is it a GT or just the same engine?

EDIT* Some pics might help a little

 

if it has undercoating all over the floor pans, and its in primer, there is a relatively good chance is is a nightmare waiting to happen. Buying a car in primer without checking it out first with a magnet wouldnt be terribly bright. Make sure it has metal under the primer, not just bondo'ed or fiberglassed holes in the quarters and floors. The nice thing about primer is it comes off easy, the bad thing about it is how water soaks into it and starts rusting under it.

If you buy someone elses project, there is a reason they are selling it. Usually it is exactly what Dan66 said, they got tired of working on it, or ran out of money. If they did shoddy work in an attempt to get out from under the car, and covered it with the primer and rustproof, you wont know untill you start working on it, or worse yet, have it finished and chunks of the quarter panels fall out when you hit a bump on a cold day.

It could be a good deal, just be sure to check it out good, and remember, there are PLENTY of old cars out there. Especially if you dont care if its original, rare, or numbers matching. If you just want an old Mustang dont buy a heap that needs every piece replaced, unless you get it for less than $100.

On the surface it sounds pretty good, except $8500 would buy alot of cars that you can drive. Figure on it costing you around another $10k to get it finished, interior, engine, paint and whatever parts it still needs. If you would like a 71 fastback, maybe we can work a deal...lol..

 

Hey-

I think you should do what you want and not be discouraged by what others say....if you do the work yourself you will not only learn a ton of stuff, but it will be a great acomplishment. Just make sure its worth it in the end. Make sure you've at least estimated how much its going to cost you (parts, labor, tools, etc.) to finish this project and how much time you really want to spend on it. I plan on spending a lot of time on mine but i knew this before I bought mine. Good luck!

 

I agree with mustangdemon, its ALOT better to do it yourself than to pay someone else. Mistakes are expensive and probable. BUT, if you build it, you will know everything about the car. I dont mean to discourage you from doing it, and I always offer my help where I can provide it. I dont want to encourage someone to take on more than they can handle, or more than they have the capability to do. If you dont have a garage or a place to work on it for at least two years without it moving, buy a driver. You cant let a body with no paint sit outside, you cant let it sit with no glass in it either. Most towns have ordinances where it has to have plates on it or be inside.

I got my first car at 14, learned alot with it. Fixed everything I broke on it untill I got my second car at 17. Then I started a resto with very little knowledge but alot of time and enthusiasm. I havent driven that car since 1987, it hasnt been started since then, and its been waiting inside for almost 20 years for me to get to it. Other projects have come first, because I want to do my 67 Cougar the right way, and fix everything I screwed up before. I also needed something to drive that had paint on it, wasnt going to break all the time, and could carry kids when I got married. It might get done later this year, in the fall or winter if I can get two other cars finished and sold by then.

Even when you have a place to do it, sometimes you get sidetracked. Cars are alot more fun when you are driving them than lookin at it torn apart in the shop. But definitely, learn to fix it yourself, because a shop will cost you so much more for simple stuff and you wont like the car taking up all your funds.

 

that does seem like too much work for that cost. a year ago me and my dad bought a 1971 mach 1 302 for a few thousand. no rust, working engine, never been in an accident, ready to be driven, interior was and is still a gaudy turqoise(we havnt gotten around to the interior yet) but it is almost all stock. you can find better deals out there, just keep looking.