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68 coupe, just the..... end

N

nymustang

Member
So I thought I would try to post the agonizingly slow process and I found out I have almost zero pictures. So I'll post what I have. I bought this car when I was 18 back in the summer of 2001 after much help from many of you back at another forum. It was an I6, C4 bare bones nothing special coupe, but it was mine! The first drive was a bit hairy. I didn't know what manual brakes and manual steering were and almost rear-ended a couple of cars. Oops. To top it off, I didn't bother to register or insure it, just threw an old set of plates on it and off I went! It looked decent and I knew it needed some work but I quickly found out what a piece of crap it really was. My mechanic couldn't put it up on the lift because the TB's and front frame supports were shot. When I pulled the carpet completely out I saw that the backing was holding the rust together. Big, BIG holes in the floors. Oops. I bought a welder and taught myself how to fix floors and frame supports and did a damn shitty job of it. But it was more solid than before. It felt like success. So after a few summers of cruising around feeling like a million bucks, It looked like this:


That was around 2004. I decided I wanted to attack the rusty cowls and started tearing it down again.




And big surprise, I found lots of rust.




The cowls were the main problem I wanted to fix and luckily the pass side was salvageable


but the drivers side was not


Unfortunately, that is where my pics end. I'm sure I have more somewhere but I need to go digging. This doesn't show the replacement of the cowl (which looks ugly), pulling the motor and trans, installing the 5.0 and T5, swapping the suspension for the front discs and 9" from a Mach 1 or the most recent dissassembly for prepping for bodywork. So I have a lot to go find. But this is a start. And I know its ugly.... but its mine.
 
Re: 68 coupe, just the begining

It looks beautiful to me. Why? Someone is taking the time to care for, to love, and to restore the car in the way it should be done. And that's beautiful.
 
Re: 68 coupe, just the begining

Hey Carl, nice to see you man. Had to say hi. Unfortunately I can't see the pics for some odd reason but I will check back in tonight. Always helps to see what and how others are doing with their rides.

Planning another trip out west anytime soon?
 
Re: 68 coupe, just the begining

Thanks Mid, its one of those cars that is for sure not worth it, but my heart is in it now along with more $ than I care to think about. It's never going to be a show stopper but I'm going to keep plugging along on her. It was tough to get anything done with any speed when I was a starving college student.

Abe, man really good to see you here too. I don't have any plans to head out there again yet, but next time I'm gonna give a little more warning to the west coasters and maybe get to meet a few more of you guys.
 
Re: 68 coupe, just the begining

Rust, ugh.....

It's the most labor intensive aspect of bringing one of these cars back. The work is slow going and it seems as if you'll NEVER be done with it.

Then one day you wake up and the car is in a fresh coat of paint and all is once again good in the world.


Stay at it and it will get done.
 
Re: 68 coupe, just the begining

my 67 coupe was one of about 347,000 "nothing special" low to no option coupes built in 67. It also had more rust than good metal and should have been crushed, but it wasn't crushed and it lives a pretty good life now. I have been on a low to no budget also so it has been slow. I've been working on it on and off for 20 years now and its getting closer and closer to what I envisioned. Heck even Dave said some nice things about it when he saw it person at the 45th in B'ham this year. Hang in there, it sounds cool already with a 5.0 and T5, 9"! Dig up those pics for us and keep after it!
 
Re: 68 coupe, just the begining

So Searching for more pics I found photos of the 70 Mach that donated its suspension to this project. I sometimes think I should have put all this time into that car instead, but then I see these pics and realize how huge of a project that would have been for me. Car was in a BAD wreck in the early 80s and half stripped with the 351C being partially disassembled then left out in the rain to rot and seize. The 4spd was in good shape and I traded it for the T5 now in the car. The rear turned out to be a 9" locker and it had front discs that are now under my car (rebuilt with all new parts). The best part is the car was given to me for free. I had given the former owner a really really nice pass side door after his 69 Mach was T-boned so I guess this was a fair trade. After we took the few good parts off the car, a group of friends cut it to pieces and threw it into the recycling. I know its sad, but the car was way more work than I could handle and I needed to get it gone as my parents were not cool with two non-running rust heaps in their back yard.




Thats me there



 
Re: 68 coupe, just the begining

um, maybe you shouldn't have shared those pics on here, we all know FB's are great doners for coupes but some guys on here actually like the FB's. Go figure!?!
seriously thanks for sharing, this coupe is going to be really cool!
 
Re: 68 coupe, just the begining

I know it was sacreligous but like I said, the Mach was toast, stripped and way past my abilities and wallet to repair. I do often wish I had been able to keep it though.
 
Re: 68 coupe, just the begining

And suddenly, probably the end of this poor car. Due to a recent convergence of events, I hate to admit to myself that this car probably needs to go. I'm losing my garage space due to the death of my parents neighbor (it was in her garage) and I'm likely soon to be buying real estate that does not come with any place for me to keep a car.

The car is worth way more as parts than a whole so I am debating strip it and sell the parts, cut up the shell and be done with it or strip it, somehow store the useable parts then dispose of the body.

It makes me sad to think of getting rid of it but the body is worse than I have ever wanted to admit to myself with some very amateur and bad repairs done by me. To make the car road-worthy would probably take 4-5k and it doesn't seem to make sense for a beat up T-code. I'm thinking if I store the parts I can wait a few years till I have time and space for a better body to put together. I'm also thinking I could use an extra couple grand right now. I've been going back and forth about getting rid of it for a while now. I think I have made up my mind.... :sad
 
Re: 68 coupe, just the begining

hate to hear that, you are probably right in your thinking but I still hate to hear it. Good Luck with your decision. If you do strip it and want to sell stuff be sure to post it up here and before you cut up the body let me know, I may come and get it!
 
Just a quick update. The fateful date has been set. A friend is buying what is left of the stang. Picking it up on Sunday. Really he just wants the suspension but his 16 yo son is going to take the rest as a project. I hope he is able to do more with it than I was. And on a side note there are rumors coming out of my checkbook about a 65 Fastback project that is soon to arrive at my parents house. But that is a story for another day.... and thread. :steer
 
"nymustang" said:
Just a quick update. The fateful date has been set. A friend is buying what is left of the stang. Picking it up on Sunday. Really he just wants the suspension but his 16 yo son is going to take the rest as a project. I hope he is able to do more with it than I was. And on a side note there are rumors coming out of my checkbook about a 65 Fastback project that is soon to arrive at my parents house. But that is a story for another day.... and thread. :steer
Click to expand...
Well its another day now... Whats the skinny?
 
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