73 coupe “needs gas pump”

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Gooner94

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Apr 17, 2020
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Hi folks. I’m new here! My dad had an 02 convertible back in the day, and I was too young too ever drive it. But recently I have started working at drag races and I love everything about the classic mustang body style. Right now I have a daily driver that’s reliable so I want to get a mustang that I can restore the engine, electrics, interior and paint over time while still driving safely occasionally in the meantime.

  I don’t mind spending a while working on the engine - no expert but I’m ready to research and I’ve replaced intakes, gaskets, coils, and other components in other cars before - to get it to run, but I don’t know much about body work and want to make sure I don’t buy a car that’s not structurally sound! So can I get your thoughts on this car, listed for $2800? They tell me it will start but won’t run for long because it needs a gas pump. What else should I ask, or ask for pics of? Thanks folks! 























 
First off - welcome from Ohio. You have come to the right place for help and answers. I guess one of the main questions you need to ask yourself is how much money are you willing to put into it. The over appearance is fair but there is some rust damage to the frame. Also hard to tell how the panels are on the underside plus the floor pans and trunk.

Your cost factor is going to be related to what work you can do yourself. The more you can do the more money you save plus have to put back into the car. Example would be doing a brakes job pads only - If you did it your cost would be around $35 per axel - service center does it your cost at least $100 per axel. Dollars can add up fast if having to outsource your work.

Might want to match you skills set to the work that needs to be done then shop for the car that fits.. As far as the engine runs for a minute and then quits - If it is only a fuel pump that is keeping the engine from continue to run then that would be a blessing. Could be that but also clogged fuel line or pick up in the tank to name just a few if it is a fuel problem.

Good luck on you venture.

 
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From the photos, there is some rust that should be addressed. The engine compartment aprons, the rear underbody/frame, front fenders where they mount to the body are places I noticed. The deck lid may need some attention, although it could just be dirty. Look in the trunk around the wheel housings and down where the trunk floor drops off, the seam between the floor and the taillight panel. In the rear wheel wells, look at the wheel lip opening, particularly down low where the fender, floor and wheel housing. Try flexing the wheel lip - if it's "crunchy" there is rust.

If you can get the car on a lift or at least jacked up a bit, tap the floor and any other panel you can reach with a thin screwdriver. I like to hold a longer one between my thumb and forefinger and just flick it lightly against the panel. Listen for dead spots - that can indicate perforations or thicker undercoat - it will take some judgement to decide which. Check the condition of the fuel line running under the drivers door, rear shock mounts (top where they attach to the body).

In the engine compartment, look under the plastic screens in the cowl. If it is full of leaves, you can expect some rust where the cowl opens up for the interior floor vents. Check the firewall down low, the front crossmember and the seams around the shock towers. Also take a close look at the radiator support. They can rust down low. The headlight buckets look like they could use some freshening up as well.

You need to think about what you want the car to be when you are done. If you just want a nice driver, the amount of work you do and the level of attention to detail (and therefore cost) is much different than going for a car that you would want to be judged. Reproduction parts are becoming more plentiful and higher quality, so that is very helpful. That said, don't throw anything away that you take off the car until you have a satisfactory replacement in your hand. There are all kinds of rusty clips, brackets, tubes, springs, straps, bolts, washers, grommets, plugs, etc. that are not available yet. If you are doing a concours restoration, make note of any label, paint daub, scribbling, and tag as you will want to recreate that when the car goes back together. And actually that is handy for someone else who is doing a concours restoration - help add to the body of knowledge about the way these cars were built. The car in the photos has a lot of that kind of cave art under the hood - it's worth preserving at least some photos for the rest of us. Clean things as best you can before going at them with paint removers, grinders, sandpaper or anything that would damage that cave art. Photograph everything before you take it apart, as you take it apart, and I like to spread things out on the floor in assembly order and take a few pictures. It's amazing how quickly you forget how stuff came apart and how much time goes by between working on the car and real life. Bag everything, label everything and store everything that comes off the car. To that end - you also need space. Lots more than you think. I recommend at least a two car garage dedicated to a single car restoration, and that will seem cramped at times. Organize things in ways that make sense to you - I like to use stackable plastic bins with a sheet of heavy paper taped to it with a detailed list of contents. That has saved countless hours of shuffling through bins to find something I just KNOW I have somewhere...

 
I see nothing there that would scare me away. It's a tired old Mustang that looks fairly solid. All Mustangs will need some rust repair here and there.

 
Welcome from South Carolina.

I say go for it, you will learn so much and will it test your problem solving capabilities.

There is soooooo much to do on these cars, they are 50yrs old.

Make a punch list and chip away at it, small victories will keep you going.

::thumb::

 
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