I just heard #1040 about the underwater mustang that the diver is thinking of bringing up to restore. Here is an idea: Build a tank that is big enough to old the entire car, then bring the car up anq quickly submerge it. Tadaa! - you have plenty of time to take thinks apart before they rust. Keep a bathtub full of wd-40 beside this tank and dip everything as soon as you take them off.
Real marine conservationists do something similar. It seems an unlikely job for one person working on his own in his spare time.
I’m sure everything that can rust has already rusted to the point of making it near impossible to take anything apart with less than a torch.
And the engine might make an interesting sculpture, but will likely never be useful as an engine again…
The thing is, it’s. . .a Mustang. It’s not exactly rare. And if I recall, it was from a generation that wasn’t even particularly desirable. If this were a 1-of-a-kind Duesenberg or something I could see putting forth the effort to recovering it. But as is, it’s better to haul it out to avoid possible environmental damage, and then dump it straight into a scrapyard.
It’s an exercise in futility. Even leaving rust issues out of the equation you’re looking at hundreds of things that water/mud has already ruined. Engine, trans, differential, wheel bearings, suspension components, all interior trim, countless electrical items, etc.
Price steel plate and the welding required to build this tank and compare that to what the car would be worth even if someone were foolish enough to try and restore the car. Ouch, and then some.
Out of the perhaps hundreds of thousands of total parts in the car, I cannot think of a single thing on the vehicle that would not need replacing. It’d be cheaper to just get one that has not been underwater and salvage your dignity and your bank account rather than salvaging the Mustang.
–I’ll bet the window glass would be OK.
cars have made great under water habitat for years and it will leak less oil in the water than driving it.
I agree. Thanks for the chuckle.
And when the coolant hoses rot away and antifreeze leaks out and causes a fish kill, you’ll have problems. Cars are great underwater habitats if you remove the toxic liquids from them first.
Just curious - anyone know what year our ‘treasure’ is?
I thought the pony in question was a 2004 but I’m not 100% certain.
An '04 would be the last year of that particular generation and there’s only about a jillion dry ones out there.
Short of a very rare version like a Saleen, etc. it’s pretty generic and not worth a fortune; especially the V-6 models.