FoxRooster 10 Report post Posted May 25, 2011 Found a 1970 Mustang today that I really like. Been looking for 6 months in Los Angeles to find a vintage mustang. Learned a lot but still learning. Not a mechanic and need this to be a daily driver, although I do not drive long distances and work for myself. Can't understand buying a new car if I can have a vintage Mustang! Here are the details of the car. Need your feedback THANK YOU!! -Dana I was originally planning on spending around $10,000 for a reliable car that's been restored a good bit. This car needs some work, but the foundation seems to be there. I drove it today. Starts up first crank. Great pick up. Power breaks do make a strange fan like noise that I would like to get fixed. any idea how much? Steering was pretty loose. Cost? I think I might be able to get it for @ $4,000. Worth it?!?! and make the upgrades/restore on my own? details: 1970 mustang coupe v-8. Motivated seller - girlfriend is making him asking $4500 - reduced from $5500 Good -strong 302 v-8 with fresh oil change -brand new tires with less than 100 miles on them -brand new stereo sytem with great rear speakers -interior is complete with carpet and seats all complete (100 percent complete) -heater works great with defroster Bad -no ac -steerings a bit loose -rear bumbper is bent and new one is 70 dollars on craigslist. -paint is chipped here and there and is about 6/10 -car might need new linkage for the tranny, but works fine and will last -right blinker doesn't work -power breaks make fan like noise Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FoxRooster 10 Report post Posted May 25, 2011 Found a 1970 Mustang today that I really like. Been looking for 6 months in Los Angeles to find a vintage mustang. Learned a lot but still learning. Not a mechanic and need this to be a daily driver, although I do not drive long distances and work for myself. Can't understand buying a new car if I can have a vintage Mustang! Here are the details of the car. Need your feedback THANK YOU!! -Dana I was originally planning on spending around $10,000 for a reliable car that's been restored a good bit. This car needs some work, but the foundation seems to be there. I drove it today. Starts up first crank. Great pick up. Power breaks do make a strange fan like noise that I would like to get fixed. any idea how much? Steering was pretty loose. Cost? I think I might be able to get it for @ $4,000. Worth it?!?! and make the upgrades/restore on my own? details: 1970 mustang coupe v-8. Motivated seller - girlfriend is making him asking $4500 - reduced from $5500 Good -strong 302 v-8 with fresh oil change -brand new tires with less than 100 miles on them -brand new stereo sytem with great rear speakers -interior is complete with carpet and seats all complete (100 percent complete) -heater works great with defroster Bad -no ac -steerings a bit loose -rear bumbper is bent and new one is 70 dollars on craigslist. -paint is chipped here and there and is about 6/10 -car might need new linkage for the tranny, but works fine and will last -right blinker doesn't work -power breaks make fan like noise Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jagsfan811 10 Report post Posted May 25, 2011 just a couple things to think about before you buy.. how are the floors? have you looked underneath for rust? how does it drive? other than the steering, is it pulling to either side? how is the front end? tie rods, ball joints, a-frames.. etc? how many miles on the motor? how does it shift? (depending if it is auto or manual) how is the interior? (seats, seat belts) since it sounds like your more interested in driving it than restoring it to car show use, some of the dents and paint chips shouldnt be your deciding factor. based on what you listed as your pros and cons i would say it has more important pros than cons. but without seeing it i dont know for sure. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jagsfan811 10 Report post Posted May 25, 2011 just a couple things to think about before you buy.. how are the floors? have you looked underneath for rust? how does it drive? other than the steering, is it pulling to either side? how is the front end? tie rods, ball joints, a-frames.. etc? how many miles on the motor? how does it shift? (depending if it is auto or manual) how is the interior? (seats, seat belts) since it sounds like your more interested in driving it than restoring it to car show use, some of the dents and paint chips shouldnt be your deciding factor. based on what you listed as your pros and cons i would say it has more important pros than cons. but without seeing it i dont know for sure. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FoxRooster 10 Report post Posted May 25, 2011 Thanks Jagsfan Definitely pulled to the right. I think the engine has $130,000 Automatic - need to jiggle the shifter slightly to put it in park Interior is freshly carpeted and seats 100% Dash is a messy and cracked a bit. Not worried about the paint for now. Has a bit of character and I like black int and ext. The noise the power brakes made was definitely a little troublesome although I've heard it's quite common with some of this type of work. Suction sound goes away when breaks are fully applied. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FoxRooster 10 Report post Posted May 25, 2011 Thanks Jagsfan Definitely pulled to the right. I think the engine has $130,000 Automatic - need to jiggle the shifter slightly to put it in park Interior is freshly carpeted and seats 100% Dash is a messy and cracked a bit. Not worried about the paint for now. Has a bit of character and I like black int and ext. The noise the power brakes made was definitely a little troublesome although I've heard it's quite common with some of this type of work. Suction sound goes away when breaks are fully applied. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jagsfan811 10 Report post Posted May 25, 2011 Thanks Jagsfan Definitely pulled to the right. I think the engine has $130,000 Automatic - need to jiggle the shifter slightly to put it in park Interior is freshly carpeted and seats 100% Dash is a messy and cracked a bit. Not worried about the paint for now. Has a bit of character and I like black int and ext. The noise the power brakes made was definitely a little troublesome although I've heard it's quite common with some of this type of work. Suction sound goes away when breaks are fully applied. Pull to the right could be ball joints or an alignment problem if front end work had just been done. what type of noise in the brakes? do they slow the car down as they are supposed to? yeah the dashes have a tendency to crack, they are about 250$ but possibly one can be found off craigslist or at a swap meet. not sure why you have to jiggle the shifter to put into park. maybe the box needs to be cleaned? not sure. sounds like its worth the money and can be driven as soon as its registered and insured. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jagsfan811 10 Report post Posted May 25, 2011 Thanks Jagsfan Definitely pulled to the right. I think the engine has $130,000 Automatic - need to jiggle the shifter slightly to put it in park Interior is freshly carpeted and seats 100% Dash is a messy and cracked a bit. Not worried about the paint for now. Has a bit of character and I like black int and ext. The noise the power brakes made was definitely a little troublesome although I've heard it's quite common with some of this type of work. Suction sound goes away when breaks are fully applied. Pull to the right could be ball joints or an alignment problem if front end work had just been done. what type of noise in the brakes? do they slow the car down as they are supposed to? yeah the dashes have a tendency to crack, they are about 250$ but possibly one can be found off craigslist or at a swap meet. not sure why you have to jiggle the shifter to put into park. maybe the box needs to be cleaned? not sure. sounds like its worth the money and can be driven as soon as its registered and insured. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FoxRooster 10 Report post Posted May 25, 2011 Noise in the brakes is a suction/fan like sound. It has something to do with how the power brakes work. But definitely not intended to make the noise Yes the car still brakes. ha. I gunned it up to 75 pretty quick on a back road and everything seemed fine. A lot of people on other forums seem to think it's going to be a money pit and that I should look for something more assembled due to my lack of mechanical skills. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FoxRooster 10 Report post Posted May 25, 2011 Noise in the brakes is a suction/fan like sound. It has something to do with how the power brakes work. But definitely not intended to make the noise Yes the car still brakes. ha. I gunned it up to 75 pretty quick on a back road and everything seemed fine. A lot of people on other forums seem to think it's going to be a money pit and that I should look for something more assembled due to my lack of mechanical skills. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jholmes217 65 Report post Posted May 25, 2011 Noise in the brakes is a suction/fan like sound. It has something to do with how the power brakes work. But definitely not intended to make the noise Yes the car still brakes. ha. I gunned it up to 75 pretty quick on a back road and everything seemed fine. A lot of people on other forums seem to think it's going to be a money pit and that I should look for something more assembled due to my lack of mechanical skills. I've had six classic Mustangs over the years, and in my opinion getting a straight, rust free body is the most inportant thing to look for. These old cars don't have any computer stuff on them, so buy a Chiltons manual or look at forums such as this, and you can easily get the know how to fix things yourself. I would say buy a quality tool set also. It's not fun having sockets break while pushing and then accidently punching your engine block. Ask me how I know! I didn't know how to work on cars either when I bought a 67 coupe in 1986. Now, I can pretty much do most things short of machine shop work, and still have problems with electrical issues. I still don't know body work, but I'm doing my research, and will try my hand at it at the Auto Crafts shop on Fort Lewis within a couple years. If it is a daily driver and it has front drum brakes, I'd switch to disk brakes for safety reasons. Your car will stop faster and not pull like drum brakes do. Other easy weekend upgrades to make it more reliable are upgrading the radiator to aluminum or a 3 or 4 core original type, and a tranny cooler. Later, if you want more power, there are things to do to the engine (headers, intake and carb swap, cam, etc.) that are weekend projects. Last thing, have a plan B for getting around. You will have a 41 year old car. It is going to break down from time to time, or a repair will be needed that will take it off the road for several days while you take something apart and put it together (maybe several times until it works. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jholmes217 65 Report post Posted May 25, 2011 Noise in the brakes is a suction/fan like sound. It has something to do with how the power brakes work. But definitely not intended to make the noise Yes the car still brakes. ha. I gunned it up to 75 pretty quick on a back road and everything seemed fine. A lot of people on other forums seem to think it's going to be a money pit and that I should look for something more assembled due to my lack of mechanical skills. I've had six classic Mustangs over the years, and in my opinion getting a straight, rust free body is the most inportant thing to look for. These old cars don't have any computer stuff on them, so buy a Chiltons manual or look at forums such as this, and you can easily get the know how to fix things yourself. I would say buy a quality tool set also. It's not fun having sockets break while pushing and then accidently punching your engine block. Ask me how I know! I didn't know how to work on cars either when I bought a 67 coupe in 1986. Now, I can pretty much do most things short of machine shop work, and still have problems with electrical issues. I still don't know body work, but I'm doing my research, and will try my hand at it at the Auto Crafts shop on Fort Lewis within a couple years. If it is a daily driver and it has front drum brakes, I'd switch to disk brakes for safety reasons. Your car will stop faster and not pull like drum brakes do. Other easy weekend upgrades to make it more reliable are upgrading the radiator to aluminum or a 3 or 4 core original type, and a tranny cooler. Later, if you want more power, there are things to do to the engine (headers, intake and carb swap, cam, etc.) that are weekend projects. Last thing, have a plan B for getting around. You will have a 41 year old car. It is going to break down from time to time, or a repair will be needed that will take it off the road for several days while you take something apart and put it together (maybe several times until it works. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TexasEd 188 Report post Posted May 25, 2011 The 69 fastback I'm getting has loose steering too. Along with a brake and suspension upgrade this would be my highest priority to address. What are the options and associated costs with putting a better steering system in or is it something that usually just takes tweaking/adjustment to get right again? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TexasEd 188 Report post Posted May 25, 2011 The 69 fastback I'm getting has loose steering too. Along with a brake and suspension upgrade this would be my highest priority to address. What are the options and associated costs with putting a better steering system in or is it something that usually just takes tweaking/adjustment to get right again? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CarZombie 25 Report post Posted May 25, 2011 Got to agree with jholmes217, as Neil Young said, "Rust never sleeps." Look the car over for rust with a fine tooth comb. You are in CA you deserve a rust free car and should be able to find one. Mechanical problems can be fixed. Rust will always be eating away at your car. I know, my Mustang has the rust. One thing about being in the LA area, there are a lot of pepole who repair or provided parts for Mustangs. The brake noise maybe the booster leaking. Last time that happened to me, I was living in Ca and sent it to a shop in LA for repair/rebuild. Steering could be anything from the steering box needing adjustment to various worn steering parts. That could be costly or it could be a simple fix. If the car never had A/C it can be added, it it had it and it is just down it can be fixed. I would find out why that rear blinker does not work. If it is not the bulb, then you could be in a world of hurt with an electrical problem. Can not say if it is worth it or not because I have not priced Mustangs in a while Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CarZombie 25 Report post Posted May 25, 2011 Got to agree with jholmes217, as Neil Young said, "Rust never sleeps." Look the car over for rust with a fine tooth comb. You are in CA you deserve a rust free car and should be able to find one. Mechanical problems can be fixed. Rust will always be eating away at your car. I know, my Mustang has the rust. One thing about being in the LA area, there are a lot of pepole who repair or provided parts for Mustangs. The brake noise maybe the booster leaking. Last time that happened to me, I was living in Ca and sent it to a shop in LA for repair/rebuild. Steering could be anything from the steering box needing adjustment to various worn steering parts. That could be costly or it could be a simple fix. If the car never had A/C it can be added, it it had it and it is just down it can be fixed. I would find out why that rear blinker does not work. If it is not the bulb, then you could be in a world of hurt with an electrical problem. Can not say if it is worth it or not because I have not priced Mustangs in a while Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crankywanker 10 Report post Posted May 25, 2011 most if not all 69/70s have shaky steering problems as well as shifter problems with Park. My park doesnt even work. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crankywanker 10 Report post Posted May 25, 2011 most if not all 69/70s have shaky steering problems as well as shifter problems with Park. My park doesnt even work. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
