Another new guy... (and seeking advice)

Hello,

I'm Josh from South Dakota and so happy to maybe being part of the Mustang family again. Quick background: My very first car was a 1966 coupe, 200 6cyl, bought in 1989 with $2,500 cash from picking strawberries in the summer. It was bone stock but in nice shape and the kind of deal we dream about these days. It took me about 2 years to realize I wanted a v8 car, and I transitioned to other cars including an awesome '68 AMC Javelin, a couple Mopars, and a rough 70 mustang coupe. Loved every one but the all went away with life and marriage and...you know the drill. So now I'm back to where I'm craving a real car again and I have my eyes on another 1966 coupe. Times have changed in 28 years, as have prices. This car is not original in engine or transmission, which doesn't matter to me. I'd like a project hot rod. Anyway I am in the process of making an offer, but if any of you kind folks would be willing to PM me I would love to describe the car, the issues and benefits, and the price and see if you experts think I'm getting a decent deal or if I should back away and wait. Thank you in advance to anyone who wants to help and I hope to be a member of this community for some time.

Josh

Thank you for the reply! So, here's the deal. I've pretty much bought this car. The check hasn't been handed over yet, and the car mine but the deal has been cut. I guess I could still back out, but as you can tell I've probably made up my mind. So what's the point? I just want to know if it was a FAIR deal, and if not well that teaches me a lesson!

First, this is important. I didn't need or want a car that was stock or easily returnable to stock. Not my goal, I'm a hot rod guy. I was hoping for straight, low rust, and so on. So this is the car as quickly as I can describe it: 66 Coupe, C code. Nice wheels and tires, paint good from 30 feet, but not the kind you want long term. New quarter panels, replaced due to rust, but you can see the weld lines under the paint with ease. Motor and trans is not original, which does not matter to me. Has a 302 with a C6 (yeah, i checked; came from a truck), with a mild cam, dual plane intake, typical Holley 600 carb, and so on. Has a new 3-row aluminum radiator. Power steering, manual brakes. Interior is tolerable but rough. Rust holes in the trunk. New bumpers but missing the Pony on the grill. Drives well. OH, this is important. It is open header now. Needs exhaust.

Has front Wildwood Disc conversion. Comes with a good pile of new parts not installed including: New upholstery kit, carpet kit, door panels, marker lights, and a few other things I cannot recall.

A few pictures attached. I hate listing prices, but it was between $5,000 and $6,000. Now based on all my looking this seemed decent, but I welcome your thoughts. Any questions just ask and if I can't tell you now I will when I pick the car up soon.

Let me upload some pictures. That's a good question about the master cylinder. I don't think I thought much about that. I have actually agreed to purchase the car. I agree that I thought it was a decent deal no matter what. It does have rust holes in the trunk, but everything else I could see was solid. The quarter panels have been replaced and the only issue I saw was that the weld lines were poorly done and can be seen to the paint.

Oops. I already posted all the pictures I have. My memory is not what it used to be.

Thanks so much for the advice everyone. I bought the car and indeed - it WILL be a money pit. I am not sure that I did the right thing. As I drove it home I started to realize all the things I overlooked. Every single interior part needs to be replaced. It had rusted floor pans that were half-ass fixed in a way that I didn't' catch when I inspected it, so that's another big deal. The steering was so loose on the drive that it was a bit scary at high speed, and it appears I'll have to rebuild the whole thing and replace other front end parts ASAP. And even though the engine has had some performance mods, it lacks power. So I need to re-learn how to tune a car, but also will want to do some engine work at some point.

One question right now that I could use help on: The current headers are very low and scrape over the smallest speed bump, etc. It has a 302 and AT. Any recommendations on a set of headers that would fit well and also give a lot more ground clearance? Thank you! I've decided I will put $1,000 into the car as well as the many parts that came with it and see how much I am able to improve it and if I'm still invested in working on it. If not, I'll sell it.