Signed up last night and thought I'd pop in and say hello.
I'm 40+ and just bought a '78 t-top factory 3o2 Mustang II. I'm not sure what my final plan is for it, but the general idea is to restore it to it's former glory. I'm considering a Cobra clone of sorts, but not a King Cobra. I was never fond of that air dam under the front bumper. However, the chin spoiler, rear spoiler, and hood scoop were always nice.
Way back in the day (18 yrs old or so), I owned a '76 Cobra II (black & gold) with a 4 cyl auto and I loved it. But I was young and stupid and it ended up traded for a Monte Carlo. I switched to the bow tie after that.
I've always had a love for classic Mustangs and have been searching for a '69 or '70 fastback/Mach I forever. I just can't seem to locate a solid car for restoration without spending ungodly amounts of money on a rusted out shell. So, I have resigned myself to the fact that it's just not in the cards for me.
A few weeks ago I was searching Craigslist for cars between the years of 1940 and 1985 for $1500.00 or lower. Low and behold, the '78 t-top popped up in the list. After a couple text messages and a visit to a town about an hour away, I dragged my new obsession home on a borrowed trailer.
It's been neglected and hasn't run in many years. The most recent tags on the car expired June of 1999. Who knows how long it's been since it last saw the road (considering the amount of rust in the gas tank, I'd wager a guess that it's been since some time in 1999!!).
I got it home, washed off the layers of dirt, tree sap, and pine needles and cleaned out some garbage from the interior so that I could really assess the overall condition of the car. The exterior has seen some love in the past. There has been body work done and a new coat of paint (which is now total crap). The interior isn't too bag, but the dash is dry rotted and cracked, the carpet is destroyed, the t-top seals are junk, the driver's floor has gone Fred Flintstone, and someone decided it was a good idea to spray paint the plastics in the rear. The headliner is good, though
Other than the driver's floor, the rear hatch also suffered severe rust damage. The entire underside below the window is full of rust holes. There are a few small issues around the exterior that will need attention, but overall, it's a solid car and a great place to start.
Last week I spent a c-note and picked up plugs, wires, cap, rotor, oil filter, oil, and a can of carb cleaner. I gave the engine a complete tune-up (a good shot of WD-40 into each cylinder), doused the carb with the cleaner, bumped fuel into the throat of the carb, and attempted to fire it up.... and found a bad starter solenoid. Thankfully, someone left a brand new one in the glovebox. I swapped it out and after a little sputtering, it's alive!
Of course, as I mentioned earlier, the gas tank is full of rust and sludge, so it doesn't run long on what's been dumped down the carb, but it does run so I'm thankful for that. I'd hate to think I dropped a good chunk of money on a car that didn't run. A couple days later, I pulled the gas tank and found the rust issue. I'm not even going to try making it run on it's own for now. The tank needs replaced and I'll have to clean out the lines (at least) before that's going to happen... and since there is some major body work (floor) that needs to be done, I'll just be happy knowing that it does run and concentrate on the restoration for now. I want to drive it really badly, but I'll squash that desire for now and just get to work.
I've already located and purchased a replacement hatch lid (almost completely rust free from southern Minnesota) and various other little items that the car needs from a salvage yard 3o miles from my house. I couldn't believe they actually had any II's; they have 5 of them, three hatches and 2 coupes. Not too much left that's salvageable on any of them (glass, a door or two, some interior pieces, maybe some structural items might be salvaged).
Anyway, I've rambled on far too long. I look forward to reading and making new friends here on the forum. So, for now, I bid you farewell and leave you with a picture of what I brought home...
I'm 40+ and just bought a '78 t-top factory 3o2 Mustang II. I'm not sure what my final plan is for it, but the general idea is to restore it to it's former glory. I'm considering a Cobra clone of sorts, but not a King Cobra. I was never fond of that air dam under the front bumper. However, the chin spoiler, rear spoiler, and hood scoop were always nice.
Way back in the day (18 yrs old or so), I owned a '76 Cobra II (black & gold) with a 4 cyl auto and I loved it. But I was young and stupid and it ended up traded for a Monte Carlo. I switched to the bow tie after that.
I've always had a love for classic Mustangs and have been searching for a '69 or '70 fastback/Mach I forever. I just can't seem to locate a solid car for restoration without spending ungodly amounts of money on a rusted out shell. So, I have resigned myself to the fact that it's just not in the cards for me.
A few weeks ago I was searching Craigslist for cars between the years of 1940 and 1985 for $1500.00 or lower. Low and behold, the '78 t-top popped up in the list. After a couple text messages and a visit to a town about an hour away, I dragged my new obsession home on a borrowed trailer.
It's been neglected and hasn't run in many years. The most recent tags on the car expired June of 1999. Who knows how long it's been since it last saw the road (considering the amount of rust in the gas tank, I'd wager a guess that it's been since some time in 1999!!).
I got it home, washed off the layers of dirt, tree sap, and pine needles and cleaned out some garbage from the interior so that I could really assess the overall condition of the car. The exterior has seen some love in the past. There has been body work done and a new coat of paint (which is now total crap). The interior isn't too bag, but the dash is dry rotted and cracked, the carpet is destroyed, the t-top seals are junk, the driver's floor has gone Fred Flintstone, and someone decided it was a good idea to spray paint the plastics in the rear. The headliner is good, though
Other than the driver's floor, the rear hatch also suffered severe rust damage. The entire underside below the window is full of rust holes. There are a few small issues around the exterior that will need attention, but overall, it's a solid car and a great place to start.
Last week I spent a c-note and picked up plugs, wires, cap, rotor, oil filter, oil, and a can of carb cleaner. I gave the engine a complete tune-up (a good shot of WD-40 into each cylinder), doused the carb with the cleaner, bumped fuel into the throat of the carb, and attempted to fire it up.... and found a bad starter solenoid. Thankfully, someone left a brand new one in the glovebox. I swapped it out and after a little sputtering, it's alive!
Of course, as I mentioned earlier, the gas tank is full of rust and sludge, so it doesn't run long on what's been dumped down the carb, but it does run so I'm thankful for that. I'd hate to think I dropped a good chunk of money on a car that didn't run. A couple days later, I pulled the gas tank and found the rust issue. I'm not even going to try making it run on it's own for now. The tank needs replaced and I'll have to clean out the lines (at least) before that's going to happen... and since there is some major body work (floor) that needs to be done, I'll just be happy knowing that it does run and concentrate on the restoration for now. I want to drive it really badly, but I'll squash that desire for now and just get to work.
I've already located and purchased a replacement hatch lid (almost completely rust free from southern Minnesota) and various other little items that the car needs from a salvage yard 3o miles from my house. I couldn't believe they actually had any II's; they have 5 of them, three hatches and 2 coupes. Not too much left that's salvageable on any of them (glass, a door or two, some interior pieces, maybe some structural items might be salvaged).
Anyway, I've rambled on far too long. I look forward to reading and making new friends here on the forum. So, for now, I bid you farewell and leave you with a picture of what I brought home...
