Depends on how thick your wallet is. If the roof and inner roof structure down into the inner quarters is good it could be a candidate for a coupe-to-fastback conversion. If you're talking about replacing everything that's damaged with new stuff then you'll be so far upside-down when you finish it'll take the lottery to get you back in positive territory.

 

it also depends on how much of the work you can do yourself as well. and even then as bartl noted, you will be very heavily invested in the project, so much so that it might be better to start with a dynacorn body and save some money.

 

Yeah I was thinking using the roof for the conversion, seems that would be the best option.

 

Looks like you said it's a FB now not a coupe? If you are looking for a project and not something to turn and sell then it would be a good experience but could be costly, again it's how much can you do yourself.

 

My worst to date. 1966 2+2 GT. Dragged out of field in Arkansas. A failed pick up truck conversion. Quite a rebuilding experience.

 

My worst to date. 1966 2+2 GT. Dragged out of field in Arkansas. A failed pick up truck conversion. Quite a rebuilding experience.

I think I felt a little weak looking at the before picture and thinking about tackling it! Nice job

 

I could never understand why someone would take on a rust bucket unless it is a very special or rare model. All the time and money will be wasted when you could buy someone else's project or driver and start enjoying the car. I guess people want to go broke slowly and waste their time when they could be enjoying a driver and do small repairs. If a car is compromised by rust let it die, lots of projects around.

 

One of the basic tenets of car restoration is that it rarely if ever makes financial sense. Understanding that leaves you with a million other reasons for someone taking on a project like this, and thus a reason none of us can fruitfully attempt such an understanding. Let's wish him luck and fun.

 

That's exactly what this started as... I bought a '65 fb from a salvage yard that was going out of business and had an auction- $800. Pretty much like yours, the only good parts were the roof, trim, and glass. After completing a roof swap onto a solid coupe body, this was the final result. All in I'm still way less than 1/2 of what it would have cost just to buy a decent f/b. I've got another swap in progress as we speak...

 

It depends. Did a famous person own it? With proof? Does it have weird options? Do you just gotta have it? Mustangs are never too gone.

 

Dealers LOVE you.

Whoa, I found a (fill in the blank) fastback shell. The roof is good, bare hull. Maybe a coupe to fastback conversion.

Fastback roof weatherstrip retainers: $400
Fastback rear seat: $450
Fastback fiberglass set, 9 pieces: $450
Fastback Beltline Trim: $ 250
Fastback Vents: $250
Fastback Rear window: $250
Fastback Rear window trim: $150
Fastback metal brackets to fit the rear seats, etc.: $200
Fastback Trap Door: $125
Fastback Trunk Lid: $150
Fastback Door Glass with Stainless: $300

This is just some of the fastback unique parts that are needed. This assumes you have a complete "perfect" coupe as a donor and do all the work yourself.

You then realize WHY it was parted out to begin with, and WHY others have passed on it.

As much as I dislike the Eleanor's (Unique Performance was 10 miles from me) they did accomplish 2 positive things:

1) With their upside down financial model, they rescued a lot of fastbacks that were WAY beyond any economic salvage.

2) Their forecast of cars to be restored caused tooling to be created to produce fastback unique parts.

Look how many more fastback parts for a 1967 1968 exist, with a lower production, than the 1965 1966.

 

nothing is too far gone if you have the money for parts, tools, time, space and know how.

I know plenty of guys who took a car out of a hell hole and learned to weld, fabricate sheet metal and do body work and paint

end result over years was incredible

rule of thumb is what ever you see in $$$ value triple it to get to real world cost

 

I did not approach from money stand point. I have many friends that have taken on rusty projects and many years have passed as well as their enthusiasm. The case I make is time related. If you are older and want to enjoy driving a classic then do it, if you want a garage project for many years that's good as well but the clock is ticking so enjoy asap.
I come from a autobody background and know rust repair very well, that's why for personal reasons I stay away.
I just did a 1966 F350 for my wife. I spent a easy paced 4.5 months for a full body off resto minus new paint on the truck. Have been driving it all summer and loving it. Truck was 99% rust free.

VID

http://vidmg.photobucket.com/albums/v450/candoo/20150725_135605_zpsmxax9qsn.mp4


PICS

 

Unless you have an emotional attachment then I would advise against it. That being said,if you have enough time,determination and money,go for it! Don't fear the rust!

 

how far is too far gone, depends on the owner. how much time and effort are they willing and able to put into it? financially, can the owner make the necessary investment (farming out the work along with parts and consumables)? the longer the timeframe, the higher probability other parts of life can get in the way.

look at all the build threads out there. what percentage finish? what percentage of people are "working" on their projects but seem to spend more time on the forums talking about it?

 

what percentage of people are "working" on their projects but seem to spend more time on the forums talking about it?

Uh-oh. Hope that's not me.

As someone who is building a project that started out pretty rusty, here is my personal take:

- If you're willing to do most of the work yourself, this makes it reasonably practical to rebuild a rusty Mustang.

- If you must hire a professional, I wouldn't bother with anything beyond very minor rust here and there. It just gets too ridiculously expensive. You're better off taking the money you would spend on body work and applying it to a car in much better shape. (A high end car like a Boss or Shelby is a different story.)

- However, said rusty Mustang should be at least a fastback. A GT or Mach 1? Even better. Big block Mustang? Great. Boss or Shelby? Definitely! If you simply really want to build a Mustang no matter what, sure, go ahead and rebuild a low end coupe. Just don't expect to get ever get much money for it, let alone break even.

- Unless it's a Boss, Shelby or big block Mach 1, I draw the line at frame rails, rockers and torque boxes. If those areas are significantly compromised, I would pass. Floor pans, taillight panel, trunk pans, quarters and fenders are really no big deal if you're doing it yourself.

- Another important point is how much of the car is there. A rusted out fastback that's all there might be worthwhile. A rusted out fastback shell and little else is a much different story. Procuring all the necessary parts, in addition to sheet metal work, it just so overwhelming.

- The above points apply to 1965-1970 Mustangs. After that, reproduction sheet metal is often not available. Although it's getting better, one would have to investigate and confirm availability before jumping into such a project.

FYI, my project started as a running, driving 1970 Mach 1 H-Code. It was rough, but it was all there; including a complete shaker assembly. The frame rails and torque boxes were solid. I think my car was on the ragged edges of being worthwhile for a do-it-yourselfer. I'm sure many would say it wasn't worth rebuilding. In my case, I actually wanted to build a car myself. While a Mach 1 already restored would have me enjoying the car immediately, cutting, welding, grinding, blasting and painting are my therapy.

That's my take.

 

From Rusty's threads, there doesn't seem to be much difference between a "normal" very rusty car, and one that is virtually gone. 90% of the panels will be replaced in either case.

 

One mans junk is another mans treasure. Many are in to this hobby for a multitude of reasons and many of which make no sense from an investment point of view. Some people enjoy the challenge of bringing a car from the grave back to life. It's like creating something from "scratch" which in some cases is about what the car amounts to. It's an art.

Me personally, I feel most any fastback or convertible of that era is worth restoring.

 

I agree with this and what Klutch said above. I'm doing a plain old 69 fastback that had some rust and parts of the floor cut out. It'll never be worth what I'm sinking into it but that's not what I'm in it for. I bought it to push my own boundaries as far as what I can do on cars, but you still gotta stay planted in reality when it comes to the gap between your skills and the project at hand. Luckily I bought it from a nice guy who's also an enthusiast and was willing to show me how to do the work. Post some pics!

 

Was this...



And is now this.... Actually just delivered it to the chassis shop yesterday for the cage, as this one will live on as a vintage racer.

 

Mr Muigan are you sure this was not digitally enhanced ? LOL irate:
Nice work :thumbsup: