Wife Wants a Classic Mustang

[El Wood]

So a few years ago I bought the tractor I always wanted.

A few months ago, my wife said I got my toy so now she gets hers.

She's always wanted an old Ford Mustang. I've never been a classic car guy but I suppose with an old Mustang I could become one! The old Mustangs are bad ***!!

She's thinking about a 1967 - 1969. She loves the "Eleanor" from the movie Gone in 60 Seconds with Nicholas Cage.

Is there any advice anyone can give about owning a classic car? Is there a lot of maintenance involved? A friend if mine had an old Corvette and said there is a lot of maintenance on old cars. He also said they stink and make your garage smell like a shop. Haha!

Any other tip or advice you guys can give?

 

[94BULLITT]

I would talk here into a new/er Mustang. A newer mustang will handle better, stop better, be safer, easier on gas, more reliable and more comfortable. You could get a 05-09 Mustang in Mineral Gray and put stripes and side exit exhaust on it to make it look a little like a Elanor. You can buy a complete Elanor body kit for these cars but they are expensive.

If she still wants a older Mustang look it over really good before you buy it. You should take it to you mechanic and have him put it on the lift and go over it. We work on a lot of older cars and it not uncommon to see one that somebody tried to make nice and it had been all rusted out. There are a lot of old cars out there that have been "patched up."

With owning a older car there is really no more maintenance involved than owning a new car, the service intervals are just closer. You are going to get away from a carbed engine leaving a gas smell in your garage.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Check out a few of the Pony car forums and figure out what you are after. 4 speed car? Auto?
Etc.

I have a '67 442 and have replaced or rebuilt every part on it. You need two of three things to be successful if you are thinking resto. Money, time and skill. You can make it happen with 2 of the 3 but it's hard with just one unless you have buckets of money.

 

[Bob77064]

I would talk here into a new/er Mustang. A newer mustang will handle better, stop better, be safer, easier on gas, more reliable and more comfortable. You could get a 05-09 Mustang in Mineral Gray and put stripes and side exit exhaust on it to make it look a little like a Elanor. You can buy a complete Elanor body kit for these cars but they are expensive.

If she still wants a older Mustang look it over really good before you buy it. You should take it to you mechanic and have him put it on the lift and go over it. We work on a lot of older cars and it not uncommon to see one that somebody tried to make nice and it had been all rusted out. There are a lot of old cars out there that have been "patched up."

With owning a older car there is really no more maintenance involved than owning a new car, the service intervals are just closer. You are going to get away from a carbed engine leaving a gas smell in your garage.

Agreed, alot of the older restored cars are nothing but bondo over the damage and new paint.

 

[Egbert]

My first Mustang was a 1968 302 4 speed. I reworked the motor and was pushing about 400 horse. Lots of fun. Also had a 1969 Shelby GT 500 428 Cobra Jet that would just about rip a concrete road out of the ground Loved them both.

There are some years of Mustangs you probably don't want ... say 1971 through 2005 - LOL. It seems they really lost focus for a while. Same thing happened with the Corvette starting around 1981 but for a shorter time frame. I also had several of these and loved them too

If you want to stick to the older Mustangs, my favorites were the 1967 and 1968 fastbacks. The 1964-1966 convertibles are super popular. The older cars were far simpler to maintain.

 

[tow653]

I started driving with a 67 Cougar which was basically a Mustang. Thought for years that instead of trading it,I should have stored it and still have it. Then after years of thinking about it,it wasn't a very good car. Rattled like crazy,and the fit is no where near the fit and quality of ride that today's car have. Granted you could see the engine and had lots of room in engine compartment,so was easier to work on than modern cars. Just let her know that if she expects the ride and comfort of a modern car,an old Mustang is not gonna deliver it.

 

[SPIKER]

Like others said so what to expect. Some things to look for are cracks in the shock towers in front and the torq boxes (front frame at fire wall behind each tire where everything attaches.) and look for twisted front end (measure diagonally across front top of engine to same bolts at radiator core support area. Look at suspension mounts under it and for frame tie-ins from front to back that someone would have added later. These would be min checks for a old mustang, or Cougar.

I love the 68s myself in fastback or convertible.

M

 

[94BULLITT]

Like others said so what to expect. Some things to look for are cracks in the shock towers in front and the torq boxes (front frame at fire wall behind each tire where everything attaches.) and look for twisted front end (measure diagonally across front top of engine to same bolts at radiator core support area. Look at suspension mounts under it and for frame tie-ins from front to back that someone would have added later. These would be min checks for a old mustang, or Cougar.

I love the 68s myself in fastback or convertible.

M

Some other stuff to look for is a rusted cowl which leads to rusted floor boards. I have also seen some Mustangs that the shock tower fell in on them. I knew a guy that went to put a shock tower brace on his and it would not fit.

 

[murphy1244]

My brother just sold his 1967 2+2 Fastback GT, It went for a lot of money.

 

[bucktaker]

dont expect to buy anything in the midwest.....look out west and find a rust free driver.

I have a 1968 Camaro owned it since 1985. work in progress has been stored since 97 began a rebuild in 06 still working on it....