Should I be worried? 65 hood

stangkid88

New Member
Nov 11, 2005
112
0
0
Seattle area
I am very close in closing a deal for this '65 coupe for about 7K. I recently showed this pic to a friend of mine who is a classic car nut and he told me I should look into something. As you can see, the hood is lifted higher in the back than where it closes in the front. He suggested that this could be frame damage, but after searching here I think it's possible the hood is just misaligned. The grill bars, chrome rocker panel, and under bumper strips are taken off, because the PO bought new fenders for the car. There is a small rust hole in the passenger side fender. He also mentioned something about the headlights pointing down, but I have no idea about that :shrug: just thought I'd ask here, if a misaligned hood is a huge problem and could indicate damage beneath or it doesn't take more than some new hood hinges and some force.

monroestangfrontside34kp.jpg


I sent the owner an email asking about this, and I contacted Bel-Kirk Mustang Restoration (reputable shop in my area) for a pre-purchase inspection. Thanks for any help, and I hope this isn't a big problem.
 

Attachments

  • monroestangfrontside34kp.jpg
    monroestangfrontside34kp.jpg
    7 KB · Views: 93
  • Sponsors (?)


i have had several mustangs do this maybe take it for a test drive and let the springs loose and see if the hood lays falt like its supposed to. the springs are kinda strong. it could be a bent hood frame from someone closing the hood wrong
 
Shoot, we used to stack fender washers between the hood hinge and the hood to raise the rear of the hood. It allowed some of the underhood hot air to escape as well as the pent up air from driving high speeds down the highway (in theory at least). Ever drive one of these things down the highway about 120? Front end starts to lift and the steering feels loose. I found out about it while driving on a little asphalt 2 lane road when I got hit by a crosswind. Car moved to the ditch and I went to correct, nothing happened. As soon as the cold sweats hit I got out of the throttle and it corrected. Something about the shape of the '65-'66 just wedges the air up under the car.
 
Shoot, we used to stack fender washers between the hood hinge and the hood to raise the rear of the hood. It allowed some of the underhood hot air to escape as well as the pent up air from driving high speeds down the highway (in theory at least). Ever drive one of these things down the highway about 120? Front end starts to lift and the steering feels loose. I found out about it while driving on a little asphalt 2 lane road when I got hit by a crosswind. Car moved to the ditch and I went to correct, nothing happened. As soon as the cold sweats hit I got out of the throttle and it corrected. Something about the shape of the '65-'66 just wedges the air up under the car.

lol washer stacking was exactly the first thing I thought of...did that for redneck cooling/cowl induction on a 78 'drag' camaro:rolleyes: that my bro had...anyways...
 
You guys say that 7k is too high? From what I see the body looks really correct and not totally screwed up like most that have been in accidents. Of course I would have to look at the whole car to see if it is really worth 7k but overall it looks like a pretty straight forward car.
 
I think about 7K sounds like a fair price. The body is very straight (besides hood, I guess) and only rust is a little bit on the trunk lid (about 3 inches) and a rust hole in the passenger side fender, which they have both new fenders for the car. The transmission was rebuilt about 18 months ago, completely replaced front suspension, and rebuilt engine about 3 years ago. The car needs some work on the interior, and probably a new paint job. Like I mentioned earlier, I plan on taking the car for a pre-buy inspection, so hopefully they can give me a good price estimate. thanks for your replies and opinions.
 
I just had my hood open last night to put some antifreeze in the car (been sitting since sept. without insurance) and had to push the back of the hood down after. Hinges are a little stiff, I know if I oil it up it will fine.

If the car was damaged enough to crinkle the rear fender aprons you would likely see poor alignment along the back of the hood and the cowl panel, as the cowl and aprons are integral on the early cars.
 
stangkid88 said:
only rust on the trunk lid (about 3 inches) and a rust hole in the passenger side fender, which they have new fenders. The car needs some work on the interior, and probably a new paint job.
7k for THAT? Judging by your name and your sig, your a teenager who's been saving up his hard earned bucks for a cool old car...don't get screwed!

7k is too much, but it does have a lot going for it. I'd try to talk them down to 5k; then you'd have more $$ to fix its problems. An interior 1k, paint 4k...its "little" problems arent so little IMO, but its no complete POS.

People do what people do, and everything is worth what people wil pay for it, but I hate to see people getting screwed
 
5.0ina66 said:
7k for THAT? Judging by your name and your sig, your a teenager who's been saving up his hard earned bucks for a cool old car...don't get screwed!

7k is too much, but it does have a lot going for it. I'd try to talk them down to 5k; then you'd have more $$ to fix its problems. An interior 1k, paint 4k...its "little" problems arent so little IMO, but its no complete POS.

People do what people do, and everything is worth what people wil pay for it, but I hate to see people getting screwed


i totally agree
 
It seems like everything I come around is in this price range... I checked out a '68 coupe today, they wanted $6500 and the car seemed pretty tired, not to mention rust creeping in the floorboards.

Here's some more info on this car: bought for $5500 about 1.5 years ago, engine rebuilt (A-Code) by PO, transmission rebuilt, new Magnaflow exhaust with Hooker headers, Pertronix ignition, new alternator, power steering unit (rebuilt, not installed) front disk brakes installed and completely rebuilt front suspension. The only signs of rust is a bit on the trunk lid and a hole in the front fender, which they have new fenders for. The interior needs new seat upholstery and a headliner, and it could probably use a repaint. However, it is the original paint so it looks to be in pretty decent condition for it's age. I'm planning on taking the car to a Mustang shop to do an appraisal/safety inspection (7 page report) and depending on what they say, or if I find anything else, I'll make my decision. Here's some more pics:

monroestangengine1ua.jpg


monroestanginterior28br.jpg


monroestangrearview8jo.jpg


monroestangsideview5mf.jpg


Thanks for helping a kid buy his first Mustang! :SNSign:
 

Attachments

  • monroestangengine1ua.jpg
    monroestangengine1ua.jpg
    7 KB · Views: 97
  • monroestanginterior28br.jpg
    monroestanginterior28br.jpg
    7 KB · Views: 81
  • monroestangrearview8jo.jpg
    monroestangrearview8jo.jpg
    7 KB · Views: 73
  • monroestangsideview5mf.jpg
    monroestangsideview5mf.jpg
    7 KB · Views: 61
Obviously it is difficult to really ascertain the true value of a car without seeing it in person.
If the car is truly solid >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
(frame rails/floorboards/trunk/cowl etc..) then 7k is IMHO a bargain.
Based on your description it sounds like a fair price.
The car "looks" clean and straight and has had some nice upgrades.
I would want to dig into the car a little deeper and see if there is any hidden areas of rust. (or should I say see how bad is the hidden rust)
I do agree that you should proceed with caution.:nono:
The inspection is a great idea.
I would also suggest taking someone with some auto body repair knowledge along that has no emotional attachment to the purchase of the car.
Make a business decision not an emotional decision.
This will keep you from being upside down financially with this purchase.
Good Luck :nice:
Scott
 
While you're having a shop take a look at it, take it to a good body shop. The engine compartment has been repainted (it's supposed to be black), I would question if that really is the original paint on the rest of the car. I have been screwed over with someone patching damage and rust areas with bondo and don't want to see it happen to someone else. While you're at the shop, have them give you an estimate to fix whatever they find, more leverage if you decide to buy it.

Good luck with whatever you choose,
Dan