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First time buyer/restoration advice

3080 Views 67 Replies 17 Participants Last post by  Caper50
I have always wanted a Ford mustang from either 66 or 68. I now have the opportunity to buy one! It's a C code V8 coupe from 1966. For the most part, it's rust-free with one or two (badly patched) rusty areas. At some point in the 70s, the owner swapped out the V8 for an inline 6. In 2021 the owner decided to restore the car and swap back a V8 but only got as far as to take out the Inline 6. I have an appointment to check it out on Tuesday. The price is approx half of what running coupes go for here. He has a few V8 engines that he is willing to sell for anywhere from 500$ to 3000$.
A few more things about the car: Steering wheel, wheels, and front seats are ugly-looking aftermarket parts. In the pictures, it looked like there were one or two dents. The headlight buckets are either not fully screwed in or the fitment is just terrible because there are huge panel gaps. The car used to be burgundy red but was repainted with candy apple a while back. The paint job looks ok. Breaks, transmission (automatic), electronics, and suspension all are in good shape and have original V8 parts according to the seller. The Interior is in a state where I would be ok with not touching it but obviously not showroom quality.
My questions:
  1. Am I in over my head swapping the V8 back in? I have some experience working with older fords (Ford Taunus 1965) but am not a mechanic. I have access to most tools, friends willing to help as well as a car lift.
  2. Is there anything mustang specific I should pay attention to when checking it out? (Things that will end up costing me a lot of money/time to fix etc)
  3. Any other advice is also appreciated!
EDIT: A little bit of extra info
VIN: 6T07C158163
Asking price: 10990€ (In Germany this is a great price for a mustang. Driving cars go for around 20k)
I am really not trying to restore to showroom quality and am ok with subpar results as long as it drives and looks good from 6ft away!
It comes with papers.

A small update:
The seller never answered my questions because "i don't have time to answer so many questions".
I then asked him if there was any wiggle room on the price or not (I had no intention of paying 10990 but never got as far as to tell him). He decided to insult me because "i never discuss prices over the phone, you don't call the bakery and ask to negotiate the price of bread". Then he said he finally looked at my questions in the email and who I think I am to ask them and what am I expecting from his car. Following that conversation I of course informed him I won't be coming to check out the car.

All in all I am so happy I came here first and thank you all for your help. I really dodged a bullet imo.
I guess he was hoping he could sell the car to some unknowing idiot (me) and get away with it.
You guys just saved me a 7h drive, a lot of money and time, thanks!

In case you were wondering what kind of outrageous questions were in my email here are just a few of them:
Was the car in an accident
What happened to the I6
Why are the body panels so lose
What's that weird patch in the trunk
Are the original motor mounts included
What V8s he has on hand.

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Some great advice there.
Bottom line is money! If you can’t afford to buy a runner the only option is buy what you can afford. BUT, in the long run it’s more work and can end up more expensive, that’s the gamble.
I live in Spain and it’s completely different trying to find new or secondhand parts here because as you know everything is twice the price it should be. If we lived in the US or the Uk it’s a different thing, lots of parts new and used available.
If you want to check out Ebay Uk there are always cheap coupes on there.
Some good guys on the forum with a vast knowledge of these cars and I’ve already learnt a lot from them. ( and I’ve only had my 65 Fastback since April )
Good luck!
Buena suerte amigo!
Exactly my point! I just have no idea what gamble im getting into. Is this a 90% chance of needing less than 15k to repair? Or is this a 50/50 chance?
I have access to a lot of equipment and people willing to help me so I can also manufacture some parts if need be. Maybe save some money that way?

That's awesome to hear and from the responses here i can definitely agree, people here are great!

Good luck with your FB, maybe one day I'll get my hands on one as well ;)
Thanks,
You’ll get there. I was looking at coupes as well because that was my budget. I nearly bought a beauty from Germany ( pic attached) previous resto and a real nice car. I had been looking at Fastbacks in the Uk and Europe for months. All of them where silly prices even for cars needing work.
This where it gets interesting- I’m talking to my Danish friends here in Spain telling them I’m going to buy a 65 Coupe. I then said to Lars I had given up looking for a Fastback because of costs and then he said have I tried Denmark.
As he was already sat at his computer he did a search and 2 FB’s came up immediately.
I ended up buy one of the for just over 30,000€ !! I couldn’t believe it.
So the moral of the story is, never think you won’t have something because in this strange life some nice things can happen.
Just stay positive!

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I phoned a local mechanic that was 15 mins away from the car with intentions to pay him to check the car out.
When I explained it was a 65 Mustang he said “ I love those cars” then said he didn’t want anything because he would be happy to see a car that he had grown up admiring!
You can pay a lot of money for any car thinking it’s a nice example and it turns out to be a dog!
That car is cheap and sometimes you can have a surprise and it’s a lot better than expected.
The way the prices are going you aren’t really risking a lot. It’s never going to be worth nothing.
Looking at the floor pan I personally think there is a chance you might be lucky. I’ve looked a many “ nice looking “ cars for sale before I bought mine and some underbody pics look horrendous!
You know how difficult it is here to find a car so it’s really up to you. I’m definitely no Mustang expert but I would take the risk after seeing the floor pan pics. But I’ve taken the risk many times in my life with lots of different makes of cars and really it’s just like spinning a roulette wheel you can be a winner!

All the best.
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There you go !
First ad I spotted on Uk Ebay. Contact the guy ask him the questions and get your flight booked.
Because if you don’t buy it I will !!!!!

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