Project 1966 Mustang Coupe

[WRXtranceformed]

So I'm sure most of you saw already on Rex's FS thread that I decided to move forward with a new project, his father in law's '66 Mustang Coupe. He and Julie graciously trailered it down this weekend and I did the first obligatory wash and shine.

Here are a few pics I snapped after I cleaned up the exterior a little:













First impressions:

I mean this car really just impresses me. I am very pleased with the exterior, even without a clear coat and with some minor dings and flaws here and there. For a car that's almost as old as my parents, this thing really has been well taken care of and is in pretty good shape. It has a great presence that should only get better as I play around with it. The interior needs the most work from a cosmetic aspect in my opinion, will get to that here shortly. The motor is fantastic, it sounds great, and I love having the torque to literally shake the car while revving it in neutral. I was having a little trouble starting it due to the battery sitting for a while, but $50 and a trickle charger later and the Optima starts it up just fine

Where I'm going with it:

This will definitely not be a project like the STi where I will be dumping a ton of money into it all at once. I mean, I have responsibilities and stuff now :lol: I will upgrade stuff as I have some money to play around with. But what I feel I need to do to get it to the point of comfortable driving is:
- New transmission and aluminum driveshaft. I played around with the idea of getting this one balanced (and I still may), but I am not crazy with the feel of the T4 and I'd really like to get a T5 in there...especially since you can find them pretty cheap. The whole car vibrates under load as it sits because of the driveshaft, so the tranny swap is probably in the future

Eventually the list is:
- New wheels and tires. Preferrably something stupid wide in the rear. Thinking like an import/muscle hybrid wheel, something deep dish? Not sure yet exactly, I haven't seen anything that really jumps out at me, but I definitely don't want to do the Bullitt style wheels like everyone else does
- Modernized suspension, lowered just an inch or two
- Interior...I am not sure where to go with this exactly until I get the current interior cleaned up. It's stupid cheap to buy full interior restoration kits, which would be the obvious way to go. But I do need to get both locks working at some point haha, button up some of the gauges (speedo doesn't work, would like to add a tach / shift light), and I may eventually install a sound system. The OTHER route I would go (I'm curious to hear MM's feedback), is to rip everything out of the interior except for the dash, and put in some racing seats and a bar where the back seat would be. I mayyy eventually take the thing to the drag strip if I get it to where I want it to be.

Other than that, I'm pretty good with where the car sits. I may try to get it on a dyno with someone who knows how to tune a carb...or teach myself. I guess the only other option would be to swap it to FI. I kind of like the charm of the 4 barrel though! This is not a numbers matching car, and I clearly am not concerned with keeping it completely original or OEM...I bought this as a fun weekend car that I can cruise around in, beat on and enjoy the heck out of.

I've already gotten compliments from the neighbors :mrgreen: And as I told Julie's dad, it's in good hands with me no matter what direction I take the project :thumbup:

[fiveoh2go]

Congrats on the new car! It's a great platform for a classic project car as just about every part can still be had new and there's nothing that hasn't been done to these cars in the last 45+ years so finding ideas/help isn't an issue. As for the Torq-Thrust D's, they're a Mustang staple dating back to the original Trans-Am series and Shelby cars. You can't go wrong with some Torq-Thrusts! 8)








Looking forward to some updates! :thumbup:

[ScottyB]

that is gorgeous. i think you'll really have fun with that thing! nothing like simple classics that will always hold their value.

look into Panasports maybe. they are period correct and look pretty cool as an alternative to the torq thrusts.


i think it would be awesome to see it stay "old school" in the engine department (you know, keep the carb and stuff) but with a nice modern suspension and brakes. i'd keep the interior personally - do some road trips in it!

[Jake]

+1 for keeping the interior. There's a guy at work here who drives a similar-year black 'Stang that is in "nice DD" condition. I think it'd be fun to have it as a casual driver when the weather is nice.

[WRXtranceformed]

Scott that is almost EXACTLY what i was looking for. Nice find! Yeah I am leaning towards just redoing the entire interior, seeing how relatively cheap it is for the full kits...

[D_Eclipse9916]

Sexy sexy, do want ride.

[Goodspeed]

Awesome purchase Lee - good to see some classic muscle in MM :thumbup: . There are so many aftermarket parts for that car its unbelievable - everything is literally at your finger tips.

If it were mine, I'd either do a nice, simple pro-touring setup, or (if you want to be different), I could totally see a vintage-modern race build - roll bar, black steelies and white-lettered tires, numbers on the doors, that'd be fun.

[.RJ]

Having been through the 'vintage' project a few times...

My advice would be to not spend a whole lot of energy and money on making everything "better", it will be a perpetual project. Drive it, maintain it, enjoy it. You really dont need a "pro touring" (whatever that is?) or race setup to enjoy cruising around in it on weekends or nice days.

Looks really good though - congrats! :thumbup:

[Goodspeed]

"pro touring" (whatever that is?)

Basically a well-rounded restomod with modern amenities. Current suspension, good brakes, good A/C, etc.

[WRXtranceformed]

I agree with everyone here so far. This definitely wont see the extent of work like the stuff I've done in the past has, rather I want to get it comfortable and reliable and just enjoy it. The more feedback I get, the more I'm leaning towards just restoring the interior altogether. If that's the case, I'll probably eventually add AC to it and some other creature comforts.

[WRXtranceformed]

"pro touring" (whatever that is?)

Basically a well-rounded restomod with modern amenities. Current suspension, good brakes, good A/C, etc.

Whoa! Much to like here!

[.RJ]

Basically a well-rounded restomod with modern amenities. Current suspension, good brakes, good A/C, etc.

Exactly what you dont need to do... its a giant time sink, wont get much $$ back out of it, and you end up doing the same thing with the car that you'd do before....

[Goodspeed]

Basically a well-rounded restomod with modern amenities. Current suspension, good brakes, good A/C, etc.

Exactly what you dont need to do... its a giant time sink, wont get much $$ back out of it, and you end up doing the same thing with the car that you'd do before....

Since when did "need" ever find its way into a project!? The man's gonna do whatever the hell he fancies :lol:

[NTIman]

You will need a timing pointer for the ignition timing. Dad never installed one on it, and you'll need that to have it tuned, which I would suggest doing for sure. I'm sure theres 10-15% more power left in there if it was actually tuned. We ran out of $$$ before we had a chance to work on that.

[.RJ]

Since when did "need" ever find its way into a project!? The man's gonna do whatever the hell he fancies :lol:

I dont mean to be a buzzkill, just providing a 'been there done that' viewpoint. A restomod mustang (or any vintage muscle car) is way cool, but its easy to get ahead of yourself - I think I did that a little with the CB750.

This is pretty damn cool - <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.rhoadescamaro.com/build/">http://www.rhoadescamaro.com/build/</a><!-- m -->

[WRXtranceformed]

You will need a timing pointer for the ignition timing. Dad never installed one on it, and you'll need that to have it tuned, which I would suggest doing for sure. I'm sure theres 10-15% more power left in there if it was actually tuned. We ran out of $$$ before we had a chance to work on that.

Yeah man thanks for that input! Yall did a great job putting it together. I may swap out the heads in the distant future, but for now a good tune I feel will be just fine. I may be reaching out to you with some questions as I get further into the build, if that's cool with you!

BTW what weight oil did you use? With so few miles on the motor, when I get it street legal I'll probably put about another 1k on it and do a drail / fill with some Redline / high quality synthetic.

[NTIman]

I used Valvoline 5W30 in it, but it wouldn't hurt to go with a heavier weight oil. Let me know if you need any info for sure, I built the engine, so I can answer most anything you need to know.

Definitely could use a set of aluminum heads. I matched the cam and the intake so it's basically just a set of heads away from making some good power for the street. Also, the distributer has the stock (heavy) advance springs in it, so I'm sure that would be another thing to look at when tuning the timing.

[NTIman]

I may have some pictures from when I was building the engine, but it might take me a while to find them. If/when I do, I'll try to post them here.

[BLINGMW]

neato :thumbup: Looks fun!

I too would be pretty hesitant in modernizing anything (or adding AC :vomit: ) unless you plan on either taking it to the track (and I mean road course) or DDing it. I don't think it needs any more sophisticated suspension, lowering, better brakes, blah blah if you just want to take it to a strip now and then.

[Steve85]

Awesome. My brother had a Springtime Yellow 66 with wheels just like yours (parts store Centerline knockoffs) with black centers when we were in HS. Such a great body style. Even though it was restored, it could always use a few things. That's not really a bad thing for a hobbyist though.

As far as your list - perfect. To me, a modern suspension for this car and your purposes would mean a nice modern shock and spring combo that refines handling and provides a better look (lower).

Love the panasports above!