First off, this is officially my first post. I just bought a '66 mustang coupe that appears to be almost entirely original. Its a 289 C code 2 barrel with a three speed and the original engine.

The question is.... as I work on / restore the car what components can I update / dress up without destroying the value of the car. I'm considering upgrading from the original drum to disc brakes, possibly a 5 speed trans ect. Any insight into what is considered "acceptable" and what detracts from originality would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

well a coupe is something you can make your own...as for disc brakes id check out www.discbrakeswap.com they have oem style setups to look factory

as for numbers matching on a 66 there is no such thing....

 

All depends on the buyer..... I have and will keep all the original stuff I took off. I have the complete engine, trans, rally pak, steering wheel, seats, radio and everything incase when I go, my son can either sell it complete or as a resto-mod with the extra engine and stuff. The main thing is NO cutting or destroying to put the aftermarket stuff on!!!!! I can put everything back on and it'll still be the factory GT.

 

Oh yeh, like rmodel65 said, the numbers didn't start "matching" till 68.

 

Well, it depends on what you mean by "number matching". If the date codes on the major parts coincide with the car build date, it's a pretty good indication.

And of course, K codes had a partial VIN on the block.

 

Thanks for the input, and sorry about the terminology slip up. I realize that there are no "numbers matching" cars before '68. My engine block and car were both assembled in May of '66 so I guess that's about as good as it gets for that year.

From what I hear, as long as nothing in damaged in the process and the original parts are available to reinstall I'm good. I'm planning on dressing up the engine with new valve covers, intake, modern wiring harness and other minor stuff. Basically I just don't want to have to undo things down the road.

I already have to repair/replace the dash were the previous owner cut to install a cd player... but other than that everything looks good, and I plan on keeping it that way with upgrades/modernization as appropriate. Thanks.

 

Update to a dual bowl master cylinder for the safety it provides. There's a million ways to do it, I think at least one way is in the FAQs.

 

Numbers matching is a gm thing means vin on the engine,trans and rear end.