Kingshawn1234

Im looking to but a 1967-1968 fastback in nice and running condition. Is it possible to find out around 15-20k? Do you guys know around how much it costs to make an eleanor conversion? If I were to build the car from scratch how much cheaper would that be?
Thanks guys!

Kingshawn1234

Also do you guys know what i should look out for when i am buying the car? Is it a bad idea to buy a car across the country that Iv never seen?

001mustang

Most of the times it is cheaper to buy car already built; unless you do it for zero labor charge and whole lot of elbow grease.

racer_dave

Buying a completed car will be less expensive. Especially if you have to farm out any of the resto work. I'm lucky in that I can do my own and don't have to pay labor, if you do have to pay labor it will get very expensive very quick.

Buying a car you've never seen. Thats touchy, I'll say it depends. You need to verify what shape the car is truly in. Photos don't get it done. A frame rail can look great but when you stab an ice pick at it, it could go right through. Have somebody that knows cars check it out if you can.

That said, I've bought cars online. They've always been in a lesser condition than claimed, or the photos show. Its not necessarily a con job, its just that photos don't show enough detail and everyone who writes an ad makes it sound better than it is. So prepare for it. I figured for myself what was considered reasonable deviation from the ad. Then bid accordingly knowing it won't be as good as you think.

So, for the price I paid I was OK with it even though the car wasn't 100% as stated. The underside wasn't as good as I thought, the cowl was way worse. The 'strong' engine wouldn't break the tires loose. But the interior was better, it had a 9" rear that wasn't mentioned in the ad and the door gaps were great. No sag in the doors at all. The plus of the strong body, straight panels outweighed the weak motor and some minor floorpan and trunk work.

Hope this helps.

NoReins

Yes, it is possible to find a nice fastback for that price. But do not buy it sight unseen. Seen it far too many times, a guy sees a nice fastback on Ebay going for a decent price, plops the bid down, wins the car and it turns out to need total resto. Make sure you are able to see it in person, get your hands on it and feel confident that you're getting what you are paying for.

As far as Eleanor conversion, it's hard to say how much you will spend. What are your goals? Are you doing the work yourself or paying someone else to do it? If you have the skills to do it yourself, you will save big. If not, you're looking 100k+ for a quality, professional build. When you see ads that sound too good to be true, they ALWAYS are. I'm always willing to help if you have any questions. Lots of people willing to help on this site. Good luck!

musnicki

I bought mine off of ebay 5 years ago for $15k. It was a wreck......lots of reading, forum help and elbow grease and I have a solid daily driver...maybe.

My water radiator went out the next week after purchase, water pump went out two weeks later, gauges went one by one over the course of the year, I blew [up]the 289 five months into my purchase, lights failed six months later, clutch lasted a year. A year in I had enough knowledge enough to learn that I had a piece of junk, rusted floor pans, cowls, trunk etc. Car was in a wreck like 20 years ago and the front end was held together with lead welds! but.....I HAD A FASTBACK!

Four years and two tours in Iraq later and I could take my car to Germany to the Autobahn and keep it at 150mph safely.

Start with ebay for prices, thats a good place to judge economy and give you an idea of what you're looking for.

The cheaper is first:

Auto or man trans? 3,4 or 5 speed? Drum brakes or disc? 289, 302 or 351, 390 or 427,8,9? Suspension, stock to custom coils? Interior is ok or custom pimpage?

I dove into my dream car head first and paid a lot for my mistakes. Ask for guidance here, many of us have traveled that road already.

James

hightower2011

All of the above posts are 100% right and you should definitely head their advice. They all know exactly what they're talking about, and said everything I could even think of!



Many of us are also smack dab in the middle of that very road, like myself!

Totally worth it though!

bent metal

Ditto, all of the above.

The Mustang I'm working on was from e-bay. It was listed as having "some rust in the floors". ...hmm, Yeah it had some rust in the floors alright enough.

If not for the help of the people on this forum I would of made some big mistakes on repairing the car. Perhaps even ruining the car.

Good luck, and post pictures when you buy something.

hightower2011

Might as well had no floors at all, haha. Still would hardly be a challenge for you!

Kingshawn1234

Oh man Im getting a bit scared now. It really costs around 100k just to put on the eleanor body kit? I wouldn't really be doing anything my self. Id love to learn how. Is there anywhere i can take classes or something to learn how? What does it really require? Im only 18 maybe im dreaming a little to much. I have around 30k saved up so I want to get the best out of it.
Im going to look at a car tomorrow and Ill take pictures post them. Id love your opinions. Are there any other sites besides for ebay, cars.com and craigslist that i can look for?
Thank you for all your help I appreciate it.