Hello all, I am a newbie, and I am sure this question has been asked countless times, and I am sorry, but I am looking for a "plan of attack" and advice on a 1966 Mustang I recently bought. I really want to try to restore it to as close to orginal as possible.

I have put two pictures below:

One of the exterior, which for the most part is in really good condition, minus the rust around the bottom of the doors and other expecteds, but no holes in the body or chrome.

The other is of the interior, which is in total disarray. I know the interior is going to be a project in itself, but it was originally a pony interior. Though the car is only a 6 and has an automatic transmission. It turns over, but that’s about all. The floor/running boards are completely rusted out (as you can see in the picture, that isn't the door open), A place to get a good price on floor boards would be sweet to. I am an OK mig welder and have a Lin. Elec 110 volt with pro mix gas. All I really know is I need a .21 wire to re-weld the body (which is a guess on my part) Any extra knowledge from someone on how to go about this would be GREATLY welcomed, since this is my first large scale welding project.

What I am really looking for is helpful links for parts and advice, or just someone willing to offer their experience. I really am having a tough time trying to figure out where to start, other then the floor boards.

So if any of you posters would like to offer some advice, It would be welcomed. Please E-mail me. This is my first Mustang BTW


Thanks again

 

well, if you're restoring it to be like the original product, check ebay, or Mustang Monthly's catalog

if you're customizing it on the way put a hurst transmission in it

 

The '65-'68 Mustangs were notorious for rust because of the cowl design and flaw. Not only would you have to replace the floor pans, but the cowl will likely need repairs to prevent water from going in. Keep in mind that the chassis is also prone to rust and thorough check is a must.

As for your "plan of attack", the following sequence is how my full restoration went:

- interior parts, engine & transmission, radiator, and all chrome exterior parts were removed
- damaged interior and body work was done
- paint job
- new interior and sound system were installed
- new engine, transmission installed
- added electronic ignition , gears, master cylinder/4-wheel disc brakes
- new exhaust and upgraded radiator
- new wheels and tires

Good luck.

 

Good luck...

just a bit of advice from someone doing their first restoration as well

-make sure you have time, a good place to work and friends that will help you for nothing more than a few beers

-George made a good point on cowl leaks on 65-68's. That is a very long fix to get done.

I cannot stress the body prep more than anything. If I were you, I would strip the shell to bare metal, clean everything up, then hit all the bare steel with a good epoxy primer like PPG DP-40

Good luck

 

Good info on restoring an old car here: http://www.popularmechanic.com/automotive/...oration_part_1/

 

I would say since I'm in the last stages of a Mustang resturation that it's alot easier to do the mechanics first so you don't mess up your paint or interior working on the car.

1. Engine and Suspension

2. Drive train such as tranny, rear end, and breaks

3. Gas tank

4. Body work, Paint

5. Elertical Wiring harness and lighting

6. Last should be interior.

This is a major breakdown. You will have other fun things to do between them.

Welcome to the club and good luck your going to need it.

 

Hi and welcome to the hobby

quite few people above haven given you excellent tips ! Promise me one thing: do it well ! Take your time to do everything properly, try to restore as many parts as possible. Bear in mind that an original restored part is better then a reproduction part, specially anything mechanic.
Take plenty of pictures so you remember later. A shopmanual will also be very helpfull as a lot is explained there. There is also a book on "how to restore you enterior" as some things there are tricky or you need speical tools for it (eg the headliner, seats,..)
Don't save a buck on the brakes, if you drive your car only on Sundays the standard brakes (in perfect condition) will do the job fine. You could convert to a dual master cilinder (fits fine !) and use stainless steel brake lines. Once you are going to drive more or faster upgrade to something more performant.

Anyway have great fun and enjoy the restoration !

Geoffrey

 

Thanks for all your help people, I ended up buyin the car for 800 and before I started to do any work someone offered 1,500 for it, so sadly I took the money. It looked like a little to much work for my first restoration. I kinda wanted something that was road worth for my first attempt. And the completely missing floor panels scared me a little too much. And I don’t think I had the room to do the amount of work that needed to be done (ground up restoration) I hope I wasn’t too quick.

I am sure this questions has been posted several times, but where should I start looking for a new “road worthy� mustang, I put that 1,500 hundred in a jar in the back yard and started my quest again. The first one kinda fell into my lap, and I didn’t do too much looking at all. So, where is a good place to start looking at? I have been told to get involved with the local MCA chapters and start going to car shows, which I started to do. I know the summer is the worst time to look for any car, and I have pretty much settled on the idea of not buying till late October. Any advice on things to do in the mean time and good places to start looking, money I should put away? Other then trader-online and Ebay? Which I am not sold on is the best place to look. Any advice is welcome

Thanks in advance

 

Don't feel bad, Jar. I had a friend that bought a GT350 that was sitting behind a gas station in the mid-70's for $400. He pulled the motor and later that week someone offered him $400 for the body. He figured he had just scored a free hipo 289 and was pretty proud of himself. This is a true story and I think he still has nightmares of that.

The best place I've found to find fixer uppers is through local newspaper ads. If you go through Ebay, Hemmings, etc. most (but not all) of the cars have been restored and they are asking top dollar (or more). Plus their claims of authenticity are quite often questionable.

I've got one question for you. Are you looking for a Mustang to restore to keep or to sell and make a profit. I've restored several '66 Mustangs and I prefer to do it for myself. I'm not saying you have to do it like that but there is a much greater sense of satisfaction. Anyways if you're looking to make a profit you should look for a Mustang that has slightly more collector's value - 289, possibly A-code (4bbl), 4-speed, Pony interior, RallyPac, A/C, etc. If it doesn't have those options you can add them but be honest when you go to sell that they are not original items.

 

Yea, many of the cars being sold online are already restored, and almost all of them are asking for over the top prices. It's also very easy to get cheated from online ads. Just make sure that you closely inspect the car if you get a chance before you buy. But some good places to look are newspapers, magazines, etc. and for online there's ebay, cars.com, collectorcartraderonline.com and thousands of other sites. If you look hard enough you can always find the car you want.

 

HEY!!!! You made a $700 profit without having to do much

As far as finding a good car to restore do what has been suggested to you. Join a local MCA Club, go to shows and ask a ton of questions. You just never know what you may find

And good luck in your quest

B) B) B)

 

Restore and keep, sellin that car was kinda of an accident. I am really lookin for a 64-69, and pretty must just road worthy. I would like to fix some floor pans and cowls and all the fun stuff, but I would like something I can take out and cruise around and not wait 4 years to do. Like I said, this is my first attempt at a major restoration.

Speakin of buyin, I am figurin a lot of buyin a classic is like buyin a motorcycle, cannot find a good deal till winter. Anyone got any comments on that?

Thanks too, you peoples got some good comments.

 

I think that was a good move. That car looked a bit too ambitious a project for a first-timer. Search for a 'driver' you can work on as you go.

Good luck! :flag2:
________
FOXYANALL

 

"Go West Young Man". It was a good move to pass on the rustbucket as a first project. I strongly urge anyone to look for rustfree examples in Arizona, California, Texas, etc. I've done the metal replacement work, and it's not fun. If you have to hire it out, it will easily exceed the price of shipping a good car from out west.

 

There's no Mustangs left in Arizona!

 

You will find that your budget is going to have to triple for a decent driver in today's market. This is why your first pile went so quick for $1500.

There's a book called "Mustang Restoration Handbook" that my brother and I read religiously when we started out. It's a good foundation to understand the basics of the cars. And years on forums BSing about the cars have taken it futher... in conjunction with building and rebuilding 'em.