Question in Getting Feet Wet

[sg22]

Hello All,

I am a Mustang enthusiast who is just getting around investing money and time in a project car. I feel nervous about doing major repairs such as overhauling an engine, transmission, or body work. I like coupe style and years 1964+1/2-1969. Do you have any suggestions what year and what price range I should invest in and where to look (e.g. Ebay, cars.com, or local Mustang club members)?

Thank you,

SG22

 

[yeloxr7]

Buy the best, most complete one you can afford. Less expensive in the long run than buying a crap bucket and paying someone to do all the work.

 

[Gud T.B. Blown]

i would stay away from ebay for the most part unless you can actually see the car or have someone inspect it for you. the best deals are usually a friend of a friend or a referral. try a local club for some intial contacts and go from there.

 

[coolblue65]

the 65-66 coupes are going to be the least expensive in terms of initial cost and parts. Also, IMO opinion they are the easiest to maintain and restore/fix/modify due to there simplicity. They are great to learn on.

 

[FasterThenU72]

i completely agree with the above mentioned, the 66's are by far the easiest to "fix, maintain, restore, etc...." Its when you start getting into my years and such that the sh** starts to hit the fan, concerning certain parts....etc.. Just remember dont get a rust bucket.....

 

[sg22]

Thank You!

WOW! You guys are wonderful. I cannot thank you all for the valuable help. I understand experience comes in small doses--and within long years. I appreciate your generosity of sharing your combined experiences.

Thanks,

SG22

 

[gbarber]

I bought my '66 off of Ebay. Be very careful. I won the auction and drove 3 hours with a trailer to pick it up. The car wasn't nearly as nice as advertised, and the pictures were several years old. I walked away from the deal. In the sellers defense, she knew nothing about the car, and she advertised what the previous owner had told her. The car was given to her by someone who owed her money. I did work out a deal with her a week later for less money. Like mentioned before, buy as nice of a car as you can afford. The mechanical stuff is much easier to fix than the body work. Look for the normal problem areas (floor boards, cowl vents, lower quarter panels, collision damage).

 

[CochinoFilipino]

From the title, I thought this was a thread about the infamous leaking cowl vent.

 

[69Rcode_Mach1]

Definantly get 66 for the simplicity and availibility of parts. 67-68 isn't too bad. Its when you hit 1969 when it becomes a bitch and parts are hard to find. Leads to a lot of fabrication and first time experiences. Personally Ithink the 69-70's look the best IMO, but then the 66's.

 

[jeb134]

Just go in knowing it'll cost more and take longer than you think it will. With old cars, you have to be patient. My suggestion, buy my car off me and save yourself a lot of time, money and hassle

 

[danewers]

From the title, I thought this was a thread about the infamous leaking cowl vent.

haha same here

 

[geostang351]

If he's new to this whole thing and has a '66, we'll see the same title but with actual cowl questions soon!

 

[Fireman255]

I am new and I got a 66' I stumbled across here in town. It runs strong has some minor problems but all seem to be easy to deal with. My problem is now that I have replaced the front suspension, I don't know what I want to do next.

I would sugest getting a nice car with small problems unless you have a shop. I don't, so my projects are mostly limited to a day at a time as I do them at work on my days off and you can't stop and drink a beer or leave it overnight in a fire station

Oh ya how do you know if your cowl vent is the problem? it is raining like mad here and the driver side floor board it soaked, and I can't find where it is comming from!

 

[Sicarius428]

Worry about what condition the body is more than the engine. Body work will always outcost any drive train part... The cost of a descent paint job at about 2-3k will buy you a whole engine for example... and thats just paint not including body work. Check out the trunk, cowl, floorboards, rear wheel wells for rust. This will all cost you an arm, leg and your marrage later on. The wheel wells are pretty common so there may not be much to get around it... You can typically find good deals on cars without engines too because it sounds like you are gonna end up putting your own engine in anyways. Shop around and actually look at the cars. It is really hard to tell what condition a car is in from a picture or description....
Kevin

 

[degins]

Buy the best, most complete one you can afford. Less expensive in the long run than buying a crap bucket and paying someone to do all the work.

Good advise. It will be much less expensive to buy a restored or good original than to do the work yourself, not to mention hire someoe else, to restore a car. You will still have plenty of things to do to it that will satisfy your urge to fix it.

 

[krash kendall]

Oh ya how do you know if your cowl vent is the problem? it is raining like mad here and the driver side floor board it soaked, and I can't find where it is comming from!

Get someone to pour water down the grill behind the hood and watch the inside under the dash for incoming water.

THE EASY FIX (what I did)

THE RIGHT FIX

 

[DukeGnarley]

everyone keeps saying '66, but incase you are unaware, the '65 is essentially the same thing with a few different trim pieces.

 

[geostang351]

Oh ya how do you know if your cowl vent is the problem? it is raining like mad here and the driver side floor board it soaked, and I can't find where it is comming from!

Look up under the dash at the vent location. Where it meets the medal you should see water up there. If you carpet is wet, pull it up and see how much rust damage you have under there!!!

 

[Fireman255]

I pulled up the carpet, the I don't see major rust and it sounds solid..... I just baught it last month and it had been in a carport most of it's life