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1968 Call for Help....

JD18

Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2012
Messages
7
Location
Livermore, CA
Hi Everyone,

I have made a trip down to LA to look at a GT/CS which seems legit, but being fairly new to this arena, I thought the group could give me some opinions. I have the Marti report (ran myself) and it is a California Special. It has been repainted and most all of the missing moulding in the pictures is there just not installed yet. So essentially all of the "pieces" are there, but I will still need to do some work to get it all back together. Something just didn't seem right with everything and I'm not sure if I am just being too cautious or I should listen to my gut. I have attached some pictures and would appreciate any input.

He had his paint guy cover the holes for the Mustang script on the front fenders and the deck lid. Not sure why, other than he "didn't like them". He swapped out the auto trans with a T5, that's why I included the pic of the pedals. It has disc brakes but is also missing the booster.

Thanks!!
Jon
 

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Mosesatm

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 18, 2005
Messages
9,009
Jon,

We don't seem to have that car in the registry so will you please post the Marti or send it to somethingspecial?

There are a few issues that are red flags to me.
The grille is painted the wrong color but that's no big deal. What may be a big deal is that the grille seems to have some of the '68 tabs on it so it may be incorrect and I can't see any fog light brackets so the car may have been hit in the front at some time.

Do you have a photo of the bottom of the hood, where the hood pins go through it? Those holes should be about 3" wide, if they are smaller than that the hood has been replaced.

Did you crawl under the car to look for rusted floor pans, or pour water in the cowl vents to see if it drains into the interior?

The painter also painted over the door striker, which again is no big deal but check the trunk latch, door light switches, data plate, and all other things that should not be painted. If they are all blue then the car may have a quick, cheap paint job on it.
 

rvrtrash

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 25, 2003
Messages
3,649
As Arlie said, the grill is missing the Marchal brackets and looks like it has the corral tabs. It's been replaced. If all they did is bondo over the fender holes, and you're willing to take the fenders off, you can drill through the bondo from the back side, with a tiny drill and patience. Don't go to fast or you chip the bondo out. Once you have location holes, you can remove the bondo from the front with a correct size drill, just down to the metal. The side scoops are missing the witness lines. It could be they got carried away while sanding (like one of mine) or they could be repops. Hard to tell unless you took them off and looked. I would really look at the cowl and floor for rust, because of the staining of the carpet. Other than that, it's a question of whether it's worth to you what he's asking.

Steve
 

dalorzo_f

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2006
Messages
1,886
Location
Brisbane Australia
If the Marti verifies and all the VIN's line up, is what it is. Question is, what was it like before the new paint went on, and how well was it prepped. If they had progress shots it may verify some of the work and give you a better idea what it was like before the new paint... to me always a bit of a red flag when a car is repainted and immediately sold, especailly (as noted) when there is evidence of a "quickie" job as with the strikers.

Rear bumper is out-of-whack a bit, check the rear rails, could just be a minor adjustment issue. Kinda odd the carpet wasn't replaced, easy job and cheap, the old one looks pretty grubby... is it rust or dirt around the shifter and on the hump? Grille is a common repalcement item.

If its low teens, or less, might be worthwhile... depending on condition under the paint and mechanically.
 

Mosesatm

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 18, 2005
Messages
9,009
That was the number I had in mind, too. No more than $13K.
 
OP
OP
J

JD18

Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2012
Messages
7
Location
Livermore, CA
More Info...

Great input and let me see what I can answer. The grill was painted at the same time as the engine compartment and it very may well not be the right one. All I could really identify was the holes for the Lucas lights (obviously not on the grill). I did check the underside for rust and it actually looked pretty good. I didn't pour water in the cowl, but visually I didn't see any damage when looking down in with my flashlight. Although, with a relatively new paint job, there may be some hidden damage.

From the paint prep side, he said it was taken down to the bare metal before the new paint applied. That being said, I don't have anything other than his word on that. I don't believe the staining on the carpet to be rust, but not really sure what it is either. He said the interior was never touched and is all original. Other than the shifter swap for the T5.

Here are a few more photos and the Marti. There was some information about this car earlier in the year I found on our site when I searched for "brittany blue". The thread was "Sketchy GT/CS". He was initially asking $18,900 and has come down to $14k.

Thanks again for all of the input, keep it coming.
Jon
 

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OP
OP
J

JD18

Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2012
Messages
7
Location
Livermore, CA
Forgot to also say that I ran a magnet all over the front and rear quarters to check for bondo and didn't find any obvious areas (magnet still stuck about the same wherever I had it placed).
 

robert campbell

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 10, 2007
Messages
4,321
Jon,
Marti says console which would be the lower console and it seems to be gone. May have left due to the T5 conversion.

Staining concerns me as old windshield leaks and could be cowl leak. Pour about 12 oz can of water on each side with the car level one at a time. As you are pouring the water should come out right by you feet at the back of the front fender behind the tire. Almost on your foot as you pour it in. After you are done if the cowl leaks you will see water on the carpet. Look at the floor pans from underneath very carefully. Mustangs rust from the inside out, not outside in. Floor panels are replaceable but a bit spendy if you cannot do it yourself.

The relationship between the gas cap and the taillight panel is way out of whack as GT/CS j4 pointed out. Something looks fishy there.

Rob
 
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