Great Starter: 1967 Ford Mustang Convertible

Choosing a suitable candidate for a project build can be challenging, particularly if your skills with a grinder and welder aren’t the greatest. That’s where classics like this 1967 Mustang Convertible fill a void. It appears that most of its rust issues are history, leaving the next owner to add the touches designed to tailor the car to their taste and requirements. It has only been on the market a short time, and the affordable asking price suggests that someone may snap it up relatively quickly. Located in Denver, Colorado, the Mustang is listed for sale here on Craigslist. The owner has set their price at $8,000 OBO. I have to say a big thank you to Barn Finder Gunter K for spotting this beauty for us.

The listing indicates that this Mustang’s owner is an enthusiast who has bitten off more than they can chew. It appears they have several projects on the go, so they would rather see this one head to a new owner than letting it sit and risk deterioration. Its original Brittany Blue paint looks tired, and the buyer will probably elect to strip the panels to bare metal to achieve a high standard of finish. The photos indicate that the seller has replaced the floors, so that is one area where rust is no longer a concern. The lower body extremities look clean, and if the rest of the car remains structurally sound, the buyer’s welder and grinder are unlikely to receive much work. The next owner will need to spend some money on a new top, and while the bumpers would benefit from a trip to the platers, the remaining trim would respond well to a polish.

The photos and listing details are pretty sparse, but they suggest that the buyer may need to spend time searching for some larger interior components like seat frames. The dash is complete, and the rear seatback is present, but I can’t spot the front seats or the back seat base. Usually, I would talk about sourcing a trim kit to cure the interior’s ills, and that process would add around $2,000 to the restoration. Finding secondhand replacement frames should not prove a challenge, although reproduction front seat frames sell for about $380 each. That isn’t cheap, but the attraction of this option is that the frames won’t require any form of restoration. It is an idea that many readers may find pretty tempting. Therefore, a trim kit and new frames will lighten the buyer’s wallet by around $3,000, but the interior would present in as-new condition.

The seller indicates that this Mustang’s engine bay houses a 289ci V8, backed by a three-speed manual transmission. They don’t state which version of the 289 this is, and since I don’t believe it to be a K-Code, it would have produced 200hp or 225hp in its prime. The motor doesn’t currently run, although it appears that it turns freely. The buyer may elect to revive this V8, although the build would represent an ideal time to perform a few mechanical upgrades. Squeezing more power out of a 289 is not difficult, although bolting in a larger motor is another option worth considering. The buyer may also crave a fuss-free ownership experience, making a restomod build look tempting. While I tend to prefer originality, this project offers the chance for the buyer to let their imagination off its leash to create the Mustang of their dreams.

If you were to find this 1967 Mustang Convertible in your workshop, what would be your action plan? Would your purist leanings motivate you to perform a faithful restoration, or would the lure of additional power be too tempting to resist? You may crave the style and charm of a classic Mustang, but the prospect of ease of maintenance and operation could make the restomod route worth considering. The project is at a point where it serves as a blank canvas for the buyer, and when combined with the affordable asking price, it makes me believe that the Convertible will head to a new home pretty soon. Could it be yours?