Newbie Help on CS Purchase

Hi Everyone!
I've been checking out the site and it is great.

I've been a Mustang fan since I was growing up in the 60's. I currently own a mint condition 1996 GT Convertible with under 30,000 miles on it but my dream is to someday own a classic.

I'm just starting to learn gather info about the GT/CS. I had some knowledge before but I my friend's Dad is considering selling his GT/CS and while a fastback was what I always thought I would get, this car has really caught my eye.

My question is ... can I get some advice on what to look for before purchasing? I've researched here and other sites the basics (R-code for San Jose) but any recommendations on what to look for or ask for would be great!

I wasn't planning on doing anything right now but this seems like a good opportunity and something I would consider giving up my 96 for.

Thanks in advance!

Rich

If you want to see if it is authentic the first things I look for are:

Side scoops - the edges should not be flush as they roll into the screened area. In other words there is a little lip on the front edges. The lip can get sanded down and painted over so this is not a foolproof method of identifying a fake but it is a good method of identifying a real GT/CS. As far as I know there are no reproduction scoops on the market with this feature.

Metal taillight covers inside the trunk. Another extremely difficult item to purchase or make.

Also in the trunk are a couple cheap looking foam strips on the underside of the deck lid. This usually gets removed and never replaced.

No running horse emblems anywhere.

On the quarter panel script the "S" in the Special should line up with the "I" in the California.

There are a number of other clues but those are the ones I look for right away.

Hope it helps

Paul Newitt's books list all the GT/CS details.

Thanks for the info.
I'm awaiting the VIN# and have not seen the car in person yet only pics that were sent to me.

From what I can tell from the pics the scoops seem to have the lip you referenced.

I haven't seen the trunk yet to verify the taillights or foam.

The only running horse emblems I see is the gas cap which seems to be legit.

As for the quarter panel script. You noted "the quarter panel script the "S" in the Special should line up with the "I" in the California."

This kind of caught my eye because on the driver's side it does match what you said but I thought the passenger side looked odd. On the pass side the "Special" is actually starts before the California above it. I notice another car on this site in the gallery that was like that also.
My thought was that it was replaced at sometime or the quarter panel replaced and it was put back wrong. Could it have been an honest mistake?

The driver side lines up with the last "I" in California not the first. Is that the correct "I"? On the passenger side the "L" in Special seems to line up with the 1st "I" or "F" in Cali.

From what I know so far the current owner has had it for many years and restored or replaced the parts and had it professionaly painted. The current color is Blue but originally was green I believe - will verify with the VIN.

It has a 302 with 3-speed and black interior.

A/C was installed but not sure that's it working right now.

It has GT hubcaps - were they original?

I believe the owner has the original owner's manual and other docs. Anxious to get all the info.

Thanks again!!
Rich

Both sides should look the same. The "S" should line up with the 2nd "I".

The best way to find out if it's real is to get a Marti report. There is usually a link somewhere this site's home page to order the report.

There have been some entertaining discussions on this board about whether or not the GT hub caps are correct. I'll let others deal with that issue or you can look at the old posts (around a month ago).

Since you don't have access to the car but have pictures you might want to post the pictures here and have the board members take a look at them. They are very good at finding the red flags.

BTW, what sort of heathen repaints a green car blue?!! I sure hope it wasn't originally Highland Green or someone will be answering to Rhonda and me. ;D

Hi Again!

I inquired if the owner has a Marti Report or not.
I haven't talked to him directly. I'm friends with his son, we work together. That's how I found out about the car. He is going to get me the info from his Dad that I asked for such as VIN, mileage, condition and documentation, etc.
The car is local enough that if I pursue it I can see it and drive it prior to purchasing it.

I will try to cut down the size of pics and post them here.
I'll search for more info on the hubcaps too. Thanks!

Rich

rear view

left rear

right rear

engine

interior ... this is the last one.
Thanks to all for taking the time to look!!!

If this is a good opportunity I don't want to pass it up.

Any help from the experts here would be helpful.

I cut down the size of the pics to be able to post them but I think you can see enough detail. If someone is really really bored I can email you the full size pics. 8)

Rich

That passenger side script is definitely funky. That in itself is not really a crisis but you may want to ask a few more questions of the owner to find out why it is installed backwards. Was the quarter replaced? If so, why? A blatant error like that would kick most of us into full bown find-the-fake mode. The script being wrong is also a good reason to get the Marti report. The report is extremely cheap insurance when you consider the amount of money you will spend on the car. Who knows, maybe the body shop just didn't know how to replace the script when they did the color change.

Yeah I knew it looked weird to me too.
I was going to ask him about itl - We'll see what he says.

I really feel I can trust that he's telling me what he has done to the car since he has owned it - but don't know how much history he has on it. As far as I know it was a CS when his Dad got it.

I definitley will get a Marti report too.

I'll post additional info as I get it. Thanks for your time!

A couple of other interesting things to ask about. Does it have the GT option (which would show up in a Marti Report). I would guess not, as it does not have the dual exhaust valance. So, the hub caps are likely add ons (they should be plain, not with GT - not to worry, mine came that way too and I changed mine out to plain). The antenna base is rectangular - there have been lots of discussion on this - but most seem to be round. The rear side light markers imply the vehicle being built later, rather than earlier (so build date should at least be Feb or later). The fog lights dont appear to be on pedestals, as the Lucas lights should be. They could be Marchial, but hard to tell in this picture. I would try to find out which ones they are. The outside edges of the tail light chrome trim appear to be black in this picture - they should be chrome - meaning these were probably replaced at one time as well. Also, looks like aftermarket AC? If the Marti Report (for $17) says it has the GT/CS option and you can get it for a good price, it definitely has potential. Moses question on the script is the biggie to get answered. Casey

it does have the smog stuff which is a plus.

I lightened the photo of the front of the car and the foglights are sitting on posts but I can't tell how tall they are. Make sure the foglights say "Lucas" on them.

With Casey's eagle-eyed catch on the taillight bezels my guess is that the entire rear of the has been punched. Why else would the script be wrong and the taillights have come from a T-bird? Take a good look inside the trunk for the correct parts (tail light covers and wiring harness) and for repaired damage. Look for spot welds on the seams where the panels overlap. Spot welds are good full welds are bad. Also look down inside the rear wells and get your hand down there and feel around for welds or overlapping panels. Just be careful, it's easy to slice a finger open on a jagged weld.

If you don't want to post a ton of pictures here go ahead and send some to me and I'll look them over.

Get a good picture of the scoops, the underside of the trunk lid, and the grille. The grille should not have any attachment holes for the normal '67 or '68 running horse. People try to use a '67 grille because it is less obvious but it's still pretty easy to spot. There should also be large brackets sticking out of the grille behind the foglights.

One other thing, see if the scoops have a couple fairly ugly screw heads in them just behind the doors.

Hi Everyone!
Thank you so much!!! This is great info!

The foglights do appear to be on posts. I am posting a pic I didn't post earlier full shot and also cropped with a close up of the fog light section.

I did notice the black around the tail light after comparing to pics on this site and assumed it was aftermarket. I never put together with the script being mounted wrong. Great point! I only found one picture on this site with a car that was mounted the same way.

It's tough, as I'm sure you know to fully judge condition without seeing it in person but before wasting my time and the owners I wanted to do some legwork first.

I think the price he gave me is reasonable if it is a legit CS but again without seeing it the pics are all I have to go off of and my friend's assesment as far as condition.

here's the other pic.

I had 2 other questions (sorry :-\ )

1. I had always thought I would buy a classic in automatic if possible since I felt the clutch was just one more thing that can go wrong. Anyone have thoughts on auto vs manual in a classic? I can drive manual so that's not an issue.

2. This one is a bit of an oddball question and kind of embarrasing but I need to ask. :-[
I'm a big guy and was curious if anyone knew the distance from the bottom of the steering wheel to the back of the front seat? (with the seat back all the way?)

I've had issues with some small compact cars where I had a tight fit. I'm OK in my 96 GT but I don't know the comparison to a classic. It's kind of tough at a car show to ask someone if you can sit in there car. I know that's a strange question but it could be embarrasing to show up and have to walk away for that reason.

Thanks to all!!

Here is the full shot of that other pic.

Rich

[quote author=jbsteven link=board=1;threadid=1624;start=0#msg9841 date=1114560976]
it does have the smog stuff which is a plus.
[/quote]

Can someone explain that? Was that an original option or added later?

Very nice looking car. How much is he asking for it? I hope you get it for a good price. Good luck, Rhonda

Starting in '68 all manual transmission cars were equipped with a rudimentary pollution control system consisting of a "smog pump". All it did was route a portion of the exhaust gasses back into the combustion chamber, I think. The complete setup is actually quite valuable since most people removed them as soon as the could.

My vote for transmission choice is manual, manual, manual, even if it is a 3-speed. You have all the basics to easily throw in a 4-speed or even newer 5-speed if you want to.

I think the seating is a little tight in a Mustang with standard seats, that is one reason I replaced mine with '64 T-bird seats. They sat a lot lower and gave me much more room between the steering wheel and the tops of my legs. They also reclined. Of course some of the purists may jump all over this next comment (they don't think putting a Nissan 3.5L in a Mustang is a good idea) but there are so many good seats on the market and the Mustang seats are so poor, and since I want to be comfotable when I drive I'd trash the original seats in a heartbeat and install almost anything else. Just keep the originals and try not to cut up the floor too much.

Is this car going to be a driver, a concourse restoration, a resto mod, or something else?