<i>directory-to-contain-Ant-distribution</i>&gt; dist</kbd>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(<em>Unix</em>)</p>
 </blockquote>