'65 Mustang GRM Budget build: Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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Nov. 1, 2009 9:48 a.m. Nomad Reader

So I'm possibly getting involved with my brother in law's build of a '65 Mustang convertible that is his wife's. I'm always preaching the gospel of Grassroots to him and I think this is the perfect time to make it his reality.

He's got this '65 vert that he wants to restore for his father in law while he can enjoy it. The car's been in the family since the early 80s and has been stolen and recovered several times I believe. I remember riding in it in '92 as his wife is my sister in law. His pop's not in the best of health and the car has been sitting in the garage for years now and really needs love.

I'd like to find out the best resources and websites to go to (there are too many) to find good GR info on this classic resto the Grassroots way. It's not going to be a garage queen, nor a hotrod or track car or frame off resto etc. Junkyard donor cars, budget replacement parts, tips and tricks?

Just take an old car and make it look nice, run nice and maybe upgrade a few things so that an old guy can feel young again. The fanciest thing, other than making it purr, stop and work properly, would be a nice shiny paintjob (it was terribly repainted by car thieves).

Any good direction for me? Thanks!

I'm thinking of setting a budget with him and wheeling and dealing/ebaying our way to success.
Nov. 1, 2009 10:05 a.m. NOHOME Reader

Hard to advise when we don't know what you are starting from. Are we looking at rebuilding from the rad cap back? Is it a strip and paint?

When you say grassroots, I hear $2010 as the total budget

The mustang shell is very repairable with pretty much all the parts avaialable.

If you are painting, the paint alone is going to run about a grand for materials believe it or not.

If this is a V8 car, no lack of running engines so I would not wase a lot of time on a tired old engine if it looks like it needs a bunch of work.

Top and interior is expensive to buy. Ebay for intrior stuff, no idea how to save on a top if yo need one.

My problem with grassroots restorations is that they are never cheap, consume a tremendous amount of time, and due to the grassroots nature, you often end up with a car that is not realyy worth much to anyone when you are done.
Nov. 1, 2009 10:34 a.m. Nomad Reader

In reply to NOHOME:

I'll start getting more info on the car. By Grassroots I mean ebay, junkyard, auto parts store to get it going and replace parts, as opposed to major catalog, get it all new etc.

Probably more like $3k for all of it excluding paint is what I'm thinking, but with buying and selling to recoup money maybe that will come out a little lower. I teach at a high school with an autoshop program so I'll talk with them about what projects they may want to use the car for. That may come out to a win/win for both parties.
Nov. 1, 2009 10:45 a.m. pres589 Reader

We need pictures, descriptions of what the car's problems are, etc. I'm not sure what to tell you beyond that. Well, maybe "replace everything made of rubber on the car". Is that helpful?
Nov. 1, 2009 10:58 a.m. stuart in mn SuperDork

The good news is that just about every part you need can be bought from a catalog or found at swap meets, the bad news is that an early Mustang convertible can be expensive to fix if there's a lot of rust (and most of them have it.) A friend of mine recently did a nut-and-bolt concours restoration of a '66 convertible; he spent a lot of time and money chasing down all the correct parts and making sure it was factory correct, but of course none of that matters in a grassroots-style restoration - the car will run just as well even if the PVC valve doesn't have the right paint finish or the right date code on it. Mustang guys can be just about as bad as Corvette guys when it comes to that sort of thing.
Nov. 1, 2009 12:14 p.m. ReverendDexter HalfDork

Yeah, definitely having a goal would be ideal.

It sounds to me more like you're just doing all the maintenance that's been neglected for the past however many years, not so much doing any modifications towards any particular performance end.

For that, I think you have the answers: junkyards, craigslist, ebay, swap meets.
Nov. 1, 2009 1:18 p.m. Nomad Reader

Pics may come later. It's 20 min away from me. Any specific forums better/friendlier than others? Some forums I go to are all about racing, others about swaps, others for concour. There's a ton of them so I'm trying to cut to the chase. Good online resources that cut through the fluff?
Nov. 1, 2009 1:29 p.m. ReverendDexter HalfDork

I'm on moddedmustangs.com, though I don't hit the classic section that often. It seems to be a good generalist site, and may be just what you're looking for (outside of GRM, that is )
Nov. 1, 2009 1:51 p.m. Woody SuperDork

I've done two 65 Mustangs, a coupe and a fastback.

You can do a budget restoration on one as long as you start with a rust free car. The convertibles have torque boxes which complicate rust repairs. A rusty car will be very flexible and difficult to get right.

Cowl rust is a big problem on all Mustangs. Pour some water into the cowl vents and see if water runs on to the front passenger's feet. There are cowl repair kits available, but they're not an ideal solution to the problem.

Everything else on Mustangs is easy and can be done cheaply. You'll find many parts on e-Bay that are good enough to use and are only being replaced in a quest for perfection.

Don't lose sight of the fact that even a perfect 65 Mustang is 44 years old. I love old Mustangs, but don't expect a modern driving experience in one.
Nov. 1, 2009 2:32 p.m. M030 Reader

Woody wrote:

Don't lose sight of the fact that even a perfect 65 Mustang is 44 years old. I love old Mustangs, but don't expect a modern driving experience in one.

+1

I had a 68 fastback that I bought because it just looked so cool! I hated how it drove, though. I had mine in the mid -90's, and at the time, it was just a cheap old Ford.
Nov. 1, 2009 2:53 p.m. Nomad Reader

no, this would be a weekend cruise car for the daughters to take out their Dad in and spend quality time together. Like i said, a shiny paint job would knock his socks off and we're thinking the rest of it should be safe, working and clean. It does look "so cool" due to the great lines. I'll have to take some pics.
Nov. 1, 2009 3:01 p.m. Woody SuperDork

One more thing: Disc brakes and a dual master cylinder are mandatory for the front, especially when daughters are involved. A nice complimentary upgrade for the rear is to mount 67 drums and pads to the 65 backing plates, as they are 25% larger and the price is comparable.
Nov. 1, 2009 3:47 p.m. cwh SuperDork

Yeah about it's just an old Ford. I got a '69 Mustang Mach 1 fastback in a barter deal. Wow, only cost me 900.00 out of pocket!! 351, 4bbl, toploader 4 speed, 4.11 posi rear, no power steering, no power barkes, no AC, sounds like a dream, no? No!! Total beast to drive. 3100rpm at 60mph, a bitch to drive. Park it? No. Probably put 500 miles on it before I sold it for 4800.00. Yeah, this was 8 years ago, but still. Won't go that route again, I want to drive and enjoy my cars.
Nov. 1, 2009 4:42 p.m. gjz30075 New Reader

In reply to Nomad:

Try www.vintage-mustang.com or www.stangfix.com
Nov. 1, 2009 8:39 p.m. Nomad Reader

thanks for the sites. I think I'll stop by the library for some manuals. Ford is popular enough that I should be able to find something