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New Guy With Questions...

2K views 52 replies 30 participants last post by  69StangRestomod 
#1 ·
What's up people? :smile2:

I am not yet a Mustang owner but may be pretty soon.

An old buddy of mine is threatening to sell my 13 year old son a 1966 Mustang Coupe for $1000.00.

That may sound like a great deal but this thing has some issues.

My question to you guys is: Do you think this car is too far gone to be worth the investment it would take to get it looking and running good?

It ran as of about 10 years ago. It has been sitting about that long. It has a lot of rust. Some areas are pretty rough. As you can see in the pics the passenger side windshield post is toast. The passenger side rear quarter is mostly toast. The hood is rusty at the hinges. We almost killed it trying to get the hood to shut. The interior is mostly there with some rips here and there. The dash is in the back seat. The owner has a bunch of the trim and different pieces in boxes. The engine is a 302. It only has 12,000 miles on it. He has the carb for it. He pulled it off to put on another vehicle. It would come with it if I buy it. He swears it would fire up without too much hassle. (yeah right) The body is straight but it is rusty. Apparently a bunch of the wiring is new. There are a ton of little things wrong with it. He has new headliner for it to be installed. New disc brakes were added to the front as of 10 years ago. (been sitting) The worst thing to me is some pretty serious rust on the front drivers side frame rail just before the radiator. The owner says it could be patched. I guess it could. :|

The thing is my son who is 13 is a Mustang/Car fanatic. He really wants a Mustang. He has Mustang posters on his wall and it's all he talks about. He is really excited about this Mustang in particular. He is already calling it "his Mustang". lol
I like vintage cars but I am not really a "Car Guy" if you know what I mean. I own a 1988 Jeep Wrangler that I bought new and still drive everyday. That's kind of my "project car" if you know what I mean. I also have a 1984 Chevy C-10 that belonged to my dad. I am not really looking for a project car but, I feel like this car is cheap enough to not really lose too much on it. $1000.00 isn't a whole bunch of money. I see it as possibly being a good project for my son to see how much he really likes working on cars. It could also be a complete nightmare. If we end up bailing out I feel like it wouldn't be too hard to break even at least.

Again, it needs a ton of work.

I would love to hear some opinions or thoughts on this thing.

Look at the pics and let me know. :smile2:
 

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#2 ·
I told him at the beginning of the school year that if his grades looked good I would "help him get it".

Well, he has been doing pretty well in school so far this year. I think using the car as incentive has helped.

I hate to not follow through on my end of the bargain if he keeps his end. :)
 
#3 ·
He'll probably be mad at you for a while, but I wouldn't let my kid buy a car with that much rust.

You can't really see the parts underneath that could be real problems for a first timer doing some restoration work (cowl, floors and frame rails just for starters). Who knows what it will take to get the engine running again...could be a full rebuild for a few grand right there.

I'd be on the lookout for a running/driving car that needs some TLC that a first timer could handle. Even if you had to throw in money to make up for the big difference in cost, you'll be WAY far ahead in the long & short run.
 
#5 · (Edited)
X2, I would pass on that one & find him one in better condition with less rust. To much rust for a first project. It could be rescued but that one is not for a first time restorer. The 69 Mustang I am doing now required a lot of sheet metal work which I did my self but this is also my fourth restoration. Welcome to VMF.
 
#13 ·
A 65/66 conv running and driving only needs paint $5000 has gotta be a hidden disaster! Been a convertible fanatic for 50 years. There's no end to problems structural, top, top frame etc.

As far as $1000 coupe goes a typical $1000 coupe may need $10,000 body and structure work unless you do most yourself. A $5000 coupe may need $3000 body and structure.

Like others have said an overwhelming project may destroy enthusiasm/interest.


Depending on experience the OP, father needs to be aware. Aside from hood, trunk lid, doors and front fenders the rest is welded together sheet
metal. The is no frame. Bondo can make the body look pretty, even solid. The whole car can be about to collapse (especially convertibles) and
look good because of good bondo job.
 
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#7 ·
I wouldn't go for it. Quarters are easy to fix, floors are easy to fix. But rot in the roof like that is real, real bad. Very difficult fix. If every panel on the car has rust in it, estimate around $4000 in metal (including your cost of buying a welder and fixing it yourself, rather than paying someone to do it). So now your $1000 car is a $5000 car, and it still doesn't run, have paint, or have an interior.

Not sure where you are located, but '65/'66 coupes are pretty common and running driving examples (that would be a more ideal project for a novice restorer) are only a couple grand more. You'll come out ahead in the long run.
 
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#9 ·
i also agree that car is too far gone for a beginner. i would encourage your son to be on the look out for a mustang with far less rust issues, even if you have to help pony up a couple thousand to get a better body. the mechanical stuff is fairly easy comparatively.
 
#10 ·
I agree with the rest. Unless you are good with body work, that is welding and fabricating sheet metal, I'd look for something better. Add what is known to looking under the carpet and seeing what the front floors look like. What condition is the cowl (air vents) in? Very common places for an early Mustang to rust out.
 
#11 ·
They usually rust from the bottom up. Not sure there is still much of a bottom on that car. Unless it was rare which it is not, I would pass. You can get so much more car (literally!!) for not that much more compared to the resto on that one.
 
#12 ·
My son had been driving the 70 to school every day for a few weeks.
This last Friday he said he was going to take the Rodeo to school instead.
My heart sank, he said the manual brakes, manual steering, and no A/C sucked.
Damn, I'm going to have to spend a sh*tload of cash to make it a more comfortable car.
The novelty of a vintage car can wear off quick with the younger crowd if it's not pleasurable to drive.
If you do get the car, be ready to spend a lot of money to get power brakes, power steering, updated suspension, A/C, etc.
In no time he'll be asking for a newer, more manageable vehicle.
 
#17 ·
The novelty of a vintage car can wear off quick with the younger crowd if it's not pleasurable to drive.
If you do get the car, be ready to spend a lot of money to get power brakes, power steering, updated suspension, A/C, etc.
In no time he'll be asking for a newer, more manageable vehicle.
With all due respect, this is BS. It's the individual kid, not the age or generation. I have personal anecdotes to back this up, but suffice it to say that none of that is an absolute. It just sounds like your kid values the comfort over cool. Nothing wrong wth that, just is what it is.
 
#15 ·
There might be a $1000 worth of parts in that car, but the rust issues look huge. I'd show your son these comments and say - lets find a better option. If he had to have THAT car for some reason, and you felt compelled to say yes, I would just part it out. Let him pull and refurb some parts and sell them to other guys. That'd be the only way that car makes sense, I think the body is shot unfortunately. Rebuilding the engine yourself could be fun maybe, you've got a few years before he drives anyway, but trying to fix that body is not worth it, IMHO.

Jay
 
#16 ·
What's up people? The body is straight but it is rusty. The thing is my son who is 13...I am not really a "Car Guy" if you know what I mean. I own a 1988 Jeep Wrangler. That's kind of my "project car" if you know what I mean.
What's up is you should pass on it. You and your son can find something much better suited, and you have the time to do so.
(If you know what I mean.) :wink:
 
#18 ·
It all depends on you and your son, and both of your abilities. If you know how to MIG weld, and he wants to learn, OK. He's 13 now, and if you work on it diligently, it will be ready when he starts driving. One thing for sure- He's extremely unlikely to wreck the thing when he does drive it.

If you are not all about the welding, though, find one with less (a lot less) rust.
 
#19 ·
That is not worth $1000,,,well maybe at a Mecum auction...>:)

Maybe $300-500 at the most. Lots of work going into that to have a daily driver in 3 years. Keep looking there are many out there in much better shape. Surface rust, no problem. If that roof looks that bad, the cowl is rusted out and probably the floor pans. $$$$ to get the sheet metal and $$$ to get installed. He will find "The One", just keep cruising Craigslist etc.
 
#20 ·
^^^^^^^^ALL THE ABOVE^^^^^^ The best thing, if my kid wanted it, is to buy it on the condition to part it out and learn on it. He will then learn from it. Disassembly is a lot easier then reassembly. Sell off parts. Get a mustang catalog and start pricing things as you go. READ THIS FORUM. Lots of good knowledge. Pocket all the money and save for a better car like everyone above has said. Start with the vin number, learn what it is and go from there. The people here are steering you in the right direction. Best of Luck and Welcome to the VMF:pirate:
 
#21 ·
It depends what your end goal is....

If you just want your son to learn... It might be a fun experience...but get your pocketbook ready to buy parts...

The real question is, Is this just a learning experience...or do you intend him to keep the car for 20 years???

If you intend for him to keep the car for 20 years....Keep looking...and find a car with clean floors and a clean roof.. You might want to start him on a 6 banger car also and not a V8.. A V8 tends to be too much power for a 16 year old just learning how to drive nowadays...especially on a 50+ year old car.

:eek:)

Tony K.
 
#23 ·
"If your old buddy was really an "old buddy", he wouldn't be trying to sell that rustbucket to anyone with any other plans than to take what can be reused and crush the rest. "

I wouldn't say that its that bad...

It does have potential!

Seriously, I've seen much worse cars. The real key to that car is the unibody undercarriage. Take off a sill plate and Lift up the carpet to check the floors, and look under the car. Open the trunk and look for rust in the trunk floors... If its serious...just walk away... It's just that simple...

:eek:)

Tony K.
 
#25 ·
Not to be the bearer of bad news but I can tell you from experience that on 99.9% of vintage Mustangs the rust is WORSE than what you see once you start taking it apart. I guarantee that you will find rotten floorboards and frame rails on that car.
If your buddy was a real gentleman he would give that car to your son for use as a parts car. Maybe you could find a solid stripped body ( I know of a couple of them that have been sold cheaply or given away on this website in the past year) and use the parts off of this car to rebuild the solid body.
 
#27 ·
It's not what we think---just saying/suggesting you check the under structure. We are Mustang people, just trying to help.
 
#28 ·
The underhood pic looks decent. The tops of the aprons don't show heavy rust.
 
#29 · (Edited)
My opinion is this, I think that as usual with a parked when it wore out 50 year old car it needs a complete rotisserie style, do it yourself restoration. 500 is a fair price as a parts car and scrape metal. You must have a garage and some storage. You will need to make,buy or borrow a lot of tools and it would be nice to have a car trailer and a truck to drag it around. It is a labor of love and a hobby, like bowling or hunting or travelling...its fun to do the restoration, you will spend money that you will never recoup, ever..... Its not an investment, it can be a father son project, several have been done on this forum, and it can take 2500 hours or so to do it. Everything you need to do, or learn to do, is on you tube and here on the forums search button....follow some of the builds, read the forums....get an NPD parts catalog, make a budget list for a reality check on the expense of, well,. everything...........its like building a car, by the time you buy everything from hardware,fluids,materials,parts, etc it will surprise you how quickly it adds up. As long as you have an understanding of what you are getting into, your fine. Its not a hobby or a car for the faint of heart. Its a journey that mimics life, nothing worth doing is easy, lessons learned on this type of project apply to everything in life that the future holds for a 13 year old boy. I would go for it if my son wanted to do it after careful consideration and review of what was needed to do to have a nicely restored car.
 
#31 · (Edited)
OP, your son probably wants this car because $1000 seem realistic and easily attainable, but what about the other 8-10k in parts to get it operational?

I would wait and spend more on a better car to start with....or as others mentioned maybe buy this car and part it out......Gain some wrenching experience and maybe a few extra dollars.
 
#32 ·
Did your buddy keep it covered with a tarp? Because the rusty hood and pillar are indicative of trapped-moisture. My gut-instinct is that if you had that car chemical-dipped, that maybe 20% of the shell would return from the tank..

It would be a steep (and expensive) climb for a first-time build.
 
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