Another new guy... (and seeking advice)

Duckguy

New Member
Apr 23, 2018
7
0
1
South Dakota
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
 
  • Sponsors (?)


Welcome to stangnet.
You can post any pics of the car in question if you have them along with a description of the drive train, updates if any and interior/body condition in the classic general talk area and the members there will give you their opinions, a few are experts in restoration and modification of these classics
 
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.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20180422_131747.jpg
    IMG_20180422_131747.jpg
    244 KB · Views: 216
  • IMG_20180422_131744.jpg
    IMG_20180422_131744.jpg
    197.2 KB · Views: 200
  • IMG_20180422_132748 (1).jpg
    IMG_20180422_132748 (1).jpg
    252.6 KB · Views: 233
  • IMG_20180422_133203.jpg
    IMG_20180422_133203.jpg
    240.2 KB · Views: 252
  • IMG_20180422_131648 (1).jpg
    IMG_20180422_131648 (1).jpg
    285.4 KB · Views: 246
Welcome. I spent a couple of years in rapid city. Can't remember if they salt the roads there or not. But I'd do a thorough check for frame rail rust.

5k would be a good starting price in my neck of the woods.
 
Disc in front with single master cylinder reservoir?? Check shock towers, frame rails, floorboards etc for structural compromising rust. Body looks nice in the pix. C6 is a nice heavy duty tranny but soaks up the HP compared to the C4. Is it 8" or 9" rear end? That car would be a steal here more than likely(Ca.).
 
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.
 
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.
 
tri y headers should fit better since the collector is slightly smaller in diameter, since only two pipes go into the collector instead of four. and you get to pump up the mid range power as well a bit.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Great deal for $5000. Here in Cali, I've seen rust buckets that are non-op, no engine, no interior etc. sell for that price. I noticed you mentioned the steering was loose and scary driving on the freeway. If I were you, i'd fix that quick and dump the $1K into that suspension before you have more issues. Great buy though for the price you quoted above.
 
Nice find. It reminds me of my old Coupe that I drove during College.
A good kit to consider in addition to other front end parts that you might need is this power steering upgrade kit. With the stock manifolds WORTH is recommending (that won't ever rust out) the kit fits just fine. Link below:
https://www.cjponyparts.com/borgeson-power-steering-upgrade-kit-289-1965-1966/p/PSK12/
You will need the pump kit too:
https://www.cjponyparts.com/borgeson-power-steering-pump-saginaw-kit-289-302-351w-1965-1970/p/PSPK2/
Initially it would be a chunk of money but the comfort and stability would make it worth it. Also sell the Wilwoods and go with Maverick/Granada front discs assy's and Advance Auto has the correct Maverick manual disc Master cylinder available. The Wilwoods are good I suppose however all of the Mav/Granada replacement parts are available (rotors,calipers,pads,etc) at AA, Azone,O's,CarQ,etc. You would just need a set of good used spindles, but new ones may be available too.
 
Seems like a pretty good price provided the undercarriage isn't in too bad of shape. Floorboards are pretty common rust area and rusted cowl vents which is what I would inspect for sure if its going to be subjected to rain. Run some water into the cowl and check for water getting into the floorboards. The steering issues I would tackle first just keep in mind that just going from the way new cars handle these days and going back to driving a classic car is scary when you're not used to it. Welcome.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Wow, I haven't checked in on this thread in a while. Thanks so much, everyone! Well, I've run into a number of issues and found some important things about the car that I was dumb and overlooked - because I just wanted it.

It IS a rust bucket. At least with respect to the floor and the truck. They are pretty much gone. Some kind of patch was put in that I didn't pick up on because it was covered in mud, but it isn't a steel patch. That is going to be a difficult repair. Was already quoted >$8k to fix it, but I can't swing that, so I'll be learning to do it myself or will be shopping around.

Regarding the steering, that was, in fact, the very first thing I am doing! After checking it out, the power cylinder and slave (or whatever the proper name is) were both shot, leaking badly, and the power cylinder was full of sand and grit. I rebuilt them both and have replaced all the tie rods and some other misc. parts. When I finally finish it, it should be all redone!

Headers have been an issue, but I finally got a pair of shorty headers that fit well. I'm sure it will cost a few HP but I can't imagine I would notice at this stage. So, I should have it back on the road in another day of wrenching, and then it's off to the muffler shop for exhaust.

I appreciate everyone's input and support. So helpful! Love reading the forums.
Josh