stovepipe

me and the wife just got a 67 mustang it was my wifes in high school and has set in a garage for several years and the last 4 or 5 years it was in a barn. and now we have it in our drive. one of the front and back brakes are locked up. the motor is said to run butt has not been started in 5 years the body needs some work. the only rust on the body is on top of the trunk. the floor pans where your feet would sit are rusted and has a small hole in one spot. i have no clue to where im going to start. we want to fix it up to play with butt we are not fortunate enough to go ***** to the wall with it. its a coupe with a 200 i6 auto

68FastbackGT

Congratulations. My wife and I still have our Mustangs from when we were in high school.
Since you do not have any structural damage, Fix The Breaks First! Next I would do damage control on the rust. Replacing metal is a lot of work (and fun), but you can at least stop the dreadful march of the leprosy with some rust encapsulating spray from NAPA or Eastwood. If this car is not transportation, I think the most important thin is to have fun and buy a lot of tools. Any time anything needs to be done to the car in an excellent opportunity/excuse to buy a tool or two. It is amazing now my last tune up resulted in me getting an engine lift. Hum, maybe you should not be taking advice from me if you do not have a strong marriage.

Brandontyler65

start with suspension/ brakes and the chassis and build from there

LCC

I would start with the motor. Change the oil and gas, check all the fluids then try to start it. If you can get it running then spend money on the rest. No motor then sit down and start doing a buget plan with a piority list. Good luck, and dont give up.[sm=roll.gif]

Galactusz

Yes, like my fellow posters said, engine/carburator/tranny first, then brakes, suspension, stuff like that, then worry about interior, chrome, wheels/tires, much later.

Good luck!

[8D]

Soaring

The first thing I would want to do is hear it run. The next thing I would want to do is drive it around the block. In order to do that, all the fluids have to be changed, the battery charged and the brakes checked.

Hornblower

Changing out all the fluids with fresh stuff would be my first step. Especially the gas in the tank. That 5 year old gas will be varnish by now. Then change the oil and filter. Most likely you will have molasses for oil in that oil pan, so if it was mine, I would also drop the pan and clean it before adding fresh oil. Then drain the radiator, take out the thermostat, and flush the block. Rebuild the carb, because most likely gas was left in it when it was stored and there will be varnish residue in it and the gaskets will be rotted. Then charge the battery and see if it will fire up.

bradleyb

I would include buying a new gas tank kit - I had a similar situation in that my 6 had sat for 6 years. We actually started it up and it ran but I decided to change all fluid lines and the gas tank - blow some compressed air through your fuel line and watch the rust come out - for a couple hundred bucks, I say replace all fluid lines, gas tank and filters.

For sequencing, I chose to tear down my car that was running and start the restomod process - strip all the parts off the car, start fixing metal and get the body/tub clean and then start putting new/everything back on. But of course, I anticipated taking about a year to do the project and not everyone has the patience and storage space for that (not to mention the wife and kids putting up with the car..........)

stovepipe

thanks for the advice keep it coming. here are a few pics.

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[IMG]local://upfiles/54143/C149487ED7264183A463653E153FAC8D.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/54143/D4636D3A86DE48639D7122C02A4F373E.jpg[/IMG]

THUMPIN455

Well.. do you like driving the same way Fred Flintstone did? Since the brakes dont work, you could stop the same way. Provided you can get it rolling.

Get it running, and the brakes worked out. Take it to a carwash, the self serve type. Wash everything, inside and outside, under it and under the hood. that will help you get a clear picture or what needs replaced, and where everything is. Most old cars are caked with grunge and oil soaked dirt everywhere under them. Some you cant even see the valve cover through all the muck.

Once that is done you can asses the damage and see where you need to start. Floor pans arent tough to do if you can weld even a little bit. Do the patches rather than a full floor. Once that is done, you can put the interior back in or fix it up to your liking inside. I would also take after the suspension, replace the ball joints, control arm bushings, tie rods, idler arm, strut rod bushings, and anything else that is worn out. While its all apart it would be a good time to upgrade to disc brakes, but not absolutely needed. If you just want a casual driver for the occasional weekend, just rebuild what is there.

lastly you can tackle the body work, if you want. Or you could drive it around with the rust hole and enjoy an old car with its musty experienced persona. have done that myself..

But you have three choices really.
1 Sell it to someone else. (not what I advise)
2. Repair it over time after getting it driveable.
3. Full on ground up rebuild like the car in my avatar.

I figure # 2 is it.. so get out ther eand start on the suspension, brakes, and getting the engine running.