1968 New and looking

[Kensterfly]

Hi from Texas. I'm in the market for a mid 60s Mustang. On the way home from church Sunday I spotted a red Mustang in someone's garage and it had a For Sale sign in the back window. The people were outside so I stopped to chat. The car is a 1968 GT/CS clone. Automatic with a 351 in it. It is super clean. Beautiful paint. Excellent black interior. No A/C. I did not have time for a close inspection or a drive but a quick glance showed no obvious rust or fluid leaks.

The older (young 60s, I think) lady who owns it said she bought it a couple of months ago for her grand son and the boy does not like the car so she needs to sell it. She said she paid $25 thousand and is asking $20k. She claims it was appraised for $28k. Her son said the only thing he knows that might need to be fixed is having the front end aligned. He said he is certain that the car is a clone but someone did a great job of it.

As I was leaving, the lady said to be sure and come back and she would be happy to negotiate with me. So, any ideas of what the car might be worth?
I know it's hard to tell with only the facts I've stated and no pics. Ball park figures would be helpful. I've seen 'real' GT/CS Mustangs on line for less than this but they didn't look nearly this nice.

I certainly don't need a 351 because I have no intention of racing or hot rodding it. I'd be happy with a good clean Mustang with a nice 200/auto (especially a convertible) but I'm wondering if this CS clone might be too good a deal to pass up.

This a small, rural town and I don't think she's going to find much of a market for that car. I might be able to make a good deal on it.

Your thoughts, please.

Ken

 

[Midnight Special]

...Walk away from that one, Ken, for a lot of reasons!. For that $$, you can get some pristine originals. Also, anytime someone has told me the front end needs alignment on an old Mustang - it usually needs a complete front end job. So many more reasons... spend some time here before you buy

...Want to add that my son bought a beautiful clone last summer. 289 4-spd, trick suspension, $2,100 sound system, custom interior, wheels, on & on... plus it was a show winner for $12,000.

Don't blow your $$ just because you have it now ;-)

 

[Kensterfly]

Thanks, Tim. I was a bit concerned about the front end, wondering if the extra weight of the 351 that replaced the original 289 could cause a problem in the front end unless the front end is beefed up.

Too bad, because living out here in the sticks makes it hard to find the car you want without a lot of travel... or faith- if you buy one on line.

Ken

 

[Midnight Special]

...That's part of what we do You may find a great one on-line close to a member here who can inspect it for you. Resources here are endless when it comes to helping you get the best deal! Welcome to the site!

 

[Mosesatm]

To add to Tim's comment we also have members from Houston, Georgetown, San Angelo, Dallas, and other Texas locales so we probably have someone fairly close to you.

 

[Matstng]

$20K does sound high but it's what many are asking for nice coupes (here in Ca). I've seen some asking $25K for a coupe.
Also: I'm always looking at vehicles, because I can't seem to stop myself, and I've heard the same "I bought it for my grand kid" story on a few of them. I did buy one with this story (98 F150) I believe the seller was flipping auction vehiles. I didn't have it long before it started having a problem.

I'd also walk away due to price and "I bought it for my grand kid"

 

[Kensterfly]

I really want a nice, simple 65-67 Mustang convertible with auto and preferably, A/C. This 'CS' just caught my eye. I'm going to pass on it.

 

[BigJim]

I'm sure I'll be corrected if I am wrong but I believe a 289, 302 and 351 should all weigh about the same (with the same heads, intake, etc) since they are all SBF.

 

[Mosesatm]

I've read that the 351 is 80 pounds heavier because it is 1" taller.

 

[68 special]

Is that the 351 Windsor or cleveland, Arlie? Mine has the Windsor and I'm pretty sure it's the same as the 302. There are some differences, but I think the deck height is almost , if not the same. Have to dig deeper, got my curiosity going, now.

Bret

 

[Mosesatm]

This is from Wiki.

The following are some basic features and dimensions of Windsor family engines:[5]
Overhead valve small-block, 90° V8 with 4.380" bore spacing.
Bore of 4.000" for the 289s, 302s, and 351s.
Bores for the earlier 221s and 260s were 3.500" and 3.800", respectively.
Stroke of 3.000" for 302s and 3.500" for 351s.
221s, 260s, and 289s had a stroke of 2.870".
Deck height of 8.206" for all 221s, 260s, 289s and regular 302s.
Deck height for high-performance SVO and BOSS 302s varied slightly from this, at 8.201"-8.210".
Deck height of 351 blocks was taller: 9.480" until 1971, then 9.503".

This is from another site.

the Clevelands weighs 25 to 50 lbs more the the Windsor small block, this is because the timing chain housing is cast into the C block where it's a removable aluminum piece on the W.

Of course, I have no idea if any of this is true since I'm just pulling stuff off the internet!