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Parked In 1985: 1964½ Ford Mustang

The owner of this 1964½ Ford Mustang inherited the car when his parents passed away, and has now decided to part with it. His parents drove it regularly until it was parked in a barn in 1985, and it has only just emerged from hiding. It will require a full restoration, but the buyer will be starting the process with what appears to be a complete car. The Mustang is located in Truro, Iowa, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. The bidding is set to open at $1,800 in what appears to be a No Reserve auction. Surprisingly, there have been no bids submitted up to this point in time.

The owner has undertaken some investigation before listing this classic for sale and has been able to confirm that it rolled off the Kansas City production line on June 13th, 1964. The Rangoon Red Mustang was parked in 1985, and the owner believes that this might have happened due to a heater core failure. It has been sitting ever since, and it probably isn’t that surprising to learn that it does have a few rust problems. It appears that the floors are pretty bad, and these will require replacement. It isn’t clear what state the trunk pan is in, and there is no information on the state of the frame rails or torque box. One positive with this car is that the owner appears to be quite accommodating, and is willing to supply additional photos to potential buyers. He believes that the rear quarter panels might have been replaced at some point, and these are said to be in good condition. There are some small spots of rust visible in the lower sections of the body, but these should be able to be addressed with patches. All of the chrome is present, although some items will require restoration or replacement. The glass also looks pretty good, with no signs of any significant flaws.

The Mustang is fitted with a D-Code 289ci V8, which would have produced 210hp. This engine is backed by a 4-speed manual transmission, which sends the power to a 3.00 rear end. It probably comes as no surprise to learn that this Ford doesn’t run. It did when it was parked, but that was 35-years-ago. The good news is that the engine does at least turn freely. The vehicle also rolls and steers, meaning that loading it onto a trailer will be an easy process. When it was shiny and new, this is a car that would have covered the ¼ mile in 15.9 seconds. That didn’t make it the fastest offering from Ford then. However, if the new owner isn’t fussed about complete originality, extracting some extra performance is not a difficult or expensive process.

The interior of the Mustang is looking just as tired as the rest of the vehicle. Once again, the buyer is going to face some work to whip it back into shape. The red-on-red combination would have had quite an impact when the car was new, and it could easily do that again. The console is a nice bonus, and I think that it could be salvaged. Otherwise, all new upholstery and trim will be required. The easiest way to tackle this would be with a full trim kit, which can be purchased for around $1,200. This cost includes a replacement dash pad and would have the interior presenting in as-new condition.

This 1964½ Mustang shows an enormous amount of promise. It is an early production version, and this makes it a reasonably desirable vehicle. That will probably mean that the next owner will want to undertake a faithful restoration to preserve its originality. I am quite surprised that there have been no bids on the Mustang up to this point, and with only six people watching the listing, there is a chance that someone could score themselves a Mustang project car at a bargain-basement price. Do we have any takers?

Comments

  1. HoA Howard A Member

    Wow! I’m amazed there are no bidders. This, I read, is a very early Mustang. They came out, April 17, 1964, making this only 2 months in. I believe there a few changes in the ’65’s,making 641/2’s kind of sought after. Gas cap had no security cable, pass. seat was bolted to the floor, and the hood was a bit different and some interior trim. Apparently not. See? I just don’t get the hobby today. You get 5 figures (allegedly) for some rusty hulk of a Mopar, and here, you have, one of the most influential and original cars of all time, and bupkis AT $1800!!!. And a V8 4 speed, most early ones had the 170, 6 and a 3 speed. The world has truly gone loco with no bidders on this.

    Like 11
    • Avatar Dennis

      I thought all 641/2 were made in Dearborn

      Like 0
      • Avatar Jerry

        Nope…..my early model was made in San Jose.

        Like 0
    • Avatar Dan

      That is not the original engine, 1964 had the 260 v-8. Still it might be a decent project car.

      Like 2
      • Avatar Jerry

        Nope…..64 1/2 first few months maybe as much as 6 months had the 260….then they switched to the 289.

        Like 1
  2. Avatar Bluetec320 Member

    I think this would be a good car to restore, with it being built early in the production run and having a V8/4speed combo. This is a significant piece of Mustang history. The auction does have six days to go though, we’ll see where it ends up. The plus side is, if you do a complete restoration, you’ll only have to drive 635 miles to zero the odometer…

    Like 5
  3. Avatar Chas358

    Since it’s one of the first Mustangs built I would expect it to be quite valuable. It’s surprising that there are no bids at all. Maybe it’s because of the rust – but that’s just a guess.
    If bidding does take off I hope the owner doesn’t get hurt because of no reserve.

    Like 3
  4. Avatar Johnmloghry

    Great find. It’s location is a big hindrance for me as I hate cold weather states and salt roads. Even in the summer I won’t go that far north. But whoever gets this has got a real gem to work with. A v8 over a 6 is a big plus, even if it’s not the high output version. From watching the amount of money my brother poured into his I know you can expect to drop tens of thousands of hard dollars into these cars if you want a pristine model in the end. Good luck to all.
    God bless America

    Like 2
  5. Avatar Robert Davis

    rust …..LOL you want rust come to ohio. you wouldn’t even have a floor if it was an ohio car LOL what nice is you can buy every part for it, will be a nice ride restored

    Like 0
  6. Avatar Dusty Stalz

    This would be a fun car to restore because as stated previously you can buy 90% of the parts and do it yourself, after the body had been taken care of. And it’s a V8 4speed and in a great color. One thing on my list would be a new hood to get rid of those hood pins.

    Like 5
  7. Avatar AMFMSW

    Per the door tag (which matches the VIN), the car was scheduled for build on 13 June 1964…about three months after Mustang production started. I can only hope that the seller meant to say the car was sold in Kansas City; it was built in Dearborn, Michigan. Too involved a project for me, but I home someone saves it.

    Like 3
  8. Avatar Cadmandan

    Didn’t the 641/2 Mustang come with a 260 V8 engine?

    Like 6
    • Avatar AMFMSW

      Yes. One could have gotten one’s early ’65 Mustang with a six-cylinder, 260 V-8 with 2-barrel carburetor, 289 V-8 with 4barrel carburetor, or 289 high-performance V-8. V-8s in late ’65s were all 289s.

      Like 3
    • Avatar Jerry

      Not all….I had the 600 and something car built out of San Jose back around 2000..(verified the vin)…it had a generator….and the 289.
      Was Wimbledon White auto with black interior.

      Like 0
      • Avatar Bob C.

        They were still using generators in 65?

        Like 0
      • Avatar Jerry

        Bob……about first 6 months of early production Mustangs had generators.

        Like 0
  9. Avatar TimM

    An early V-8 and a 4speed car!! Not a rust bucket!! Looks like a great project!!

    Like 3
  10. Avatar Chas358

    I live in Michigan. Cars rust as you drive out of the dealer.

    Like 6
  11. Avatar Piros1

    I should buy it and restore it for my wife but at 65 and two projects in front of it, I may never get to it.
    Did any of you notice photo #8 in the eBay ad? It appears to be the side of the engine block showing the casting numbers but there is what looks like a hole in the top left corner. Not sure if it is just a rough spot in the casting or a hole in the block that has some rust on it. Maybe I’m just looking at it wrong.

    Like 3
    • Avatar Johnmloghry

      That sure looks like a big hole. Looks like the kind made wham a rod goes through the block. I’ve had that happen.
      God bless America

      Like 0
    • Avatar Timmy

      Soft plug push out and laying below the hole? Don’t know…

      Like 0
  12. Avatar JimZ Member

    Don’t understand why some wax poetic about these early Mustangs. I worked at a Uniroyal store (part of K-Mart) back then, and they all needed upper ball joints, idler arms, etc etc. Thought they were kinda minimalist…but I’ve never been a Ford guy.

    Like 2
    • Avatar robert semrad

      What make of car do you like, if not the Mustang?

      Like 0
      • Avatar Jim Z Member

        Robert-
        I’ve owned/bought/sold well over 100 cars from the 70’s to now. Some I kept and drove, some got flipped days after acquiring. I’m not a dealer, just an avid auto hobbyist.
        My longest owned daily driver was a ’65 Buick Skylark with the 300v8. Loved that car. big back seat made many memories.
        During the 80’s we mostly drove Olds and Caddy diesels. I could buy them cheap and keep them running. Had a couple of Cutlass Cierras with the V6 Diesel, they ran great!
        During the 90’s I factory ordered Diesel Suburbans to use in my business. We drove all over Chicago and Suburbs doing pickup and deliver of computer equipment. In the mid 90’s I discovered Jaguar XJS V12’s and fell head over pocketbook. Owned a bunch of them, many were convertibles. In the early 2000s I bought the first Chevy Avalanche and during their 10 year run had 5 of them including the final year version. Often wished they offered it with a diesel. Chevy really ruined them…going from a great utility/work vehicle to the final year couldn’t tell them from the Cadillac Escalade. I had a 98 Chev Dually that I wish was still in the garage. Had a bunch of other memorable rides along the way, 2012 Dodge RAM Cummings, 1974 Buick LeSabre 455 convertible with a ground-up restoration.
        Currently driving a Caddy XT5 AWD and a Mercedes Metris for my business. I’ve loved them all!

        Like 2
  13. Avatar Joe Haska

    I was having a conversation with Gale Halderman, one of many ,he was my neighbor. He was also the lead designer for the 65 Mustang, starting from the inception to production. He was a great guy, although I am sure there had to be many times, he had to think ,is my neighbor ever going get tired of asking me questions about Ford, Mustangs and automotive history.
    During one conversation ( or interagation from his perspective ) I asked him about the 64 1/2 Mustang. His simple answer was “There is no such thing” and no Mustang ever left the factory titled as anything but 1965. That’s not to say there are no titles that say that, but it wasn’t, done by Ford. When you look back it is easy to see how all this came about, but none the less it’s on true.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Jerry

      One reason car people call the early models 64 1/2 is because they had a generator and the 260 V8

      Like 2
  14. Avatar John S.

    These re-bodied Falcons were quite the rage when new & have an almost cult following. They weren’t particularly sturdy & often needed front end alignments when driven daily. We learned that installing a solid brace between the shock towers greatly strengthened the uni-body-esc structure, thus enhancing the handling and making those alignments fewer and farther between. I bought a 65 GT convertible for $150 back in the day after the owner broad-sided a telephone pole. I harvested the H.O. 289, 4-speed and 9″ rear end, along with the seats and a few other things. All that bolted into my ’65 Falcon and I had a snappy little sleeper!

    Like 3
  15. Avatar Little_Cars

    I have never, EVER, seen someone position a car on jack stands while still on the trailer!!! “Hey, man, hold my beer…lets do some underside work on this ‘Stang while on a rolling platform made out of wood. How about an oil change and engine swap while we’re here!?”

    Like 1

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