[65ponystang]

i just purchased a 1965 mustang coupe with pony interior. It has rust on both rear quarters, and both front fenders. All original parts came with the car. Im concerned about the replacement of the body parts with reproduction body panels. will this decrease the value and mmake the car non- original? Im also wondering how to find out what code the car is. I just brought the carhome today. I will have some photo to look at soon. If anyone has suggestions on what photos they may want or need to see please let me know.. thank you.

joel

[jim293]

Joel check out the classic sections for some help.

[stlwagon]

Let's see what the folks in here think.

[andrewmp6]

If your door tag is still there Mustang Secret Decoder Disk but you need to make sure the door tag is right your vin is under the hood on the driver side where the top of the fender is compare them.

[Jay H 237]

Reproduction body panels done correctly will not decrease the value of the car especially when the originals are rusted and damaged and not rapairable. If the car is repaired "correctly" (not hacked) then it's value increases.

[hotord66]

Originally Posted by 65ponystang

i just purchased a 1965 mustang coupe with pony interior. It has rust on both rear quarters, and both front fenders. All original parts came with the car. Im concerned about the replacement of the body parts with reproduction body panels. will this decrease the value and mmake the car non- original? Im also wondering how to find out what code the car is. I just brought the carhome today. I will have some photo to look at soon. If anyone has suggestions on what photos they may want or need to see please let me know.. thank you.

joel

It depends a bit on what your plans for the car are. You want a top-o-the-line show winner that you will trailer everywhere? Are you thinking more weekend cruiser for fun? Fix it and flip it?
You can't polish a turd (actually, you can they did it on 'Mythbusters', but I digress). My laymans opinion is replace anything that will be more then 10% bondo. I spent MONTHS looking for my old Stang before I found one that wasn't a rolling patchwork of bondo. I went over the whole car with a magnet, if it fell off more than it stayed on, "bye, good luck selling you car". The car I finally bought had a replacement front fender, but it was from the same model year, and 100% intact.
Here she is, worth the wait....

[Veronica]

Hello. Generally speaking, a car that has had the rear quarters and front fenders replaced will be worth more than a car that needs the rear quarters and front fenders replaced. As far as originality goes, if a person wants a 100 pt. show car, originiality matters. However, your car will never be that 100 pt show car, because it has deteriorated a little too far for that. That does not mean that it can't be a drop-dead gorgeous , really, really, fun car to have, though. Ford built over half a million 65 Mustangs, and there are only a few hundred of those 100 pt show cars out there. If there's even that many. You could build this car back to where it's something that you could really enjoy and be proud of. Hotord66's car looks very nice. It isn't that 100 pt show car, but it is very pretty, and I'm guessing that it also runs smoothly and reliably. It sounds like he's really spent some time and money on it, and has come away with something quite nice for efforts.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the future value of the car. You will almost certainly be upside-down in it in very short order, but that's what hobbies are all about. You spend the time and the effort, you come away with a really pretty car that's a ton of fun to ride around in.

[hotord66]

[ Hotord66's car looks very nice. It isn't that 100 pt show car, but it is very pretty, and I'm guessing that it also runs smoothly and reliably. It sounds like he's really spent some time and money on it, and has come away with something quite nice for efforts.

Thanks...do I get a 90 at least? I wanted a 'daily' driver for when my wife and I go out, and to take the kids to local shows and such. I havent entered it in any shows but I can't stop at a light without the car next to me giving a thumbs up or complimenting. Then I leave 'em in the dust at the green ( just kidding...well maybe every now and then ).
We got it for fun and thats what it is! I just wish gas prices were this low over the summer!

[Stoln_Thundr]

Ha, I'm with you on the gas prices!

Veronica I love reading your responses... you always have the answer. How long have you been into Mustangs?

[Jonk67]

It's hard to stay original, at least it was for me, if it were a Shelby, HiPo, GT 390 I'd stay original. I decided to mod my '67 Coupe partly because staying original would not make the car as safe to operate as I could upgrade it to.

Examples of stock to mod preferences I have:
Safety:
nonpower > power brakes
lap belts > 3pt. belts
drum brakes > disc brakes
solid steering shaft > collapseable column
stock short seats > highback seats w/headrest

Drivetrain mods:
2bbl. > 4bbl.
C4 trans. > AOD

Appearance:
14" wheels w/hubcaps > 15" TT D's

Comfort:
heat only > A/C and heat
AM radio > CD/iPod/ Satellite stereo
dash speaker > 6 speakers

Ride:
stock > Shelby drop
stock springs> 1" drop 560lb.
stock leafs > 4 1/2 leaf mideyes
stock perches > roller perches
stock nongas shocks > gas shocks

As you can see this can go on indefinately and depends a lot on how you willl use the car, mine is a daily driver with ambitions of seeing some autocross, 1/4mi., etc. I wouldn't feel as safe without the disc brakes, 3pt. belts, etc. and wouldn't drive it daily without those upgrades.

If you do any mods, even the safety ones your car is no longer original so once you mod, Pandoras box is open...
Enjoy YOUR car!
Jon

[USMuscle]

Hello and welcome. If you are replacing the front fenders - spend the extra money and get ones made from Ford tooling. If the quarters have rust you may want to check the rest of the car. Under the carpet, the torque boxes, frame rails, etc. If you can't do the work yourself and want to take it to a bodyshop but not sure which one - find one and first ask to see some of there finished work. You will get a good idea of the quality of the work by looking at the cars they have completed and the make and model of cars they work on.

As far as stock or mod. For the 65 I always liked stock over mod and liked the sweeping speedometer over the five gauge pack. But hey, everybody has there own opinion.