Restoring my 1966
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 5
From: Illinois
Restoring my 1966
This is my 1966 mustang very proud of it!!
BTW we do have the back seat we just took it out for some dusting!
Anyway i have now started the job and hope to use that money to start restoring it.
Most of it is functional and most of its problems are simply cosmetic stuff. There is very little rust on it. Under the front fenders is the worst. turn signals wont work. The lever for the signals seems very loose. Oh and the locks dont work right. The passenger side door is weird. It wont close unless you push down on it hard. Its sort of bent up and the lock for the trunk is gone.
It used to be my dads he got to see it in beautiful condition. But after the transmission got shot in 1991 he left it out in the weather and an unfortunate series of events lead to it looking like that.
Fast forward to 2006 when i started up the engine. Worked beautifully. No problems there. this summer i bought it some used transmission but that one was no good either. No reverse... which is funny cuz the original tranny on it wouldn't go forward!! My dad was driving it and it was leaking out all the oil. He doesnt know why but he went of road for a while and he says it probably bumped itself. He had to get home so he kept driving periodically putting oil in. Eventually though the tranny went kaput. its an automatic. When we removed it i didn't see any holes in the oil pan or anything though. Im sending the original to be rebuilt.
This summer we also did the breaks. Only problem there is that the pedal seems to be very loose seems like a simple fix. And i will be replacing the lines.
First thing i want to do is paint it I also want the engine compartment painted which would require the removal of the fenders and front. And probably the interior too since there is a bit of rust under the dash.
IS there anything needed to be done on the underside? Maybe some protective coating etc?
How much do you think paint would cost?
And judging from what i have told you and the pics how much do you think it would cost to restore? I know its hard to calculate from just that info but any guess is appreciated.
Thanks Guys
-Carlos
BTW we do have the back seat we just took it out for some dusting!
Anyway i have now started the job and hope to use that money to start restoring it.
Most of it is functional and most of its problems are simply cosmetic stuff. There is very little rust on it. Under the front fenders is the worst. turn signals wont work. The lever for the signals seems very loose. Oh and the locks dont work right. The passenger side door is weird. It wont close unless you push down on it hard. Its sort of bent up and the lock for the trunk is gone.
It used to be my dads he got to see it in beautiful condition. But after the transmission got shot in 1991 he left it out in the weather and an unfortunate series of events lead to it looking like that.
Fast forward to 2006 when i started up the engine. Worked beautifully. No problems there. this summer i bought it some used transmission but that one was no good either. No reverse... which is funny cuz the original tranny on it wouldn't go forward!! My dad was driving it and it was leaking out all the oil. He doesnt know why but he went of road for a while and he says it probably bumped itself. He had to get home so he kept driving periodically putting oil in. Eventually though the tranny went kaput. its an automatic. When we removed it i didn't see any holes in the oil pan or anything though. Im sending the original to be rebuilt.
This summer we also did the breaks. Only problem there is that the pedal seems to be very loose seems like a simple fix. And i will be replacing the lines.
First thing i want to do is paint it I also want the engine compartment painted which would require the removal of the fenders and front. And probably the interior too since there is a bit of rust under the dash.
IS there anything needed to be done on the underside? Maybe some protective coating etc?
How much do you think paint would cost?
And judging from what i have told you and the pics how much do you think it would cost to restore? I know its hard to calculate from just that info but any guess is appreciated.
Thanks Guys
-Carlos
Last edited by Felix the cat; Sep 27, 2008 at 01:43 PM.
4th Gear Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,282
From: TX
Hey Carlos!
It all comes down to rust. The less welding and fabrication you need, the better. The rust under the dash is usually a warning sign for more rust. When these cars are left outside, leaves etc clog the drain holes in that vent under the windshield on the outside of the car. Called the "cowl". That will tend to rust out then, and the water will get under your carpet. Then the floors rust out. Really take the time to study the underside of the car, that will give you a better idea of what you are working with.
Just to put things in perspective, always double the amount of money and time you honestly think the car will need.
A really good paintjob costs several thousand dollars, just so you know. Sweet car! You will have a blast.
A good starting point is to siphon out the bad gas, and use Sea-Foam (available at most autoparts places) to help clean out the fuel system. Fuel filter too. Spark plugs, wires, distributor cap...
---
In terms of an overall estimate, you have to ask yourself where you want to go with the car. A regular restoration? Do you plan to upgrade the brakes? Do you care if it is a showcar or just a "driver"? Are you going to go for high performance and upgrade your horsepower?
It all comes down to rust. The less welding and fabrication you need, the better. The rust under the dash is usually a warning sign for more rust. When these cars are left outside, leaves etc clog the drain holes in that vent under the windshield on the outside of the car. Called the "cowl". That will tend to rust out then, and the water will get under your carpet. Then the floors rust out. Really take the time to study the underside of the car, that will give you a better idea of what you are working with.
Just to put things in perspective, always double the amount of money and time you honestly think the car will need.
A really good paintjob costs several thousand dollars, just so you know. Sweet car! You will have a blast.
A good starting point is to siphon out the bad gas, and use Sea-Foam (available at most autoparts places) to help clean out the fuel system. Fuel filter too. Spark plugs, wires, distributor cap...
---
In terms of an overall estimate, you have to ask yourself where you want to go with the car. A regular restoration? Do you plan to upgrade the brakes? Do you care if it is a showcar or just a "driver"? Are you going to go for high performance and upgrade your horsepower?
Last edited by lunarweasel; Sep 27, 2008 at 02:05 PM.
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 5
From: Illinois
A good starting point is to siphon out the bad gas, and use Sea-Foam (available at most autoparts places) to help clean out the fuel system. Fuel filter too. Spark plugs, wires, distributor cap...
---
In terms of an overall estimate, you have to ask yourself where you want to go with the car. A regular restoration? Do you plan to upgrade the brakes? Do you care if it is a showcar or just a "driver"? Are you going to go for high performance and upgrade your horsepower?
Hmm i think a regular restoration. First i would like just to make it look good.And to be trust worthy for driving. We need it for a road trip next year. After that i guess little by little i would go after all the minor details. So for now just good paint trimmings and faithful engine. I wouldnt say i want a show car. As for performance i do want to make a few mods. Just simple stuff just like edelbrock manifold 4 barrel carb, and dual exhaust
Also i want to put in a manual tranny and a tach. Shifting is sooo much cooler! But the other side of me tells me to stick with the original auto tranny.
So yeah just the basics for now. In my job i should make about 10,500 bucks by July. So i dont know exactly how much that will do.
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