Hello guys as you can see at the title i need something to know about the restoration… İ want to buy a 65-68 mustang but cheap one then i want to work on it…So can you tell me what i will encounter with when i buy a project mustang ( İ can only give this thing just 25.000 dollars and i save some great money to buy tools and necessary things)
You can get a very good looking Mustang for that amount. I would not even consider restauration of an older Mustang without prior experience. That could be a real money pit.
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There are so many hidden problems that can turn a restoration into an expensive piece of yard art that I suggest you learn a great deal more about restoration in general and old Mustangs in particular before stepping off the edge.
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Buy a plane tix to Cali or Arizona and buy the cleanest, rust free car you can. If you live in ohio or NY you could probably double your money by selling as is. We won’t even start about what model. Coupe, 6 cyl, V8, fastback, convertible, or so on.
Look here to see what is available. It looks like there are several cars with a 289 that you might like. They appear to be in good condition, but you should check them out thoroughly and visit the seller, even if it is a long trip. If it is a dealer, they will likely have a lift. You want to look under the car and poke at the undercarriage to see if there is serious rust. Take it to a local garage for a prepurchase inspection to see if anything needs to be fixed. This means you need to find a garage near the seller before you go there.
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And I’m only kidding a little bit. I recommend you start going to local classic car shows, and join they local Mustang club (they’re everywhere, Anchorage had two). Get to know a lot more about the cars and what to look for. Folks with Mustangs will be very happy to tell you what they know. And there are many forums you can join that’ll give you a huge amount of information particular to the Mustang.
I’d want a V8, and not a conversion from a 6 (there are lots of those out there). That means you’ll need to be able to identify which is which.
That vintage Mustang is pretty easy to restore (by professional standards) because most everything is reproduced INCLUDING entire bodies. Why is that? They rust A LOT. Finding an unrestored one without needing a floor replaced is uncommon these days. Arizona, Nevada and California are your “happy places” for cars like this.
But I need to ask questions. What will you do with this car once restored? Cruising to take it to car shows? Is this a “bonding” project with your dad or son? Are you looking to make money selling it after you restore it?
If its for cruising, take your $25K and buy yourself a pretty nice 6 cylinder convertible already done. Not perfect, nice. These are commonly available for about this price.
A “bonding” project? Buy the most rust free car you can find and start there. Budget MORE than $25K. You WILL need more. Go for coupes, not fastbacks. Stay away from K code cars because they are costly. C code V8 cars or again, 6 cylinders are fun.
A restore and flip car? The only hope of making money here is to buy one in good condition cheap and flip the car. You can’t make money on a car this common with anything less than the rarest of rare.
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My vote is to buy one already restored. Let the seller take the financial hit on the restoration. And most of them do…
When it comes to rust you have no idea what a PITA that is to repair properly. You would really need a larger work area, a rotisserie, and skills with a welder. Add to that hundreds of man hours.
I think Mr. Norm reproduction Hemi Darts have something iike 400 man hours per car involved in them just in tapping out the body straight; and those cars are relatively rust free to begin with.
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The first rule in any restoration is to start off with as good a car as you can afford. If you start out with a $15k Mustang, you’ll have a much better time and ultimately spend much less money than you would have if you had started out with a $5k Mustang. Second rule is that the actual amount of money you will spend will generally exceed your envisioned budget by about 50%. There is roughly a 100% chance that you will encounter an unforeseen problem which will require an additional outlay of cash. This is especially true if you’ve never done this sort of thing before.
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And appearance can be very deceiving. I saw what looked to be a nice coupe in a used car lot, shiny paint, nice interior. I looked underneath and I could see carpet showing through the rusted out floor pan. Who knows what other problems had been painted and bondo’d over.
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As to the money you’ll spend, plan on making back fifty cents for every dollar you spend on the restoration. Not a money making proposition. That’s why you’re typically money ahead buying the nicest one you can afford.
My neighbor who is quite good at auto mechanics tried to restore a car and found out that a first timer even with skills can be overwhelmed and spend a lot more that they ever thought they would.
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Mustangs were very rust-prone and one that old for very little money is basically scrap.
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Thank you for all of you guys for good answers… So i think all night and i decided to buy already restored… İ looked at the volocars.com and i see almost all cars are rust free and nice restored :))
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If you find a car you like and the price is right I would ask the owner to go with you to a body shop and have the car put on a lift. Have an expert look it over for hidden rust. There may be a small fee involved for doing this but it’s well worth it.
Some people have been known to paint over or spray undercoat over rust to hide it. Eventually it will show up again even worse.
Ever watch the TV shows Fast and Loud and Misfit Garage. Horrible car building. Almost every car they do has rust issues. The paint goes on anyway… 
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Maybe, maybe not. Hard to tell from photos, like @ok4450 said you still MUST have any car you buy carefully examined by an independent mechanic.
Hmmm…new poster, link to car sales shop…hmmm…
That is a very smart move believe me.
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Yes you all right guys… Some shops and garages are totally mess they hide the rust with paints and similar things
Agree with the others. Save a lot of money and aggravation and buy one already done. Usually people put more money into restorations than they are able to get out of the car when sold, so buying is a good deal. Otherwise do you have a good shop area with a hoist, good at welding, cutting, bending, sheet metal? Good at engine and trans overhaul, paint and body? Interior work? Know people that can help? Makes me tired just thinking about the mess.
There is at least one good book out there on Mustang restoration with lots of pics so maybe check out B&N to get a better idea. I looked at one once that was advertised pretty cheap. It was a mess. The guy was a hacker and had bolted the quarter panels on with stove bolts. Guess he didn’t have a welder.
I’m not a big fan of Mustangs though and its interesting that the huge Back to the 50’s show in St. Paul with over 10,000 old cars, does not allow Mustangs. Just too common, but good luck.