Score! 1966 Ford Mustang hardtop, 3 speed, 6cyl

[ghsnu]

Just woke up at 3:30 in the morning...first thought that came to mind? The Mustang. Yep...can't wait

The guy (Hank ) said it came from Louisiana (I think that's what he said), to New Mexico (or Texas, I forgot) where a guy put in a '79 or '80 Inline-6 in it (he said it was a 250, though the air cleaner had a 200 sticker on it). From there, he got it and brought it to Arizona. He hasn't been able to really drive it in the past year since his wife can't get into it, so he had to sell it. We're buying it today for $6500.


Oh, does anyone know the HP?

 

[TheCracker]

The guy (Hank ) said it came from Louisiana (I think that's what he said), to New Mexico (or Texas, I forgot) where a guy put in a '79 or '80 Inline-6 in it (he said it was a 250, though the air cleaner had a 200 sticker on it). From there, he got it and brought it to Arizona. He hasn't been able to really drive it in the past year since his wife can't get into it, so he had to sell it. We're buying it today for $6500.


Oh, does anyone know the HP?

From what i can see, the '200' made 105hp. The '250' made 155hp originally, but later ones made only 98 or 88hp. Fingers crossed it's either a 200 or an early 250

 

[homeforsummer]

Congrats on getting the car, looks like a good'un 👍

And I've said it before, but notchbacks are definitely cooler than fastbacks. So you get another 👍 from me for that.

 

[ghsnu]

From what i can see, the '200' made 105hp. The '250' made 155hp originally, but later ones made only 98 or 88hp. Fingers crossed it's either a 200 or an early 250

Dear god, I hope it's an older one! Ether way, it still has some get-go from 0-40mph - about as good as my dad's Jeep (also a 3-speed with a AMC 304, it's a '73 CJ5). I'm thinking of swapping it out once I get ahold of a 302 or 427.

I wonder if there's any dynos in town and how much they cost.

Congrats on getting the car, looks like a good'un 👍

And I've said it before, but notchbacks are definitely cooler than fastbacks. So you get another 👍 from me for that.

Thanks . I like both, probably the fastbacks more (especially the Shelby's ). 👍 to you too sir.


Some questions:
Is it better to swap the engine, then paint it? Is painting the body myself cheaper?

 

[TheCracker]

Some questions:
Is it better to swap the engine, then paint it? Is painting the body myself cheaper?

Painting it yourself is going to be tough unless you know what you're doing and have the right equipment.

Get a price for both. Do whichever one you can afford first.

Are you keeping it the same colour?

 

[ghsnu]

Painting it yourself is going to be tough unless you know what you're doing and have the right equipment.

Get a price for both. Do whichever one you can afford first.

Are you keeping it the same colour?

No, but I'm not sure on the color yet. I'm thinking of a yellow, red, or blue though.

I have some painting experience with my dad's Jeep as we sort of did a firewall-forward restoration which required painting the hood, chassis, grille, fenders, and engine. My dad has more experience and has been teaching me about the long-forgotten carboureters, engine rebuilds, and painting (without a proper respirator ).

Everything is months off though as we don't have the money (neither do I).

 

[Slash]

I doubt it's a 200 or 250, mor that likely a 300 since those weren't common around then, the 300 was phased in. I could be wrong though. None of them are bad engines though. If it's a 300, it put out about 175-210hp depending on the year and 255+ ft-lb of torque.

 

[Cano]

We're buying it today for $6500.

Should have talked him down. I still think it's wayy to uch money for the car.

Oh, does anyone know the HP?

Today? Like 80, maybe less.

 

[Zenith]

Dear god, I hope it's an older one! Ether way, it still has some get-go from 0-40mph - about as good as my dad's Jeep (also a 3-speed with a AMC 304, it's a '73 CJ5). I'm thinking of swapping it out once I get ahold of a 302 or 427.

Are you talking about an FE 427 or a 351W based 427? You'll have to do extensive modification for the former to fit.

A 351W is already a very tight squeeze in the '64-'66 body. It makes it more difficult to perform engine maintenance and modifications in the engine bay. If I were you, I'd go for a 302 and possibly stroke it to a 347 if you really want that much torque.

Some questions:
Is it better to swap the engine, then paint it? Is painting the body myself cheaper?

It's hard for us to say. We really don't know what you're planning to do with your car. If you want to run some bigger wheels then you'll probably have to roll your fenders. You might end up doing work on the frame or maybe drop something on the paint while you're working. I'd say wait on the paint, unless you want to get a budget paint job.

No, but I'm not sure on the color yet. I'm thinking of a yellow, red, or blue though.

I have some painting experience with my dad's Jeep as we sort of did a firewall-forward restoration which required painting the hood, chassis, grille, fenders, and engine. My dad has more experience and has been teaching me about the long-forgotten carboureters, engine rebuilds, and painting (without a proper respirator ).

Everything is months off though as we don't have the money (neither do I).

Unless your father has a paint shop readily available, I'd say give it some time before you enter dream world. You've probably got some kinks to work out in the car before you can worry about paint. The electronics and wiring is a good place to start.

Oh, does anyone know the HP?

Look online for some way to identify the engine. If it's a normal 200ci (or 250ci) I6 then I'd say you're looking at somewhere around 80hp. Make no mistake, the I6's weren't very fast and that was nearly 50 years ago. Your car is going to be slow for now. Accept it early and understand that it really doesn't matter.

 

[Slash]

Mega bump I know, but any update on this? Was a great read.


Also if you really itching to have a 289 and can't find one, you could knab a 302 and put a 289 crank in it, with 289 heads and other parts etc. Kinda defeats the purpose of a 302 but it's close.