1965 Mustang Fastback
Discussion
Krikkit said:
Painful, but sounds like a decent result by the sounds, I'm sure a crate 302 won't be cheap to get into the UK in the first place...
What a lovely car though, I bet it's great for woofling about the A-roads.
You'd be surprised, about $2,200! So far I'm really enjoying classic ownership, other than the bills. Hopefully once I'm on top of the major work it'll just be fettling.What a lovely car though, I bet it's great for woofling about the A-roads.
Dick Dastardly said:
Perfection.
One of these has been on the Must Own One Day list since I was a kid and I regularly find myself perving over them in the classifieds. They seem to be one of the few accessible classic cars these days. Do you mind letting me know roughly how much it cost to buy one in this condition?
Thank you. I wanted a tidy car that I didn't have to do any renovation on and could just drive, so commanded a bit of a premium. It'll probably owe me about £47k once the engine is in.One of these has been on the Must Own One Day list since I was a kid and I regularly find myself perving over them in the classifieds. They seem to be one of the few accessible classic cars these days. Do you mind letting me know roughly how much it cost to buy one in this condition?
There's an expression amongst American classic car collectors, "numbers matching". Meaning the engine and chassis numbers are the same, which increases desirability and value.
If your engine is the original, I wouldn't be changing it. I'd sell the crate engine to pay for rebuilding it.
If your engine is the original, I wouldn't be changing it. I'd sell the crate engine to pay for rebuilding it.
SlimJim16v said:
There's an expression amongst American classic car collectors, "numbers matching". Meaning the engine and chassis numbers are the same, which increases desirability and value.
If your engine is the original, I wouldn't be changing it. I'd sell the crate engine to pay for rebuilding it.
There is indeed but this doesn't apply to Mustangs luckily. My build plate shows the car is originally Poppy Red with black interior and 3 speed auto, so about as original as it's going to get.If your engine is the original, I wouldn't be changing it. I'd sell the crate engine to pay for rebuilding it.
Had it been a Shelby 350 then having the original engine would certainly add significant value.
I've just been to see the engine and speak to Richard at RW Racing about how long it's likely to take to fit and whether there's any other worthwhile jobs to do while it's out.
Firstly I expected the engine to be in a wooden box, but that's probably from watching too much Fast and Loud and guess it needs added protection when coming via air freight.
Looks like the existing engine will be removed in a couple of weeks time and the ancillaries transferred onto the new long block on a stand. That way the engine can be transported to set up the carbs, dyno it and bed it in.
Untitled by Alex L, on Flickr
Firstly I expected the engine to be in a wooden box, but that's probably from watching too much Fast and Loud and guess it needs added protection when coming via air freight.
Looks like the existing engine will be removed in a couple of weeks time and the ancillaries transferred onto the new long block on a stand. That way the engine can be transported to set up the carbs, dyno it and bed it in.
Untitled by Alex L, on FlickrI got the car back today with the new engine fitted, just got to run it in for 500 miles or so.
Richard also repaired the heater, found a crack in the manifold, re-wired the gauges so they now work, replaced the alternator, replaced the wheel bearings and half shaft and sorted another rattling baffle in the exhaust.
Last weekend I spent a couple of hours going through the file of service history which spans two owners in the UK since 2004 and the last owner in American who appears to still live in the same house in California who had the car since 1983. There's even a speeding ticket in the file from 1997 in Sacramento.
Even when you think you buy a sorted car, there's still plenty of things to resolve to bring it up to a decent standard.
Untitled by Alex L, on Flickr
Untitled by Alex L, on Flickr
Richard also repaired the heater, found a crack in the manifold, re-wired the gauges so they now work, replaced the alternator, replaced the wheel bearings and half shaft and sorted another rattling baffle in the exhaust.
Last weekend I spent a couple of hours going through the file of service history which spans two owners in the UK since 2004 and the last owner in American who appears to still live in the same house in California who had the car since 1983. There's even a speeding ticket in the file from 1997 in Sacramento.
Even when you think you buy a sorted car, there's still plenty of things to resolve to bring it up to a decent standard.
Untitled by Alex L, on FlickrUntitled by Alex L, on Flickr
Thought it was about time I did a small update. I don't have a huge amount to add thought. I have zero mechanical skills so can't try wax lyrical about improvements I've made to the car over the summer, however I can share what I've had done courtesy of RW Racing. The next addition are some 4 pot Willwood discs, however it transpires that at some point in its life the uprights have been changed to those from a 1967/68 car. As such these are still not fitted despite ordering them in January as additional parts have had to be ordered and machined.
At least it's nice and clean underneath
Untitled by Alex L, on Flickr
There's also been a number of failures since the new engine went in, these include the alternator, the water pump and the distributor. All of which have now been replaced.
I've also totted up some of the invoices which may help people thinking about getting into classic ownership, if like me don't have the ability or inclination to do any work themselves. Some of the work has only been undertaken quite recently so I'm yet to receive the invoice but will edit this post as and when.
1) New crate long block engine - £2,192.67
2) Removal of old engine and ancillaries and fitting new engine - £2,671.18
3) Alternator - £100
4) Water pump - tbc
5) MSD distributor - tbc
6) Willwood front discs - pending
I've done fewer miles this year than I was hoping, a combination of poor summer weather and the car not running quite how I'd like it. The idle was quite rough and the fuel economy horrendous, hence ditching the existing dizzy and upgrading to the MSD. Since then my mpg has improved to around 16 to the gallon and it'll get taken away over the winter to be set up on a rolling road.
Untitled by Alex L, on Flickr
I also managed to spot a milestone on the odo
Untitled by Alex L, on Flickr
I was going to take it for a blast last weekend as there's probably not many days left before the roads start to get salted. Unfortunately I was greeted by a small red puddle beneath the car in the Carcoon, which I'm told will either be power steering or gearbox oil. At some point soon RW Racing will come and investigate and order the relevant parts to get this fixed.
Untitled by Alex L, on Flickr
At least it's nice and clean underneath
Untitled by Alex L, on FlickrThere's also been a number of failures since the new engine went in, these include the alternator, the water pump and the distributor. All of which have now been replaced.
I've also totted up some of the invoices which may help people thinking about getting into classic ownership, if like me don't have the ability or inclination to do any work themselves. Some of the work has only been undertaken quite recently so I'm yet to receive the invoice but will edit this post as and when.
1) New crate long block engine - £2,192.67
2) Removal of old engine and ancillaries and fitting new engine - £2,671.18
3) Alternator - £100
4) Water pump - tbc
5) MSD distributor - tbc
6) Willwood front discs - pending
I've done fewer miles this year than I was hoping, a combination of poor summer weather and the car not running quite how I'd like it. The idle was quite rough and the fuel economy horrendous, hence ditching the existing dizzy and upgrading to the MSD. Since then my mpg has improved to around 16 to the gallon and it'll get taken away over the winter to be set up on a rolling road.
Untitled by Alex L, on FlickrI also managed to spot a milestone on the odo
Untitled by Alex L, on FlickrI was going to take it for a blast last weekend as there's probably not many days left before the roads start to get salted. Unfortunately I was greeted by a small red puddle beneath the car in the Carcoon, which I'm told will either be power steering or gearbox oil. At some point soon RW Racing will come and investigate and order the relevant parts to get this fixed.
Untitled by Alex L, on FlickrGassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff