1965 Mustang Coupe, need advice

[MasterLow]

I've been talking with a guy about buying his 1965 Mustang coupe. Here's the info I got so far: *Came with a 289, owner before this guy put in a 302, apparently it is a Chevy 302 block? *Before this guy bought the mustang, the previous owner dented up the hood and both fenders, so they are primered grey *He replaced a majority of the seals around the car to prevent water damage *Has a funky muffler system, dumps before the rear axle with what looks to be a cherrybomb-like muffler *Has a bigger cfm carb on it, comes with stock one too *brand new distributor, wires, plugs, etc *Last ran between 1.5-1 years ago, he parked it because it wasnt easy on gas and got rides with a friend to work, then a week later it wouldn't start, and has been that way ever since *Won't start because of something in the wiring, the battery is fully charged but the headlights dont come on *Aftermarket steering wheel (Grant), used to have a cd player but he took it out, still has old radio installed but is doubtful if it currently works *Previous guy interested got it to turn over and everything with his battery box(thing that jump starts cars), sounded like it wanted to start up but owner says it definetly needs fresh gas at least *drip rails are 98% intact, bottom edge looks to have about 1/2'' gone *cowl has had this plastic seal on it since it wouldn't start *rust on the right front fender, bout the size of a fist *paint is in pretty good shape where there is paint, few spots where it has cracked but no rust He's going into the Navy soon, just married, living with parents, they want it gone too. There's a small crack in the front windshield left bottom corner, barely noticeable. Also, yesterday he went to close the hood and the right hood hinge bent, so now it doesn't close right. at all. Here's a photo album w/ all the pics ive taken so far. Forgot my camera the first time, by the time i got back it was drizzling and dark. The daylight shots i got from him. http://s493.photobucket.com/albums/rr296/65rustang/ My question is, how much would you pay for this? And what are those bars under the leafs in pic #994?

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[rmodel65]

ford makes a 302, the one in the cars is a ford 302

id offer 750-a max of 1500 depending on if the floors are rusted

[Tony R]

What kind of skills do you have? Are you capable of working on this car? I dont want to deter you from buying a classic mustang but you are looking at some work. As rmodel said I wouldn't go over 1500. I paid 1800 for mine and it was pretty rough. However I bought mine for the purpose of immediate disassembly and restoration. With him going away and his parents wanting it gone you may have him over a barrel and might be able to pick it up cheaper. Those are slapper bars attached to the leaf springs.

[lunarweasel]

The frame is REALLY important. Look at it on ALL sides. Front rails, rear rails, floor supports, underneath the radiator.

Pull the battery out, how rusty is it underneath? (may help to lay on your back under the passenger fender and look up underneath the battery). The frame under the battery is a weak point. Chemicals eat through the metal.

If the cowl has that cover on, it may already have damage there. Lay down inside the car with a flashlight and look up under the dash. Pull the carpet back under the dash, how rusty is it?

Also, make sure you have an indoor place to keep it or it will just fall apart more.

Take time to add up how much you think it will take to get it on the road. Get a pretty good estimate together, then double the amount of time and money you think it will take to get it on the road. That's usually how it works.

Did he name that album Rustang or you? If he did, be careful.

---

Ok, that was the glass half empty part Just want to prepare you because sometimes it is MUCH cheaper to buy a $3000 car with no rust vs. a $1500 "good deal" car WITH rust.

Its a manual v8 car which is great!

[sschanz]

I agree, $500-$1200 for the car is what I would offer. Like Lunar said, once you estimate the restoration costs double it. Or in my case - triple it. I have a 66 Coupe that believe it or not, will take about $18k (with no rust so no welding or panels needed) to get her on the road and show ready. It all depends what you want to do with the car and to what extent of a restoration you want to do.

All the best to you. It WILL be a good project but a long one! You can look around some more and spend $3-4k on a Mustang that is road ready and drivable. I know it's a lot more cash but I ASSURE you, it does not take long to burn through $2k to make up the difference and at least you can drive it and work on it as your time and budget allow.

[SJs 66coupe]

Well, one thing for certain is that if you don't know how to weld...if you buy this car it would be a really good time to learn.

[zmetalmilitia]

I agree with what's been said. If you are ready to do the work yourself and have the time and patience, offer him $1K cash, he'd probably take it. If not, walk away. You'll probably get it for that if he is wanting it gone. Looks like there has been everyone and his brother messing with that thing at one time or another. You'll have a lot of straightening out to do with that car to get it running. As long as the frame is good, and hopefully the floor pans, cowl, quarters, fenders, etc are good (or little rust that can be easily repaired), then 1K is a good buy, no matter the condition with the rest of the car.

You'll probably end up redoing the interior, exhaust, etc. anyways, so don't get hung up on the small stuff. But it can make the seller drop his price since the car is in need of a lot of work, hopefully it's only cosmetic. It is very nice that it is a manual v8 car, that is huge when buying a classic mustang.

[kalli]

like the others say.
i just want to mention:
cowl has had this plastic seal on it since it wouldn't start
read this as:
cowl has had this plastic because it's rotten and the car is standing outside. If the plastic wouldn't be there your interior floor would be a swimming pool by now. Cowl is a very very major repair.

[straw1628]

Ford did build the 302. But if it is a chevy 302 (DZ) block it came out of a Z28 camaro and is worth way more than the car. I would have to believe that this is unlikely, did the guy tell you the engine was a chevy 302? Good luck.

[lunarweasel]

"Cracked" paint could mean bondo.