NMNA 65 T-bird $2k

Surely there’s a grand worth of recoup here? Especially if you’re stripping the car for a vintage racecar, and going from this:

To this:

That's a lot of cool for $2k. I don't think I could strip it. 

Stampie said:

That's a lot of cool for $2k. I don't think I could strip it. 

I think it’s right at that tipping point where it’s likely not a wise financial decision to restore it, but also a shame to strip it. Realistically that means it’s probably destined to pass through a string of owners and only slip into further decay. So why not skip all that suffering & give the car a new life now?

In reply to Pete Gossett :

You woulda shot Old Yeller wouldn't you?

Yep. And made a vintage race car out of him!

Pete Gossett said:

Stampie said:

That's a lot of cool for $2k. I don't think I could strip it. 

I think it’s right at that tipping point where it’s likely not a wise financial decision to restore it, but also a shame to strip it. Realistically that means it’s probably destined to pass through a string of owners and only slip into further decay. So why not skip all that suffering & give the car a new life now?

I believe it is far better to turn it into a vintage race car than to spend thousands and thousands trying to make it new again. 
How many "restored" 1965 T birds are out there driven gently by old geezers afraid to hurt them. Or worse, stored away in a garage because the owner is afraid to or can't afford to bring it out?  
Take some liberties, stuff a 460 in with a big 4 speed behind it and NASCAR suspension under it.  
Have fun!  Don't worry about a scratch or dent. That's just Patina Don't worry about a Provenance, make one up. Make it a good but silly story using lots of famous names freely.  

Stampie said:

That's a lot of cool for $2k. I don't think I could strip it. 

It’s a set of rims and glasspacks away from awesome

62-3 with the round tail lights and wrap around dash to door panel interiors are my favorite of the 60's T-birds. Hard to recoup restoration expense on the mid 60's ones. Probably spend more at the chrome shop than you could sell the car for when restored. Cut up the 65 and make it look like a race car for fun but it's not a good candidate for a challenge car.

In reply to frenchyd :

Don't think the 460's fit in those easily without cutting Frenchy.

In reply to NOT A TA :

Didn't they have either the 430 Lincoln engine or the 352 which  eventually turned into the 460?   I know the Battle Bird that ran at Goodwood  had a 430 in it. 
 

I'm not a Ford expert, so I don't know what Ford engines might fit but to me it would be a crime to stuff an LS or some non-Ford engine in. 

IIRC they came with the FE block 390 and the 460's were the big block. I know I worked on late 6o's Fairlanes, torinos etc. and the 69? and up were designed for the bigger engines making it a real pain when I was swapping 460's into the earlier ones with the smaller trans tunnel opening. Things like accessory drives and brake system clearance were also issues. I'm sure there's someone more knowledgeable in 60's Ford products here that would know specifics for the 65 T-bird..

Seems an awful low price for what it is, and condition.  As a 12 year old when they came out, I got my fist chubby looking at that back seat.  If my cape wasn't straight out with other nonsense, I'd be hunting for a 5 speed tranny for that right now!

you can take a few hundred pounds off the ends by making fiberglass bumpers , and plexiglass side and rear windows....

but its still a long car , which chassis is it built one ?

All it needs is torq thrusts and side pipes. It can be a figurative couch to go along with the Georgia Tech literal couch.

In reply to 914Driver :

That low styling has me.  Compare it to the Mustang behind it and you'll see what I mean. Long, low, lean!  

Vintage racing something like that would be a blast and if you kept it just this side of street legal. Maybe with a pair of slide on glass packs, driving it around with numbers etc. would excuse a maybe less than perfect paint job or bodywork.  
 

Sell off the trim and interior bits and remove everything you can.  To reduce weight and increase performance. 

NOT A TA said:

IIRC they came with the FE block 390 and the 460's were the big block. I know I worked on late 6o's Fairlanes, torinos etc. and the 69? and up were designed for the bigger engines making it a real pain when I was swapping 460's into the earlier ones with the smaller trans tunnel opening. Things like accessory drives and brake system clearance were also issues. I'm sure there's someone more knowledgeable in 60's Ford products here that would know specifics for the 65 T-bird..

I’m pretty sure some came with the 428.  

EDIT:  the 66 could be gotten with a 428.  

californiamilleghia said:

you can take a few hundred pounds off the ends by making fiberglass bumpers , and plexiglass side and rear windows....

but its still a long car , which chassis is it built one ?

 

While you're making fiberglass bumpers, go ahead and make a fiberglass hood, trunk lid, front fenders and doors.  
Not only will you save weight but in my experience  pretty much ensure you never have an accident involving those parts.  It seems like anything I carryed a spare for never gave me troubles.  
The  wonderful thing is you can either hang the originals in the garage or sell them off to pay for materials.  Heck you may get enough to make the replacements in carbon fiber. 
You make the flash mold out of cheap Matt but parts should be made from cloth. ( which while slightly more expensive than Matt is stronger and lighter).  Carbon fiber cloth is more expensive than fiberglass cloth  but you won't need as many layers so the net cost is closer than you'd think. 
 

No you don't need an Autoclave  or even vacuum bag unless getting the last few ounces out is that critical. A squeegee will remove 90- 95% of the excess resin depending on how careful you are.  

In reply to frenchyd :

The square 64-66 cars just aren't very desirable and so they come up cheap for sale even in nice condition. There's very few people rebuilding them and so the market for trim bits etc. that might be recoup for a challenge build will be hard to sell and not bring much return.

Although the 66 came with the 428, that was based on the same FE block as the 390. The FE block is smaller than the later "big block" the 460 was based on.

If someone just wants an old car to drive into the ground the 64-6 are good value because of the low pricing and starting in 65 they got front disc brakes which were a big improvement.

The 61-63 are more desirable and IMO much better looking years for restoration & customizing. The 62 sports roadster convertible was pretty cool looking but few were made so probably not going to find one cheap.

I remember back in the early 70's the 67-71 4 door ones that rotted out were getting bought really cheap for engine swaps into the 67-8 Mustangs. The 67-71's aren't very desirable today either, even 2 doors.

The 64-6 didn't handle all that well and weigh about 4500 lbs so not going to be easy to get light enough to do well in the auto-X or in the drags. If you were lucky to find one with posi it'll only have 3.00 or 3.25:1 ratios. So being a heavy car with one wheel drive and a torquey engine most were one tire fryers.

So IMO even if the 65 T bird was free it won't be very easy to make a competitive challenge car out of it.

I believe the air cleaner says 390.

NOT A TA said:

IIRC they came with the FE block 390 and the 460's were the big block. I know I worked on late 6o's Fairlanes, torinos etc. and the 69? and up were designed for the bigger engines making it a real pain when I was swapping 460's into the earlier ones with the smaller trans tunnel opening. Things like accessory drives and brake system clearance were also issues. I'm sure there's someone more knowledgeable in 60's Ford products here that would know specifics for the 65 T-bird..

Since we're talking about a race car rather than a restoration maybe some cutting and slicing  wouldn't be so hard? Or even a few hits with a big hammer?    Especially since it's a body on frame deal. 
As far as accessories go, a water pump, power steering, and alternator are all you'd need and those can come in pretty small sizes 

NOT A TA said:

The square 64-66 cars just aren't very desirable and so they come up cheap for sale even in nice condition. There's very few people rebuilding them and so the market for trim bits etc. that might be recoup for a challenge build will be hard to sell and not bring much return.

Although the 66 came with the 428, that was based on the same FE block as the 390. The FE block is smaller than the later "big block" the 460 was based on.

If someone just wants an old car to drive into the ground the 64-6 are good value because of the low pricing and starting in 65 they got front disc brakes which were a big improvement.

The 61-63 are more desirable and IMO much better looking years for restoration & customizing. The 62 sports roadster convertible was pretty cool looking but few were made so probably not going to find one cheap.

I remember back in the early 70's the 67-71 4 door ones that rotted out were getting bought really cheap for engine swaps into the 67-8 Mustangs. The 67-71's aren't very desirable today either, even 2 doors.

The 64-6 didn't handle all that well and weigh about 4500 lbs so not going to be easy to get light enough to do well in the auto-X or in the drags. If you were lucky to find one with posi it'll only have 3.00 or 3.25:1 ratios. So being a heavy car with one wheel drive and a torquey engine most were one tire fryers.

So IMO even if the 65 T bird was free it won't be very easy to make a competitive challenge car out of it.

If it's got a Ford 9" rear end it's just a matter of finding the right truck pumpkin and that swap is about as easy as possible.  
Weight wise it's extremely easy to remove stuff to add lightness.  Doesn't cost anything and may add back into your budget if there is a buyer for it.  
The Jaguar XJS weighs over 4600 pounds and can be brought down to under 3000 pounds. So it can be done.  
 NASCAR geometry is easy to achieve with a Ford Front end.  Plus once the front coils are cut to lower the car the spring rate goes up.  With the weight loss    Spring rates should be pretty close.   
Finally   Finding a 4 speed for that Ford should be pretty straight forward and I'll be there are more that a few trucks with manual transmissions.  

OK Frenchy, YOU do it.

I'll stick with my opinion "It won't be very easy to make a COMPETITIVE challenge car out of it".

Custom. All day.