My uncle just called me and said he wanted to start a project car, his original idea was an old el camino, but i told him id rather work on a mustang. So basicly he is going to let me find ANY mustang i want (perferably late 60's early 70's model) and fix up. Catch is i only have up to $4000 to buy the car, no the 4k doesnt include parts (thank God). So does anyone have ideas?


Ps. Im 17 and am in Auto 4 at my school (highest auto class), so the only thing i havent really worked on is the engine internals.

 

welllllllll

for 4k you could get a pretty nice coupe (any year)

or a rough 65-68 fastback

or a basket case 69 sportsroof

 

any link to mustangs for sale?

 

You picked the right car. Rather walk than drive a bowtie! Coupes are probably the only car for that kind of money. Buy a V8, it's cheaper than having to covert a 6 to a V8. Find one with AC and PS, that way you get the brackets and pulley's if you want AC. Rust is alway a concern,front cowl and floorpans, rear quarters and trunk area. You could look at the auctions, but you really need to see the car and hopefully drive it. It's a forty+ year old car, so it's probably all wore out unless you find one someone has given up on one, of course then you may be redoing their work. Plan on redoing everything, if you are really going to restore it.

 

yea me and my uncle have been off and on over the phone for the past few minutes with which year/model to get. he brought up the idea of getting a VW, we can restore (since its my first restore) and turn it over then buy a nicer mustang to fix up. Since VWs are EASY to work on =P

 

Try www.craigslist.comthat is where i bought my mustang. Should be able to find some on there.

 

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/car/525129668.htmlHere is a mustang. Dont know what part of cali you are in, but that one is near san fran. Could be a rare 1 also.

Year _ _ Total Production _ _ % V-8 _ _ _ % I-6

1965 _ _ _ 499,242 _ _ _ _ _ _ 64.4% _ _ 35.6%
1966 _ _ _ 547,512 _ _ _ _ _ _ 58.3% _ _ 41.7%
1967 _ _ _ 442,686 _ _ _ _ _ _ 70.0% _ _ 30.0%
1968 _ _ _ 299,061 _ _ _ _ _ _ 70.7% _ _ 29.3%
1969 _ _ _ 293,338 _ _ _ _ _ _ 81.6% _ _ 18.4%
1970 _ _ _ 170,003 _ _ _ _ _ _ 85.0% _ _ 15.0%
1971 _ _ _ 139,942 _ _ _ _ _ _ 90.2% _ _ 09.8%
1972 _ _ _ 119,920 _ _ _ _ _ _ 92.3% _ _ 07.7%
1973 _ _ _ 123,402 _ _ _ _ _ _ 94.2% _ _ 05.8%

 

Hate to hear it, do they have a forum for those?

 

Just to give you an idea, I bought my car for $2800. It's a '66 Coupe C-Code V8 (nothing special). It was in rough shape, but rolled and started. It was also in Connecticut (my home state) and bodies out here are often in VERY tough shape and cost a ton more. Engines are a dime a dozen.

The paint is, of course, completely shot. Cracked, peeled, faded, surface rusted, etc. Sanding isn't hard, though, and replacement hoods, etc. can be bought decently cheap. The body was in decent shape, but needed floorpans, cowls, rear frame rail (only a small section), trunk floor, passenger fender, passenger door (small section), and minor quarter panel work. I may also have to do some work on the front frame, and miscellaneous other parts. Overall, a decent amount of cutting and welding, sanding, cursing, etc. If you're handy with body work or just generally handy with sheetmetal, welding, etc. it shouldn't be bad at all. I've dumped about $200-300 into the body (DIY style), and it's getting close to done... except those stupid cowls.

The interior was in very good shape, with the exception of the floor pans mentioned above. The carpet was worn and dirty, and the headliner was torn in two places, but both are easy enough to replace. The seats were rip-free and hardly worn at all, which helped a ton. I had to replace the ignition switch and do a lot of the wiring myself, as the previous owner simply clipped anything going near the ignition tumbler and left it hanging. The door panels, locks, skins, etc. are all worn and could use some attention, but nothing is horrible. Overall, it should cost me less than $500 to get the interior back in decent shape.

The suspension was, of course, worn and sagging. New leaf springs, shocks, and coils should do the trick, but they will set you back a few hundred for something half-way decent. The manual drum brakes work fine, but are nothing spectacular (disk conversion kits are readily available, but are too costly for me at this point). The steering wheel needs replacing, but otherwise everything works fine. I had to replace the gas tank and fuel line (went stainless on that), which cost about $200 with all the extras.

The engine wasan average 289 C-code 2bbl. It badly needs a new carburetor, but is otherwise solid. As long as the enginecranks over, getting it running is often a breeze with these things. The engine is where I'll be sinking the most money, probably $2-3k by the end. I HIGHLY suggest doing the engine AFTER the body work though. It's the most fun, but what good is an engine without a car to use it in? I also replaced all of the wiring in front of the firewall ($150ish), and will still need a new battery and other small parts. The C4 automatic seems to be in great shape. It has an 8" rear end with stock gears, which will DEFINATELY be changing in the future.

I'd estimate that I've sunk $3500ish into the car so far. I'm still quite a ways off, and it has taken a substantial amount of time, but it's been fun. My suggestion is to MAKE SURE you have help (if you can get the labor done by a friend or family member, you will save THOUSANDS by the end), and do some shopping around for a car. Without the help I've received from my father (engine / electrical) and my girlfriend's father (body work), this car would have rotted in place. I will probably spend $5k "finishing" the car, not including the engine, transmission, disk brakes, differential, etc. which can come later. Take someone with you that really understands body work and car restoration. Pay close attention to the frames, quarter panels, fenders, doors, floors, etc. If you can get a car that someone has done some work on, make sure that it's quality work; it often takes MORE time to undo something someone screwed up than to just do it yourself. Finally, if you can find a car that already has a built engine, transmission, rear end, disk brakes, cowls replaced (dump water into the vents just to make sure), etc. it would definately sway my opinion.

I wish I had some pictures to give you an idea of what I started with. It could have been worse, but it hasn't been a cake walk. Overall, expect it to take months (or years) to complete, and don't rush it. Throw a couple hundred into it here and there when you can afford it, and don't expect to walk away cheaply. If someone else is funding this for you, make sure they understand what it's going to cost. Most of all, have fun- Mustangs are great cars to work with.

 

Also try http://ww2.collectorcartrader.com/