A fascinatingly preserved 1965 Ford Mustang convertible that has been resting for a very long period is struggling to survive. All of its components are still present.
Although Mustang projects are frequent, it can be difficult to locate the perfect applicant for the job. After being stored for decades, the majority of automobiles arrive in terrible shape, and some have been used as donor vehicles and don’t have any of the essential components, including the engine.
The convertible posted has everything you need for restoration, though you shouldn’t expect all parts to come in spotless condition.
The car also spent decades away from the road, so it’s a project needing a full overhaul. The seller also emphasizes the owner would have to replace many parts, and while no further specifics were shared, an in-person inspection should help you figure out how much work it’ll need to get back on the road.
I don’t expect the undersides to be perfect, but the body appears respectable and free of rust and decay. Long-term storage of a car usually results in extensive rust damage, and this Mustang is probably no different. The inside appears to be in decent shape, with all of the seats in their proper positions, but the convertible top is clearly damaged. Some important details are missing from the pictures, such as the floorboards, but the good news is that the car also includes the door panels, which indicates that this Mustang wasn’t used as a donor vehicle in the past.
Listing includes zero information about the engine, but considering the owner said most of the car is still there, I’ll assume the original V8 is under the hood. The Mustang rolled off the assembly lines as a C-code example, using a 289 (4.7-liter) with a two-barrel carburetor.
Significant changes were made to the engine lineup for the 1965 Mustang. Ford eliminated the 170 (2.8-liter) six-cylinder and the 260 (4.3-liter) basic V8 engines, which were utilized in the 1964 1/2 model year. A 200 (3.3-liter) Thriftpower engine producing 120 horsepower replaced the 289 2-barrel engine that was standard on C-code Mustangs as the base V8.
Mostly because it’s a convertible, this whole Mustang is a very attractive restoration candidate. In 1965, Ford made around 560,000 Mustangs, of which over 410,000 were hardtop models. Fewer than 70,000 convertibles were produced, the majority of which had the six-cylinder or base V8 engine.