Hi! I'm new to this forum. I posted an introduction in the new members area :]
anyway, I'm hoping to buy & restore a '65-'67 mustang early next year. I'm not planning on putting it in shows [for now], and I just want it to be a reliable car I can drive everyday. So anyway, my question is, approximately what does it take to restore a '65 mustang?
I have about $15,000 to spend and $10,000 for restoration. I'm new to all of this and it will be my first car, so ANY help, adivce, anything is really appreciated.

Thanks.

 

You can get a decent running '65-'67 mustang (coupe) with a V8 for 5K or so if you look long enough. Be carefull of rust though, make sure all the frame rails are good, and the cowl, as those would be the toughest and most expensive to replace. There is bound to be some rust somewhere (floor pans, front/rear window area) just be careful for excessive rust. How much of the work do you plan to do yourself?

If you do a lot of the work yourself, you can restore a mustang to a nice daily driver and possibly a show car. Just be sure you spend enough time to fine a good car from the start!

Also, why '65 through '67? why not go to '68? The '67 and '68 are pretty much the same, only the 68 will have a few more features and refinements. But overall the size shape and pretty much everything is the same between those two. However the '65 and '66 are far different from teh '67 and '68. A little smaller.....

Good luck with your search and future restoration!!

 

Is that $5,000 for the car and then $10,000 for restoration or did I read that right and you said $15,000 for a car and an additional $10,000 for restoration? If it the latter, you can buy one hell of a stang for $25,000. Usually when a person restores a mustang it is for love and will most likely take it in the shorts when they sell it. This is where you can get lucky. If you have that kind of funds, buy one that is already restored. That way you can tinker with it and personalize it the way you like without the years of waiting and frustration of ordering the parts and receiving the wrong stuff. Your option, but that's the way I'd do it. Even if you buy a cherry stang, you can still spend a ton of money on it. Good luck and keep us posted.
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Welcome.

I'm a newbie to Mustangs myself, but i can tell you one thing for certain, it is much cheaper to buy a restored or nearly restored Mustang than to do it yourself. Personally, I spent $4k on a 68 coupe that had a decent engine (and I thought a good body) with plans to resotre it just for a hobby. Parts, a little body work that I can't do, and a basicpaint jobare going to run me another $7k minimum (could be more ifI have to replace the AC components rather than just rebuild the compressor). By comparison, I could have had a decent restored 68 coupe for $9k by shopping around and waiting. If I were to have all of the repairs performed by someone else, I would be looking at $12k at least just for the repairs and basic paint job on the 68 I did buy for a total investment of $16K on a car that might be worth $11k when I'm through. The best buy, unless you want a long term intense hobby,IMO is a car that has a good running engine, a rust free body with all body work completed, and only needs upgrades to the suspension, cosmetic interior work, and maybe a new paint job, basically a nearly completed restoration where the owner ran out of money or patience. Interior restoration-with the exception of the headliner-is relatively simple as is suspension work. If you can follow directions and have the basic tools, you can do it, but an interior that is in poor condition will really lower the market value of any car. A lot of people won't be able to see beyond the torn carpeting and disintegrating seats. I recommend looking through your local newspaper classifieds, the local free ad paper, and ebay to get an idea of what people are asking for their Mustangs and what is available. You should be able to get a nice 289 coupe that's in daily driver condition for under $10k. If your fancy runs to Fastbacks, then you're talking bigger bucks. I couldn't tell you off the top of my head how much, though, because I was looking for a coupe with a 289 or 302 engine (I knew that I couldn't afford a Fastback).

What does it take to restore a Mustang? Patience, money,and more patience.

 

Questions.

1) Are you doing the work yourself or farming it out?
2) Are you wanting to resto - or resto/mod?
3) What monies are for the purchase of the project?
4) What monies are for the resto end of things?

Lastly.

Don't let the boat owners sway your decision. There's absolutely nothing wrong with 64-66' Ponys. Infact, You'll find that Hp to weight ratios are even better in the earlier modles.

 

Heyyyy I like my boat

Sure the horsepower to weight is better, but you can pack a lot bigger engines with a lot more horsepower in those boats to make up for it

 

Agree. Check out Craigslist in the bigger cities in your area and look for a restored car in the 8-10K range. You'll be MUCH farther along.

http://austin.craigslist.org/car/243407720.html
Look for a deal like this.

 

Speaking from experience about rusty ground up rebuilds. Paying someone else to do all the work will result in a huge investment that you probably will never get back. Most shops are over $45/hr now, and it often takes more than 1000 man hours to ground up a car. The places under $45/hr are either someone starting out, or a place you dont want to visit and certainly wont trust them.

Doing it yourself will mean investing in the tools, facility to do the work, and a huge amount of your time before you can even drive the thing. A one car garage will be very tight working, and an attached garage will mean the aroma of old car, paint, and oil wafting into the house. While you might not mind, the lady of the house will for sure. Dont know how much experience you have with mechanical, electrical, body work/finishing, interior, but unless you are well versed in all of those, you will be learning or payin someone who knows.

Buying a car that is nearly done, or is done would be better if you are a novice at the hard core rebuilding, and you have as much cash as you mentioned earlier.

You could also do it the way many street rod grey hairs do it. Open the check book, order parts, pay someone to assemble them. From my end I cant see that as "building it yourself"..lol..yet that is what they always say.. That is a viable way to get the car you want, especially if you dont have the huge amount of time, or knowledge that the guys in the shops do.

We usually are missing one of four things. 1. Knowledge 2. Money 3. Time 4. Ability even if you have three of those it isnt enough..lol.

Knowledge you can acquire as you work, making mistakes along the way.
Money can fix anything on a car, as long as you have plenty of it
Time is something we cant get back and is most often the thing we dont have
Ability as we get older there are fewer things we can do on a car, since you dont heal as fast, move as fast, or move that way anymore. Also you might not be able to lift something or do certain things yourself.

So look at what you want, what you have, and go from there..

Or send me the money and a car and wait two-four years... lol