Ford sold a record 607,000 Mustangs in 1966 (on top of the 559,000 in 1965 and 121,000 in 1964). Many of them were built like this one – with a 200 cubic inch inline-6 and an automatic transmission. But the seller began converting this one to V8 power with a 4-speed manual, and that may be where the work stopped. Located in a field in Alpharetta, Georgia, this unfinished and rough project is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $7,000.
I’m personally not a fan of unfinished projects, as you often don’t know where things truly left off. And you may find yourself replacing stuff that has already been replaced. The seller ditched the factory powertrain and installed a 302 V8 (from 1968 or later) with a 4-speed (vintage unknown). The overall car has 185,000 miles, but do any of them include the transplanted source of power? There is no shifter, though the clutch, flywheel, and driveshaft are new. And the engine was treated to new gaskets and more, perhaps before being installed.
The litany of new parts goes beyond the motor and tranny. These items include the starter, distributor, tune-up, headers, a correct pedal box, front disc brake conversion, gas tank, front suspension, and some other items. However, the wheels have the 5-log setup, so the hubs have already been upgraded from the 4-log combination that the six-cylinders got.
On the negative side, the undercarriage in the rear is rotted out and needs to be replaced. The floor and trunk pans have already been fixed or patched. Should you feel the car isn’t worth the seller’s asking price, he has receipts to back up most of the work already done on the car. But you still have some rust to deal with before applying new paint; the chrome is pitted, and the interior will require an extreme makeover. Is this a project you’d like to finish?
Overpriced parts car.
Steve R
AGREE! A few years ago I bought someone else’s money pit . It was a 65 Mustang. The STUPID thing was that it was originally a 289 car …but some BOZO thought putting a 351W in it would be a good idea. It was NOT. PILE of problems including about 500 pounds of bondo. I sold it for exactly what I paid ($5500) and will never make that mistake again. Yuck.
Younger folk will probably never appreciate the impact the first few years of Mustangs had on American society. Just about everyone owned one or wanted one. Kids played games on the school bus where they counted mustangs on the way to and from school and whoever counted the most was the winner. It was the one car that anyone could identify from half a mile away. In a way, it also stood as evidence that boomers had been recognized as a force important enough to be accommodated by society like no youth group before it. It was an automotive phenomenon that, I dare say, has never been duplicated, probably by any other car anywhere, ever.
I think you’re right. As a child of the ’80s these cars were still everywhere at car shows in my life, but now you don’t see as many. 1966 was the best selling year and that is a lot of Mustangs. I’ve never owned one of this body style but they all have the same rust areas. It was these cars IMO that really started the pony car wars that would come to be in the late ’60s, they are classic and memorable for that reason.
Didn’t know the 6 bangers had four lugs. Why? No Mustang ever should’ve had four lugs including the fox bodies.
Based on the Falcon. All early 6 cylinder Falcons and subsequently Mustangs had 4 lugs. Didn’t need 5 lugs with low power output that the 144/170/200 offered. Heavier duty suspension and differentials weren’t really necessary. Besides, it was cheaper. Had a number of early Falcons and they were pretty tough and so were Mustangs for the time. When you take into consideration the amount of Mustangs with 6’s, savings must’ve been substantial.
It was a cost saving decision by Ford. My first car was a ’65 with the 200 c.i. straight six and a 3-speed manual transmission. It was an extremely fun car that would infuriate my friends by beating their V8 cars between the lights on our cruising strip. But it just didn’t make enough torque to need five lug rims.
The bigger issue with this car seems to be the front springs since the four to five lug conversion apparently has already been done. 200 c.i. cars also used lighter front springs than what the 289 c.i. cars required because the V8 engines are considerably heavier. Looking at the side view picture, the front fender to tire gap it rather small, likely indicating the springs need to be upgraded too. Has the rear end already been swapped from the IL6 unit to the substantially stronger V8 unit that can handle the increased torque of the 302? Maybe… It could explain the five lug wheels, but so could much cheaper 4 to 5 lug conversation spacers. All this is before addressing the extensive rust damage. No thanks! I probably wouldn’t take on this particular endless money pit project at any price. That doesn’t mean upgrading a IL6 car to a small block is inherently a bad idea. This is simply not the right candidate.
My brother had a blue 65 with a 6 and 3 speed. In shop class he milled a pc. of aluminum to make an adapter to put a 4 barrel carb on it.
Like you, he surprised a few at the stop light.
Simpler times.
Receipts dont equal value.
I love Mustangs, had a 66 with 351C, but too many questions, too much work and too rot for the price for me.
But in todays market, he might get close to it. Love to see it turned around.
Hash. Too much tinworm action.
$7k, LMAO! The gummies must be really good in those parts of Georgia.
Seller wisely decided to quit beating a Dead Horse . Much too late . Now its for sale . Some parts maybe , a lot less money.
1/2 baked P O S. 7k good luck.
Over here in Oz, you would probably get double that price, there slowly disappearing 🤑
The tarp is alone made me want to look away.
Was the suspension upgraded for the extra weight of the V8? If not, it may bottom out on dips.