Hey guys, I'm new to this part of the forum. I tend to stick to the 2005-2009 threads b/c I have an '06 myself but I have a question. I was just looking at craigslist out of curiousity and a 1970 Mustang caught my eye. It is an auto 302 and the posting said that it runs. The price was $1800 and I plan on checking it out later this week. No other info from the seller in the posting. I was wondering, what should I look for in the 1970 Mustang? Are there any problems that are common with this year mustang? The body looks clean from the one picture in the post but I definitely got to check that out. $1800 seems like a good deal for a running '70 Mustang but I'd really appreciate the forums opinion. Thanks.

 

The first thing i looked for when i bought my mustang was RUST. Make sure the floor pans, trunk, and body is solid. Have them start the engine to make sure it actually runs. Also if possible get a test drive.

See what is wrong with the car and what needs to be replaced. Then go home look on the internet and figure out how much more you a going to spend working on this car.

 

for it to be that cheap the only good part on the car must be the windshield .

 

Thanks guys. Yeah I saw the price and thought that something has to be wrong with it. Unfortunately I can't take it for a test drive, it has non-op status and can't be driven on public roadways. But I am definitely going to do a thorough walk thru before handing any cash over.

 

Take a good look at the frame rails, shock towers, door gaps, condition of original body panels etc. kennyg

 

69-70-specific parts are a lil bit harder to find (not as bad nowadays) than their 65-66 and 67/68 counterparts.
Behind the 69-70 gauges lies a printed circuit. Over its long life this may go bad, but it is replaceable and not too hard to change out. The dashpad is about twice the cost of the 65-68 models and about twice as big. The windshield does not use a rubber gasket, and over time this may go and allow water to leak into the car. As recommended earlier, check the floorpans for evidence of this. Another area of possible rust- the trunk floor, or basically the top of the gas tank. Smell for gas in the trunk area. If it has power steering, check the two smaller high pressure hoses undeneath. Another area to check- the lines under the car - for fuel, brakes, etc. Also, if you can, ask where the car has been- has it always been a CA car? (I basically am re-emphasizing that you should check the framerails and underneath of the car) I had a 69 hardtop that suffered from being a 'northern' car and it basically rusted to death from underneath. Up til that point, it was a pleasure to drive that 302 / C4 combo. Also remember that unless you plan to change the tranny, your last gear in the c4 is a 1:1 ratio (no overdrive)- just in case you ever wanted to do a lot of highway driving
You can always bring a camera, snap some pics and let us know how it turns out.