Thoughts on this '66 Mustang Restomod....and restomods in general ?

sugarwood · sugarwood's Garage

1966 Ford Mustang - | Used Inventory

A friend of a friend is considering this car, what say you?
Will this car sell for $25k?

What are your thoughts on restomods, in general?
I'd imagine they do not appeal to the collector or the track driver.

Chevy engine in a Ford seems like a branding screw up.
Now....Ford guy won't touch it. Chevy guy doesn't want it, either.

I'd be most interested in what suspension updates were done.
Then again, it's an automatic, so whatever.

Seems like a car without a niche.
No collector wants it.
No track guy wants it.
Ricer boyz don't want this homage to Grandpa.
They should rent it for music videos or something.

HardDrive · 04:37 AM

I like it, but I don't like the wheels. I don't get the attraction of sticking 19-20 inch wheels on a car that came with 15-16". It looks like a children's toy, and the ride is likely poor.

Given how much work went into it, I'm surprised he didn't chop off the back and make it a fastback.

Oh Haha · 04:40 AM

The color scheme is nice but a Chevy engine in a Mustang is wrong, in my opinion.

Also, the notes claim it has a manual transmission but it has an automatic.

I dig these sort of cars with modern running gear and suspension but this one appeal to me at all.

HardDrive is right on the wheels, too. They just don't look right. A modern Torque Thrust or even a BBS style wheel in 17 inch would look better along with lowering it a bit.

HardDrive · 12-20-2015, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oh Haha

The color scheme is nice but a Chevy engine in a Mustang is wrong, in my opinion.

No doubt. Find a salvage 2011+ Mustang GT and put a coyote 5.0 in it.

mreid · 12-20-2015, 04:46 AM

I love them and have built several. I completely agree on the wheels, but worse is the Chevy engine in a mustang when there are killer Ford options for a 66 mustang without shock towers.

My last 66 fastback had a 347 (bored and stroked 302) with a tko600 5 speed and 9" LSD, disc brakes all around, r&p steering, suspension improvements and some structural upgrades. It was badass!

mreid · 12-20-2015, 04:47 AM

Oh yeah, the all in cost was about what it takes to buy and install a 3.6 in a mid year.

herr_oberst · 12-20-2015, 04:48 AM

Not my style, but there's a lot more than 26000 bucks in that car.

From the pictures, it looks pretty well done.

I agree with the comments on the wheels, and good catch on the slushbox! That lokar shifter had me fooled.

VFR750 · 12-20-2015, 04:55 AM

I agree the large wheel just don't look right. The 1960-70 cars are a lot smaller than today's mustangs, camaros, challengers. 17s are probably the sweet spot for this vintage.

Plus they are lighter, take less hp to accelerate, less unsprung mass, and can survive a pot-hole.

I like the restomod thing. There will always be pristine cars, and they will be valued very highly. And probably parked.

But the better driving restomod will be used more often and that's a good thing. This one..... Chevy LS-1 engine in a mustang? Really? There aren't any good ford crate engines? That probably hurt the resale potential more than they can imagine. Ford vs Chevy.

sugarwood · sugarwood's Garage

What is a shock tower delete all about?
Does this car have much suspension work done?
I see listed: shock tower delete, Mustang 2 front end, and new shocks.

Does anyone recall that recent Mustang thread here?
A Pelican was selling his fastback on Ebay for like $25k.
Can anyone find that thread?

mreid · 05:22 AM

Early generation mustang shock towers protrude into the engine bay. They had to be notched for some of the larger, specialty engines (think Boss 429).

In the picture below, you can see the towers with the shock mount on top. It is clear they take up a lot of room!

Nickshu · Nickshu's Garage

I'm an originality guy so generally don't care for Restomods except for those really high end ones I have seen (Singer, etc), but those are very few and far between.

Oh Haha · 12-20-2015, 05:27 AM

Based on the pics in the folder shown, it looks like they added tubular front control arms and coilover shocks which are better than the stock parts.

I did notice what looks like the stock brake master cylinder. You would think it would have been replaced with a larger version given that they added disc brakes all around.

ckelly78z · 12-20-2015, 05:49 AM

I think it's your car, do whatever you want with it. I don't like the big wheels either, but someone did, so it's cool with me. When at a car show, I generally walk right by the original factory cars to see the restomods.

masraum · 12-20-2015, 05:52 AM

I like restomods when done so they improve handling, performance and reliability, but keep the character of the original car intact. This particular one isn't my cup of tea.

I've no desire for digital guages, huge speakers or giant wheels. I'd probably have been ok with 15, 16 or maybe very tasteful, lightweight 17" wheels, but these are a bit much.

masraum · 12-20-2015, 05:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckelly78z

When at a car show, I generally walk right by the original factory cars to see the restomods.

Exactly. I've seen original. After a couple, they all look the same. Some nice, neat mods get my attention.

sc_rufctr · 12-20-2015, 06:03 AM

The wheels are easy to change but the gauges and engine (& Gearbox) not so.

What's with the obsession with the Corvette engine you guys (Americans in general) seem to have?
Surely Ford makes something that's just as good.

But there's a lot of car there for 25k.

sugarwood · sugarwood's Garage

Most here don't seem to like this particular restomod.
Got any links to restomods that you did like ?

Oh Haha · 12-20-2015, 06:16 AM

What does your friend like? What does he plan to do with the car he does buy?

I realize you are trying to help him/her out but I think those questions need to be asked.

masraum · 12-20-2015, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

The wheels are easy to change but the gauges and engine (& Gearbox) not so.

What's with the obsession with the Corvette engine you guys (Americans in general) seem to have?
Surely Ford makes something that's just as good.

But there's a lot of car there for 25k.

For whatever reason, people see the "corvette" engine as the peak of performance for small blocks. NORMALLY, this is only an issue when you're talking about Chevy and GMC vehicles (or motor swap cars like the occasional Jag, Mazda or waterpumper Porsche). It's not that common to see Chevy motors in Fords.

Small block Chevy motors are pretty much the cheapest, most bulletproof, most powerful and mod-able engines around.

Back in the 90s a buddy bought a 1967 Camaro with a 327. The guy selling the car told him that it was a "corvette" motor which seemed odd because it was packing a 2bbl. The motor didn't really add a premium to the price, the car was solid, so my buddy bought it and rebuilt it with some mods. Turned out when he started pulling the motor that it was the original, numbers matching motor. Seemed to me that would have been a better selling point for the numb-nuts than a corvette motor, but whatever.

sugarwood · sugarwood's Garage

I wonder if this is why the wheels look so off: