[leoheller]

The short list of things to look for is rust, rust, and rust. Thoroughly check the underside of the car. Frame rails, floor boards, and torque boxes. If the floor boards are shot chances are so is the cowl. Poor some water down the cowl and check for interior leaks.

Remember there is ALWAYS more rust than you can see on the surface.

That seems reasonable. If the rust is in acceptable amounts/non existent are there any other things to watch out for? The seller said the 66 only came with rear torque boxes, is this true? In the video he showed me there was no rust to be seen on the rear torque boxes and the floor pans looked great. (Ofc there was some surface oxidisation but nothing serious)
Let's hypothetically assume the rust is only minor like the seller said and the car really is a C code and has all the V8 parts like cooler, exhaust, mounts and transmission. Are things like the suspension prone to wear out over time? Do i need to worry about the axels?

 

[JeffTepper]

To answer your initial questions directly.

• Structural rust is an expensive and time consuming problem for many of these cars. (for example repairing a leaky cowl properly can easily run $2000+ US at a competent shop)
• Prior collision damage repairs. (Many of these cars were smacked around when new and often had substandard quality repairs done) Some repairs need to be redone to be safe.
• Some prior owners have inflicted considerable damage when attenpting modifications and upgrades (make sure the car passes any safety inspections (i.e. MOT, etc) before you buy.
• Project cars require time, skill, space, money, and tools. Be honest with your self about the time line, available funds, and your skill sets. Some projects have taken more than 10 years to complete and have staggering budget overuns as the scope of work expands over time.
• Not sure what a competent Mustang Shop charges in your area. For a full rebuild to high driver standards here in he US can easily run tens of thousands of dollars US, show winning cars more
• There are several members of this community in Europe. Bruno in Belgium, Josep in Ibiza Island, Johnny in Ireland come to mind. They likely know other knowledgable Mustang owners as well
• Be patient and shop wisely. Good luck.

 

[zray]

As rare as Mustangs may be, patience is your friend. It may take a year to find the right car. Don’t rush into one the first ones you find.

What are the roadblocks to importing a car from say England, for example ? Many more Mustangs there than on the continent.

Z

PS : as AZ_Ryan points out, the opportunities for rust are endless, especially the cowl area . At least pour water down the outside cowl vent and see if if comes inside the car behind the dash.

Realistically, the entire car should be examined with a magnet for (excess) bondo and an ice pick or other sharp object to put some pressure on the floor board / pan, and other rust prone areas to see if there is any “give” or actual punch thru an area that’s been impacted by corrosion.

 

[jasonwthompson]

Can't really tell from the photos, is that body filler around the rear window and tail light panel? Like Dad always said, don't buy a project thinking you will save money, buy a completed one and let that guy lose money.

 

[Israel]

Hidden rust is probably the number one concern,…,

 

[kkupec02]

Welcome. Very nice.

 

[HPjunki]

Just looking over your pics has me curled up in the fetal position, sucking my thumb and starting to cry. I would not even consider that car myself, and I am a fairly competent/experienced mechanic, unless nearly given to me and it was a toy project. First off, there is most definitely a ton of rust. Second, there seems to be gallons of bondo. Third, all panels seem thrown together haphazardly. Fourth, makes zero sense someone removed a V8 and installed a 6, and have that one “just fail last year.” Nope, aint buying that at all. Way too fishy.
I know Mustangs are super rare over there and would be so cool to own. But step back and really contemplate what will need to be done. Do you have the experience, time and money to complete?
What you seem to have here is some mysterious v8/I6/blown/ rebuild I6 or V8”conver-conversion” in a seriously messed up body that looks like someone attempted to stop the rust explosion many years ago which is currently rearing its ugly (super FN ugly) head.
Sorry my friend, this would be a hard No for me.
Good luck.
Troy

 

[leoheller]

To answer your initial questions directly.

• Structural rust is an expensive and time consuming problem for many of these cars. (for example repairing a leaky cowl properly can easily run $2000+ US at a competent shop)
• Prior collision damage repairs. (Many of these cars were smacked around when new and often had substandard quality repairs done) Some repairs need to be redone to be safe.
• Some prior owners have inflicted considerable damage when attenpting modifications and upgrades (make sure the car passes any safety inspections (i.e. MOT, etc) before you buy.
• Project cars require time, skill, space, money, and tools. Be honest with your self about the time line, available funds, and your skill sets. Some projects have taken more than 10 years to complete and have staggering budget overuns as the scope of work expands over time.
• Not sure what a competent Mustang Shop charges in your area. For a full rebuild to high driver standards here in he US can easily run tens of thousands of dollars US, show winning cars more
• There are several members of this community in Europe. Bruno in Belgium, Josep in Ibiza Island, Johnny in Ireland come to mind. They likely know other knowledgable Mustang owners as well
• Be patient and shop wisely. Good luck.

Great reply, thanks!

 

[jjfish]

Undoubtedly there will benumerous mechanical repairs needed on these old cars, suspension steering brakes etc. not a big deal. Sticking another engine/transmission in, not a big deal. RUST is a BIG deal. It looks slapped together and there is evidence of rust and patches. Inspect it very very carefully. Water in the cowl, ice pick, magnets , all good advice. Definitely take someone along that knows where to look for rust if you don’t. Also accident damage is a buggy. Look for buckles and waviness on every panel, inside and out, underneath, frame etc. body work is expensive. It’s easy to get excited and love is blind. Many people have given up on their dreams because of rust. Don’t be one of those. Good luck.

 

[leoheller]

As rare as Mustangs may be, patience is your friend. It may take a year to find the right car. Don’t rush into one the first ones you find.

What are the roadblocks to importing a car from say England, for example ? Many more Mustangs there than on the continent.

Z

PS : as AZ_Ryan points out, the opportunities for rust are endless, especially the cowl area . At least pour water down the outside cowl vent and see if if comes inside the car behind the dash.

Realistically, the entire car should be examined with a magnet for (excess) bondo and an ice pick or other sharp object to put some pressure on the floor board / pan, and other rust prone areas to see if there is any “give” or actual punch thru an area that’s been impacted by corrosion.

Importing from the UK is hard, especially now that they have left the EU. Also with the travel expenses of inspecting the car and then having it shipped back, there is little to no difference to importing from the US. In both cases it ends up being cheaper to just buy a finished car here.
I'll bring a pointy screwdriver and magnet to check everything out. I'm more and more skeptical of the car.... thanks for your help!

 

[leoheller]

Just looking over your pics has me curled up in the fetal position, sucking my thumb and starting to cry. I would not even consider that car myself, and I am a fairly competent/experienced mechanic, unless nearly given to me and it was a toy project. First off, there is most definitely a ton of rust. Second, there seems to be gallons of bondo. Third, all panels seem thrown together haphazardly. Fourth, makes zero sense someone removed a V8 and installed a 6, and have that one “just fail last year.” Nope, aint buying that at all. Way too fishy.
I know Mustangs are super rare over there and would be so cool to own. But step back and really contemplate what will need to be done. Do you have the experience, time and money to complete?
What you seem to have here is some mysterious v8/I6/blown/ rebuild I6 or V8”conver-conversion” in a seriously messed up body that looks like someone attempted to stop the rust explosion many years ago which is currently rearing its ugly (super FN ugly) head.
Sorry my friend, this would be a hard No for me.
Good luck.
Troy

What makes you believe there is a bunch of rust? He showed me a video of the underbody and floorplan and I couldn't see any except for one corner where they had already put in a new sheet. I will ofc check for any rust. Yeah, I will also check for bondo.
I also agree that it seems a bit sketchy and will ask the seller for more information on the swap. My theory is that it was in a crash that messed up the original V8 so they put in a I6. In that case, I won't touch it! The body panels don't seem to be messed up to me, just seem to be incorrectly fastened. Do you have any insight on what the underlying problem might be here?

 

[leoheller]

Hidden rust is probably the number one concern,…,

Most of my cars have had rust. Is hidden rust such a big concern for drivability with classic mustangs? I don't plan on restoring the car to showroom quality so if there is a bit of rust somewhere I'm fine with that as long as it has no impact on drivability and or safety. Any structural rust would be a dealbreaker for me, but I wasn't able to see any in the pictures/videos.
Thanks for the advice and I am already learning so much here!

 

[PLB]

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!

 

[leoheller]

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

 

[PLB]

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!

 

[richardsimon52]

That rear taillight panel looks as wavy as the ocean. I'd be very surprised if it wasn't filled with bondo. See that rust at the bottom of the rear window...you may have a big surprise when you pull the rear window out. The car looks very thrown together for the purpose of selling it. It appears the last owner got in over their head on this project...you don't want to be the next victim.

 

[leoheller]

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!

Wow. Those look amazing! 😍
Did you go visit the FB or have Lars check it out? That's an amazing price!
I still have some hope left and will keep checking the marketplaces every now and then

 

[leoheller]

That rear taillight panel looks as wavy as the ocean. I'd be very surprised if it wasn't filled with bondo. See that rust at the bottom of the rear window...you may have a big surprise when you pull the rear window out. The car looks very thrown together for the purpose of selling it. It appears the last owner got in over their head on this project...you don't want to be the next victim.

Yeah the more I look at it I agree. Maybe I can get a good bargain on it for 5k, who knows. Would be cool to have a cheap running mustang even if half of it is Bondo haha.
But i probably won't end up buying it following everyone's advice here.

 

[PLB]

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!

 

[leoheller]

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!

Haha that's awesome! Importing from the USA has become rather cheap (1800$ for shipping + 7% of the sale price in import duties)
I might use that trick of sending a local mechanic to check it out!