Hey, I'm in the process of shopping for a '65-'73 coupe for me to restore as my high school graduation present from my parents. How much should I pay for a solid frame, engine, and tranny? In a perfect world I'd like a 4 speed 289 but I don't know if I could do that. I know the trunk and floorboards are common places to check for rust but what are some others I should be checking? What other kinds of questions should I be asking? Thanks in advance.
Check torque boxes, check the shock towers, these are some common rust spots, Take a magnet to check the sheet metal on the fenders, doors etc....as far as how much to pay, that is a hard question to answer because that would vary car to car depending on the condition.
That is still such a hard question to answer...Does it run? How many miles? Is it original? How many owners? Is it a numbers matching car? Hows the body? (Sheet metal, alignment..etc...) How's the paint job? How's the interior? Tires and wheels? Man its hard to say, do you have any pictures of it?
I will tell you my story... I bought a 1968 Coupe (sprint package) from a young executive type who inherited it from his father (the original owner) when he died. This guy didn't know too much about Mustangs, let alone classic cars in generel...He was driving a BMW 5-series...Anyway, This 68 has 77,000 orig miles on it 289 2v C4 auto tranny. She was (supposedly) garage kept from the day it was purchased til the day the old man died. The son let it sit outside for over a year before he decided to sell it. (A SIN!!!) She fired right up on the first turn of the key. It needs a paint job, however every peice of sheetmetal on the car is original. I am having to replace the floor pans due to some rust in the rear pass side. There are a few small rust spots and paint bubbles and the paint being 41 years old is faded and needs a new paint job. The interior is in great shape as far as no rips in the upholstery, but I will be replacing it due to it being faded and from general use over the years, and theres a tear in the dash pad where the speaker is. This will also include a new paint job for all interior metal as there are a few spots showing some surface rust. There looks to have been some handyman style electrical repairs, butt splices etc over the years, and I am going to rewire the entire electrical system eventually because of it. It came with the original Styled steel wheels but the hubcaps and beauty rings were missing, and the owner at some point spraypainted the wheels silver. The engine bay is in need of restoration, I want to pull the engine out to redo the entire bay. The battery box is rusted through and in need of replacement. the frame is straight, the panels line up, everything works...oh yeah the windshield washer bottle is missing. I test drove her and fell head over heels immediately. I took her down the street and pulled over so I could poke and prod underneath and found no major problems...The exhaust is a bit rusty and will need to be replaced, and I think I will have to replace the power steering system, as it is leaking from the slave cylinder pretty bad and the boot is missing. I then checked out what she had, and she smoked the tires without hesitation. No hesitation on starts, no funny noises, and she shifted through the gears smoothly. When I got back, I asked the guy what he wanted for the car and he said make me an offer. The first thing that popped into my head for unknown reasons was $6200.00 the guy said ok, and she was mine! I have been told that I got a great deal, and that with it being a sprint package in the condition it is in, it could have gone for $10,000 or maybe a little more. I hunted for a while and looked at several and drove several before I found this one. I think when you find the one you want, you will know it, and just work the price until its what you think is fair and what you can afford...The hunt is part of the fun!!!
I will tell you my story... I bought a 1968 Coupe (sprint package) from a young executive type who inherited it from his father (the original owner) when he died. This guy didn't know too much about Mustangs, let alone classic cars in generel...He was driving a BMW 5-series...Anyway, This 68 has 77,000 orig miles on it 289 2v C4 auto tranny. She was (supposedly) garage kept from the day it was purchased til the day the old man died. The son let it sit outside for over a year before he decided to sell it. (A SIN!!!) She fired right up on the first turn of the key. It needs a paint job, however every peice of sheetmetal on the car is original. I am having to replace the floor pans due to some rust in the rear pass side. There are a few small rust spots and paint bubbles and the paint being 41 years old is faded and needs a new paint job. The interior is in great shape as far as no rips in the upholstery, but I will be replacing it due to it being faded and from general use over the years, and theres a tear in the dash pad where the speaker is. This will also include a new paint job for all interior metal as there are a few spots showing some surface rust. There looks to have been some handyman style electrical repairs, butt splices etc over the years, and I am going to rewire the entire electrical system eventually because of it. It came with the original Styled steel wheels but the hubcaps and beauty rings were missing, and the owner at some point spraypainted the wheels silver. The engine bay is in need of restoration, I want to pull the engine out to redo the entire bay. The battery box is rusted through and in need of replacement. the frame is straight, the panels line up, everything works...oh yeah the windshield washer bottle is missing. I test drove her and fell head over heels immediately. I took her down the street and pulled over so I could poke and prod underneath and found no major problems...The exhaust is a bit rusty and will need to be replaced, and I think I will have to replace the power steering system, as it is leaking from the slave cylinder pretty bad and the boot is missing. I then checked out what she had, and she smoked the tires without hesitation. No hesitation on starts, no funny noises, and she shifted through the gears smoothly. When I got back, I asked the guy what he wanted for the car and he said make me an offer. The first thing that popped into my head for unknown reasons was $6200.00 the guy said ok, and she was mine! I have been told that I got a great deal, and that with it being a sprint package in the condition it is in, it could have gone for $10,000 or maybe a little more. I hunted for a while and looked at several and drove several before I found this one. I think when you find the one you want, you will know it, and just work the price until its what you think is fair and what you can afford...The hunt is part of the fun!!!
haha sounds a lot like dating. That helped a lot, thanks.
The cowl vent its the vent by the wipers and windshield pour water down it if it leaks out in the floor pan then its rusted out.It should run out under the fender and door gap area.And just about anywhere under the car can rust out.The rear quarters too.Out of all those years the 64-66 is the most common.67-73 they didn't make as many cars.You might want to look in to each body style pick out the one you like then find you what you want.Just give it time to find a nice one.Or can get a cougar 68-73.
Also, check the front frame rails for soft spots near the front. Being in Texas, you'll likely have better luck finding a rust free car than we do in Ohio. I've dealt with a lot of different types of old cars and have found Mustangs to be one of the most pratical due to all the parts that are reproduced and how cheap the parts are due to economy of scale. Good luck!
In the process of shopping for a '65-'73 Coupe 
