Sometimes project cars pop up, and you can’t work out why bidding is either slow, or there have been no bids at all on the vehicle. This 1965 Mustang is just such a car from my perspective. Yes, it needs a lot of work, but not only has a lot already been done, but the number of new parts included in the sale would be worth more than the opening bid on the car. You will find this Mustang for sale here on eBay. It is located in Corinth, Maine, and has been listed for sale with a clear title. The opening bid on the Mustang has been set at $7,000, but at the time of writing there had been no bids.
The owner appears to have done a fair amount of work designed to make this Mustang solid again. It has all new floors fitted, and some other preparation work has been commenced on areas of the car. I’m usually quite cautious about cars where the preparation has been commenced because a coat of primer can hide some nasty surprises. However, at least with this car, you can have a good look to see what is going on. The owner is also including a number of new body parts such as headlights, tail lights, bumpers, front fenders, rear quarter skins, door skins, wheel houses, door seals, weather strips, window rubbers, and a trunk lid.
The engine bay has also been sand-blasted and painted. The car was originally a 302ci V8, which was backed by a C4 automatic transmission. The original transmission is still with the car, although obviously not installed. The engine that comes with the car is a 1968 M-Code 302. The car is also fitted with new steering, new suspension, and new brakes.
As far as the catalog of parts that come with the car, it’s pretty comprehensive. It includes console, shifter, emergency brake, steering wheel, seat foams, seat covers, seat belts, 95% complete new interior, complete new dual exhaust, reconditioned speedometer and heater, new mirrors, door handles, grille and fog lights, hoses, 5 mag wheels, emblems and tags, under dash air conditioner with some new parts, and a complete new light blue and white interior. There are just boxes and boxes of parts.
The owner of this Mustang appears to have been serious about the quality of the restoration project judging by both the work that has been completed and the inventory of new parts included with the car. With the new body components that have already been fitted combined with the parts included, the new owner can be confident that they will own a solid car when the restoration is completed. Do we have a Barn Finder who would like to take this on?
Have the same car in a similar state of completion. The mind is willing to continue, the body, not so much.
I wish I had space to do a reassembly type resto as even that would be a challenge of the highest order.
A 1965 Mustang would have been a 289 car, not a 302 car. Possibly even a 260 if early enough.
Mike
….or even the 200 c.i. six cylinder.
A shame to go to that expense and not have a more desirable fastback or convertible.
I know that it’s a personal preference, but I’ve always liked the coupes more than the fastbacks. The early fastbacks just don’t have apealing lines and the fake vents don’t help their case.
Fake???
It would have had a 289, not a 302.
Just sayin.
….or 200c.i. six….
So put 289 decals on it.
Leaving aside the obvious considerable expense the seller has gone to in collecting parts and doing an apparently thorough job on the metal repair, it has the wrong engine, is a slushbox and needs to be put back together for another five grand plus. I’m thinking you can find a 3/4 speed coupe for seven grand. Or an I smoking rope?
Sure…you can find them, but in various stages of completion or condition, but not one restored.
After looking at the pics, how do we know what year or equipment this car had? There is no door tag or fender stamping shown, plus I never saw a pic of the engine or transmission.
It sounds enticing but what you get for the asking price is a rolling shell that needs quarter panels and the engine and transmission rebuilt, paint and assembly. The odds are it will be missing parts, but the buyer won’t know what missing until they need them, especially nuts, bolts and clips since they didn’t take it apart. How much will paint and body work run, including installation of the quarter panels, maybe $5,000-7,000. Rebuilding the engine and transmission, $2,500-3,000. On the low end that would put it just under $15,000, plus tires, windshield, wiring, and other incidentals not listed with the parts included with the car. This could easily run close to $20,000 or more by the time it turns a wheel under its own power even if the new owner does the assembly. Someone would likely be better off buying a restored car.
Steve R
For a roughly equal price you’d know the quality of the restoration from the ground up with no hidden surprises, that means a lot to some of us.
True dat….unless you’re doing most of it yourself. It’s not rocket science, and we have a friend named “Google” that is more than willing to give us a hand on a moments notice. These old Mustangs are easy to work on. Bout as easy as it gets.
Maybe an already restored car would be cheaper but some of us find pleasure in doing the work ourselves. This seems like a good deal for that person. With a moderate level of skill, patience, and a few more bucks for the incidental missing pieces there are hours of satisfaction and a pleasing payoff at the end. The biggest expense, paint, can be softened considerably. Get an upgraded package at Maaco and then spend hours color sanding. Then keep quiet about it because very very few can tell the difference. It’s about as far away from me as possible and I’m doing a ’66 coupe now. If it were closer I’d sure try to strike a deal.
Not a bad deal.
Someone’s buying a puzzle in a box lol. Good luck with that!
Come on guys…what are we, gearheads, or mice? A trunk lid goes on the back, and the hood goes on the front. The steering wheel goes on the pipe sticking out from the floor on the left hand side….the headliner goes up top, and the carpet goes on the floor. Again, it’s not rocket science…..
As Steve R said, plenty of work to be done to get it to whatever level you decide to take it to, and yes, lots of guys like doing the work them selves. For what its worth, I saw a completely done 65 coupe go thru ME-cum auctions for 15 k. Seems like the market on the run of the mill coupes is soft right now. Still a good start but a tad pricey, again my $.02 worth. Good luck to the new owner.
Cheers
GPC
I think it’d be a good buy for somebody who wants something to do with their time and their money I’m not a fan of the 65 66 Mustang I prefer the 67 68 but like I said I think it’d be a good project for somebody who wants to devote time and money to it. I could care less about the originality of the engine guess what guys I don’t have many of my original parts left either. As a matter of fact about that my 72 Olds Cutlass has more original parts left on it than I do.
I was in the same boat with my Boss 302 it was a shell for years all new metal and done but stalled. Then I got the right man on it and it is now a beautiful car! One of the big problems I see is the parts are reproduction and to be polite, they are bad!