New Guy wants to get garaged 65 Fastback on road

Any pics?

And welcome!


A 5.0 will work, with some minor mods to either the car or the engine.

brakes depend on your budget. There are a lot of options.

Tire/wheels will really depend on how you want it to look/what you want to do with the car. the torque thrust series of wheels are very popular.

I have a 5.0 out of a fox body in mine, but I stayed carbed. Do you want carb or EFI?

I would also suggest you consider a T5 or AOD transmission with OD. That way you can cruise on the highway all you want and keep the RPMs down even with better rear end gears.

For wheels I like Magnum 500. I suggest 15x7 for a classic look. You can run 215 60 15 all around or 215s front and 225 60 15 rear. I like Torque Thrust, Keystone Klassic, Cragar SS etc.

I have Granada front disc brakes, but there are some other really good ways to go on that. I would advise keeping drums in the rear. Here is a good place for front disc stuff.

Welcome to CSRP

Off Topic

tx65coupe said:

Here is a good place for front disc stuff.
Welcome to CSRP

Click to expand...

I hope their products function better than their site.

I'm not sure what you mean. The site works fine for me. Its layout is a little wierd though.

The car has not ran since 1984 so I know we will need engine work, brakes, and more. We also don't have front fenders other than that the car is complete.
Use original or new "original tooling" fenders.

So first with the engine.
What's wrong with the one you have?

Are there any good swaps I could do to like maybe a 5.0 from 80s or 90s, an Explorer 5.0? Any suggestions?
Sure, any 5.0 will work well for you, although if you have a manual trans you''l need a clutch bracket, and of course a carbureted intake, and an original one, will be a LOT easier to use than EFI. Watch out for the later Explorer 5.0, they have the GT-40P heads, which work just fine, but require special headers.

Whats a good suspension. Any good kits out there?
Sure, Glazier Nolan has a kit that replicates the 65-66 GT350. Add the "Arning/Shelby drop" and the resemblance is complete, and the handling a quantum improvement over what you have.

Arning/Shelby Suspension Drop

For brakes any easy disc brake kits? Any good 4 wheel disc brake kits?
Use the OEM style 65-66 front disc kit, it'll cost less than $600 and uses stock 65-66 parts for maintenence. IMHO, rear discs are a waste of money on a street driven car.

What's a good wheel/tire combo?
Personal taste has a lot to do with this. I like the appearance of the 65-67 styled steel wheel, which can be had in original sizes, or bigger sizes, such as 14x7, 15x7, 17x8, 20x9, 20x10… Certainly many other wheels are available, too.

65 styled steel wheel:

OT

tx65coupe said:

I'm not sure what you mean. The site works fine for me. Its layout is a little wierd though.

Click to expand...

Once you select your kit, you click the image in hopes of seeing a larger one, but it just opens another window of the same page.

They state: "You may see and read about these kits and learn which is best for your car by clicking HERE." which yields: page not found.

tx65coupe said:

I'm not sure what you mean. The site works fine for me. Its layout is a little wierd though.

Click to expand...

Forget the outline, use the menu bar at the top.

what state are you in (not mental state....)

in maryland, you can get classic tags, with a clean title and proof of insurance.......and be on the road for less than $100......no safety inspection, etc

i ran my car for a year with nothing in the interior but a front seat .....so i could drive it around to get work done..........

i did have decent brakes & tires, and the car was relatively safe to drive......except for not having much of a front floor.........

let's see,,,,,,,,,,you son is 11, so if everything goes the way it usually does, he will only be 40ish about the time it is finished....... jk

welcome aboard..........

I didn't have any issues navigating their site.

Well Sir, welcome and congrats on starting your project.

My son was 13 when he purchased his 66 coupe, that was 3 years ago. He stripped every thing off it to a rolling shell and we worked through all the systems to the point where today, at 16, he is driving his dark gray primered 66 coupe daily. It has the sprint 6 and an automatic which were both rebuilt and replaced. Suspension, steering, interior upgrades abound.

New (to him) seats from a fox body, replaced the floor boards, lowered the seat pans (he is already 6' tall) he installed some silly thumping stereo, tires, wheels..... the list continues.

The next step for him is the interior. Everything, hushmat, carpet, seat covers, dash pad, door pannels. Then paint.

And he already has the coolest car at his school. His buddies come and hang out in our garage and help work on it, his girl friends all love to ride in it with him.

But absolutly the best thing of all....

He let his dad hang out with him as we worked on it. And that sir, no matter what happens to that car down the road, is priceless.

Enjoy the project. Dont rush it. And let your son crawl around on the floor, keep a set of dirty work clothes in the garage just for him. Let him turn wrenches, let him cut the rust out, let him weld and grind. Let him help you.

Trust me sir. In the end you will be so much happier with the outcome. no matter how well it shows to the rest of the world.

Enjoy the project.

Greg (yes, I am Dan's Dad)