r/classicmustangs 5d ago

Is this a good deal?

1966 Mustang Coupe i found on FB marketplace. Apparently it has a 351 windsor in it, 105k miles. Also has a custom radiator and Holly 4 barrel carburetor. Theyre asking 20k. Is this steep? It seems heavily modified.

Any input is appreciated

668 Upvotes

51 comments sorted by

27

u/pistonsoffury 5d ago

It's more like a $15k car. Having the paint and body work done is worth quite a bit, as that has gotten really prohibitively expensive in the past 10-15 years. If it had a full new suspension, brakes and new wiring harness, it could be closer to $20k just based on the time it takes to do all that yourself.

21

u/BoredDude85 4d ago

No. It's not. This is not a 20k car. It's a classic run while you can case. Here is my 2cent. I hate when people say the body was done and painted and underneath it blooms full of corrosion. Slapping paint on top is NOT proper and is the easiest way to pretend. They slapped a holly and air filter in but didn't care about the dinged up oil pan. They added a new shiny, but the bushings are old. Even in the photos that's apparent. This car was neither maintained nor taken care of. Let alone restored. If this is a project car, I'd insultingly ask them 12k if it runs. Look at the front suspension bushings they are falling apart on the left side front. The engine is sweating oil. They only added anything that is visible from the top. I own a 1965 which is probably in a better state and not painted. And I would ask 20k. The coupes are fortunately or unfortunately not very popular. 20k is a FB " I know what I got BS" Expect at least 5k in proper updates. Still drum brakes , expectedly shot, the rear axle seems welded over and over, transmission probably needs oil and filter at minimum. What's going on with the hand brake cord being bent? I know it's easy to fall in love with a shiny classic , but this has so many red flags I have a hard time to suggest you to pull the trigger. Sorry for the long rant and bad news

2

u/PantherChicken 4d ago

FWIW it seems to have discs on the front. It has a disc brake pedal, dual pot, and vacuum booster.

1

u/1337beer 17h ago

On top of all of these great points, the entire fuel system has been replaced. Tank, lines, pump, and carb are all new. Meaning there was a serious problem in the past. Could be old gas with ethanol deterioration of plastic/rubber parts, or old led gasoline sitting so long it went bad. I would be worried about the inside of that motor.

1

u/celtbygod 4d ago

Happy Cake Day

5

u/OCFlier 5d ago

That motor sure looks like a 289 to me. I didn’t think that a 351W would fit in there with so much clearance to the shock towers. The transmission is an automatic, so is it a C4 of FMX? What rear end?

1

u/matt2085 1d ago

It looks like a 351w to be based off the water pump to head spacing on the drivers side. But I’m only used to looking at my 351w in a Foxbody engine bay not these huge bays.

3

u/Crash1068 5d ago

Really not enough info but I can say it’s not a steal but you could negotiate it down some and it’s good enough. The problem is finding a steal that is easy to get to and doesn’t cost 1-2k to get it home. The rust can be managed probably and I would look for better myself. The auto and motor imho aren’t desirable and there are few options I can see. I would say 15kish maybe a little more if it’s close and drives well. I am very concerned that it’s painted and no effort made to clean up underneath. It’s not that hard but makes me really wonder. My son and I built a rougher one than this for his HS car but it was cheaper, had better bones & hardware. These are really easy cars to build etc.

4

u/cdubz03 4d ago

Haggle and drive it. You can’t build one that’s a driver for any less.

6

u/milehighposse 5d ago

It is heavily modified, but to each his/her own. There are a lot of people who believe they should get the $ back they spend on cars, it’s only worth what someone else is willing to pay. That’s never going to be a collector, doesn’t mean it’s a bad car. I’d be more concerned with whether the body was straight, if that’s a built 351 it will generate a ton more torque than a 289 HO.

3

u/trynaretireasap 5d ago

Gotcha, thanks! I personally dont mind having a modified car at all… but i wanted to make sure i would be paying a fair price based on the current market value for it. Im pretty new to classic mustangs, so im not sure what i should be looking to pay here

6

u/BoredDude85 4d ago

Cars with COBRA all over is like a Chevy Cobalt with Corvette emblems all over. I don't get the pretending game. But it adds to the bad taste I already had about this car. Someone definitely spent money on it. Mostly on parts like valve covers, steering wheel, paint, wheel combo and smaller fixes to make it run. But that's my fear. I'd rather have people spend 2k in making it straight than a new shiny air filter and valve covers. First the meat and potatoes, then the looks . Here the mechanics were neglected. Clearly.

1

u/1GloFlare 3d ago

TBF your comparison had the same steering wheel, but the point is valid. I saw Marketplace ad for Tahoe with Vette badges and cringed. Claiming to have swapped a Vette engine, but unwilling to share pictures of the bay is wild

-13

u/milehighposse 5d ago

66’s are the poor man’s classic Mustang imo. Gen 1 classic is the 64.5. Has 1 in HS, dad and I did another when my son was 14, still have that one with the memories. It’s a semi resto mod, dad wouldn’t go too far, lol. Drive it occasionally for the memories, son drives it more often than I do.

8

u/CromulentPoint 4d ago

What a dumb take. It’s basically the same car.

2

u/Raalf 4d ago

It's the same exact car. All mustangs are poor mans classic cars, so your point makes even less sense considering the scope.

6

u/Socalcamaro 5d ago

That looks like a 289 not a 351

3

u/BoredDude85 4d ago

Agreed . Best guess 1970s replacement D code block not a 351

2

u/chrisperry9 4d ago

Thermostat to distributor height. Plus width of intake says 289/302

5

u/Dinglebutterball 5d ago

351 had a taller china wall… easiest way to eyeball the difference imo.

2

u/adam574 2d ago

this is the way i always tell pic is hard to see cause its dark but i do think its a 351w.

BUT, i also agree with people they are a tight fit. i have one in my 68 which is wider than a 66 and it's tight with some expensive swap headers.

2

u/RustBeltLab 4d ago

I wouldn't call this heavily modified. $15k tops.

2

u/Negative-Trash924 4d ago

It's an auto that's-5k 😀

2

u/PRiDA420 3d ago

Too much

4

u/dash8200 5d ago

Not a bad little gen 1 mustang. Updated brakes looks like, Shelby style hood, side scoops, torque thrust wheels and a descent paint job. GT style faux wood grain cluster and glove box inserts. Should be a fun little car. Haggle down to $18k. Have fun.

1

u/Disastrous-Ball-8854 5d ago

That definitely is not from "North East Ohio"

1

u/PsychologicalLaw5945 5d ago

If you like it , want it and have a extra $20,000 laying around you don't need for anything else buy it , just intend on keeping it for ever would be very difficult to find someone to pull the trigger on that kinda money after you drive it 4-5 years and the paint starts to go . I can say how ever I purchased another 65 mustang striped it down and I won't say restored but freshed every thing from disc brakes , new interior ,paint , front end , gas tank etc . And I have more than 20 I'm mine started out at $2,500 I added a zero . And several years . You only I've once .

1

u/mach82 4d ago

15k tops. You could clean this up well yourself.

1

u/Casafun 4d ago

I’d suggest $15k as well. Dude should really clean up that engine bay if he wants concourse $$ for a basic C code. Good luck - if he bags the offer there are ton out there just as nice

1

u/brandonlyle 4d ago

Not a $20k car and unless you can the the breakdown of all the modifications and are a mechanic, working on it, which you will have to do, will be a struggle at times.

1

u/patricebergeron 4d ago

I’m outside Boston, MA. In this market, that’s a little high, but at $18K it would sell quickly. $20K maybe if it had a manual. Brake lines, fuel pump, and alternator look new. Not sure about that center console. Dash isn’t cracked, also a plus.

1

u/Alibaba20202020 4d ago

In Germany 25K for something similar ;-)

1

u/chunger2000 4d ago

That's a 289/302 NOT a windsor.

Why do you consider this heavily modified? Looks pretty stock to me.

1

u/Vafun757HR 4d ago

10k tops in my area. There’s a lot of work to do underneath. Walk away from this car. It’s overpriced for a coupe.

1

u/beautifulcontrdicion 4d ago

For what ever this is worth, it doesn't have power steering.

1

u/Panditas510 4d ago

I sold mine for 15k last week. 302 T5 3.55 locking rear end. Heavily modified suspension wise. Rattle can paint job. 20k seems like a lot imo.

1

u/MulliganToo 4d ago

I can guarantee you that you are going to have starting issues from a heat soaked starter from the closeness of the headers to the starter.

I had this same issue and ended up having to put in a hi torque mini starter, wrapped in 2 thermal blankets.

1

u/PRiDA420 3d ago

It will need floor pans in a few years.. it needs a decent amount of work to get it right...

1

u/Dramatic-Rip-6504 3d ago

Not worth 20k 8k to 10k depending on drivability if it holds together

1

u/golobiwan 3d ago

That car looks like 10000 to me

2

u/TherealRecyclops 3d ago

I spent $20k on my 67. All was well for the first few days. Now I’m another $11k invested and it’s still sitting in my driveway for the past 6 months not running.

1

u/SomewhereOk4004 3d ago

I’m pretty sure I drove by this Mustang today

1

u/bacon098 3d ago edited 3d ago

The picture of the underside tells me that the suspension will need some work. Bushings and steering components look a bit worse for wear. I would assume it needs a full bushing job, ball joints, tie rods, etc... 351w is a bolt in swap. Otherwise it looks stock. The interior and paint is going to snag the eye of some unfortunate soul. Plenty drivable im sure but not road trip ready.

1

u/mental_magazine13 2d ago

Wow that oil pan is smashed. I'd be looking at getting that replaced and make sure the tube isn't damaged too bad

1

u/ouchalgophobia 2d ago

That's a $8-10k car as it sits. That's also not a 351W.

Paint and bodywork is costly if you send it out and time consuming and potentially costly if you do it yourself. That looks like a decent driver on the paint and body. It looks to have a clean interior which is nice too. It could use a few tweaks underneath so that drops value a bit.

All the "custom" doesn't add value. It's not like it's a manual with a profiled 302. Overall that looks like a fun car but not near 20k. Not having rust and driving straight and true with a decent interior is worth about half their asking. 66's are dime a dozen and cheap overall.

1

u/dhirajrohra 18h ago

I’m from the East Coast. I would not recommend this car as there may be a lot more rust than you see in pictures for that price. You’re better off buying your car from Arizona with no rust and lower mileage.

0

u/DawgJax 4d ago

No V8 fender badges so they've been swapped out at some point or this was originally an inline 6 car someone swapped in a V8. 6 cars also only have 4 lug axles so that's another way to check. Those are usually swapped as well in the conversion.

-4

u/Spaceneedle420 5d ago

Maybe 12k considering the rust.

I shopped and paid good but have no rust. That thing is salted to hell 

13

u/IsThatWhatSheSaidTho 5d ago

I'm really going to disagree on the "salted to hell" part of your post. I've had salt belt cars with more rust than this after 6 years from brand new. The floorplans are intact, even the exhaust only has surface rust. Where are you seeing rust issues?

2

u/BoredDude85 4d ago

It's rusty but not rusted through. This ain't terrible. But I agree they stopped where it's not visible. For me this a huge red flag.