New 66 Mustang Owner

[TheTallMan]

Good morning. I am proud to say I am a new classice Mustang owner. Although I have owned Fords all my life, I've never owned a Mustang. I've looked, but embarrassingly enough, I'm mechanically challenged and don't have a lot of experience with cars, mechanics of cars, and evaluating the quality or worth.

However, I wanted to do something cool for my son since he is becoming a Mustang fanatic. I bought him this:

http://www.imagemotorcompany.com/1966_Must_teal.shtml

If any of you could look at it and provide your professional opinion I would be very grateful. I'm most interested in your general opinions about the condition and value of the vehicle.

The strange things that immediately come to my attention are:
- It supposed to be a 1966 GT 350 but the front end doesn't look like other 66 GTs I've seen on the Internet.
- It say 286 on the front quarter panel emblem but it has a 302.

I am paying $13K for this. Am I getting ripped off?

Here are some other specs:

302 Short block assy with less than 3000K miles
Bored 30 over
Flat top pistons
ARP rod bolts
Crank turned 10/10
Holley 750 Dbl barrel carb
Clevite Bearings
Millings High volume oil pump
Ford Motorsport timing chain
Factory 271HP Cam
65 289 Heads
Stainless steel Intake & Exhaust valves
Headers
Traction Bars
Dual springs
Aluminum retainers
Screw in studs
Port matched
C4 Transmission with shift kit
TCI Converter
Brand new aluminum radiator
Weld racing chrome wheels
Brand new tires 295-50-15 Rear 195-60-15 front
New Kenwood/Alpine/Pioneer Sound system valued at $1200
New shocks and chrome shock towers
Pertronix ignition system

My son does not know it has been purchased and it doesn't arrive for another week and I want this to be a good experience for him.

Your comments and knowledge are greatly appreciated.

TheTallMan

[DeltaMustang65]

well, whoever sold you this car really screwed you. it's a coupe, NOT a shelby gt350. they just switched some sheet metal around and stuck the gt350 stickers on the side. not even passable as a "clone". sorry, but if you can, get out fast!

[Orange97GTVert]

You have an awesome Mustang, but sorry, it is NOT a GT350. All Shelby GT350's were Fastbacks in 1966 except 6 (I believe) rare convertibles. The quarter trim mouldings in the "C" section behind the doors as well as the fender emblems pretty much say it is not a GT either. The GT would have fog lights in the grille and GT emblems on the lower front fenders. The side stripes would have individual chrome letters spelling out Mustang and there would be no tri-bar pony with the Mustang emblem behind it.

The hood is either a Shelby hood or a Shelby scoop grafted on the original hood, but it looks really good. The front valance is a Shelby valance, the rear valance is a GT valance, but on a 66 it should have backup lights also. The car probably had a 289 V8 originally but the 302 is definitely a replacement, since the 302 didn't come in Mustangs until 1968.

All that said, the car is beautiful. Someone has put a lot of time and money into building a really sharp Mustang that really stands out. The engine has a lot of buildup, it should be a really stout package. The price seems a little steep, but I really don't know because I haven't seen it in person. These days originality does not carry as much weight as it did back in the 80's, so each car would be judged on the quality of the resto. Your son should love it, but if he doesn't, keep it for yourself, it looks like a really fun car!

[Dave_mustang_50]

It may not be a Shelby, But it sure is sharp. The price of a Shelby is about double what you paid. From the pics it looks like a head turner, and best part is you can drive it on the street and not worry, well too much. Is this your sons first car? If so, I`d tone that engine down a little. Looks like its gonna scream.

[KiltedBanshees93GT]

I wouldnt say you were screwed, by a good margin. You were misrepresented, but honestly, that car seems to have had some thoughtful (and at least from the pics) careful work done to it. Hell, I'd probibly do grevious bodily harm to someone for a ride that looked that good (And one day, Mine will. )
And yeah, I would be kinda hesitant to turn an inexperienced driver loose in that too. Stangs, especially older ones have their own rules for driving. (Trust me, I'm on numbers 4 & 5)
BTW, you aren't in the market to adopt any near 30 y/o gearheads are you

[Dave_mustang_50]

I was just looking at the link to Image Motors to see what else they had and saw the listing for this car. It wasnt misrepresented, Its listed as a 66 coupe.

[Rev]

My bet is that it cost twice the $13,000 to build. Not a GT-350, but is a very nice resto-mod coupe.

Rev

[Elvis]

My suggestion is to forget the critics and those who say you got a bad deal. It is a beauty and somebody spent a lot of time, money and effort to get it ready for you. It is definitely a head turner and your son will love it and will feel great driving it. That's all that really matters. Would I pay $13K for it? If it is a nice as the pictures would indicate I would pay that in a heartbeat. You did well! E.

[TheTallMan]

Originally Posted by Elvis

My suggestion is to forget the critics and those who say you got a bad deal. It is a beauty and somebody spent a lot of time, money and effort to get it ready for you. It is definitely a head turner and your son will love it and will feel great driving it. That's all that really matters. Would I pay $13K for it? If it is a nice as the pictures would indicate I would pay that in a heartbeat. You did well! E.

Thanks for your upbeat viewpoint. I'm new to this and scared "shi*tless" i'm getting ripped off. Since I am in South Texas and the car is in Ft Myers, I had an independant mechanic in Florida evaluate the car. He gave it a thorough inspection and provided an honest and positive review. I'm excited...for me and my son.

As for driving it, it won't be driven except on those cool sunny Sunday mornings. This will be something my son and I tinker with (remove the GT350 section of the stripe and replace it with pure white and replace the original steering wheel.) and hold onto for fun and future profit.

Thanks again.