A newbie's plea for help -- New to the Classic Mustang world

[iamadonut]

Hi everyone,

First, I just wanted to say thanks in advance for any and all help you can give me!

I currently have an '02 GT but I'm ready to take the plunge into the world of Classic Mustangs. Just to let you know, I know close to *nothing* about classic cars, restoring, modding, etc. but I am willing to give my blood, sweat and tears to learn it all.

I'm trying to find a 67 or 68 coupe that I can use as my daily driver. So it has to be in great shape, free of rust and reliable. (I'd also like to use this car as my "hands-on" classroom for learning how to restore and mod a classic mustang in my spare time.) Ideally I'd like a fastback but I don't think I can afford. it. I'd like to spend less than $6-$7k. Do you think that's possible?

Anyway, can you guys help me
A) Try to find my dream 67 or 68 coupe?
B) Find info on how to restore and mod these cars?

What websites should I check out for car listings? What should I look for when buying a car? What books do you recommend?

I'm in LA, so before I take the plunge and buy one I'd like to take a knowledgable person with me to take a look at the car and tell me what they think.

Again, thanks for all your help. I'm sorry for the dumb/elementary questions.
Ian

 

[NorCal66]

Welcome! It's a great kind of car...turns heads and feels so different from driving a new car...just feels more powerful and "raw". 7g for a nice 67, 68 coupe is definately possible. I doubt you'd be able to find a FB that doesn't need a lot of work for your price range...they're the hot item lately and are worth a lot. I'd also recommend trying to find something in your area first...with 40 years from when the car was made, there can be a lot of things that are wrong and it's best to inspect it with your own eyes rather than going on a site or whatnot.
1. Look for RUST...it's the biggest problem you're probably bound to find. Look for it on the floorpans, in the cowl, and the wheel wells...those are the most common areas as far as I know.
2. Drive the car around the block a few times, make sure everything is workin right (obviously )

The more knowledgable guys will come in with a whole list im sure...

Best of luck!

 

[Mustang67Coupe]

Hey dont know how much this will help but ill give ti a shot.

I actualy got my 67 coupe mustang off ebay , i ended up paying 1600 for a "ok" coupe complete without a motor or trans(which i liked so i could add what i wanted) although it came with a 9" detroit locker with 4.33's and a drive line. It has needed front floor pans, a quarter panel, as well as the front battery apron. So far its been a very good learning experience.

I know ebay can be a good place to get cars from, and there has been quite a few 67 mustang 2+2's selling in the cali area. It might be a way you can find a mustang for alittle cheaper if you trust the system enough, and the person selling the car.

My car is still in the resto stage but i can say that there are many options to resto information. One is books, I found that the "authentic restoration guide; 1964 1/2-1973" has helped quite a bit finding parts and which is what part and such. However friends have also been a great source of information as well as this site.

Might search nickle adds and roth's? type mag's if you searching for something to become a project.

I hope this helped alittle if any, Hope your resto experience is a good one

 

[iamadonut]

Thanks for the help guys!

I plan on selling my '02 GT and relying on my 67 or 68 coupe as my daily driver, grocery getter and, of course, my pride and joy.

What's a "fair" price to pay for a 67 or 68 coupe that is "fully restored" (or at least reliable enough to be a commuter car)? A 289 or 302 is very much desired.

Of course, even if I do get a fully restored car, I'm still gonna tinker with it.

Also, what's a ballpark cost for a paint job? I don't need museum quality, but decent paint would be nice...

Ian

Hey dont know how much this will help but ill give ti a shot.

I actualy got my 67 coupe mustang off ebay , i ended up paying 1600 for a "ok" coupe complete without a motor or trans(which i liked so i could add what i wanted) although it came with a 9" detroit locker with 4.33's and a drive line. It has needed front floor pans, a quarter panel, as well as the front battery apron. So far its been a very good learning experience.

I know ebay can be a good place to get cars from, and there has been quite a few 67 mustang 2+2's selling in the cali area. It might be a way you can find a mustang for alittle cheaper if you trust the system enough, and the person selling the car.

My car is still in the resto stage but i can say that there are many options to resto information. One is books, I found that the "authentic restoration guide; 1964 1/2-1973" has helped quite a bit finding parts and which is what part and such. However friends have also been a great source of information as well as this site.

Might search nickle adds and roth's? type mag's if you searching for something to become a project.

I hope this helped alittle if any, Hope your resto experience is a good one

 

[LMan]

Thanks for the help guys!

I plan on selling my '02 GT and relying on my 67 or 68 coupe as my daily driver, grocery getter and, of course, my pride and joy.

What's a "fair" price to pay for a 67 or 68 coupe that is "fully restored" (or at least reliable enough to be a commuter car)? A 289 or 302 is very much desired.

Of course, even if I do get a fully restored car, I'm still gonna tinker with it.

Also, what's a ballpark cost for a paint job? I don't need museum quality, but decent paint would be nice...

Ian

If you are really going to rely on this car as your DD, then you need one that essentially only needs comestics. I would guesstimate ~ 7-9k for a good 289 coupe.

A 'decent' paint job (aka 20-footer) with the usual body and prep work might be ~$2000. If you are willing to stand back to 50 feet, maybe $1500

There are literally scads of cars such as you are seeking in your area...I would try the classifieds here, those on www.vintage-mustang.com and Corral prior to eBay myself.

Good luck, and ask all the questions you want of the fine ppl here

 

[bones0351]

Be careful about trying to rely on the car your working on as your daily ddriver. I tried that and it always seems like the 2 hour modification ended up taking a whole week for most everything I did.

 

[iamadonut]

I found a 66 coupe that's a few miles from me. The seller is asking for $4250. Here is what he has said about the car:


Very nice '66 Mustang, Rebuilt 289 V8, 4 barrel carb, work done by a classic car mechanic less than one year ago. 4 speed original transmission. Six months ago interior was completely repaired, seats reupholstered, new windshield and rear window (professionally installed), new headliner, new carpet. Six months ago completely sanded down and primed.

In September 2003 I moved from California to Illinois, left car in garage under a cover. Now the garage owner is moving. Must sell, priced very low and firm. I have an extensive collection of parts, tools, and instruction manuals for this car, both new and original.

I can show on Saturday 2/28 and Sunday 2/29.

Car has been sitting idle for six months. Needs some minor body work, paint, some exhaust work (very minor on exhaust), and suspension work. Excellent car for someone looking to do some restoration on a great car.

The Mustang is currently in pretty good shape. The work that needs to be
done could be taken care of in a couple of months. My plan of action was to
finish the body work (2-3 weeks for a perfect job), then get the car painted
professionally. Then work on the exhaust (just a piece that needs to be
replaced, but good overall), replace the suspension (you could do this or
have it done professionally), and finally, replace the thermometer (small
fix). All in all, the mechanic that owned the Mustang in Chino worked on
the engine, electricity, which is in good shape, looks very clean. Need any
more info?

The last time I drove the car it
ran great. I haven't moved it in 6 months, as it's been under a cover in a
garage. Vin 6R07C234801. Bought from the Chino mechanic on 4/1/03. The
car is in Santa Moncia. I have to show it this weekend as I am coming in
from Chicago for the weekend specifically for this purpose.

Overall, the car is in good shape. The body work involves a small dent in a
rear panel (requires bondo) and some rust to be sanded and bondo'd above one
wheel well. Also, the front fender needs to be put on. I have a brand new
fender (comes with the car). The paint job can be anywhere between $150 and
around $500, depending on whether you would get a custom Mustang paint and
color, or get a stock paint job from an Earl Scheib. The suspension is not
terrible, but I think it needs to be revamped, new absorbers. I'm not sure
how much this would cost, but I was told it's not difficult nor costly. If
you're concerned, you might want to check Autozone to find out. The
thermomostat is a piece that you can get for under $50 and is easy to
install. The car doesn't have AC, but it could be installed, doesn't have
power steering or brakes.


What do you guys think?

 

[iamadonut]

Hey guys,

Just found a 69 coupe w/a 250 cid in it. The seller wants $4200 for the car but I have a feeling he's willing to go down in price. He say's it's fully restored and only needs front/rear bumpers.

Whatcha think?
I'd definitely prefer a 289 or 302 -- what's a ballpark figure for an engine swap?

Thanks again,
Ian

 

[electricgreen]

Ok, the first guy doesn't know cars too well, maybe just repeating what he's heard (thermometer? thermostat maybe?), but that doesn't mean the car isn't a good car. Find out if you can get names & numbers of the people that worked on it. Then see if they'll tell you about the car-since the owner moved away, they'll most likely be honest, it's not like they'll lose a customer of they tell you it's a piece of junk. You apparently have to move fast on that one, but it's a shot.

If you want a v8, buy a v8 car if you don't want to spend alot of cash on a swap. It's not impossible, but not totally financially feasble in some cases. I'm not trying to deter you from that road-there are a lot of threads here regarding the swap, try reading a few to get an idea of what is involved. I would be the last person to say to chose only by financial output. I'm making a 4x2 into a 4x4 by swapping frames, and the 73 mach project will cost more than the car will ever be worth, but it's what we want. However, be realistic. We have the space to leave either (or both) projects if cash becomes an issue (the 73 will be sitting this summer for that reason, but we wont be covering it and forgetting about it, rather installing body panels we already have, and cleaning up body work we did last year). If you need this car to be a DD, a project like an I6 to v8 swap might not be the best plan-it's going to take a bit of time to complete.

Learning while you go is possible, especially with a great resource like Stangnet. However, remember-again, if this is your DD, start learning on small DIY projects that will take maybe a weekend. We are learning body work, welding, and engine building while we build our 73. Luckily we have a good friend who is a mechanic to help on the engine part, and there's no time constraints. I read these forums, and others, and ask questions to learn. I read books, watch tv shows, and read mags too. Again, despite what you might hear, it's possible. J

 

[iamadonut]

Thanks for the informative post. I'll go ahead and try to track down the history of that car. I think I'll pass up on the I6, unless the seller wants to unload it for $2k or something.

I also found a 68 c code fastback. The seller says it needs minor body and interior work. He wants $8k for it...is that too cheap for a reliable fastback that only needs "minor" work?

1968 C Code Fastback, Yellow with Black Stripes, Black Interior, Chrome G.T. Wheels with plain center caps, 289 2V, 3 speed, Needs Minor Body and Interior Work, Solid Chasis No RUST, Original Quarters and Front Sheet Metal, Dual Exhaust, Runs and Drives.

 

[MrBobMarley]

I'd jump on the fastback and inspect every inch of it. If you can live with yellow and black stripes (ugh) for a while, then that is one less thing. If you want it to be reliable, you can always convert it from carb to EFI. It is a fairly common swap these days and you have access to a ton of info online. You could fuel inject the original block, or pull it and drop in a late model block. So essentially, you'd be driving a late model mustang lol.

The most common EFI blocks used are from 87-93 stangs, but I've seen 94-95 swaps too. I'm suggesting EFI because it's a no hassle setup, especially cause you're probably new to carbs.

Then again, if you want the classic experience rebuild or replace the carb/intake/headers on the original block. If you enjoy tuning your car and don't mind working hands on, you will love it. I drove my little 289 2V my senior year in hs and then a year after that with zero probs on a rebuilt carb. It started up every time, whether cold, humid, hot whatever. I just recently parked it to start doing some major engine work.


Anyway, take someone with you that knows a thing or two about old stangs and have fun checking them out. You'll find one. Oh yea, here's a trick I read on this site years ago. If it's ok with the owner, get a hose and run water all over the body to see where it leaks, especially over the cowl area. If the carpet is wet and you can see water dripping, explain that this is a problem and hopefully the guy will drop his price.

 

[iamadonut]

Thanks for the info. I dont want to drop in a new block...will probably stick with the carb and hopefully I can get my hands dirty tinkering around with it.

Also, I live in LA so cold weather starting isnt a problem for me.

The fastback is in Sacramento, but hopefully i can drive up there next weekend or something and take a look at it.

Does anyone know somebody in Sacto that could take a look at the car for me or with me?

Thanks again,
Ian

I'd jump on the fastback and inspect every inch of it. If you can live with yellow and black stripes (ugh) for a while, then that is one less thing. If you want it to be reliable, you can always convert it from carb to EFI. It is a fairly common swap these days and you have access to a ton of info online. You could fuel inject the original block, or pull it and drop in a late model block. So essentially, you'd be driving a late model mustang lol.

 

[Pakrat]

In addition to welcoming you and wishing you good luck, I would just like to say that for your particular situation (new to the hobby and looking for a DD) that I would buy the absolute best car that I can afford, plain and simple. Even if it meant taking out a small loan to do so (which should not be the case if selling an 02'). Trust me, for the new comer there is always plenty of weekend tinkering on a DD even one in perfect shape. Honestly, with the exceptions of a concors trailered restoration, I have met very few folks in the hobby who ever consider their cars finished. There is always something, and to combine learning with dependability, you really are going to want to a good car. Many folks think they want a DD and get into this hobby with tons of vim and vigor, and then that first monday that you are running just a little late and you go to start your car and *nothing* happens. You scratch your head and cuss and likely have to either take the day off or make other arrangements for the rest of the week waiting until next weekend so you can try to fix it, and it turns out that all it was a bad ground because it got wet when you washed it on the Sunday before. Not trying to rain on your parade, it is just something that comes along with the territory and pride of ownership. Also, do not expect it to feel anything like your 02, it probably won't even feel like a car so much as it will a big go cart. If you are stuck on those Cali highways on your work commute, prepare for a sore back or advanced braking distances, crappy mileage and the occasional overheat amongst other things.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade owning a classic Mustang for anything and simply can not wait every year for the warmer months to come so I can find myself back in the saddle again so I can drive it as often as possible, but I would never want to use it as my DD personally or have it be my only source of transportation. It's the not using it that makes the using it oh so sweet.

Pak.

 

[iamadonut]

Cool advice, thanks!

I totally understand what you'r saying about trying to have a DD while also trying to have a semi-"project" car.
I've been thinking that I just might keep my '02 until I learn enough about any classic i buy so I can fix things as they come along. Then again, I dont really need 2 cars so that's something weigh, too.

Definitely a lot to think about...thanks for all your help guys!


I'm going to be taking a look at some cars this upcoming weekend. I won't buy one until I have a more "scholarly" person take a look at it for/with me, but when I'm there myself what questions should I ask teh seller? What documentation should I ask to see, etc.

Thanks again,
Ian

 

[RGS0907]

Be careful about trying to rely on the car your working on as your daily ddriver. I tried that and it always seems like the 2 hour modification ended up taking a whole week for most everything I did.

Yeah that's true, but at least when it is your daily driver you WILL fix it. I originally bought my Shelby as my daily driver when I was in college. It needed plenty of work, but I always had to keep it on the road. I got to be a good, fast mechanic. These days, I'll let a problem sit for a while just because I can.

 

[bnickel]

one good thing about a DD though is that you don't get caught up in the "while i'm here i might as well..........." syndrome, if my car was still my DD i would probabaly be a lot further down the road, literally. i haven't driven my car in almost six years except for a short drive down the block after i got the motor in. i have about a million parts in the garage ready to go in as soon as i get enough money and time to that other little project while i'm in there anyway