The battle to get a 1968 Mustang convertible back on the road has been going on for 38 years. It needs a thorough repair as a project, but before that can happen, it needs to persuade a particularly daring person that it is worthwhile to spend the time preserving a rusty bucket.
The pony spent over 40 years inside, but judging by its shape, the conditions for storage may not have been ideal. The Mustang appears to have spent its nights in a humid environment because the rust appeared to have relished the many years spent in storage.
The metal is nearly entirely wrecked, and the interior photos speak for themselves. While eBay seller jpinker1 claims the vehicle comes “with typical Mustang rust,” I beg to differ. The rust has expanded beyond the floors and the trunk pans and created holes in other key places, including in the engine bay.
Fixing all the rust will take time and money, but fortunately, finding the necessary panels shouldn’t be too difficult, given the web is full of Mustang parts anyway.
The owner claims the vehicle also includes two trunk pans, new floorboards, and front aprons, indicating that the restoration work has already begun in some capacity.
Despite its terrible state, the seller claims that the majority of the exterior and interior pieces are either on or in the Mustang. This is good news because the rusted metal will likely comprise the most of the job.
Unfortunately, the under-the-hood engine also fails to deliver any positive results. The Mustang has a 200 (3.3-liter) six-cylinder engine, but no details have been provided, so I can’t tell if it’s starting. This convertible rolled off the production lines as a T-code Mustang, complete with the base unit.
The six-cylinder engine, also available on the 1967 Mustang, dropped from 120 to 115 horsepower for this model year. It was Ford’s laziest engine in 1968, and in many ways, it was aimed at people who wanted the Mustang magic without keeping an eye on fuel consumption.
The engine’s unsure shape and rusty state make a restomod project possible. It might be wise to upgrade this convertible if you already have another engine (hey, a 428 Cobra Jet would fit a 1968 Mustang like a glove! ), especially since it calls for so much metalwork.
Despite its rough shape, the pony doesn’t come with a low price tag. Not at all, actually.