This 1966 Ford Mustang is a little bit of a mystery. Can you help figure it out? It can be found here on eBay with an asking price of $5,200. Located in Belle Glade, Florida, apparently, the car was originally white from the factory, but as you can see it wears Tahoe Turquoise now. I’m guessing by the condition of the paint job it was done quite a while ago. Did you notice the hood? The ad says they recently replaced it. Let’s take a closer look at this ride and see if we can figure out what’s going on.
The engine is a 200 cubic inch straight-six backed by a rebuilt 3-speed manual transmission. The ad says it shifts well and “super easy” but the clutch has some chatter. The radiator, carburetor, and gas tank are new. To me, it looks like the shock towers, inner fenders, and firewall have been the subject of a rattle-can restoration. Do you agree?
The interior looks really good and uncluttered. The carpet is new and the gauges and lights all work. The seller also says the glass is good and all the windows work, but there are some scratches and wear on the windshield.
As you can see, the car has older paint and some rust spots. The seller admits that some parts have been replaced and some haven’t. I’m not sure if this is an abandoned project or if the seller just did enough to make it presentable for sale? For example, the ad says the floors were replaced, but need finished. The shock towers, radiator support, and inner fenders are solid, but there is some rust under the battery box. The hood was replaced, but the paint doesn’t match and there’s no explanation why it was replaced. What do you think the real story with this car is?
Possibly maintained & updated as needed, more than likely someone attempting to restore on a budget. Looks solid enough though. Notta bad deal for $5,200 if you are in the market for a plain Jane granny Mustang.
“Need finish” Come on, you can do better than that. A pet peeve: “Needs restore”
Rant ends.
And, of course, ‘breaks’….
Could be a pretty good entry into the classic car hobby, however I’m wary of the potential for flood damage on anything from Florida. If the floors still need work, why install the new carpet? Rattle can under hood, despite the run-down looking exterior, also makes little sense, but it could be masking surface rust? May simply be a seller trying to enhance value, but when combined they’re red flags for me.
Agree — also looks like some work done at some point on the rear quarters and no underneath pics have to make you wonder. May very well be as advertised and a decent starting spot for a driver quality vehicle but on the other hand may be a money pit looking for a new victim if the chassis isn’t solid. If the floors have been done that’s probably a clue.
“66 seats didn’t have seatback locks did they? I had two and they didn’t have them. Those look like seats from a ’67 or ’68.
I caught the same thing. Those seats are not original. The pattern is wrong too.
Those look like the same seats that were in my 68 Cougar.
66 didn’t have locking seat backs. I believe those started in 68.
You are correct. 1968 was the first year for the seat back releases.
Seems like a nice car assuming there’s no serious rust to address. Not sure what the seller means by the floor needs finishing. Maybe it needs to be painted or still needs some welding? I like the floor-shift three speed and the interior looks good. It needs paint so I’d be inclined to keep the current color as I like blue. Not sure if in the long run you wouldn’t be better off just buying one already done. Clean six cylinder Mustangs aren’t that expensive from what I’ve seen. Paint jobs aren’t cheap and the chattering clutch may mean pulling the trans to rectify the problem; more money if you have to pay to have it done.
Okay let me give my thoughts on floor replacement but needs finished comments with carpet on top.
I bet / predict should the floors be shown they would portray horribly amateur welded floors that one could likely tap on beads and the welds separate .
The other projection is they are on top of small sections of cutout rust areas versus full replacement. (Maybe rivets and screws keep in place)
The hood is either not primed under paint and white appearing as it chips off or some bondo in holes.
Its possible a easy remedy on real welds and floor pan install and check hood and replace with low price aftermarket parts.
Just remember to V8 this puppy its geared to low with six banger
I say keep it a six and enjoy 😎
No mystery here. its a rusty 6 banger that you don’t want. The seats appear to be ’68 models with ’67 covers. The hood was probably so rusted out that they replaced it with one that sort of matched the color of the car.
I am thinking the hood was stored in a garage or under a cover while the engine was out at some point, then reinstalled. These will never command a high price it is just too common and base line. Good as a daily driver, when reliable, and fun….
Looks like a well orchestrated job to look like it was just cleaned up to sell. In fact this old boy is likely the result of many parts put together. No original dirt on engine? It has been worked over very carefully.
Very common little car. Cheap and easy. Just fix the heat problem, replace the crappy oil filter, and drive it.
Gotta agree with stevieG on this one. Looks like the seller started out with high
hopes for this car but got in over his head
and then started fixing things willy nilly
with no real plan as to how to restore this
car the right way. For me, the floors and
the torque boxes would be a deal breaker
when it comes to an early Mustang. If you have rust issues there, you’ve really
got problems as Mustangs are unibody
cars and these assemblies are key to the
strength and integrity of the body structure. And yes, Florida cars are indeed known for their rusty frames and
floors. This is caused by the salt air and
salt from the beaches that these cars were driven on at some point in their lives.
The same thing can be said for any vehicle that may have spent its life near
the ocean. To me, this is worse than a
midwestern car with rust–at least you know where the rust will be on a northern
car as opposed to a Florida car where
rust seems to be everywhere. But I digress. This car needn’t be a money pit if you can get it for the right price. When you consider how cobbled together this
poor car is, you could get it for $3K or
less if you take cash with you and wave it
under his nose. He’d be a fool not to take
it. This car could be a really fun driver once you redo all the repairs the seller has “done” to it. The 3 on the floor will give you a sporty feel, and the 6 will save
you money at the pump. I see a possible
win-win here.
It’s a $1000.00 car and frankly unless you’re right next to it physically, don’t have to transport it anywhere and willing to spend some bucks to look like everybody else I guess it’s OK but I’d frankly pass.
Shock towers may have been replaced too, pretty sure those welds wouldn’t pass quality control either.
Alll good comments, bottom line is- look it over good and see if its worth the coin.
Friend of mine bought a 67 conv In California but it was an east coast transplant and one of the rottenest Rustangs I ever saw. Caveat emptor and good luck.
Cheers
GPC
Nice starter car for a teen interested in older cars. Inspection need to make sure its not a rust bucket
Don’t buy it unless you see it in person if you can get a friend to go see it take photos send them to you as well sounds like a fare price for a cool driver
I would pass. The hood and radiator have been replaced and the rattle can under the hood. Aside from being a rust bucket with the wrong seats I would be looking at the bumper to see if the bolts are rusted in place or have recently been broken loose. Also check the rear fender wells above and behind the wheels. They are notorious for rusting out there.
Flipping a resto flop.
I had a 65 straight 6 with a three speed on the floor!! Always wanted to put a V-8 in it with a 4 speed but I never did!!! It was a fun little driver and the girls loved it!! Those were the days!!!