Great Question Everything is original on my 69 except the motor. I got lucky when I found this car an all was in really nice original shape even the motor so i thought. until I put my foot in it and blew the head gasket. Pulled the heads and the cylinders needed work to so , OK , I added a little shinny stuff when I rebult the motor VROOM VROOM

 

I agree with u, my car will remain stock looking and period correct as much as possible maybe just magnum 500 wheels

 

Shiny is ok but I just like that black and gold. Just went over to Virginia Classic Mustang yesterday and picked up some gold valve covers. Someone painted my engine blue so now I have to strip it and paint. I,ll be leaving the chrome air cleaned for now though. One of the PO put aluminum covers on and the AC brace goes right across the oil cap. Glad I don't have to be adding oil. I may shiny up the GT though.

 

I don't think I would characterize the world as everyone thinking that tricked out is the only version of beautiful. I like the diversity of seeing your cars as well as tricked out cars and everything in-between and I have to say I enjoy them all. I would actually love to see a car show that was for works in progress, stock and stockish cars as well as tricked out cars. I find I have about 45 minutes of tolerance for car shows before I get "chrome gleam" and they start blending together. I find works in progress more interesting and their owners interesting to talk to. I have to say I have about the same attention span with bone stock cars also - I admit its a ADD thing.

So I would offer a wider world in which even those who go totally chrome/tricked out crazy can co-exist with those of us more confident with our god-given attributes ;o)

Best,

M

 

I see your point, seems like alot of people try to differentiate their car from others, especially the coupes, which I can totally see. It's their car, so they can do what they want. I prefer the stock look myself, but wheels and some engine dress up really set these cars off.

 

there are also those that straddle the fence. In the beginning (of my Mustang history) I was going to put my convertible back to factory. Years later, my wife's coupe satisfies that need, as it is mostly original anyway and my convertible is slated to be a modernized Gran Turismo, which BTW will have just about no external bling. Currently I'm planning on the old Ford V8 emblem from the 30's. Still can't decide on whether I'll add the engine call out. Under the hood though is a completely different matter.

 

Mm, personally speaking, I see a bone-stock Mustang and while admittedly, I feel a glow of nostalgia (despite being born years after) over those clean lines and very gorgeous Factory looks, I can't help but see a white canvas, metaphorically speaking. Even with a choice of options from the factory, there's nothing really marking the car as anyone's, past a name on the pink slip. Don't get me wrong, I love, love stock. But maybe it's the artist in me that thinks, this car will always need more to be the car of my dreams. Maybe it's just a paint scheme, some billet and chrome. Off colors, whatever. But my car has to look like something that impresses me every time I look at it. Because I'm not out to impress someone else, be it with bling or 'factory specs'. I'm out to be free.

 

Nicely put..and ty for the feed back...

 

Different stroked for different folks.
I have one I restored back to stock and another that I went wild with on modifications. I like 'em both.

 

Surely all the bling is an attempt to make up for the divers own physical inadequacies.

 

Maybe because some have owned those "stock" cars back in the day and now better is, well better.

C'mon, is everyone running lacquer paint here?

 

I use acryllic enamel which is what they came with. IIRC at that time GM was using acryllic lacquer.

 

my car is stock accept for the wheels and the jacked up rear.

 

I think it's all a matter of personal taste. I bought my 2003 Mach 1 brand new right off the showroom floor. I HATED, HATED, HATED the factory wheels and within the first few weeks swapped them out. The factory mach 1 stripe along the rocker panels used to fade as it reached the rear of the car. I had it redone in a solid one the whole length. Dumped the rolled exhaust tips for slash-cut tips, pulled the decal off the hood and a few other minor things. I've had people tell me I "ruined" my mach. To me it was just "tweaking" things to suit my personal taste. Nothing wrong with stock if that is what you happen to like. Even my 66 has a 65 grill just because I happen to prefer the honeycomb style. My wife just rolls her eyes everytime I do something and says it was just fine the way it was. Heck, I even "tweaked" the lower grill on her 2010 Fusion. Not sure if she noticed yet...lol

 

I like stock too and have not changed anything on my car, but I also like the looks of changes people have made to their cars. I may not like a lot of mods, but it is their car. As the saying goes "Make it your own"

Someday I would like to get a Fastback and put a newer front suspension and disc brakes on it and maybe a little more of a built motor. I like the idea of keeping rare cars more stock, and not so rare cars I don't mind being changed. JMO

 

I like my Mustang to look completly stock. But I like it to drive better than stock. Im a big fan of the Shelby 1" drop. I built my motor to look like a stock 289 but its a stroked 302. I even have some torque thrust wheels sitting the the garage because I like my stock wheels with spinner hubcaps.

 

When I see a custom, restomod, etc, I generally try to appreciate the time and talent it took to build, not whether or not it suits my tastes. It's not my car, afterall....

 

IMHO..... Mustangs were designed to be built, using a platform for diversity, and this is why their sales did so well! Ford struck gold, with their popular styling, and was able to tailor it, to suit almost anyone's taste, or needs.....Now I said Almost...... If someone feels the need to modify, one of these cars, to suit His, or Her needs, then thats O.K. in my book! It doesn't have to meet my approval...... Hey, it worked for Caroll Shelby!

 

I also prefer the stock look as opposed to the resto-mod. I'd guess that as a general rule, the older you are, the more you prefer the stock look. When us "older" folks drove these cars years ago, we didn't have 17/18/20" wheels at our disposal. The resto-mod is a fairly recent development in automotive history, and younger folks generally go for newer rather than us oldies going for the nostalgia.

Besides what POs have done to the cars I own, the most I've done is a set of 14" Cragars!

 

Hey when I ordered my 64 1/2 vert the Model T was 40 years old. They came with large diameter wheels and low profile (skinny) tires. My 46 Ford still came with out dated 16" wheels...the up to date modern cars were shifting to 15" wheels with fatter tires. Mustangs came with the latest modern 14" wheels!

 

I like them as originally designed/styled before the various insignias, medallians and chrome letters were added by the marketing types.

My factory ordered 64 1/2 vert sig pic shortly before de blinging. I removed the rocker moldings, ponys, mustang insinias, v289 medallians and F O R D hood nose lettering.

Did the same to my 68 vert. otherwise stock.

 

For me it's like tatoos and body pearcings. I think it makes you a follower when you do what someone else is doing. I like to stay mostly stock because it seems that fewer and fewer are that way any more.
Dave

 

My car will mostly be stock accept the bigger rims

 

Stock is beautiful.. glad to see so many still think so..

 

You have a great looking 67. A set of stock narrow white wall tires is all it needs!

By the way thanks for filling in your profile. It's nice to know a little about people I'm talking with.


Slim

 

This is a great thread and it’s really interesting to read everyone’s views. I really do like the stock look and have been doing what I can to bring my car back in line with the factory condition. For me, it’s about the rarity of a driven classic that hasn’t fallen into the restomod movement. Not that I’m passing judgment on those who want a restomod, it’s just not my thing.

I also have a 96GT which is the only car I’ve purchased new. I quickly learned that no matter how fast you make your car, there’s always someone else who is faster. Ultimately, it came down to how much $$ you wanted to dump into it. By keeping things stock, I’m trying to preserve what I feel is an important piece of history. The guy at the light next to me in a 2011 Honda might not care, and that’s okay with me.

silversport—I like your comments. Even if you don’t like the direction the owner took with a car, you can always understand and appreciate a quality build. I think you said it very well.

 

My car is nowhere near stock.

Because that's the way I want it. I didn't build it for your (or anyone else's) enjoyment, I built it for me to enjoy. I could care less if someone else that doesn't have anything to do with my car doesn't like it. I'm not trying to be mean, but it's the truth.

Now, with that being said, I thoroughly enjoy going to shows and seeing stock classic Mustangs. You can even ask my wife, I can't walk past a stock classic without checking it out pretty closely, and imagining what it would be like to have bought that car new like that. They are like time machines.

I commend people like you for preserving the breed, and for letting people see how these cars were when new. You represent a very important part of our hobby that must not be lost. Driving stock classic Mustangs are just not for me though.

 

i started rodding my fisrt 66 mustang in 1973. wider wheels and tires. it needed paint. i likes wide tires for cornering traction. i want it to haul ace and the rest of it to so i build hot engine. i want high back seats for better back support. al kinds of cars and trucks get tricked out and the years doesnt seem to matter. back in the 70's a guy bought a new camaro and had a custom paint job put on it. the 69-70 Boss 302 mustangs were designed for roadracing and meant to be tricked out. ford even made steel fender flares for them. its all a matter of preference. the 65-66 mustang looks great as it came off the showroom floor but i sure wont corner very fast with them skinny tires or stop very well with drum brakes.:burnout::burnout: < posi.........traction !!! :shaking:< i like him.....he's silly !!!

 

because we want to

 

I respect that.. I was just posting something to bring an interesting thought to mind.. Why do people like tricking out.. or modifying vintage beauty is all I was asking and your answer is short and to the point lol.. ty...