this might seem like a simple question, but obviously, everyone wants to own the biggest, baddest mustang of the year,.......ie, a hi-po 289 4 speed convertible, with all the bells and whistles, but ford just obviously didnt make enough of them back then to satisfy what people want now.
the question is, if you are going to do a decent job, (not a show quality job), but a good solid rebuild, if you have an original 6 cylinder, 3 speed manual car, is it better, to go back all original with the original specs for the car, or is it better 9when you decide to sell), to have gone with a fancier color, changing it to a dagenham 4 speed, (which would make it better to drive), or even changing it to V8 (and changing the front suspension, etc), or even making it a fake gt, or something like that??
i just got a 64 1/2, 170 6 cilynder, 3 speed manual few options car. hense, the questions.
thanks guys!
i'm wanting it for a driver, but will probably sell it sometime in the future.............wanting to know what is more financially benifitial...........collected coins for a long time, if you clean em,........you ruin em,........not in the car business, so am curious what people who do this for a living, or to make money, think is better. i'm generally a purist, i like stuff original, but in cars, dont know what is better moneywise. i have a couple 289 motors, so other then changing the susension, which is probably ready to be repaired anyway,
basically what i am asking, is, is it better to be 100% original to the tag/original vehicle produced, or is it better to make it into what more people would want for their own driving pleasure...........
thanks!

 

I think on a car like yours you would have nothing to loose if you modified it however you want. If was a convertible, Shelby, Boss, or or some other lower production car then I would say keep it stock and the value should go up over time. But with a I6 car or a basic 289 coupe the value is probably never going to grow that much, so you might as well have fun with it.

 

An original 100% restoration to the original build will always be worth much more than a resto. That said.. it'll also cost you much much more to do that. As jc stated.. unless its a rare shelby, boss, etc car then rip into it and make it yours! You'll likely enjoy it more and have more fun with it.

 

My 2 cents:

If you want a daily driver, for regardless how long, you want it to be safe. These old cars by today's standards are not that safe. So what does it take to make them safer? Usually, disc brakes (at least up front), 3-pt seat belts, and seats with headrests to mitigate whiplash injuries are minimum modifications. Others would argue that a new suspension is also necessary. I know my 64.5 handles a lot better with the new suspension and wheels.

If you save the original parts then you can replace them or give them to the next buyer should originality become an issue. Consider modifications that are reversible or, at least, don't impact the value too much should an original restoration become desired.

If you want a "trailer queen" to take to shows and not drive, then a concours restoration is in order but the value of your particular model (or mine for that matter) is not on par with the more desirable Shelbys, "k-code", etc... I agree with jc - it will increase in value but less quickly than the others. So, if you want a driver, make it safe and modify it to your liking! People are always looking for good old classics to drive... that are safe!

 

I agree with JC. If the car is something special, then keeping it orginal is important. A cobrajet, HI-PO, boss, shelby, etc. is worth keeping orginal. If you have a plain ol' mustang, then restomods are selling well right now. I have a plain ol' Mach 1that wasa 351 2 barrel original car. I decided that a nice high performance 383 Dart stroker would be worth more than a worn out or rebuilt 351. It is more important to me, and probably others, that the car run well than be a "gutless" orginal car. Barrett-Jackson this year showed that restomods are selling better than plain orginals unless they are something special like 30K orginal mile car or something. Now there is always a limit with restomod cars. The ones with fully upgraded suspension, engine, interior, paint, etc. do not seam to sell as well. I prefer the slightly modified cars that run well, but still look like they belong in the 60s.

All that being said, you will be hard pressed to get your money out of a car you restore or restomod unless you hold on to it for years. It has been proven time and time again that the best deals on old muscle cars are the projects other people could not finish. I looked just today to see what ebay was bringing for 69 Mach 1s. You can buy a nice big block car for what I will end up spending to restomod my car into a 383 Dart stroker, of course that is not near as much fun!

 

basically, you are prolly going to lose money on the whole thing either way, so I would say that about how much money you put in to it, you will get a ratio of that much back, and it doesnt matter what you do to it. Personally, i would say that you should upgrade it to your specs since it is your car and you want it to be safe, and it will be worth enough when you are ready to sell it.

 

Good answer as far as the 100% restoration to the original build will always be worth much more than a friggin restomod, but it will actually cost you much less to go original than restomods such as JamesW'srestomod.

 

i forgot to say, it is a '64 1/2 convertible. but, it is the 170 ci, 3 speed manual,........with little or no options. i have two 289 engines, and a 3 speed manual trans, and an automatic trans (wouldnt really want to use that one though), so that part wouldnt "cost" me, per say,..........the suspension would, front end work, brakes, etc would. it was made may 12th, if that matters, it is pretty early production. i've been a coin collector, and that kind of stuff, originality is very important in that, just dont want to be one of those guys who shined up all his coins,.....so they'd shine better,.........and look newer......but knock thousands off of the value. my "main" mustang is a candy apple red gt '66 hard top, 4 speed, 4:11 rear end.............it'll ****-n-git!

 

Mustangs are the same as coins NEVER clean them and avoid touching them with your hands as you will get oils on them. You can also have them graded and put in a nice plastic case! haha, im just kidding of course... I collected coins for a couple years, do you have anything really cool?

If you already have a nice fast mustang then I would restore the convertible if I were in your situation. It would be worth a little more that way in the end, and you could just have a nice cruiser. thats just my opinion tho...

 

There is a lot of variables that come into play. First, if you just want an investment, buy the car, do nothing to it, keep it for a few years, and sell it for a profit. But then again you have to buy the car at the right price. Second, T-codes or I-6's today don't have much value as I think the Muscle car label is placed on just about everything with a running horse on it and it has to go fast quick. Thats not to say when all the I-6's are converted to "Restomods" then they become valuable since their is no more. Third, I have seen nicely done "Restomods" bring a hefty Price at auctions well in excess of their concours counterparts ever hoped for. Rare models excluded such as Shelby, Boss, 68 R code, K code, and certain Mach's.And the final thing is, how much work can you do yourself,this is one area where you can save atonn of cash, if not, thenthe cost of restorationcan very easily out weigh the market value of the finished car. If so, then hopes of making a profit are lost.I've been doing this fora long timeand I have never thought too much about making money at it. But I would consider you very wise to think ahead. Either way, if you enjoy it, then its worth it.