Looking to buy a vintage stang

[Ghost347]

I've been into late model mustangs for a few years now. Really not much of a take apart guy but can do some things and what I can't I have a good shop that does great work for a good price. I've been driving a 94 Cobra for the last three years now and frankly I'm looking for something different. My uncle has offered to me the opportunity to buy his 64 convertible for $8,000. First off, is this a worth while price or not. Secondly what should I look for when looking the car over? Things that usually would be either worn or failing? The car looks to be in excellent condition, fresh paint, 69,000 original miles... Anyone help out a clueless late model owner?

 

[66nightMARE]

Make sure you check for rust. Rust sucks and is your worst enemy.

 

[66nightMARE]

Forgot to mention some of the "hot spots". Check the trunk, battery tray, cowl vent, shock towers...all i can think of off the top of my head

 

[Randy'65]

How can you forget the floorpans! The cowl is probably the biggest one, though. That's a MAJOR PITA to fix. There is a pretty good Mustang club in Tidewater. I would try to get in touch with them, go to a meeting, and maybe get one of the classic guys to stop by and take a look.

Edit: Oh yeah, what engine/tranny combo does it have, that will matter too.

 

[66nightMARE]

Yeah, my cowl vent is rusted out. Everytime it rains my feet get wet. Everytime i wash my car I have to clean out the pool of water off my floor. It really sucks. Its also pretty expensive if you have someone do it for you. I would fix it but Im po'

 

[Ghost347]

Roger, I'll check the cowl. Do you know the name of the tidewater car club and how I might reach them. Also he said that it's a 260 F code auto. I understand the "Auto" part but can someone decipher the rest?

 

[Randy'65]

Try these two, I've been out of Tidewater for several years so I'm not sure which one will suit your needs the best.

http://www.geocities.com/mustangcluboftidewater/page-1.html

http://www.sevmc.org/index.htm

Good luck. And about the cowl, the best test is to just turn on the garden hose right on the cowl opening for a while. If the carpet gets wet (and you'll know it's wet), then there is a problem with the cowl. If your Uncle won't let you do it, there is probably a reason (like something wrong with the cowl)

Of course if you are going to keep it in a garage and only drive it on sunny days, then it doesn't matter. Do check the floor pans, though.

Edit: As far as the 260 F code Auto, The F is probably the engine code for the 260 ci V8 engine (although I can't find a catalog with a decoder to verify right now), and if it's in auto it probably has the C4 auto tranny. Having the V8 would typically make it more valuable than an inline 6, but it's all dependent on the condition.

 

[Ghost347]

Thanks for the great reply! I'll have to check out those clubs down here, the car is in Indiana but I'll get a couple chances to look it over before having to give him a firm answer. Thanks for letting me know what to look for!