Located in Ashland, Kentucky is this 1968 Mustang. Listed for sale here on eBay, it is being sold with a Bill of Sale. The seller has BIN price of $3,500 but there is the option to make an offer. They list it as a father/son project, so let’s see if that’s feasible.
There’s not a lot that we know about the car as the seller is a man of few words (ten words to be exact). They do have a number of items listed on eBay, and these are an eclectic bunch. The seller also is a person of few photography skills, as the eight photos provided are virtually all blurred. Making the most of what we’ve got seems to indicate that this Mustang appears to be sound on the surface. The one concern that I have is in this shot. That looks suspiciously like gaffa tape at the bottom of the door frame. If it is I’d like to know what’s underneath it. The other thing that I’ve repeatedly said is that it’s not the rust that you can see on Mustangs that you worry about, but what lurks below the surface.
The interior is surprisingly good, although there is still plenty of work to be done here. The dash appears to be okay provided those stickers can be removed without inflicting damage, while the pad looks like it may be crack free. Most of the visible plastic trim items also seem to be in decent condition. From there it’s all downhill I’m afraid, with new covers required for the seats and the door cards will also need re-covering. Unfortunately we can’t see the headliner to ascertain its condition.
Under the hood is a six, which should be the 200ci version. This is backed by an automatic transmission. Since the seller is a person of so few words we have no idea of the state of the engine. The reality is that these are so cheap and easy to work on that it would be no great problem to sling it out and give it a rebuild if you were undertaking a restoration. Otherwise it may well be headed to the nearest scrap metal dealer.
I wish that sellers like this would either give a more thorough description or provide clearer photos when advertising a car. There is so little that we can glean from what has been provided that the only real way to determine the viability of it as a project would be to inspect it in person. If either the photos or description were clearer it would be much easier to decide whether it was worth taking that step or whether to throw it in the “too hard” basket. As it stands the only thing that commends this Mustang to me is the price. Given the prices that some really sad examples are fetching at present the price is the most attractive thing about this one.
There is no horn ring. That is a deal breaker for me.
6 cyl.Coupes are everywhere and cheap so the seller needs to take better photos and more of them then clearly describe what needs to be done to the car. Then it might sell for his asking price.
Buy a v8 model in similar shape as it will save time in flipping to V8 (engine and rear end etc)
I wasn’t in the mood to read. Father/son project… How many years ago did they stop? It seems long and not much was done. I6 not much of sport package in suspension. Pass. Needs the 390 to be worth something.
$3500 only gets you the car. The father contemplating this car as a project would be way ahead to just spend the money and buy his son a newer Mustang. For the money piece of mind for him knowing his son was safe and be able to sleep good at night has to be worth more.
Unless you have unlimited funds you can’t build ABS 4 wheel disc brakes, Air bags along with safety restraints, A/C, Side impact door beams and crumple zones in a vintage Mustang.
All at a cost less on a newer car then the ask on the above vintage Mustang plus restoration costs and you can have it now instead of waiting.
The 14 year old kid might be rolling in this at 22 years old……or get wore out on waiting on Dad and simply buy a Honda like his friends!
You don’t really understand what “father/son” projects are about, do you?
I understand fully. Grant I have lived it with my father and now my son. My dad bought me what he thought I should have. Not what I wanted. Wasn’t the worst thing on wheels but to me it was. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings but I hated it.I had a part time job in school and saved my money I bought what I wanted a 1970 390 Javelin I was a senior in high school and gave my dad back the 66 Chevy II Nova 2 door Ht. Did I mention I was not a Chevy guy?
When it was time for my son to drive I asked him what HE wanted. I am not the dad who bought him everything when he was little. I taught the value of money. He said a Modified Honda Civic.He found a Ex SEMA car on the internet. (we watched Fast and Furious when he was six) Full cage turbo JDM swapped twin shot…..the works. I bought it. WE modified it more. Now we have several that we show and race.
My point was orginally that my sons attention span is like many others his age and I can’t blame them when it comes to working/welding crusty vintage car. He has lived through several extensive restorations through me and knows the hard work needed to build them.He also knows and respected that I had a job and only had the weekends to work on them but still needed to blend time for yard work and spending what was left with his mom. He also respected the fact we were working on a car that was in my era not his although liked them he wasn’t interested in one for us to restore for him.That being said when it’s time I will sell my collection and put the money in a trust instead of leaving him the burden (and guilt) of him having to do what I should have.Simply a father can work on ANY car with his son as long as he spends time with him.
I don’t have the answers and there isn’t a textbook on how to raise your kids. I must say though that I have the best relationship with my son and with simply respecting him and listening and doing things together more important I have his trust. I am the envy of my friends who has lost touch with their kids years ago. So yeah I know what it means…..Thanks
I agree on the time needed to complete and the Honda need to be with his friends.. My project was to be a father son… sons friends wanted to do it but he was not into it… Hence my Pony project with my labor from the ground up…. new torque boxes, frame rails, pans, trunk, quarters and door skins. etc. etc. Replace engine with a 289 to replace the 302 NOM boat anchor… The end product was great though…
I prepped the body but did not spray the paint as it was outsourced… all else was me..
Unless its much lower one should go with a V8 edition.
Here is my lil project from Rustang to Mustang …
Shelby lights too
This car would be an ideal father son Project- Easy to work on. parts available. Hopefully minimum rust- too much rust repair would scare them away. Good place to learn things like replacing points, tune up, fuel system etc. I did my first valve job on a 62 falcon 6, parts I ordered from JC whitney. Priced a tad on the high side Good luck to the new owner, hope it goes into good hands. Good rust inspection a must!!.
1st of all, I know “father/son” is a saying, but let’s not forget the daughters. When my kids were growing up, I focused on my son with my car endeavors, and he was totally uninterested. I found out years later, it was my DAUGHTER, that was looking over my shoulder. Matter of fact, I’d go so far as to say, it’s the young men who aren’t as interested in classic cars, and the women are showing a bigger interest today. Younger men want superchargers sticking out of the hoods, and women tend to go for the original stuff. It’s no secret, Mustangs were targeted to women right from the start..
Blurry photos are intentional, has nothing to do with poor photography skills. That car is a wreck.
(Everything that I am going to write is predicated on the idea that this car is not a basket case, and with a little bit of work this car could be in working condition).
From the pictures that I have seen, this car does not look like its in that bad of a condition. While it looks like this car has not moved since the Reagan Administration, generally speaking with a bit of a clean and some new fluids, this car could be running in no time.
As far as project cars go, this would be a solid entry into the classic car market. For $3,000 , you could have a car with some style, dependability, and economy (I am biased because I like straight or slant six engines).
This would also be a great base to build off of if you wanted to turn it into a gas belching behemoth.
Pet peeve: Sellers that indicate: “father son project”, “good first car”, “great for commuting” etc. Do buyers need to be reminded why they are buying a car or told what it might be used for? Perhaps those are just code for “needs a lot of work”, “generally safe, but not too fast or expensive to wreck”, and “I drove 200,000 miles back and forth to work but don’t trust the beast any more, Are you feeling lucky?”. [Please bear with me, just feeling pissy because I can’t afford a Barn Find]
I feel your anguish about not being able to afford classics today, it grinds my gears as well, however, history has shown, some people need to be told what to do ( “Is that a large fries, sir?”) You wouldn’t sell anything if you “told it like it is”. I’m a terrible sales person,because I’m too honest, and blow the sale everytime.
Hint: if you are looking for a classic, don’t wait until you see it here.( sorry, BF’s) Got to have grapes, and knock on doors. Check out auctions. Where do you think these cars come from? Get it BEFORE the vultures get it.
Even with the blurry pictures it looks OK. There doesn’t seen to be any rust on the body panels, but there are other areas that I would want to look at before taking this on. A good cleaning may be the best thing for this one to get it to sell. The only difference between this one and my 67 is the auto transmission. It looks like the same paint and interior, Dark Moss Green with the Ivy Gold interior. I would probably consider it at $1,500.00.
I think that it’s priced right! That being said if you are selling a Stang you must show pictures of under the darn thing! I am very much into Stangs as I have a few! Even I would never put cash down without pictures of underneath it!