Here are the Back to the '50s requirements. I wonder why they single out the Mustang, it doesn’t qualify, anyway:
Only vehicles 1964 and older allowed.
SIGN the bottom of the form.
Include your $35 (per vehicle) check.
Please print clearly.
A No. 10 envelope is preferred.
NO stapling or taping is necessary.
If you have a MSRA membership number, please include this on the form.
NO MUSTANGS, OVERSIZED VEHICLES, PETS, BIKES, ROLLERBLADES, SCOOTERS OF ALL TYPES, FLAME THROWING, BURN OUTS, ETC.
back to the 50’s? MSRA. streetrods, no mustangs or camaros or hemi roadrunners.
the car craft nationals are the next show at the fairgrounds.
all the aforementioned muscle cars can be on display than.
i think all cars can go to the car craft show.
I also have suspicions about how quick it went from asking to linking.
No oversized vehicles? What else was there in the 1950s and early 1960s? We had a 1964 Cadillac Series 62 hardtop. That was oversized.
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In the 60s, lower, longer and wider was the vogue as mouthed in all the ads! The amount of useful cabin space was rather limited however. The Cadillac Eldorado was a prime example.
A girl I dated took me out in the new family car, a Pontiac Catalina 2 door hardtop. This car represented the ultimate insanity in styling; the TRUNK LID was LONGER than and covered more area than the ROOF PANEL!!! And this was sold as a 6 passenger car. Without Air conditioning the rear seat passengers literally roasted in the sun.
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On the OUTside! As other have suggested, rust can hide in places much more serious than on the body. The UNDERside is far more important.
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bought my 66 in 76 for 475. sold it in 79 for 400?
Mustangs are exclude because they are not 1964 and older. Earliest Mustang is 1964 1/2 model.
Easily got six people in my Catalina bubble Top, probably six more would fit in the trunk.
I agree they are excluded by the '64 and older cutoff. Hence my question why they’re mentioned in bold at the bottom.
A prime example of how things are not always as they seem is the '56 Nomad built (allegedly…) for Dale Earnhart Jr. by the Fast and Loud bunch.
The car got the usual with wheels, bags, and custom paint which just happened to be the colors of Mountain Dew. Right after they “gave” the car to Jr. it ended up parked back in their shop.
So a week ago during a televised Barrett Jackson auction it rolled across the block and got hammered for 110,000 dollars by someone who obviously didn’t see that episode.
During the build Rawlins took the car out and beat on it a bit. At this point it was finished paint and all except for the interior.
The Go Pro camera mounted behind the steering wheel showed the interior roof behind Rawlins and it was solid rust from stem to stern.
I figure at some point the rust is going to eat its way through that paint…
I think it’s a great idea. $25,000 budget seems reasonable. You aren’t going to be able to achieve a concours restoration for that , but you should be able to achieve a very nice and reliable ride that looks nearly new. As mentioned above, try to find a car that is as rust free as possible. But don’t go overboard seeking an entirely rust free car, some rust is ok, especially if the rust is mostly located all in a few places, like the underside edges of the car behind the wheels. Replacement panels for older Mustangs are readily available, and you can likely just replace those really rusted out panels with new ones. Rust problems in the roof rain gutter area and especially where the windows and windshield meet the body are more time consuming to repair, but can be readily addressed by a good welder and some patience.
The biggest reason why you see a lot of project cars started and not finished isn’t money so much as time and space. Plan on this taking quite a bit of your personal time and the car and parts taking the garage space for a year of pretty diligent work, more likely it will take close to three years of less diligent part time work.
A Mustang is an excellent choice however, so take advantage of that. There’s one magazine I’m aware of that caters to this exact subject, Mustang Monthly I think is the title. If nothing else, the advertiser vendors in that magazine will likely prove very helpful. And google to see if there are any Mustang restoration clubs in your area. If so, join up, as they’ll have specific knowledge and resources you’ll find invaluable.
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I think the point is they don’t like Mustangs for one reason or another. You don’t see any Vettes there either. I’ll have to agree with the boats of the 50’s and 60’s though. When I smashed my VW bug and took my replacement 59 Pontiac out, it was like a seat 100 yards wide compared to what I was used to.
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Back in 1977, I bought a one owner 1948 Dodge to restore. It belonged to an elderly woman who had voluntarily given up driving. I had the engine running well and had redone the brakes. However, the floor was rusted out in places, it needed a paint job and the interior needed to be redone. I did replace a rear fender(fenders bolted on in those days). I didn’t realize how expensive body work was when I bought the car. I was also working hard on publishing articles to be promoted in my job, so I had to make a choice as to whether the car or the promotion meant more to me. I also didn’t have a garage but just a carport which precluded me working on the car during the winter months. As luck would have it, I was driving down the street and was offered $100 more than I paid for the car. I sold it on the spot.
I bought s new Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon with the 4-4-2 trim package in 1978. I drove the car for 33 years and thought about restoring it. Even after 240,000 miles the engine ran well and used no oil and the automatic transmission shifted fine and I had a garage to work on the car. However, it wasn’t the 4-4-2 of previous years. It was just a trim package. It would never be a valuable collector’s car, so I sold it. I am too busy in retirement with other interests to spend the time necessary to restore a car.
I agree with the others that an antique car that has been restored is less expensive than buying the same model car that needs a restoration.
When the Mustang came out in 64, Ford called it a 64 and 1/2 model, the Plymouth Barracuda came out a little earlier and was sold as a 64 modes so I guess it would be OK.
The first Camaro’s were 67 models.
No discrimination, just taking the mabufacturers at their word.