65 Ford Mustang..

Radical Edward · #1 06-21-2010, 08:31 AM

my boyfriends parents have pretty much the following car sitting in their backyard.. rotting... It's beautiful and amazing, in my opinion. i think I could convince them to let me have the car if I fixed it up. Here's my question; What does a car generally need if it's been sitting for 3-4 years outside? What's the thing that would cost the most? I was told it was parked there because my boyfriend's mom didn't want to pay the car insurance on it, and it needed a water pump at the time. The top definitely needs relpacing by now, and the tires.. but what mechanically generally goes wrong in a car sitting like that?

I know, a loaded question, but I'm very interested in fixing it so it doesn't have to sit and rot for any longer.

Pic:

MonetBass · #2 06-21-2010, 08:40 AM

Here's a handful of things that immediately come to mind as far as getting the car running:
1. Change the tires, which you already mentioned
2. Change the oil
3. Take out the coolant, flush the system THOROUGHLY, and replace the coolant
4. Change the battery
5. Check all of the plugs; clean and re-gap as needed
6. Remove any gas from the tank and put in fresh gas
7. Check the fuel and air filters; replace if needed
8. Check all belts and hoses; replace if needed

Hopefully there are no animal nests to clean out, but check the engine bay top and bottom before attempting to fire it up.

Then of course you'll probably have some body rust and bad door/window seals to deal with. Good luck! That's a sweet ride. (I have a 2009 GT/CS myself.)

Selta · #3 06-21-2010, 09:02 AM

Can be A LOT or can be a little. Depends on too many things for us to say without a lot more pictures, or just being there...

Selta · #4 06-21-2010, 09:06 AM

Oh, and people don't normally "give away" 65 Mustangs, even in crappy condition. The VIN tag alone can be worth a fair chunk of change to someone who'll put it on a kit car...

MJ5150 · #5 06-21-2010, 09:09 AM

Let me know where that car is, and I will gladly give them $1500 for it as is. I'll even tow it away on my own flatbed.

-Mike

becker4567 · #6 06-21-2010, 09:19 AM

Just a piece of advice. Fixing up or restoring a car that has been sitting in the open for any amount of time can be very time consuming and EXPENSIVE, and alot of the work needs to be left to people who know what their doing. I don't want to discourage you at all....you just might be able to replace the battery, put in gas and go, but just be prepared for more than you might think. I'm currently restoring a 1972 Jaguar XK-E V-12 coupe......does the word 'nightmare' mean anything?

EricF · #7 06-21-2010, 09:58 AM

Taking on a project like that isn't something you do when you NEED a car. It's something you do when you have time and (more importantly) money to burn in getting back into good condition. Cars generally don't get abandoned becuase of one easy little fix. Any car that old - even if it's been sitting doing nothing - is probably going to need a lot to get it going, and a lot more to keep it going. Old cars ALWAYS need maintenance.

Based on what I know of your current situation, you'd be WAY better off getting a newer and more reliable car for yourself at this point. A pimped-out '60s Mustang is a nice dream, but probably not a wise one to chase right now.

I thought you kicked your boyfriend to the curb...again.

need4mospd · #8 06-21-2010, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray Salamon

Oh, and people don't normally "give away" 65 Mustangs, even in crappy condition. The VIN tag alone can be worth a fair chunk of change to someone who'll put it on a kit car...

THIS.
You mentioned it's a convertible? You could probably find a buyer for $10k today, sight unseen. If it's actually decent looking, you're talking real money. People don't just give that stuff away.

MJ5150 · #9 06-21-2010, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by need4mospd

You could probably find a buyer for $10k today, sight unseen.

HEY! Shut up. I have an offer of $1,500 on the table.

-Mike

Selta · #10 06-21-2010, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJ5150

HEY! Shut up. I have an offer of $1,500 on the table.

-Mike

$1501

shadow_FIX · #11 06-21-2010, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by need4mospd

THIS.
You mentioned it's a convertible? You could probably find a buyer for $10k today, sight unseen. If it's actually decent looking, you're talking real money. People don't just give that stuff away.

You might be surprised (on the other hand, maybe you wouldn't) how many people don't know that! It's like that vintage Fender some old guy is selling for $50 because he doesn't know what it's worth.

Also, it isn't entirely uncommon for people to abandon a car with 1 or 2 minor things wrong. Say the owner doesn't have any money and the car dies. Rather than spend money you don't have trying to fix it, park it and forget about it. Then someone else buys it, replaces the battery and alternator and drives away happily.

That said, this doesn't always happen. You might get one of the above examples, or you might get an absolute nightmare. You do not want to own a possessed car...TRUST ME!

A trusted mechanic friend could look over it also. Any car I've bought locally I take to a good friend of mine who knows quite a bit more about cars than I do, we put it up on a lift at the shop after hours and inspect everything.

MJ5150 · #12 06-21-2010, 10:55 AM

With this year of Mustang, this is a can't lose fixer upper. Parts are plentiful and easily accessible. The car itself is easy to work on and there is a plethora of knowledge online to do the work yourself. To me, it's a no brainier to take on this project.

Yes, I did say plethora. I almost went with "virtual cornucopia" tho.

-Mike

FL Knifemaker · #13 06-21-2010, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJ5150

With this year of Mustang, this is a can't lose fixer upper. Parts are plentiful and easily accessible. The car itself is easy to work on and there is a plethora of knowledge online to do the work yourself. To me, it's a no brainier to take on this project.

Yes, I did say plethora. I almost went with "virtual cornucopia" tho.

-Mike

I would have used "multitudinous myriad"

mike_v_s · #14 06-21-2010, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FL Knifemaker

I would have used "multitudinous myriad"

I've always been a fan of "metric assload".

Mike

MJ5150 · #15 06-21-2010, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FL Knifemaker

I would have used "multitudinous myriad"

How's about a myriad of myriads?

-Mike

Selta · #16 06-21-2010, 11:50 AM

It's all nebulous without pictures though. I don't know the OPs age, knowledge or budget, but this could easily be a $15k project.
My father and I restored a '68 Camaro SS, and I did some light restoration on a '74 Corvette. Neither were cheap. The Camaro had some serious work that needed done (floor pans, rear quarters needed replaced entirely, for example). Without the right tools, you'll pay someone else A LOT to do that kind of work. With the right tools, you'll still spend a lot on the parts and then a serious amount of time doing it.
Like Mike said though, with those cars, parts are everywhere. It basically boils down to: what needs done, if you can do it, and if you can afford to do it.

tycobb73 · #17 06-21-2010, 01:05 PM

If she lives near the OP and me, that thing has so much salt rot on it. Here in MI its not uncommon at all to replace floor pans. Rot around fenders and bumpers is common too. I can see cars in CA not going for 1500 but unrestored 65 mustangs that have been through MI winters cmmonly get $1500 here. I don't know how old that picture is but I suspect the car has been either garaged in the winter or it looks a lot worse than that.

MonetBass · #18 06-21-2010, 01:16 PM

+1 to all Ray and tycobb said. Notice my suggestions were to get the car running. Giving the car structural integrity and making it look pretty is another thing altogether, and is where you run into the serious money.

KeithBMI · #19 06-21-2010, 01:43 PM

Mika, if you give me that car I will give you something that no amount of cash can buy.

TheSuzie · #20 06-21-2010, 01:44 PM

I owned a 66 convertible and a 65 2+2 back in the '70s. A guy I used to hang with had several too. Even back then, rot was a big problem and not just in the body but also in the suspension. Control arm collapse was pretty common in those Fords and is something that needs to be checked as does the braking system of any car that has been sitting.

One time I had just taken a couple of hours highway ride with my friend at 70mph. We got back to his place and hung out a bit. Then we went to go back out. As he pulled out from the curb *bang*, the control arm folded up and dropped the front end. Glad it did not happen at 70.

Even if the car was not badly rotted before (unlikely), if it has been stored over dirt instead of pavement, it will be bad. This is especially likely if the tires have gone flat so the car is sitting right down near/on the dirt.

Pics are needed for sure. Is the car a V8 or a 6?

S