What am I getting into if I want to restore a 1968 Mustang?
I saw a pretty beat up but reasonable 1968 mustang in my town today for $2500. It's the 289 v8. It supposedly runs and drives. The odometer reads 27xxx, so its probably 127xxx miles. I have never restored a mustang or any car but would like to try to do it. From a money standpoint, could I actually MAKE money after the job is done? I know this is a good year to have. How long would it take? I'm a college student and I'd be doing this during the summer (don't know if I could finish it that quickly though...) What resources are there for me if I were to take it on? What kind of equipment would I need to have? Please tell me what I need to know to make a decision about this... I must say it looked pretty awesome!
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1992 Mustang LX 5.0L V8, 5 speed
Chrome shorty headers, Turbo Cat-back muffler system, MSD distributor cap & racing wires, K&N Cold Air Intake
not being mean, but thats kinda like asking how high is up. you could spend any amount of money on the car, depending on how nice you want it. but like million said you almost always never get all of your money out of them!
You probably won't get the money back if you do it yourself but i think you will want to keep it anyway so does it matter how much its worth? As far as the cost goes it varys from car to car. If you do all the work and only replace what is needed it won't take $15,000. I bought my 65 and had it running and inspected in a little over 3 months and only $6,000 total spent. I am now(3 years later) up to almost $10,000 spent and soon to pass that but the car was fine with only $6,000 invested. If you don't want to spend to much look for one with a running motor that is not a rust bucket or a wreck. The cost mainly depends on what you can do and what you want in the end. If you buy one that you can do all the work on and don't try to make a show car you should be fine. The same goes for how much it will be worth. A total restoration by a shop will obviously make the car worth a lot more than you restoring it for a daily driver. To find the car just keep checking all the classifieds and try to be patient you will eventually find the right car.
ive restored two cars so far and no you wont get your money out of them. unless car is a family treasure or something or you just want to try it. you are better off to but one already done.
if the car is from mass then be prepared for RUST. if you can't weld pass on this car because a 40 year old northern car will have rust. there is no way you will make money on the car, but if you do the work and enjoy the car when your done, who cares. i love driving my 66 even though the drum brakes are scary, the wind whistles through the weatherstripping and i'm sweating in the summer with no AC.
i did all of the work on my car including paint and i would probably break even if i sold it.
You can't go wrong for $2500. you will need alll new floor rear fraim rails inner and outer wheel wells all 4 fenders rockers wireing rebuilt motor and tranny and do it yourself to make any money
I bought a 67 coupe 289 for 8-9k with great interior, pretty good paint and a very clean motor with aftermarket rims. It is fun to drive around and get the looks with out waiting forever. I do want to install: 4 wheel disk brakes, rack and pinion steering, new front suspension and a T5 tranny. These are things to do as I want to and not as I need to. Start with a good car and make it great. you will have so much more fun.
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I find that laughter can cure almost anything.....if not, find the rum!
Remember that restoration of something is the love of the hobby.
People do it because...They can.
If time or money is of no consequence then go for it.
I would think a college kid would have more priorities that a car restoration
The number one thing I tell people before disassembling a car or truck is to have 2 years of fun with it first. That way there is more incentive to finish it.
If I was you, I would take advantage of someone else's hard work because at my age.. a restoration would be too hard to complete.
Think Rationally !
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"Ford Mustang.....The Hoofbeat Of America and...The Heartbreak of Today's Chevrolet"
Yeah you can dump 20k or more in a car and it will take 10 or 15 years before you'll get your money back if you sell it.Only way to make money off restoring a car is to find something rare and the owners have no clue what its worth.But that almost never happens but my cousin got lucky found a 71 boss 351 in a junkyard took him 5 years and who knows how much to restore it. He loves the car won't sell it people offer to buy it he laughs at them.
i restored a 68 coupe like you describe when i was in high school. unless you found a rare model with a desirable original engine, i doubt you will be able to make money on the car. there will probably be a lot of welding required for rust, which most people can't do themselves.
that being said, i woudln't trade my mustang for anything! it's a lot of time and money that go into them, but most of these posters will agree that it's worth it for the pure enjoyment of fixing and driving. if you like the car- go for it. NO WAY you finish it in one summer though!!
thanks for the replies and input everyone, yeah I can weld but I decided I don't really have the time and money for this... I'm busy enough working on my 5.0!
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1992 Mustang LX 5.0L V8, 5 speed
Chrome shorty headers, Turbo Cat-back muffler system, MSD distributor cap & racing wires, K&N Cold Air Intake
What am I getting into if I want to restore a 1968 Mustang? 
