arthur

i am planning to buy a 1966 fastback v8 , but what are the things/(rust sensative)spots i should pay special attention to when inspecting the car.
the car is already taken partially apart for restoration so i should be able to give it a good look.

i was told the car come with a complete new pony interior since i have no idea about the quality , can anyone tell me if the is the right stuff to put in the car?

any special thing i should pay extra attention to about the engine and transmission?


thank you

mustang-art

Niteshade

I can touch on a few things to look for and depending on your skill level you can decide on what you can tackle or pay someone to fix for you.

The cowl and fire wall should be inspected for rust. There are some current posts that highlight other members work in this area and it can be a real pain. Needless to say look for previous accident damage that could have bent the frame. Floors are always sensitive to rust, especially in Mustangs.

At the rear, the frame rails under the trunk tend to rust as well but the repair is not to hard as far as I can tell, but I haven't done it yet. Check the underside of the doors for perforations, check the whole underside of the car, etc.

If all that looks good then you have astrong basis for a great car. If some of it is a problem, it may not be the end as any part is available and can be fixed.

The Pony interior was a option and is highly desired.

Let us know how it works out and perhaps post pictures so others can comment.

JamesW

JMHO....but I'd steer clear of buying a disassembled, not running car as my first project. It may seem like a good deal, but there are a bazillion things you won't know because you didn't take it apart....and you won't know the order in which to install them.

Not trying to be a buzzkill..but you'll be starting out on a tough road.

rmodel65

check around the rear windows for rust out that might have been patched also. my 65 fastabck ws completely dissasembled when i bought it. so far im in it for 17,500$ but ive got a lot of fiberglass parts, and aftermarket brakes,wheels etc. But I couldnt have gone out and bought this car like im building it for the money ill have invested

arthur

thanks for the replies,
since i just finished another project .. rebuilding a corvette i would dare now to buy a taken apart mustang, but i agree there are some risky aspects about it... i can't test the engine and transmission.
the car has been stripped and body repaired as far as there were rust probs .. the guys said only at a certain part on the floorpan which is replaced. The car is painted with primer already but i still like to check out if all rust is removed and repaired in a solid way sincei don't take the seller's word for granted
the price he asks he still quite high but said he sells at the 33% discount from the price he has already put in restoring the car... car comes with a huge amount of new parts (stil in box) .. so atleast i can check that out on his part/price list.

anyway i think i will gonna take a look at the car this week and take some pics

arthur

JamesW

Sorry Authur, my bad assumption in that this was your first project. You know then what you're getting into; 'nuf said.

typical rust spots:
- battery tray
- torque boxes (vert)
- cowl
- windshield lower
- forward lower corner of doors (plugged drain)
- floorpans
- forward/aft framerails
- rocker panels (strip below doors)
- around and behind rear wheel housing (fender lip)
- lower quarter panels
- truck area
- rear window lower

My real question would be...how are you going to know you got all the little parts needed to put it back together?

Timelockmind

JamesW -

Thnaks for listing all the common rust spots - an excellent primer for those of us who are new to the vintage Mustang world.

arthur

quote" My real question would be...how are you going to know you got all the little parts needed to put it back together? "
that is indeed one of my problems... that is why i try to find out what the really important parts are for which it is hard to find a replacement or what is very expensive.

with that listing you gave i can already test with a magnet to see if under the primer it is all really metal and not filled with polyester or something

i want to see a complete list of the new parts he claim to have and check if they are really there
he also claim it is a californian car... so i have see the old papers.. if true it already makes the rust problem not such an issue anymore( most of the time)


arthur

arthur

i just got back from seeing that mustang. the car is completly stripped but the good part about that was i could check very carefully on every spot to see if there are rust problems. my conclusion is : the car is 100% solid.
the car came from the san jose assembly plant , the engine is the 289cid , 2v v8 200hp ( reading the C code in the vin code of the car)
all the new parts (still in box) came from California Mustang.. i have a giant list of all the parts. with new radiator, complete new pony interior ,heater core, fiberglass shelby hood , emblems, steering wheel ,etc etc etc etc
still thinking everything over carefully, trying to make an estimate of the value of the new parts .. from what he said . total would be if buying here (europe) atleast about 10.000e ( included with import duty, tax and shipping )worth ( 3 years ago bought in usa for about $8000,-
and then deciding what the stripped car is worth for me... to make the total.

arthur