An Evening of Car Hunting

[R6MGS]

It's a beautiful night out a good night for a cruise so I we decided to go hunting for a Chevelle supposidly sitting near my grandparents house....found the chevelle to have almost turned back into the soil it originated from....

Disappointed we atempted a shortcut to my grandparents house through some small, old residential streets...Almost right away spotted at dark blue TRG sitting along side a house....last registered July 2003..and now the owner wants to get rid out it(new Audi and bought new house)so we left contact information with the owners mother and are expecting a call in the next few days....The interior is Very nice except for some "smooth" door panels....paint is orange peely and seams are filled....motor is rebuilt, new exhaust, and top.

Continuing down the road a 79 Z28 in a driveway with drag slicks no plates and a 70's coke vending machine leaning against it....added the car to my database of "finds" for later inquiry.

A little later a 72 Z28 parked on a front porch....looks to be in very nice condition, no plates metalic blue with white rally stripes...also added to my database , although now I regret not stopping....I'll go back soon!

Made a turn in Volia! a 73 Cuda,383 stripes(homemade),Plum Crazy Purple,fibeglass 3" cowl induction hood, drag slicks....an old Italian Woman out watering, her sons car "might" be for sale....left name and number.

Just Down he road from the Cuda an 80's Trans Am under a cover slowly sinking into the front lawn...added to my list.

Next was a late production GT6 really dirty sitting in a driveway, not sure how long it's been there but it might still be in daily use...another one for my list.

and the grand finally of the night....a 65ish Mustang, in a garage covered in an inch of dust...last registered in 1973, bright red, perfectly straight, absolutly NO RUST, mint interior, all original hubcaps and emblems....a VERY old woman was out watering...when I asked about the car she replied "It's my cousins...Not for Sale" When I asked her to take my name and number incase her cousin changes her mind "Sorry not for sale"....My dad remebers buying a Tr6 from this same old women back in the late 70's....he never looked in the garage but assumes the Mustang was their becasue the TR6 was outside......I am now determind to get this car but need a "plan of attack"....so far I think I am going to write a nice long letter to her and leave it in the mail box....anyone else got any ideas????

Overall a VERY productive Saturday night to bad I am not this lucky every night.....

Zack

BTW: My "database" of finds now occupies an entire binder.

 

[Steve_S]

That sounds like a great find! Just keep in touch with her and make sure she knows you're a real enthusiast who wants to preserve the car. It's worked for me in the past, sort of. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Good luck!

 

[Guest]

Zack, could you see if the car was a 289 car or a 6 cylinder (look for 4 wheel lugs vs 5, although it could have been transplanted)? 4 speed or auto? Coupe, fastback, vert? DETAILS!!! If it's a 6 I personally wouldn't waste all that much time and effort trying to get it unless its a very early car and in extremely clean condition. Sounds like she would be holding out for a big price anyway based on what you've said and the 6 cylinder cars just aren't worth what the V8 cars are, early or not. Nothing wrong with a nicely preserved 6 cylinder car, especially an early car, but if you're any kind of driving enthusiast it'll be dissappointing. If it's an early 65 it would have the 101hp 170 cube motor or the later 65's had the 120hp 200 cube motor, neither was a barn burner. Also remember that most 6's came with front drum brakes, they were not performance oriented cars, which makes the V8 cars all that more desirable for someone into driving and not just cruising.

If it is a 65 try to get the VIN numnber off it should you decide to pursue it. It's very important with the early cars to ID exactly when it was built and what it had from the factory. Prices on these cars can very widely based on this info, wouldn't want you to pay to much for something like that if it's not worth it should she decide to sell. If it's a fastback, 289 HiPo with 4 speed and she's only asking maybe 4 or 5 thousand DO NOT BUY THE CAR. I will be down shortly to appraise it personally, cash in pocket of course! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devilgrin.gif

 

[R6MGS]

Definatly a coupe....I don't know much else about it....she was right their so I didn't want to just walk into her garage....I am not even sure if it is a 65 but it's definatly around there(66 maybe?) whats the most noticable difference between the years??(I really don't know much about Stangs)One thing I noticed is that it had those hubcaps that stick out from the wheel in kind of a cone shape, if that means anything.

My dad now remebers that when he bought the TR6 from this same old woman that his parents neighbors where relatives of the old woman....my grandparents still live in the same house with the same neighbors(neighbor owns an 86` Jag XJ6)so I plan on talking with those neighbors ASAP!

I am just leaving for a local cruise night, I'll pay a little more attention to the early Stangs and try to figure out the exact year of this one.

Zack

 

[Guest]

Zack, if it is a 65 or 66 there are a few small, subtle differences to tell them apart. IMO the 65 and 66 are the two hardest years to tell apart of all the classic Mustangs. The first thing to look at is the grill. If the pony emblem and the "corral", which is the ring that surrounds the pony, are floating in the middle of the grill all by itself then it's a 66. Unless (isn't there always an unless) it's a GT, then it could be a 65. In 65 the pony emblem and corral had the chrome cross piece running horizontally through the grill, and the pony was sort of mounted to this. There was also a small verticle piece, which made the whole thing sort of look like a cross hair with the pony in the middle. If it has this it's definetely a non-GT 65. If it doesn't it's either a 65 GT, which is good news, or a 66 (GT or non-GT). Also a few things to look for but don't make it an ironclad 66 is a chrome strip running along the front edge of the hood, rocker panel moldings, and reverse lights mounted to the valence right under the rear bumper. If it has all those things it's a good chance it's a 66. However, some late 65's got the reverse lights (believe it or not they were optional and not standard equipment until 66) and I think the fastbacks (officially called the 2+2) in 66 didn't get the rocker molding. If the engine is open for viewing and it's got a generator and not an alternator thats a dead giveaway that it's a very early 65. I don't know to many people who would put in an aftermarket generator if the car originally came with an alternator. I know all this sounds confusing as heck, it did to me when I was a kid and first getting into Stangs, so here's the easiest and best way to tell. Look at the VIN number, if it's a 65 the first digit of the VIN will be 5. If it's a 66 the first VIN digit will be 6, easy as that.

If you're seriously considering this car (provided you can get the owner to negotiate), or any vintage Stang for that matter, I'd strongly suggest you go over to a good book store and get a copy of Peter Sesslers Mustang Red Book. This is an invaluable resource for the vintage Stang hunter, it breaks down every model and option for every year and includes the VIN decoder for each. Plus it's small enough that you can stick it in your back pocket and take it to look at cars. Not sure if an owner has built a Mach 1 clone? Pull out the little book and decode the VIN on the spot. Some owners get PO'd when you do this, like you don't trust them. You know what, I don't. I'm not there to trust you, I'm there to buy your car, not start a warm and fuzzy relationship. Plus, if they've got nothing to hide then they shouldn't care. I've run across to many bogus Mach 1's, Boss 302's, and even one or two Shelby clones trying to be passed off as original. These cars are so easy to rebuild and transfer parts and even entire front clips from that you never know. Arm yourself with this book, it could save you a lot of grief later on down the road when you get it home and start tearing into the car. Plus it makes for some cool trivia that you can impress friends and women with. Well....OK....maybe not women.

Good luck.

 

[R6MGS]

Dotanukie, I can't thank you enough, this is now the second Mustang you've helped me out with so please know your help is greatly appreciated.....If I can get the owner to negotiate I'll definatly pick up that book...I don't recall seeing any reverse lights on the back valence, back I could be wrong.....I guess I'll write a letter to the owner when I get some time(it's not like the cars going anywhere soon)and get the whole story, I'll also see if my grandparents neighbors know anything about it.

BTW: the last Mustang you gave me some advice about(what I thought was a 73 Mach 1) turn out to be a 71 Mach 1 with a matching #'s 351, sitting since 73....I finally did go talk with the owner(original owner) about a month after I posted here....it had sold 3 days before I knocked on the door for $300 CDN!!I think I nearly died when I found out.

Also the guy with the TR6 I mentioned aove called.....lets just say I can buy a concours restoration for the money he wants. Yet it sits in his moms driveway slowly detriorating.

Regards
Zack

Is it just me or is it getting harder and harder to find a car for a good price?.....everyone thinks their old junker sinking into the driveway under a blue tarp is worth it's weight in gold.

 

[Guest]

Hi again Zack. Hey, no problem man, thats what communities like this board are about, helping each other out when we can. I'm just glad I could offer some bit of expertise. I'm not nearly as knowledgable about LBC's as others on this board but when it comes to Stangs I know a little, glad to share that info when I can.

If the car had no reverse lights then it's more than likely a 65, probably an early one. Keep your eye on it, might be a diamond waiting to be found.

[ QUOTE ]
BTW: the last Mustang you gave me some advice about(what I thought was a 73 Mach 1) turn out to be a 71 Mach 1 with a matching #'s 351, sitting since 73....I finally did go talk with the owner(original owner) about a month after I posted here....it had sold 3 days before I knocked on the door for $300 CDN!!I think I nearly died when I found out.


[/ QUOTE ]

OMG, I would have screamed if that slipped by me for that price. That was my last Mustang, which I sold about a year before getting the TR6. 71 Mach 1 with the 351, 2V heads, automatic. Mine was a pretty stripped down car, didn't even have the gauge package or the deluxe interior, but I ended up finding a recently wrecked one at a local Stang restoration shop and bought all the options off it that I wanted. In the end the rust just got to be to much, so I sold it while I could still get some decent money for it. The kid who bought it, his dad owns a local body shop. He got all the sheetmetal work done for free. I see the car now at the local cruise nights, all spiffy and perfect looking. Makes me cry, wish I still had it. IMO the 351 Cleveland was the best small block motor that Ford ever built. It had it's problems, oil delivery to the rear cam journals was a sore point, but power output/cubic inch was fantastic and with some work they could rev like crazy and put power down the whole way with the 4V heads. I get another one thats going to be a restomod it's getting a Cleveland.

[ QUOTE ]
Is it just me or is it getting harder and harder to find a car for a good price?.....everyone thinks their old junker sinking into the driveway under a blue tarp is worth it's weight in gold.


[/ QUOTE ]

I've said it before and I'll still stick by my statement, you can thank high profile auctions like Barrett Jackson, at least in part, for this. To many people go to those things with money falling out of their pockets and buy cars they know absolutely nothing about, and end up paying far more than the car might actually be worth. Then every dude who's got one rotting away in his driveway watches this happen on TV and thinks, hey, my car should be worth that to. Drives the whole market up. I know this isn't the sole cause, the market is going up every year on it's own, but the overinflated prices at the auctions aren't helping. Right now it's a sellers market out there for the most part when it comes to these cars. I'm casually looking for a 67 or 68 Mustang coupe again, the wifes been bugging me to consider getting something that we can take to car shows and cruise nights that has a backseat so the kids can go along. She's tired of having to find a babysitter when we take the TR out. The pickings are pretty slim for something with a solid rust free body in the range of a few thousand, running or not. I don't even care if the thing has a motor and trans, I just want a rust free body to build what I want on (GT/CS clone). My dad's best friend owns a restoration shop for Mopars out in Cali, I've got him looking for a southwest car for me. If you haven't figured it out already, they don't call them "rustangs" for nothing. Mechanicals, interior, that stuff can all be sourced and replaced fairly easily on these cars, I think they are 10 times easier to work on than LBC's, dirt simple. Find the car with the least amount of rust on it that you can and sacrifice other things if you have to.

Anyway, let me know if you need any more info.