if i was looking into getting a project car, specifically a late 60's or early 70's mustang, where would you suggest looking for one. I have always loved classic cas, especially the mustangs, and i want to try and do a rebuild possibly with my father. Thanks!

 

Newspaper, Autotrader, Autotrader.com, ebay for starters. Ask around. If someone has some old cars just rusting away, stop and ask.

 

i looked on ebay, but would rather stay away from it if possible

 

you need to check out this link....

http://horsepowersports.com/1967-mus...t-body-shells/

you can get the whole body brand new. same people that remade the old camaro body shells.......

 

try craigslist.com for your area

 

If you're serious about getting one, take a trip out to LA and find yourself a nice, rust-free SoCal car. The bone yards out there should have a plentiful supply of shells that would make great candidates for restoration.

If you leaning towards doing a resto-mod, get yourself a 6-cylinder shell and save the V8 shells for guys who are doing true restorations. You'll save some money, and likely save a decent shell from the crusher.

 

Does it matter where you get it? Unless you know the people personally that you buy a car from, it's not going to matter whether you buy a car via eBay, Craigslist, or any other source. You're rolling the dice no matter what.


Take heart though. If you're serious about doing a Stang, here's a few things you should know.

First of all, the 1969 and 1970 model years are the absolutely MOST expensive to restore. Interior parts prices for those two years are double to triple the 64 1/2s through 68 years.

For something that old, you're also going to be more interested in the floor pans and rear shock upper mounts than the body. If you can find an old Stang with the original floor pans and rear upper shock mounts in good shape, then buy it no matter how bad the outer skins are.

This was the last project I worked on.

This...


Turned into this...

 

Restoring an antique car/truck is a BIG undertaking. I learned that firsthand with our 53 Chevy pickup. Believe me, it is much cheaper to find a nicely restored car and pay $$ for it than it is to tear one down and restore it.
Some general rules:

1. It will take 3 times as long as expected and at least twice as much money as expected.

2. Keeping all parts CLEAN and cataloged is a must. There is no other way.

3. Even when you're completely finished, there will always be things to do, fix, and that you'll see as never 'perfect.'

I encourage you on your search and hope that you find a great car to fix up. And as stated before, some of the best deals you'll find are by stopping and asking about 'the old car behind the shed...'

 

ok, thanks guys for the information. I was afraid that the late 60's mustang would cost a lot more to restore. I will keep looking though.

 

Whether you are restoring or resto-modding, a '68 or earlier Mustang would be a great project for you and your dad to work on together.

Before you pick out a specific car, you really need to decide what your priorites are and how you intend to use it. Slow cruising on weekends? Street/strip? Car shows? Garage queen, daily driver or somewhere in between?

Probably the most common configuration for an early Mustang is a coupe with a 289, a 2 barrel carb and a C4 automatic transmission. If you can find a beater and fix it up, you will have something to be proud of.

While you might pay a little more to start off with for a Mustang compared to something else, just about everything is available. You also have lots of choices for safety upgrades (brakes, suspension, etc...) when you pick a popular car.

You might also consider a Ranchero, Cougar or a Falcon. The Falcon and Cougar share alot of parts with the Mustang.

If you jump ship to General Motors, you can get a Pontiac LeMans for a much smaller investment than a GTO, and lots of the GTO bits will fit, so you could 'clone' a GTO.

 

How much do you want to spend? I have a 68 if the price is right...