1965 Mustang Coupe, 302, 4-Speed Toploader, Very Nice Driver, Tons of New Parts

*Update: Carburetor was rebuilt today and idle is now down around 900 RPM.* Up for sale is my 1965 Mustang Coupe. It has a clear Michigan title in my name. I have spent the last 9 months transforming it from a forgotten project along side a garage in Georgia to a nice, un-to-drive classic.

There has been a ton of work and money put into this car to get it to what it is today: a nice driver-quality restoration. It is not perfect, nd there are a couple of things left to finish, ut nothing that will keep you from enjoying it today. All of the lights work except the one for the radio, he doors close, he windows roll up and down and the car handles great. It is a blast, nd you will get noticed anywhere you go. I have written a tome about what has been done below. It's everything I would want to know if I was buying it, ut I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.

The price is $12,500 and I'm not really interested in trades. It's not a show car, ut it is a very nice driver. It sounds great and is a blast to drive!

The door tag info is as follows: 5F07CXXXXXX 65A M22 12J 21 6 6

That makes this an early 1965 Mustang built in Atlanta, A on September 12, 964 (Happy Birthday!) Originally white with blue standard crinkle interior, 289 2v engine, 4 automatic transmission and an 8" rear end with a 2.80 rear gear. The car has manual steering, nd manual drum brakes.

This is now powered by a 302 engine (.030 over making it 306 technically) with a 4-barrel carb, -speed wide-ratio Toploader transmission from a 1966 Mustang. The exterior has been painted "Super Red" and the interior has been changed over to black.

When I built this it was with the intent that it would eventually be sold, ut I would be driving it until then. I purchased the car from Alabama and had it shipped up to Michigan and there was plenty of work that needed to be done. Any rot was removed and replaced with good metal. Any surface rust ground, heeled and/or sanded, nd then treated/converted.

Original parts were saved where they were of a good driver quality or better. All questionable functional parts replaced. Below is a list of all parts that were replaced with new reproduction parts and a few used original where noted:

- Left and Right Full Quarter Skins

- Tail Light Panel

- Left Fender

- Hood

- Front Valence

- Battery Apron

- Deck Lid (very good used)

- RH Trunk Drop

- Gas Tank and Sending Unit

- Shelby-style Fiberglass Hood Scoop

- Shelby-style Non-functional Fiberglass Side Scoops

- Plastic Honeycomb Grilles for Side Scoops

- 1" Drop Leaf Springs

- Shocks on All Corners

- Upper Control Arms (1" Shelby/Arning Drop)

- Lower Control Arms

- Spring Perches

- Inner and Outer Sway Bar Bushings

- Strut Rod Bushings

- Inner Tie Rod Ends

- Outer Tie Rod Ends

- Idler Arm

- Set of 4 1967 Mercury Cougar Styled Steel Wheels and Trim Rings (original)

- Set of 4 BF Goodrich Touring T/A 195/70/14 Tires

- 3 NOS and 1 Scott Drake Mustang Center Caps

- Brake Shoes on All Corners

- Brake Cylinders on All Corners

- Front Wheel Bearings

- Front Parking Brake Cable

- Parking Brake Equalizer and Tensioner Rod

- Parking Brake Pivot Bar

- Brake and Gas Lines as Needed

- Motor Mounts

- Windshield Washer Squirter Motor

- Windshield Washer Hoses ad T's

- Windshield Washer Squirters

- Windshield Washer Reservoir Bag and Mounting Bracket

- Front Turn Signal Housings, askets, enses and Harness Pigtails

- Tail Light Housings, askets, enses and Chrome Bezels

- Engine Compartment Harness

- Engine Gauge Harness

- Alternator Harness

- All Exterior Emblems

- Door Locks (Trunk Lock included, ut not installed since existing is good)

- Exterior Door Handle Assemblies

- Driver Side Mirror

- Windshield Seal

- Rear Window Seal

- Door Seals

- Door Window Seals

- Quarter Window to Door Window Seals

- Vent Window Seals

- Window Felts

- Firewall Insulation

- Carpet

- Headliner

- Front Seat Upholstery ("used": installed and removed, hen installed on these seats)

- Dash Pad

- Package Tray

- Covering most of the interior, eflective Insulation

- Battery

- Battery Cables

- A/C Manual Trans Center Console (used)

- Front Speaker

- Good AM Radio (used, ut very nice)

- Antenna

- Door Panels

- Clutch Linkages/Springs

- Z-Bar Bushings

- Clutch and Brake Pedal Pads

- Gas Pedal

- Glove Box Liner

- 4-speed Speedo Cable

- Speedometer "Drive" Gear (on tailshaft of transmission)

- Speedometer "Driven" Gear (on end of speedometer cable)

- Aftermarket Triple Gauges (Temp, mmeter, il Pressure)

- Aftermarket Tachometer

- Steering Wheel

- Turn Signal/Horn Switch Harness Assembly

- Rear Bumper

- All Bumper Brackets and Related Hardware

- Lug Nuts and Locking Lugs

- Blower Motor Fan

- Blower Box Seal Kit (Installed)

- Interior Door Handles

- Interior Window Cranks

- Glove Box Emblem

- Scuff Plates

- Battery Tray

- Original Shifter Box (good used)

- Original 4-speed Shifter Handle with Trigger Reverse Lock-Out

- Shifter Boot

I was told the engine and transmission had both been rebuilt with very few miles on them prior to the Mustang being parked. I opened the engine up and found it to be very clean. Cylinders still had their hone, istons confirmed .030 over, nd there was no ridge on the cylinders. The heads were clean and had new double springs installed. The intake is a Weiand Stealth. When I opened the trans, t looked very clean with fresh fluid and very little signs of metal. No broken or damaged gears that I could tell from inspection however, am admittedly not an expert of manual transmissions.

I pulled the engine and trans (the trans had an Hurst Indy shifter that required hacking a hole where the shifter was supposed to be). The engine was completely disassembled, nspected and reassembled with new main and rod bearings, ings, askets and seals. The oil pan looked rough and was replaced with a quality aftermarket pan. The valves were lapped and a new thermostat and housing were installed. A 1" aluminum carb spacer with phenolic insert was added along with a rebuilt Holley 600 vacuum secondary carb. An electric choke was added for convenience. The fuel pump and I believe water pump were both replaced as well. New (the paint burned off, o they don't look it) Hooker SuperComp headers were added and the mufflers were replaced with new Thrush welded on 2.25" exhaust.

The cam was reinstalled along with the lifter into their original bores with prelube. Unfortunately, do not know the cam profile (it is "large"), nd I was unable to locate any information on it. When the engine was started, t went through a "new" engine break-in to seat the bearings and rings, nd make certain the cam was broken in. It runs well, ut idles a little high (1100 or so) and takes a few minutes to warm up. Oil pressure is strong at 50psi once warm, nd closer to 60psi when cold.

The transmission received a new rear seal. The clutch, ressure plate and flywheel had all sat for years, ut looked good and were reused. They were performance aftermarket, ut I do not recall their details.

The exterior of the vehicle is in very nice drive condition. It looks like it took a light hit to the back at some point in its life (still had the original tail panel, nd very light damage), ut does not appear to have had any other accidents. Rust was typical and repaired with new metal.

The car was professionally painted in "Super Red" base and clear about 2 months ago and looks very good. The engine compartment was scrubbed clean and painted with Eastwood Extreme Chassis Black. I had-scraped all of the undercoating from the front aprons, rame and shock towers. Body caulk was added to the cavities beneath the coil springs and seam sealer as applied liberally followed by Eastwood Rust Encapsulator and Eastwood Extreme Chassis Black. The rear wheel houses received a similar treatment as well.

While the quarter panels were off, he interior areas around the wheel houses and other structures were treated with a rust converter and primed where possible before closing up the quarters. The trunk area was cleaned, ire-wheeled and primed. The insides of the quarter panels were sprayed with a low-build (smooth, ot clumpy) undercoating to protect and help deaden sound. The entire trunk areas was then painted with trunk paint for a uniform finish.

Floor pans were replaced as required. I high quality ($35/quart) seam sealer was liberally applied to all seams (inside and out) to protect against future issues. The entire floor area, nd as much of the firewall as I could reach, as treated with Rust Encapsulator and then Extreme Chassis Black. Prior to putting carpet down, continuous layer of reflective insulation was applied to the entire floor, p under the edge of the firewall insulation and behind the rear interior panels and entire rear seat. It was also applied to the entire roof area prior to installing the new headliner. This really helps keep engine/exhaust sound and heat out of the passenger's compartment.

The heater box was disassembled, leaned and sanitized, epaired, nd reassembled with new seals, new ducts and a new blower motor.

As is typical with nearly all Ford products of this era, here was rot in the cowl. The cowl was cleaned using a vacuum with a special hose attachment to allow it to reach the entire cowl. It was then cleaned and any exterior metal repair that was needed was completed. The vent openings were repaired using special inserts with a silicon sealer. Once installed, he cowl was sprayed with Eastwood's Internal Frame Coating with a rust converter and inhibitor. It comes with a log tube with a spray fitting that allow you to spray in all directions at once to thoroughly coat an interior space. The entire can was emptied.

While this is a very nice driver, t is not a show car and it does have imperfections that are difficult to capture in photos. There are also a handful of tasks left to complete, f you can ever really consider a 51 year old car "done". Below is the short list:

1) Unfortunately, he syncros are showing their age on the transmission and will likely need service. You could drive it as is for a long time without issue, ut downshifting to first when not at a stop (and on occasion into third when on a roll) requires double clutching.

2) The handle to the passenger's vent window is missing. I have a replacement vent window assembly that is included with the sale.

3) The cigar lighter isn't hooked up.

4) The speedometer works, ut is off. I replaced the drive gear and set it up to add a my 3.55 Trac-Loc rear gear, ut haven't done so. This is available at an additional cost.

5) There are some imperfections in the paint and bodywork. They aren't glaring, ut if you are looking for them or catch them at the right angle, ou'll see them. The car still looks great.

6) The right brake light is intermittent. It's something to do with the light socket itself. I may just replace the housing to take care of it since it is being a stinker.

7) The horns work. The switch works. But pushing the horn button won't sound the horn. I'm beyond caring about this one and will not be addressing it. If its important to you, will save it for you.

8) There is a slight pull to the right when braking. This is a matter of adjustment, nd I will try to have that set prior to actually selling.

This really is a great car. I know I've forgotten other repairs/things that have been done to the car, nd have probably missed some other minor thing left to be done. You can feel free to check the car out yourself.

No joy rides. No "my friend will bring you a bank check and you pay him for the shipping" scams. No personal checks and no money orders. Title and car stay in my hands until paid in full. I will not handle the shipping, ut I will try to work with your shipper. I will not take a vacation day from work to ship. A non-refundable deposit of $500 is due at the time of purchase, nd the balance is due within 72 hours in CASH or via BANK WIRE TRANSFER. The vehicle and title remain in my hands until payment is made in full. I will do my best to accommodate you if you are interested in seeing the vehicle before you purchase, owever it is being sold as-is, here-is with all the imperfections a 51 year old vehicle has. By hitting the "Buy it Now" button, ou are agreeing to purchase the vehicle, ot expressing your interest in it. If you don't have finances lined up, nd permission from anyone you may need to speak with prior to purchase, lease don't hit the "Buy it Now" button.

If you are not able to pick up the vehicle within one week of purchase, ou need to contact me to discuss. The car is stored inside my garage, ut will be moved to the driveway if it has not been picked up within one week, r other arrangements have not been made.

I'm happy to answer any questions you have. Send me your phone number and best times to call and I will get in touch with you.

Thank you!