I know this may be a stupid question as I am new to classic cars and stangs but what does it take to make one councours again? What if it doesn't have the original motor or tranny but same as was in it originally,,,,,what if on or two of the body pannels aren't original. What if one wanted to add ps/pb if it didn't come from the factory with it. My 66 is gonna be a daily driver and not a show car...could I enter her in car shows not being concours???? How would you get a 65/66 back to councous being you can't get a marti report....is the data on the door tag enough? Sorry for all the question guys, just wondering!!!!!!!!!!

 

If it's going to be driven, and not trailered around the country for display... Concours would not be something you would likely want to do. You will get a ton of opinions here, that is for sure. My advice to you would be build it as you want it. Why spend triple or more on a fender, when a reproduction will do? When it's all painted, and you're sitting in the driver seat cruising down the road...they all look the same. You can certainly by all the "correct" reproduction parts, that give the car the appearence of being right off the showroom floor. Most times, those parts aren't but a few dollars more than a NAPA part....and you have the FoMoCo logo...and looks great. In the end it's up to you, and your pocketbook. I am nearly done with a 65 project. I used reproduction fenders, quarters, hood, trunk...and it looks great. Good luck with your project...feel free to ask questions...you'll get plenty of answers here!

 

I have to agree with john721 on this subject!If you do not already have it close to concours it will cost a small fortune to get it that way!Build it how YOU want it!Good Luck!!

 

Wow, you are limited to what kinda parts you can put in a councourse, and expensive. Then councourse is not for me then, lol. I was just kinda curious as to what it took.

 

Do you have the codes to know where your car fits in the 1965 production numbers? If the codes indicate that it is limited, and MOST of the car is intact, and in good shape, it might be fun to try the car shows and keep it as close to original as possible. I think the other thing that is important is knowing as much about the history on the car as you can find.My impression is that shows can be a fun place to meet other people who share your interest, and learn about what you might want to do based on other's experiences. You're definatley going to be welcome, and I don't think most folks care about winning anything unless you're hoping to sell the car for a profit. just my 2 cents

 

My car is a 66 and all I have right now is a VIN number as we are still waiting on the shipping company to deliver her. I know it has orig motor or at least the same size and the paint color is original (wimbeldon white). Dunno about tranny. I am debaiting on whether to paint her orig color or the turquoise for that model year. The interior color is the aqua/white pony.....so turqoise paint is an option. I am learing all I can in the meantime till she get here, I am just tickled the staight 6 has been rebuilt so we don't have to mess with that : )

 

If your going to drive it then my best advise to you would be.. Make that baby your own! Have fun with it and enjoy it that special way you make it. Going completely 100% original is for some however it does cost a fortune to do and your limited as the original specs. Making it your own you can repaint however you want, add a custom sound system, add safety enhancements like seatbelts, new headlight wiring (brighter headlights), add a larger engine, etc.

Its yours now, make it your own! [sm=smiley20.gif]

Edit: btw.. go visit some of the mustang sites like NPD (National Parts Depot), Mustangs Unlimited, etc and order their full color paper catalogs. This helps a lot in looking for things you'll need later. Also pickup one of the Ford Shop Manuals. eBay is the place for these I find. Have fun!

 

Also, for true concourse Iat least with old 'vettes) you need every assembly mark on the frame. I don't think you can have concourse and be a street driver without constant attention to detail, but if I'm wrong please correct me.

Any safety enhancement would be points off, so no disc brakes unless original, no three point belts, etc.

 

Concourse is a lot of money to do it means the car has to be the way it was when ford made it down to every nut and bolt.Most of us on here don't have a concourse car i don't i love driving mine and having the way i wanted it.If your cars a v8 should check out http://www.streetortrack.com/Street-...-pr-23510.html

 

I will assume that you are talking about Concours for Mustang Clubs of America based on your question. The original engine and tranny don't have to be in the car, but both need to match the VIN # & door data plate. Body panels need not be original. Heck, if they did, there would'nt be many Concours cars around. With the early cars, it is harder to know what options the car came with unless you have documenatation (original invoice, build sheets etc.) so it is easier to add all the options and still do well in concours judging. If the car is gonna be a daily driver, then you may want to enter it into the daily driver class. Those classes take into account for the cars being driven and are not as **** about correctness as the concours classes. The big deductions on concours would be wrong engine, wrong color (interior or exterior), wrong trans or wrong trim level in deviation from the door tag. But hey, say you like pony interior and the car is standard, you can have (and many do) have a new door id plate made to reflect the updated interior code. Is that a good thing, I am not sure I think it is, but it does happen. Also, it is tough to drive a concours car each day. Lots of cleaning & detailing if you do.

I would recommend that if you have the opportunity to attend an MCA National Show with the car finished, enter it into Concours driven and let a judge go over the car. You can then request the judge sheet and see how far or how close you are in your restoration. At that point, you can decide what you want to do with the car. Some people have a difficult time with judges grilling their cars. You have to have a thick skin, but if you look at it as a learning process, then it helps.

And I am not sure that just because it's concours means money. All restorations of these cars can be costly. Heck, it you decide to restomod the thing, you can spend a chunck of change. It all depends on what you are looking for in the car.