Hey D!  I've only done this twice, one minimally and one as aggressively as you can get without putting a body on some other frame.  What you do depends on where you've going with it.  And having done only two of these, I'm not the guy to answer your questions anyway.  I just wanted to say hey, and encourage you to hang in there if, (when) it gets frustrating.  Remember, if you're gonna make it go, you have to plan on making it stop as well.  Be safe and have fun!  The folks here are amazingly willing and able to help.

L

Thanks Lance, it should be an adventure either way. I plan on doing a full restore, just doing it in pieces, I have heard stories of people doing a complete tear down, and then the car sitting in the garage for years never getting muchof anywhere, so I think I will try and avoid that.

 Well let me see about posting some pictures, because I know without them, it never really happened! haaah! Mind you, they are from a cell phone,and taken when/where I found the car, so they might be mediocre at best but you can get the jist.

Welcome to the forum.
Cool car... It even has a sunroof!

As for the engine.  You are wise to consider pulling it out and going through it.  With the rust and rain water sitting in the cylinders, I am betting you will at the very least be boring it out or (even better) going for a later model roller cam block.  Problem is, your early 65 might have a five bolt bellhousing pattern rather than the later 65 to current six bolt setup.  So, if you have a five bolt and need a six bolt, that begs for an overdrive transmission to go in.  A $500 Fox 5.0 and trans from Craigslist might be the easiest way.

This is known as the WYAIT Monster.  While You Are In There, you might as well do this, that, everything, and so on.  As you surmised, a car can sit for many years without getting driven when that happens.  Make a plan for what you want the car to be and stick to it as much as possible so you only spend money once.  Most of us hardly ever wind up sticking to that plan 100%, but at least you have something to work towards.

Looks like you have the following to do before that thing sees any road use:
  Rebuilt or different Engine  (consider a full swap from a Fox 5.0 Mustang...cheap and easy
  Rebuilt or different transmission
  New gas tank and sender/pickup
  Rebuild the brake system 100% (don't waste money on drums, discs are an easy swap)
  PROBABLY replace a bunch of front end suspension/steering parts
  New radiator
  New tires 

The rest is just cosmetics.  If that is a rust free body, that is 90% of the battle.  Everything else just bolts on.

OK, now you have until September to get it ready to drive to the MustangSteve BASH in Illinois.
 

Four speed Falcons did come with floor shift.  BEware of buying a five bolt block, though.  You want to stay away from those.  Craigslist has another used 5.0 Fox Mustang engine nearly every day around here in the $500 range.  I have seen several for $1,000 with a five speed tranny.  You can stick your carb and old parts on it and bolt it in.  A little more to it than that, but that is the quick short story.  Just run anything past us before you dive in.  If you are not familiar with Mustangs, you can get way off course real easy.

Rebuilding the front end is a one day job,a nd disc brakes should be a no brainer.  If you think you might go with some later 17" wheels, you can put disc brakes from a brand new Mustang GT on it for about $450.
A front end rebuild consists of, upper a-frame bushings, upper/lower ball joints, strut rod and sway bar bushings, idler arm, center link and tie rods.  BUT... if you think you might want a rack & pinion, some of that stuff might not be required.  You must figure the budget price you have to deal with and the ultimate goal for the car.  You might want to add up all the stuff required and then go buy a completed running car to save money in the long run and be able to enjoy it sooner.

Info we need to know to help you..... Can you weld?....Are you a decent "shade-tree mechanic"?..If not....are you friends with one?!..........Do you have plenty of money? (Nothing like..."cutting-to-the-chase"!!)
Welcome to the forum BTW!! 
As you will find out we have some real pros on here that know Mustangs inside-and-out.
DON'T hesitate to ask a question.....no matter how stupid it is.....because it ain't!
Besides.....I have probably already assed it.
6sally6

devovino wrote:

Why do you suggest staying away from the older 5 bolt, just old technology? I can appreciate that, and it makes sense to move towards better technology so I guess there is go one way, restore original, or go the other way and make vast improvements.

 

The problem lies in finding a bell housing/tranny to fit the old block. Just about everything you'd want out there is the six bolt design.
 

Back in the 70's and 80's it was popular to take the rear end out of a Lincoln Versaille and stick it in a Mustang to get rear discs.  That proves to add a whole bunch of very heavy unsprung weight and some discs that do not work very well with an emergency brake that almost doesn't work at all.

With the new modern cars out now that all have disc brakes, I and others have designed brakets to just bolt them onto the rear or front spindles.  Then you can get the brakes real cheap, even brand new take-off fronts for $150 shipped, and just bolt them on.  No more changing rear ends.  Just add the brackets.  Also have master cylinders and proportioning valves and power brake conversions to modernize the cars.  Go read my web site...  And don't skip that little block labeled FAQ.  It opens up to a whole 'nother set of pages.

That "new technology" roller cam block we all love so much is over 20 years old now, but is still good stuff.  Whatever you do, just ask the folks here who have done most of it before BEFORE you plunk down money for new stuff.  There are tons of Chinese crap that is disguised as reproduction parts.  Some is OK and some not.

It sounds like you already know your way around a car and wrenches.  Now you just have to learn your way around THAT car.  Same boat I would be in if I decided to restore the 65 Cutlass I had in high school...

     Just a few opinions I have on the subject. The 5 bolt verse 6 bolt they speak of is the bell housing to block. The 5 bolt block was built for a couple years the 6 bolt was made from mid-60’s to mid-90’s. If you ever want to upgrade transmissions, such as T-5 or automatic with overdrive the easiest way is with a modern 6 bolt bell. You will need the block to match. Keep in mind if you upgrade the block now, you will also need to upgrade the bell and tranny.
     Even if you have a 6 bolt block now would be a good time to upgrade to a good used roller 302. If you find a good used motor you can probably get the car running sooner. Rebuilding that 289 there are some things to consider. (Someone correct me if I’m wrong) A non-roller engine will need zinc additive to the oil with each oil change. Also old engines were not made to run on unleaded gas, valve work may be required. And last, the way that engine sat in the rain a good use engine may be a cheaper option.
    The next upgrade would be the brakes. I have Steve’s Cobra front disc brakes and feel this is a very good quality setup. If you upgrade to disc you’ll need to change the master cylinder and most disc brake setups require larger wheels. These are just a few of my thoughts, good luck with it and have fun.
 

Well, just got back from our California vacation, and was able to get out in the garage and pull the other head.... I am going to say the motor is due for replacing. I dont see it being cost effective or sensible to rebuild this motor, and I have had some time to think it over on vacation. I am leaning towards doing some upgrades, a motor is a smart place to start.
Ron68, I actually live in Bend Oregon, and it is always nice to have help local as a resource I am sure I will need it.
Also, upgrading a trnasmission to a 6 bolt makes sense, fr now and going forward.
Definetly plan on upgrading to disc brakes, and I allready have a set of new wheels that are 17"s. They dont fit on the front and they rub the knuckle, so I had planned on making the switch pretty quick
 As I mentioned earlier in a post, I did find a motor/tranny out of a ford falcon for a really good deal ( 300$ a good deal?) that is running and I had thought about just dropping it in temporarily, just to get up and running, any thoughts?
Wel thats it for now, going to try and finish pulling the motor tomorrow, should I pull the tranny at the same time to just bolt the running unit in, I know I am a ways form being road ready, but that could be one step closer?
thanks Devon

I would look into getting your car soda blasted not sand blasted. You can leave on the chrome and glass. This way it will be a good base to paint on. You can then epoxy prime or some like to use a good quality primer filler. This way a huge part will be done body. Then once that's done I'd underneath get it sound by doing epoxy primer and then under coat it. That way the whole body is done. Then I'd do brakes suspension steering. Then motor trans drivetrain. Followed by interior and then paint and your top and chrome.. But most importantly enjoy doing the steps and the finish results

Just a bit South of SLC (Sandy).  Where are you located?

If the weather stays nice this weekend I may take it out for the first drive of Spring.

Just a note on orginality of engines, for an "A" code 1965 Mustang there literally is *no possible way* to prove the engine is the original engine.  There is no VIN stamped anywhere on the block at the factory, only K codes got that treatment.  All you can do is show the date codes are theoretically consistent with the scheduled manufacturering date.  That's it. 

Since the block is dimensionally the same as a 302 or 5.0 you can rebuild it just about anyway you want it (stroked, over bored, etc.)  If you want to upgrade to a roller block then you need to get a 5.0 block, otherwise as long as the cylinder walls are still thick enough to bore to the desired size you should be good to go if you want to reuse it.  Buying a finished engine would likely be lower cost unless you can do a lot of the machine or assembly work yourself.
 

Last edited by JSHarvey (4/09/2014 11:14 AM)