1964 saw the beginning of Ford Mustang production, with the models that are now known as 1964 1/2. The hardtop and convertible versions of the pony were unveiled by the automaker in April, and the fastback made its debut in August.
When Ford debuted the 1965 model year, it significantly altered its engine lineup by eliminating the 170 and 260 engines. In 1965, the base V8 was the 289 with 200 horsepower, while the new base unit was the 200 six-cylinder with 120 horsepower.
The 1964 Mustang you see in these photos made its way to eBay earlier this week when seller biklub posted it online, looking for a potential buyer.
The pony has everything most people look for when searching for a restoration candidate, starting with the amount of rust and ending with the available parts.
The car was purchased by her sister-in-law, who drove it to school regularly. The engine eventually overheated and stopped running, so the Mustang rapidly converted from a daily driver to an abandoned vehicle. The woman moved the vehicle to a shed where it was put to sleep away from rain and sunlight.
It happened in 1977, so the Mustang has been sitting for 46 years in the same place. It was recently pulled from the barn, flexing the typical barn dust and occasional rust problems. The owner says you’ll only find rust in the typical places, so you might have to replace the floors and the trunk pan.
The vehicle retains “almost all stock components,” though it’s unclear if anything big is missing. The Mustang has most likely served as a donor for another project, so I’d inspect everything thoroughly to see how much of this Mustang is still there.
The VIN code suggests that their pony rolled off the assembly lines at the Dearborn plant with the 260 V8 rated at 165 horsepower, but it says nothing about the engine. It is impossible to determine whether the V8 still starts and runs, but the photographs show that it is still in the engine bay. Considering the extended stay in the barn, I would think that it doesn’t, but a competent mechanic should be able to clarify. I hope it flips over by hand so the next owner can someday revive it.