I'm on a mission right now! I want a 65/66 Mustang. That's all I've narrowed down so far. Well that and I would like to stay around $10K for my purchase. Of course I want something that I can just drive and not have much to do to it.
Originally, I only wanted a convertible. I don't think I can do it in my budget if I want a 289. I found a 64 1/2 4v car (I forgot the code) with a 2v on it. The stock carb and manifold is in the trunk. Beautiful car, but $22k.
Now I'm looking at a few 66's with 200's and automatics. With gas prices the way they are, it might be a good idea. I'm bound to drive it whenever it isn't going to rain. I'm not in a hurry, but do those things get out of their own way? I've seen a few people claim 24 mpg. I find it hard to believe, because less hp means stepping on the gas more. At least that's how it worked on my recent Exploder upgrade. I dumped a 4.0 V-6 for the same rig with the 5.0 V-8 (the V-8 on is AWD as opposed to the 4WD). I get identical mileage figures from both rigs. I'm wondering if that 200 is really that thrifty at the pump.
Okay, I wandered off my original post (newbie excitement). I looked at a 65 GT yesterday. From the decoder, it is a 225 hp car but it has the 271 hp motor in it. So I know it's the wrong motor and from the code, it is the wrong color but you can't find anything anywhere to suggest anything but Wimbledon White. This car fires up and every little thing works. The only flaw is the driver's seat is starting to rip in the seams. I'm wondering how to tell if it really is a GT package. And if it really is a GT package, does it matter since the motor and color are incorrect as far as value is concerned? The guy wants $14k something for it. I know he has far more into it than that since he had everything gone through including paint, engine rebuild, C-4 rebuild, etc... He even has the original owner's warranty card, but it only says "hard top".
Now tomorrow, I'm going to see what appears to be a 65 GT. It's an all original unmolested car from Texas. The seller (a rather rude gal) doesn't know anything about the car except that it has never had anything done to it. She bought it from the original owner's daughter after he passed. She says she has all of his records from day one. Is $11.5K for an original GT car with only 62k on the clock a good deal?
So back to the convertible idea. I'm going to look at a supposed cream puff 66 with a 200 automatic. The guys says he wouldn't be afraid to drive it to California. He wants $10.8K and says he'll show me the $5500 in receipts in the last year that he spent making it perfect. Will I be happy with a 200? I'm not in a hurry, but I want to be able to get on the freeway and maybe even take a few road trips with it.
Sorry for the long post. I'm just confused and excited. I'm going to buy a mustang! Please chime in. I'd love to hear from anyone that knows more than I do, which chances are if you are reading this, you do.
Only you can answer those questions.
Is it the speed and acceleration that you want or is it the sound, feel and mistique of the V8 that you are longing for.
Also hardtop vs convertible is a call you will have to make. It comes down to what you really want.
Since you are wanting a driver, I wouldn't care to much abour numbers matching cars.
Bottom line is there are plnety of high dollar resotrations out there. Get the car that is set up the way that will make you happy. If you buy a I6 car, you can always swap a better engine and transmission in it later (if you want).
Personally for me, If I was to get a 65/66 it would have to be a V8 convertible. For me, the mistique of the mustang is just lost without the V8 sound. Just liek my 01 Vert, its not fast, I dont plan on building it up to be fast, but I wanted a convertible Fox Body. I knew 4Cyl would always be lacking the sound so I opted for a V8 car that is a little beat up. I will restore it over time and still get to enjoy the great sound of the Frod Small Block. Something the Imports can never touch.
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2006 Mustang GT in Torch Red
C&L Intake, Evolution Performance Tune, Borla Axle Backs, Hurst Shifter, 4.10's, JBA Long Tubes, Prothane Engine Mounts, Steeda UDPs, FRPP Charge Motion Delete Plates
Ditto, these are all questions you'll have to answer for yourself. Buying a classic is a very personal decision. You have in your own mind an idea of what you want and expect from this purchase. It would be impossible and downright wrong if we were to sway you the wrong way and you were disappointed with the car you bought. I will tell you that the higher horsepower car is the way I would go personally.
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Sometimes I think that government fits that old-fashioned definition of a baby: An alimentary canal with an appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
- Ronald Reagan
Yeah, I like the rumble of the V-8, but other than that I'm not going to use the power. Back to the GT question. Is there anyway to tell if it is a factory GT?
On the first "GT"...If you've ran the numbers and the motor and color doesn't match, then it's not a GT. It is a clone.
If it has a pony interior, the fog lights, rocker stripe, and the hi-po motor...who cares?! But that's just me. Are you in it for the value, or the fun of having a Mustang?
All the cars you are shopping sound great. Tough choice? You bet.
Hello. It is veeery difficult to determine if a car is an actual factory GT without an original window sticker, build sheet or buck tag.There are some things to look for, though.The 5th digit of the vin must be either an 'A' or a 'K'. If it is an 'A' code you can check to see if the car came from the factory with dual exhaust.There will be some reinforcement inside the D/S frame rail towards the back of the car for the exhaust hanger.You can't see it but there is a hole in the frame rail there that you can stick your finger in and feel for it.It runs laterally so if your finger hits something then that's it.There will also be a couple of studs sticking through the floor from the inside on the D/S in the area just in front of the rear axle.One will be above the other.Other than that, the GT stuff is all bolt-on so it's presence means nothing.If it's a 'K' code there's no way to say for sure without documentation since they all had dual exhaust anyway.I would be interested in how you determined that this car has the 271 hp motor since you would have to pull the oil pan off to check that. The casting number on the block behind the starter would have to be C5AE-6015-E, but that isn't conclusive.Not having that number means that it isn't, but having it doesn't mean that it is.If you'll look at the D/S head on it's front, outboard corner it will have a two digit number there.For the 271 horse that number would have to be either 19, 20 or 21.Again, this isn't conclusive.That just means that it's a K code head.
There will be a production date on the door tag.They didn't start building GTs until around mid march of 65 so if the date is earlier than that, it isn't a GT.There are a lot of things that would say that it is not a GT, but nothing that you can point to that says it is for a GT.Hope that helps.
It's all very confusing, but for now I've lost interest in wondering about all that stuff because I bought a 66 convertible a few nights ago. I would have reported it sooner, but I've been busy putting miles on it. The window of our sunny days is closing around this part of the world.
I gave up the idea (at least for now) of a V-8. I paid about half for a 200 I-6 car and am absolutely tickled. Sure no rumble, but total silence from a 40 year old car while it's running is pretty impressive too (I've got to stop trying to start it when it's already running). It doesn't move fast, but it can go down the freeway fine, which gives me something that my 51 Willys can't do. To top it all off, my first tank of fuel netted me almost 22 mpg! It's the closest thing I have to an economy car now.
So I guess, mission accomplished for now. I'll start saving now for a 65/66 GT fast back. First though, I'll need to build another garage.
Thanks for the input. I'm going to try to figure out how to post a picture now.
I want to get a picture up, but I can't figure it out. Any advise for an almost computer illerterate guy like myself? There's pics in my computer, but how do I get them here?
GT ? from newbie 
It is veeery difficult to determine if a car is an actual factory GT without an original window sticker, build sheet or buck tag.There are some things to look for, though.The 5th digit of the vin must be either an 'A' or a 'K'. If it is an 'A' code you can check to see if the car came from the factory with dual exhaust.There will be some reinforcement inside the D/S frame rail towards the back of the car for the exhaust hanger.You can't see it but there is a hole in the frame rail there that you can stick your finger in and feel for it.It runs laterally so if your finger hits something then that's it.There will also be a couple of studs sticking through the floor from the inside on the D/S in the area just in front of the rear axle.One will be above the other.Other than that, the GT stuff is all bolt-on so it's presence means nothing.If it's a 'K' code there's no way to say for sure without documentation since they all had dual exhaust anyway.I would be interested in how you determined that this car has the 271 hp motor since you would have to pull the oil pan off to check that.
The casting number on the block behind the starter would have to be C5AE-6015-E, but that isn't conclusive.Not having that number means that it isn't, but having it doesn't mean that it is.If you'll look at the D/S head on it's front, outboard corner it will have a two digit number there.For the 271 horse that number would have to be either 19, 20 or 21.Again, this isn't conclusive.That just means that it's a K code head.
