sarNz

Hey guys, I just talked to a guy selling a 66 coupe and asked him some questions, here's what I got

The story:
He bought 8 cars as a package from a body shop, and since he has a GT, he wants to sell the coupe
1966 Mustang coupe 6 cyl Auto
was running when he bought it, took out motor and trans because he was about to start restoring.
He didn't start restoring because he heard that I was interested in the car.
His friend at the body shop that he bought it from said that they bought it from an 85 year old man that had kept the car in storage for 25 years. so thats 26 years of being in storage on this car, which would trace me back to 1981.

The details:
Needs a new hood
Rear 1/4 has some bondo on it, like that when he bought it
He says it has light surface rust throughout the exterior of the car, but could easily be sandblasted
He says the interior is in great condition and all he could see is one minor tear on the drivers seat that could be fixed
He said it has the round cluster gauges which indicates the pony interior, correct?

Rust questions :
He said that when they took out the motor, there was no rust in the engine bay.
When you throw water over the cowl, where on the inside do you check for leaks?
How do you test the floorpans for rust?

Based on my description, what do you think it is worth?

I am going this weekend to look at the car with a couple of older people who know a lot about them. (ie, grew up and used to work on them)

My plans for the car would be to resto-mod it with a V8 and probably a manual transmission. Is this too far fetched for an I6 with an auto?
I know it will take years but you can't start painting without a canvas

19stang66

In 66 all cars had the round gauges. In 1965 the only cars you could get round gauges in were the GT models. As for cowl leaks, dump water down the cowl and look inside up under the dash and on the floorboard. If you have a chance lift up the carpet and check the floorboard for rust. If it's severly rusted than more then likely there is a cowl leak.

sarNz

thanks for that. hopefully it will look alright when i see it! how much do you think its worth?

gothand

To figure out its worth to you, work backwards. Say you can find a nice '66 coupe with a nice paint job, V8 and fresh engine for $12K±. Subtract $5000 that it will cost you for a moderately priced engine, transmission, clutch, linkage, driveshaft motor mounts, etc. Now, subtract another $4000 for moderately priced paint job that looks pretty good but certainly not show quality and a used hood and minor body repair. Next, subtract $2000 for a rear end swap andand front disc brake/5-lug conversion.

What are you at, about $1000? My point is that unless you can do most of the work yourself, you're gonna' be better off buying one that somebody has already fixed up. That is why I sold my '65 GT instead of putting the money into it because I'd be so upside down on a vehicle that I already owned free and clear and was in much better shape than the one you describe.

At the very least, I'd find a V8 that has an engine, tranny, driveshaft, clutch linkage, etc. Missing, that stuff will blow your budget completely out of the water.

Sorry for being a bummer, but it is better to add up the reciepts before starting the project.

19stang66

With all that work and body panels needing replacing/repairing I wouldnt give more than $2000 for it. Especially since its only an i6 and automatic. Also this thread I made awhile ago might help you out with checking over the car. http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=653960

sarNz

well, the thing is, my dad and his friend would always be working on these old cars. they know so much more than i can imagine, and i want to be able to do all the work myself. of course, having the internet is quite a huge advantage as you can find everything you need. im definitely willing to put in the man hours and the money, but since its a car in memory of my dad i want it to be really good.

gothand: youre definitely right about that. but i guess a car is worth as much as someone will pay for it. he has all the stuff for it, and they drove it into the body shop that had it 2 months ago before he bought it.

In an I6 to V8 conversion, what else is necessary besides the rear end swap?

I'm 19 years old and have no family to support, and go to college. I work during the summer and after this semester will hopefully be able to get a job.
The thing is, around here in MA, i look in lots of ads, and see that lots of old cars have been really rusted down. He said he didnt have an offer but my friend (who told me about the car) said he wanted $2500 for it. So if the car doesn't seem completely beat I'll offer around $2500. I know it sounds stupid, but I want this car to be a learning experience as much as a joy to drive in the end! This is my goal for a final project:

(I know it would be mad expensive lol)
Brand new motor (is a 351c good for a reliable weekend cruiser?)
Brand new manual trans
Nice loud exhaust
Disc brakes all around
Doesn't need a $6k paint job, since my honda gets hit by people, trees, and shopping carts.
Dark dark blue on the outside, red + white on the inside.

I'm keeping my civic since its very reliable and gets 28 mpg city. I just want a piece of history that I can be proud of and keep forever

sarNz

sorry for the bump, just trying to get more responses before the weekend comes.. is it worth it to get an i6 and do the v8 swap? or am i better off getting a v8 and then restomodding it

atomsk680

better off getting a car with a v8 already in it

gothand

I'd say it depends on how much you save with the I6 and how much work you're going to be doing on the restomod. In my '65 fastback, I have a new engine, Currie 9" rear, 5-speed tranny w/cable clutch conversion, new driveshaft and front disc brake swap. I think I ended upgiving awaymost of the original drivetrain parts. So, the fact that I have an 'A' code didn't save me any money or effort to get where I am today. IMO, a good, straight, rust-free body will save you more work and money than starting with a V8.

Good luck on your purchase.

Galactusz

If there's a cowl leak, it's more likely to be in the passenger's side floor.

A picture would be a better gauge for us to judge, but by your description, the other guy's opinion are spot on, don't spend more than $2000 on that rusted V6, if I were you, I would save a little more money, and get a nice V8 with solid engine and in RUNNING condition, and void of rust (or at least minor surface rust), a decent interior, no missing frames and pieces like a HOOD, and you can find a really good ride for under $5000, just be patient.

Oh, and don't buy into the ol' familiar cliché..."His friend at the body shop that he bought it from said that they bought it from an 85 year old man that had kept the car in storage for 25 years"...If it was stored for a quarter of a century, why is it missing hoods, panels, lots of rust, etc?

Well, at least this time it was only an 85 year old man, most of the time it's a 98 year old lady...LOL.

Good luck, I hope all goes well, like I said, be patient.