What
follows is Harland's analysis of this Mustang.
It will give you an idea of what can go wrong
with a purchase and turn Mustang dreams into nightmares.
Skip knows it now, but a pre-purchase
inspection would have saved him $18,000.
The post-purchase inspection
is reprinted with permission of Harland Lippold
and Skip and Shannon Novakovich in the hope that
others won't make the same mistake. Click
here for more information on pre-purchase inspections.
Inspection
1966 Mustang convertible
VIN and Data Plate information
6F08A260284
76A U 27 17B 41 1 6
Structural Assessment
The unibody is not structurally
sound and presents a real hazard of structural
failure. The vehicle has been involved in
a major accident resulting in extensive damage
to the upper front sections of the unibody.
Repairs of this damage were limited to what was
necessary to re-attach sheet metal to the front
of the car. All the aprons on the right
side, and the cowl show clear wrinkling resulting
from impact and straightening. The front
apron braces, unique to convertibles, are missing.
No sheet metal forward of the doors appears to
be original except for left fender and cowl.
Many fasteners are missing. Body fit and
alignment is poor.
This Mustang is as rusted as any
example I have ever seen. Those areas where
the metal initially seems solid have been replaced
or patched in a very shoddy fashion. They
are attached tenuously to whatever could be found
using body filler, cardboard, crumpled newspaper
(San Diego Union Tribune, March 24, 2000), urethane
insulating foam, and scraps of sheet metal.
Many fasteners are missing entirely. Only
immediately visible panels were replaced, and
only in a fashion which covered up rust or accident
damage. There was no attempt made to properly
repair the structure of the unibody.
Rust has entirely consumed the
inner and immediate rocker-panel structures; the
cowl vent balloon floor, the bottoms of the left
fender, both doors and rear wheel houses; the
trunk floors, including the fuel tank mounting
flanges; and the quarter panels, portions of which
have been replaced. The fuel tank is held
in place by 8 of the original 13 fasteners, which
are threaded into the rusted flange.
The convertible top drain rails
and top boot transition panel forward of the trunk
lid are rusted badly. All floor pans have
been cut out and replaced with flat sheet metal.
The inner rocker assemblies have been stuffed
with wadded newspaper and surfaced with body filler
to disguise the absence of any metal there.
The entire undercarriage, including
the wheel wells and trunk have been freshly coated
with a variety of undercoatings in an effort to
hide the various problems.
Operational Assessment
The car should not be driven.
Aside from the things necessary to move the vehicle
under its own power, very little is functional.The engine block was originally machined in January
of 1967, making it clearly not the original.
No other engine diagnostics were done in light
of the obvious determination that this car will
not be restored.
The engine bay is a collection
of minimally valued, used aftermarket components
which were sloppily assembled. Non-Ford
items include the intake manifold, carburetor
and radiator. Engine oil, transmission fluid
and power steering fluid are leaking. Workmanship
on the mechanical components is non-existent.
The wiring is heavily patched
and spliced and not properly attached. Inoperative
or missing electrical components include: neutral
safety switch, horns, windshield washers, heater,
radio, fog lamp switch (no running or instrument
lights), glove box lamp, warning flashers (missing
entirely), backup lamps (missing entirely), shift
lever position indicator, interior courtesy lights,
cigarette lighter. The headlight dimmer
switch is inoperative since the floorboard where
it should be located is rusted away. There
are no working instruments other than the speedometer.
Headlights cannot be aimed because the attaching
parts are missing or damaged. The ignition
switch has been drilled out and the damaged bezel
re-used resulting the switch being upside down.
The heater assembly is badly rusted. The fresh air door on the passenger side is rusted
off its hinges. The fresh air vent assembly
on the drivers side is hanging loose under the
dash, since the cowl to which it would mount is
completely rusted away.
Steering and suspension components
are in a similar state of maintenance. Power
steering hoses are cracked, neoprene bushings
and dust covers are rotten, and at least one tie-rod
end is visibly bent, probably as a result of the
front-end accident. The idler arm bushing
is worn out and there is nearly an inch of free
play in the toe-in.
The engine runs, but is not well
tuned. While the vehicle was originally
equipped with an automatic transmission as it
is today, it has at some point been converted
to a manual transmission. The clutch pedal
remains in place attached to nothing. and hidden
under the carpet. The hole for the clutch
linkage is patched with a scrap of upholstery
material.
Cosmetic Assessment
Of first note, Mr. Novakovich
indicated that he purchased this vehicle described
as a 1966 GT convertible. Aside from the
improperly placed GT emblems on the fenders, improperly
placed and sized stripes, incorrectly welded GT
exhaust tips, and incorrectly wired fog lights,
there is o GT equipment on the Mustang, and it
was never a factory GT. While it is possible
that the remaining components of the GT package
(disk brakes, front sway bar, factory dual exhaust
with resonators) had been removed, the factory
reinforcements to the frame, relocated brake line
brackets, and holes punched for the brake proportioning
valve and fog lamp wiring are absent.
The vehicle is also equipped with
furnishings from the deluxe interior. Again,
this has all been added to the vehicle and the
most expensive parts of this equipment group (wood
grain steering wheel, stainless kick panel trim
door courtesy lights) are absent. Those
items appear to be damaged examples: the stainless
door panel trim has been perforated with several
extra screw holes rendering its value zero.
The door panels themselves are aftermarket reproductions
which were improperly installed and damaged in
the process.
The factory air conditioner has
been placed in the car but so improperly installed
as to be obviously added, and many of the important
components are either missing or damaged beyond
the point of any value. The A/C does not
appear to be operable.
A few key pieces are new, including
the bumpers, styled steel wheels, fog light assembly
and windshield header. Most other pieces
are a collection of slightly blemished or otherwise
second rate parts unsuitable for use on a restoration.
The hood is an aftermarket reproduction, but the
hood latch has been improperly installed resulting
in a reverse dent in the front center. Fenders
and doors are sloppily patched by gluing corrugated
cardboard over them, then gluing carpet scraps
along the bottom edges.
The paint on the car, while shiny
and red, is a very low quality job. Red
overspray is present on the glass and in most
other areas. The paint job is consistent
with a $189.95 service offered by budget shops
like Earl Scheib or Maaco. The convertible
top appears to be intact, but the top bows and
mechanism are corroded badly. Pivot bushings
and the latch assemblies are so loose as to render
it impossible to make the top weather tight or
to adjust it properly. The mounting holes
for the staple strips are so rusted that large
lag screws have been used to attach them.
It would be difficult to transfer
the title and registration to this car to Washington
State since only one undisturbed VIN is visible.
The door data tag is attached using generic pop-rivets
and thus is disqualified as a source of VIN.
Removal of one or both fenders would be required
before Washington State would issue a title, and
they might require impound, or issue a "branded"
title. Additionally, there is some evidence
that the car may have previously been titled with
a "salvage" title. There are two
rivet holes drilled on the blank tab on the forward
pinch weld of the cowl. This is a typical
placement for a state issued VIN tag. There
is little doubt that the VIN is authentic, however.
Summary:
Practically or economically, this
Mustang cannot be restored. I estimate,
conservatively, that the cost to restore this
Mustang would be well in excess of $40,000.
Such a restoration would take at least two years
if performed by my business. Since a comparable
(to the finished product) Mustang would have a
market value of $25,000 to $30,000, it would be
much more practical to simply purchase one.
Safely, this Mustang cannot be
driven. In its current condition, this Mustang
is reputably marketable only as parts and should
sell for roughly $1,200-$1,500.
The lesson here is obvious.
Have any car you plan to purchase inspected by
a qualified, independent, 3rd party mechanic BEFORE
any money changes hands. Ask
us about how to get one inspected.
If you would like more information,
or think you can help us find the con artist that
sold him the car, please contact us for Skip's
phone number. |
