[Ponyboy289]

I'm doing my '65 as a "Day 2 resto-mod". Or at least I've heard it referred to as such. I'm making modifications to it, that would have probably done by someone "hot-rodding" their new '65 'stang in 1965. Some of the things I'm doing are glass pack exhaust, finned aluminum Cal-Custom style valve covers, Sun tach, three gauges under the dash, four point roll bar, Hurst Comp + shifter (with white ball shifter of course), etc. Although, I haven't talked myself into chrome side pipes.
Unfortunately, I was born in '66; so I don't have first hand knowledge of some of the popular things hot-rodders used to do to their street machines. All the info I get comes from old magazines.
Does anyone out there remember some really cool (but hopefully not tacky) thing that used to be replaced, added, or modified on early 'stangs, that I may not know about?
Oh, by the way, I am looking for an old Esso promotional item for the '65. It is a pair of plastic tiger-striped boxing gloves on a string, that you would hang over your rear-view mirror. I remember as a kid, a friend had a pair of these hanging from the mirror of his '65 Mustang.
"Yes, I am a greaser. Thirty-seven years too late."

 

[Huskinhano]

Graiger SS rims of course. They were called lake pipes back then, not side pipes, and they were capped off for the street. Tear drop hood is another.

A lot of the cars back then were also jacked up, not slammed like today. The hard core guys would run a straight axle up front.

 

[Gene_J]

Hey I was there. We never did any of those things! If you want it correct for the period you need foot long rear spring shackles to raise the rear of the car. Keep the skinny white wall tires. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

If you had money you would put real wide mags on in the rear! But only the rear!

You need a glasspack muffler on your single exhaust.

An 8 track tape player hanging under the dash is required! The wires should run between the seats on top of the carpeting. From there it is tucked next to the rear seat to screw on speakers on the rear shelf.

The tassle from your HIgh School graduation should hang from the mirror. If you went to the prom a garter should be hanging there.

You will also need the correct period McDonalds hamburger wrappers on the floor in the rear. You might be able to find NOS wrappers on EHay. Be advised that there were no Quarter Pounders then. Only hamburger, cheeseburger and Big Mac would be correct. There were no small, medium or large fries either. There were just fries.

Wow! I can't wait to see it when you are done!

 

[Ponyboy289]

/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif I knew this would be a fun post! /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Huskinhano]

Mickey Thompson also use to sell a small block Chevy swap kit that had headers, motor mounts, bellhousing for either for the stick or C4, oil pan and all other brackets needed.

 

[65pony]

Keystone Classic wheels were around then also. Or like another post, Cragar SS. Many ran the twist in front spring spacers to jack the front way up too. If you find an old magazine dealer at a swap meet, look for Hot Rod, Car Craft, Popular Hot Rodding, or some others and see what else you can find. It is fun looking at all the changes.

 

[Ponyboy289]

Due to handling and safety reasons, there are some things I will not be doing. Like foot long shackles, and raised front ends. But, what do you think of one of those big chrome footprint gas pedals? /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Guest]

Funny that you should mention the Cal-Custom valve covers. I have a set off of my first car, a '65 Fairlane. This was back in '79. I cut down the center of the fins and installed a set of 289 fender emblems off of the Fairlane that had the crossed flags. Almost looks Corvetteish. Anyhow, I found these old valve covers back home in the parents storage shed and brought them home a couple of years back. the aluminum had corroded on the surface to the point of too much polishing and sanding away the pits, so I did the black wrinkle paint and polished off the tops of the fins with a sanding block and some 80 grit paper. When the 'stang is ready, they'll go on there. I guess it is my one and only way of bringing back my youth!

 

[dickson]

Bob - My car came with a set of the Cal Custom finned valve covers. They were pretty dirty & nasty, but I cleaned them up, sprayed with "aluma-blast" and sold on . Kinda sorry I did, as they were really pretty cool.

How about a 60's era music bumper sticker? Or window stickers? Forget the 60's era butcher the dash "upgrade" for an 8-track....../forums/images/icons/wink.gif

BTW, I found an original white Hurst shift ball on ehay...it's all worn and surface cracked. I love it! Thanks for the swaps on Saturday - Hope you guys had a good lunch & sorry we could not stay. Dickson

 

[whitetop]

Ponyboy289
Here is what I would do if you want a '65-'66 era car: Nice big & little Cragar SS, Original Rader wheels(not the repo Radir wheels made today)or Mickey Thompson 5 spoke rims, Bias ply tires-some kind of cheater slick in the rear, Mallory Points distributor & Coil, Cal Custom or Eelco Valve covers, Early style Sun or Stewart Warner gauges, Teardrop hood, headers painted white, raised slightly in rear and front, tow bar brackets, Edelbrock X-FB crossram intake with Holley carbs, etc. Forget the lakespipes. However 4 into one side pipes were very popular in the '70's. I sent you a pick of my 64 1/2 Mustang originally built in '74 and never updated.
Dave

 

[Guest]

OK, I'm going to give my age away but here goes

----- you need baby moons ... not the kind you hang out the window either

----- you need the eyes on each side (forgot their name)

---- flames are a must

---- fuzzy dice and the pom-poms

---- the dog with the head that never stopped nodding

---- the tiger tail coming out of the gas tank

---- the 45 degreed angled dual headlights

---- tucked and rolled, chopped and chanelled

---- nerf bars

---- candy apple red paint

---- man, do I feel old daddy-o

 

[Ponyboy289]

Thanks everyone for the ideas! I've got a couple of '60's era stickers (performance parts, Esso "tiger", etc.) that I may test fit to see how they look. I've got a bobbing head dog, and I almost bought a gas tank tiger tail last week off ehay. I'm searching the swap meets for a set of older five spokes. I'm going to look into raised white letter Firestone tires (hopefully their logo is still the same as then) I hadn't thought of the underdash 8 track! May have to scrounge the pawn shops. I have a couple of 1965 printed Esso road maps for this area to put in the glove box. Now I just need to figure out how to get my AM radio to play nothing but music from the mid-sixties, ala "Christine". Man, this is fun! /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

 

[BernieFrank]

I was there in 1965. In fact, I was there with a 65 Fastback GT (my first new car). I could e-mail you a couple of pictures taken in 66 if you want. I had the finned valve covers and chrome air cleaner; but I installed chrome reversed rims with red lined tires. Forget the "lakes pipes". Those things were more 50ish and better suited to lead sleds than Mustangs. As far as tear drop hoods were concerned, they were a characteristic of Ford race cars (Thunderbolts, Galaxies, Falcons, Mustangs), but I didn't see too many on the street. However, over the last several years, they have become very popular on restomoded Ford street cars. I have one on the 66 Fastback to clear the Super Victor intake. The only problem is that heat comes boiling out the rear screens and directly into the cowl vent. If you open the underdash vent (to get fresh air), its like turning the heater on full blast.

 

[kketell]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

you need the eyes on each side

<hr></blockquote>Those would be called Mooneyes.http://66.216.94.142/images/products/parts/Dm120.jpg
<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

the tiger tail coming out of the gas tank

<hr></blockquote>http://www.esso.com/eaff/essouk/tigers/images/mj37.jpg

 

[NRiley]

I was in a Los Angeles high school in 65-66. There was a substantial difference in the modifications to a new 65 Mustang and modifications to a 65 Mustang in 70-75. In 1965 most modified Mustangs looked like the car Steve McQueen drove in bullet. Most modified cars had keystone or crager rims with black walls (crager was preferred). A car may have a bubble hood, a racing stripe, alum. 4V intake or alum. value covers. A very-very few raised the rear by extending the rear spring shackles. That's it. No big foot gas pedals (they went on in-board boats), no flames. 55-57 chevys had the fronts raised, not 65-66 Mustangs. Moons, lake pipes and white tires were put on the 40s cars until approximately 1962. Then the 50s cars became popular among the teenagers. With exceptions 51-53 Chevy for the latins 55-57 for the anglos, 55-57 Ford for everyone.

 

[whitetop]

Bob
Go with a 3 point roll bar vs. the 4 point. Here are pics of my 64 1/2 convertible that was built in '74. The top pic was taken in the owners Sunoco station in late '74 or early '75 getting the car ready for a show. Bottom two pics are from my basement.
Car will never be updated.

http://ourworld.cs.com/davamil/myhomepage/auto.html


Dave

 

[KENK66]

The old song used to go...
"I don't care if it rains or freezes, 'long as I got my plastic Jesus, sitting on the dashboard of my car..."
The next verse was about "magnetic Mary", a must for cars in those days.

 

[whitetop]

Bob
I hope you are kidding about the bobbing dog head!!
Dave

 

[Ponyboy289]

/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif Hahahaha! I actually do have one, but it is sitting on my bar. He let's me know if I should have another beer. No, he won't be seeing any action on my back dash. I just love the Forum! /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

 

[dickson]

How about a bobbing/swaying grass skirt Hula girl ? Gotta love 'em !

I bet you could hide a CD player in the trunk and stealth wire it into the back of your AM so it would seem to play nothing but 60s tunes......