65Ace

Thanks for the kind words about my cars. The Vette's still running is original 327 (300HP version) and its original Muncie M-21 4-speed. The Cobra has the 5.0 from the '88 Mustang LX (refreshed and tweaked a bit) and a brand new T-5. The Corvette is more comfortable to drive on rough roads than the Cobra, but with modern running gear, brakes, powertrain and less weight, the Snake beats it in every performance related category. The easiest way to make a C2 Corvette's interior seem spacious is to spent some time in a Cobra.

As tempting as it may be to pick up something now at a low initial cost so you can get started building your dream Mustang, my best advice is that you need to pass on this one and just walk away. Although I'm sure it would be awesome when you finished restoring it, the cost, the work, the time and the frustration level just isn't going to be worth it on that particular car. You'll have more into the car than it will ever be worth. Best classic car restoration advice I ever got was "Start with the best car you can afford.". Question: How do you make a small fortune building and restoring classic muscle cars? Answer: Start with a large fortune.

Thanks for the warm welcome. Current location is the metro Detroit area. Here are a couple of shots of my current stable: (1965 Corvette & Factory 5 Cobra Replica).

Bought my first Mustang when I was 17 for $200. The car was a ’69 hardtop that had been re-painted (badly) neon green with a dark green hood. Being honest the car was a “beater†but it ran good and with a 302 and 3 speed manual it was fun to drive and always got me where I needed to go (and back). Always liked that car and still have fond memories of it to this day. Didn’t buy another Mustang for more than 20 years when I bought an ’88 LX with a 5.0 and a 5 speed to use as a donor car on my Factory 5 Cobra build. Easing into semi-retirement now after a lifetime of Camaros and Corvettes and looking for a ’69 or ’70 Mustang fastback to add to my current stable and give me something new to work on and keep me busy.

Dicey topic for my first post, but if it were my car I wouldn't try to bend or un-bow the hood. It doesn't look nearly as bad as you may think it does and you're probably the only one who really notices it. Everyone else just sees an awesome classic Mustang and wishes it was theirs. If you just can't live with it and it catches your eye every time you walk past the car (believe me I've been there) then try shimming the fender as described above. Last thing I would do is put a 2x4 on it and "whack it" with a hammer (not that I haven't done that too so no offense intended, but having done it before I'd never do it again). IMHO trying to bend or un-bow a slight imperfection in the hood is a rabbit hole you don't want to go down. Once it's bent, its bent and although you may be able to improve the situation, it'll never look perfect and you have to resist the temptation to keep chasing the perfect line because more likely than not you'll end up with either a wavy hood or buying a new one. I've spent a lot of time, money and frustration chasing this type of issue myself, and it's never been worth it. I would have been better off just driving and enjoying my car. All that said, its your ride and you should do with it what you want. Best of luck to you and your Stang which ever route you decide to go.