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Stalled Project: 1966 Ford Mustang Convertible

While it might look dirty and unloved, this 1966 Mustang Convertible also might be a pretty decent sort of project car. Some of the work has been started, but not only is there still plenty to do, but there are also some questions that would need to be answered. The Mustang is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and is listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding on the Mustang hasn’t been what I would call frantic, and with it now only sitting at $3,800, the reserve has been met. That has the potential to make this one of the cheaper Mustang project cars that we’ve seen here at Barn Finds for quite some time.

This is one of those cars where some of the restoration work has been commenced, but I have to shake my head and wonder what the owner was thinking at the time. The front fenders are a perfect example. Those are NOS items, but they’ve been fitted and then allowed to deteriorate to their current state. I also don’t understand the hole in the hood, and while they do have an aftermarket scoop to go over that, I would probably return it to original. The quarter panels have both been replaced with aftermarket items, but the owner says that he actually has a pair of NOS panels still in their wrappers that he can include at extra cost. It isn’t clear how the floors and frame of the Mustang are, but I think that I can at least see some evidence of rust in the front inner rocker on the passenger side. The combination of a dirt floor and the amount of corrosion present in some areas of the car really are a cause for concern. At least the frame for the power top looks like it is in pretty reasonable condition, but the material has definitely seen better days.

The interior of the Mustang is largely complete, but once again, there is a fair amount of restoration work required. At least the dash hasn’t been hacked about to fit an aftermarket stereo, while the bench seat in this car is a nice little feature. The dash will need a new pad, while new covers for the seats, and carpet are the minimum that will need to go on the shopping list. Of course, there might be more needed on closer inspection. Once again, it looks like there might be corrosion beginning to appear on some of the metal surfaces inside the Mustang, which may not be a good sign.

The Mustang started life fitted with a 6-cylinder engine, but now it sports a 289ci V8 and 4-speed manual transmission of 1967 vintage. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that the car currently doesn’t run. However, the owner gives no indication as to whether the engine even turns freely. As with so many areas of this Mustang, there is plenty of evidence of surface corrosion on plenty of components under the hood, and the more that I see, the more I wonder about what we can’t see.

If bidding on the Mustang Convertible doesn’t go much higher, it will be one of the cheapest that we’ve seen for a while. Is it a good buy? That’s a hard one to answer. I think that the only way to answer that conclusively would be by giving the vehicle a pretty thorough personal inspection. If it does check out as being a relatively solid car, then it could be a great project. The obvious and visible signs of corrosion on the car just raise some doubts in my mind.

Comments

  1. Avatar Arthell64

    My guess is there of thousands of stalled projects like this around the county. Losing interest in a project car is common. It’s easy to under estimate the cost and amount of work to complete a car like this.

    Like 2
  2. Avatar Nevadahalfrack Member

    I’m shocked and amazed!! Did he forget to hit the “3” twice in his price to make the price more in line with other sellers??? Isn’t “$33800” more the norm of what we’re accustomed with incomplete projects for sale on the ‘Net?!?
    IMO This is probably the most reasonably priced “I took it apart when I was 21 and gave up” project we’ve seen in a long while.
    Let’s all say a little prayer to the defunct dinosaurs that feed our hobby, burn an Aztek as a sacrifice and hope this is the beginning of the return to normalcy in the art of building cars again!!!
    (Cue in the Babbitt NV church chorus, “Hallelujah”, for background..)

    Like 5
  3. Avatar IkeyHeyman

    The Internet is chock full of stalled projects – due to a loss of interest, lack of money and skills, family issues, and a host of other reasons. I wouldn’t touch most of them with a ten foot pole. Especially beware of the posting that offers few details but states “My loss is your gain” or “Hurry, won’t last long!” or “First $5000 takes it!” – those vehicles are usually the biggest turkeys.

    Like 3
  4. Avatar HydTech

    Understanding a hole in a hood is easy. They are most commonly used to allow needed clearance for larger than stock engine components, or to allow an increase in fresh outside air to be available to the engine.

    Like 4
  5. Avatar ken tilly Member

    Parts car at best.

    Like 0
  6. Avatar Shuler Mike

    It doesn’t look bad. If I was closer I would be somewhat interested for that price. There are probably 100 watchers just waiting for the last couple minutes. My only concern would be the rear frame rails is the trunk. My 66 rusted out there. If he had to replace both quarters already, that would be of a concern to me

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Gaspumpchas

    Price is right for now anyway, but where to start–need a knowledgable person to look at it.Usual rustang stuff–inner rockers, dirt floor damage, that awful quarter panel attempt at fix- cowl plenum, then off to the easy stuff like the floors. no pics of the underbelly. if the doors wont open and close you got issues with the inner rockers. Looker over good! Good luck , caveat emptor.\
    Cheers
    GPC

    Like 1
  8. Avatar STEVEN VISEK

    It all comes down to how much rust there is and where it is. I could be a great project for folks who aren’t concerned about originality or matching numbers. Or if the rust is bad it could be a parts car. Hard to tell. I do like the bench seat. I have a ’66 hardtop and would love a bench!

    Like 0
  9. Avatar Bob McK

    The wheels look like this has been sitting in muddy water.

    Like 1
  10. Avatar S Craig MacDonald

    Lots of things don’t add up here. If it was originally a 6 cyl. it would have 4-lug wheels. This has 5-lug. OK, maybe the axle swap was done at the same time, but you’d think that would be mentioned. It’s at least as expensive and complicated as the engine swap. The interior is a mix of “Pony” and base models. The engine bay is missing some key pieces like the tower braces….
    This is scary and going to be a pricey project.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Mikey8

      They had to change front spindles and tear end. Not hard to do but it would also make me look at it closer.

      Like 0
  11. Avatar Hotroddaddy

    I would let that pony gallop (or be towed) into someone else’s corrall!

    Like 0
  12. Avatar bobhess Member

    This one didn’t get near a barn for a long, long time…. Like the man said, open the gate and let it roll.

    Like 0

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