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Swayback Pony: 1968 Mustang GT 302

Swayback 1968 Mustang GT

My mother always gave me two pieces of advice in life and here they are, “if you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all and always be honest”. Well the first piece of advice probably doesn’t apply to cars much, but being honest does. I’ve found that I truly appreciate when a seller is completely honest about the condition of their car. The seller of this 1968 Mustang GT J-code is brutally upfront about their car and it is actually refreshing to hear a seller admit that their car is a massive rust bucket. It is so bad that this Pony has a bit of a swayback. Take a look at what could be the rustiest Mustang I’ve seen in a while here on eBay or find it in Marcy, New York.

Ford 302 J-code

Now obviously honesty and rust aren’t real selling points, although honesty does help a little. The real selling points for this Mustang are the fastback body and the J-code 302 cui V8. For those that don’t know much about the Mustang code designation system, each engine package had a different letter designation. The J-code isn’t one of the HiPo engines, but it was a mildly tuned engine that was only built for the ’68 model year. This 302 isn’t anywhere nearly as potent as the 302 found in the Boss, but is still a great engine. While it is a rare configuration, it doesn’t add much resale value, especially given that the engine is seized.

1968 Mustang GT Interior

This seller is likely going to have a tough time finding their Pony a new home, at least at their asking price. Anything can be fixed with enough money and time, but the seller will have to come down to find a buyer willing to invest what it’s going to take to get this swayback straightened out. The frame is rusted, the body is rusted, the floors are rusted, and just about everything that can rust has some rust on it. Now would I recommend buying this Mustang, most likely not unless you absolutely have to have a J-code Fastback. What I would recommend though is to look for sellers like this one. Sure they could have offered more details, but you know what you are buying here, a rust bucket. And they were sure to include lots of photos, which can reveal a lot more about the car then a seller’s description ever can and they were clear about the condition of key areas.

Sway Back Mustang

It would break my heart to see this Mustang scrapped out or crushed, but I’m not sure there is enough car left here to save. To be fair, I have seen worse cars brought back to pristine shape. All it takes is a dedicated owner and time, so let’s hope this one finds someone who can tackle all that rust! And it is a Mustang, so parts are plentiful and relatively cheap. So do you think this Pony is worth saving or is it just too rusted?

Comments

  1. Avatar mike

    this car isn’t even worth the vin plate w/o a title…even the guys in England wouldn’t attempt this diaster…

    Like 0
  2. Avatar Lemble

    Wow what an asking price for a rusted hunk. I am a Ford guy and think this guy is crazy. Do they make a Repo body for this?

    Like 0
  3. Avatar Pete

    Calling this a “car” is dishonest.

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  4. Avatar John A

    I need a new boat anchor ……but not at that price!! :p

    Like 0
  5. Avatar frankie Paige

    I’ve seen and worked on rustier cars, to me this deserves to be fixed. Being that it’s a fastback the value is alittle more, but the price he’s asking is on the high side, I would get a sell just so that it gets the help it needs. There are bodies out there too, so a rebody would be easier.

    Like 0
    • Avatar wesley

      I totally agree with ya when you said that it deserves to be fixed and when ya pretty much said that it can be fixed. i have seen, worked on and fixed cars that the bodies were fare worse than that. im a certified welder, im certified in stick, mig and tig. and the way I see it is that anything can be repaired if ya got a welder and the know how, lol.

      Like 0
    • Avatar MikeH

      Yea, all it needs is a new frame, a new body, new interior and new drivetrain and you’re all set.

      Like 0
  6. Avatar jim s

    this car has been listed on ebay for some time. i think this is also a parts car. if you are interested do a PI and then make an offer. nice find

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Don Sicura

    There is not one part on this car that does not need to be replaced, I believe that AMD or one of the better repro companies make a replacement body in the 15 to 20 K range.

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  8. Avatar Brian

    If the price was reasonable and all the bits and legal documents were present, it would be a great parts car for a new repo body! Unfortunately for this seller, the buyer (if he’s lucky enough to find one) is going to have the upper hand in this transaction. He might be better off just parting out the desireable pieces so other Ponies can live on to run another day, then send the sad remains of this ole’ nag to the glue factory!

    Like 0
  9. Avatar stanleystalvey

    7 grand for this.? the seller is a nutcase freak to think he’ll get that kind of money for this bucket o’ Rust.. There’s nothing salvageable here.. absolutely nothing..

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Ramone de V8

    It’s finished. Few parts, then … Off to Rustang heaven.

    Like 0
  11. Avatar Mark E

    Well, if this is too much rust for you, I just heard of a Mercury Cyclone for sale… ^_^

    Like 0
    • Avatar JimmyinTexas

      Mark E,
      If this mustang is a week in jail, that cyclone was a life sentence, “on the rock”. ;)

      Like 0
  12. Avatar Dolphin Member

    The seller said it best: “THIS CAR IS ROUGHER THAN A WEEK IN JAIL”, the funniest line ever about a rusty car. Unfortunately, it’s all downhill from there.

    Like 0
  13. Avatar cory

    I always wonder about guys who can get a title for you. Why don’t they just do it themselves? Obviously it would up the value. Sorry but this car is a $500 parts car with no paper.

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Jerry

    Surely he meant to type 79.99….What could he possibly think he is offering?

    Like 0
  15. Avatar Rick

    lets try harder to feature actual cars in the future instead of scrap!

    Like 0
  16. Avatar John

    Sorry, but this poor thing looks like a strong wind would blow it away. Five bucks perhaps but certainly not 7K.

    Like 0
  17. Avatar Joe Howell

    So sad……..that poor horse needs to be shot.

    Like 0
  18. Avatar OKCPhil

    This car reminds me of the Shelby Mustangs that are by Arecibo Puerto Rico. Rusted to hell but at least this owner is willing to put a price on them to let it go. I was told that the Shelbys in Arecibo are owned by the family since the “collector” died and they want way more than this guy for cars which arent even this good. All sad that they are allowed to get to this point.

    Like 0
  19. Avatar da budman

    No way……..Jose!!
    BUSTED!……..I mean,…RUSTED!!!

    Like 0
  20. Avatar Tom L

    Nothing to see here folks…please move along.

    Like 0
  21. Avatar John

    My Father used to say that you should jack up the radiator cap and run a new car under it. This one doesn’t seem to have a radiator cap — or a radiator for that matter. I’m not really sure it could be safely tied down to a trailer to get it home.

    I’d almost bet that this one has been in a flood somewhere.

    Like 0
  22. Avatar JimmyinTexas

    It sounds to me like this seller is selling the VIN plate and door and fender tags. He volunteered to throw in a title for an extra 500 bucks. Seems to me a title should be included in an 8K asking. Maybe an aftermarket body could be negotiated in the 8K price also…

    Like 0
  23. Avatar Chuck F 55chevy

    I have a 65 Fastback that’s slightly less rusty, no sway to it, and it has most all the Fastback interior pieces, my plan is to get a coupe and transfer the fastback pieces to it, just have to take roof and rear quarters off down to the interior wheelwells. I haven’t done one, but saw a good write up on a Stang forum, as well as watched a friend replace a lot of sheet metal in a 67 fastback, took a while but he now has a nice Shelby clone. But….my biological clock is ticking, I’m going on 57, and my knees hurt when I get up after squatting down.

    Like 0
  24. Avatar JohnD

    This would be great for a repro body IF it had a title, and IF the seller weren’t off on price by a factor of 10 . . . And even at $500, the buyer would have to be in his backyard to make it worth shipping! Shipping a car that might split in half will be tricky. However, I am sure you get the Oklahoma guarantee: If it splits in half, you get both halves!!

    Like 0
  25. Avatar MikeW

    You couldn’t pick it up with a forklift and good luck with that winching it up on a truck or trailer. It will break in 2

    Like 0
  26. Avatar That Guy

    Holy crap, batman.

    I’d actually be worried about the car collapsing on me as I was trying to dismantle it. Climbing under that thing with a wrench or a cutting torch would be Russian roulette.

    Like 0
  27. Avatar Richard

    Please, everything on this car will buff right out, no problem!!!

    But seriously, if I were a buyer, I’d get this car for cheap, then get a Dynacorn replacement fastback body shell, and transfer anything that might still be intact to the new shell. Unless you want to take a master’s level course in bodywork and rust replacement, this car is useless except to try out the new crusher at the local salvage yard.

    Like 0
  28. Avatar Mark in Medford

    The J code 302 was a 4 barrel option,the GT350 was based on this engine with a few HP upgrades. I have had J codes in Mustangs and Cougars and really enjoyed them. They have real good power without having a solid lifter cam like a HP 289. The value of this car is in the title and Vin plate.

    Like 0
  29. Avatar Seth

    New York did not have titles back when this car was new

    Like 0
  30. Avatar Rex Kahrs Member

    There are no underbody pictures. Oh, wait, it doesn’t have an underbody.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Joe Howell

      roflmao

      Like 0
  31. Avatar scotts

    Strictly good for the parts. And there’s a lot of them.

    Like 0
  32. Avatar Catfish Phil

    Would make a great artificial reef. Louisiana is losing a football field each day from coastal erosion. Send it down on a barge! But not The Garbage Barge…

    Like 0
  33. Avatar Jesse Staff

    Someone made an offer and the seller accepted it. Wish we could see what it went for.

    Like 0

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