OK, Here's my problem. I have the chance coming up to buy either a no option California Special with a standard interior and 2V 302 C-4 tranny or.......a '68 Fastback, deluxe interior, upper and lower consoles, AC, fold down rear seat, tilt away steering, early 289 2V and C-4 tranny. Both cars are in the same $$ ballpark, but the Cal Special is in a little better shape. The cars are both in great condition though. The Fastback needs a paint job since the previous owner decided Sunlit Gold wasn't good enough and thought shit brown was nicer (yech!). Which one do I buy!!! They're both great cars!! The Fastback has the edge in options, obviously, but the Cal Special is...well it's a Cal Special! Opinions please!!
Oh, I definitely wish it was that easy. :) I can only afford one. Besides...why do you care, there both small blocks, LOL :)
I might be selling the HCS soon and that would make it much more easy to do some fun stuff with another car. I want to have a fun driving rodified classic. I can't really do that with the HCS, the car is just TOO rare.
I own more small blocks than anyone in this group, I'll betcha. I care because you asked for opinions. CS's are rare and this whole Eleanor thing has raised the price of fastbacks. How much are these Mustangs?
Hey, I was kiddin' :) The Fastback is ~$7000, The GT/CS is ~$8000. These numbers aren't solid but extremely close as of last conversation with the owners.
To get more specific, the Fastback has the original tired early C8 289 and C4 auto. It's probably time for a new motor/tranny combo. It still needs the driver's seat reupholstered and the carpet put down. The new seatcover and carpet come with the car. The original Sunlit Gold has been painted over in a lovely shade of *turd* brown with Sunlit Gold Lemans stripes. Whoever painted it just masked off the original paint making them into lemans stripes. He didn't even smooth it out and you can feel the lip of the brown over gold. It also has chrome mudflaps on the rear, ACK! This is a 3 generation car. Grandma bought it then gave it to her daughter who then gave it to her daughter, and now it sits in a garage. It runs and drives and is immediately streetable.
The GT/CS just needs assembled, The bodywork is done and just needs paint. Everything is there and brand new to finish it (interior, exterior, glass, etc). It even has the correct Lucas lights and CS grille. It literally just needs put back together. It has a freshly rebuilt C8 302 and C4 auto. They are not installed and have 0 miles on them. This is a maroon car with dark red interior and Styled Steel wheels with trim rings. This car started as a concours restoration. The man who owns it is 70 and says he's... "too old to keep doing this". He owns several other early mustangs which are all *mint* which he restored himself. He's just too tired now. This car will take a little time to get back on the road.
The Ranchero is getting a new motor as we "speak". I was at the shop today detailing the engine bay and getting it ready for the new motor.
C8 302 .060" overbore, 10:1 flat tops, stock heads with hardened seats, Melling HiPo cam (similar specs to Perf RPM), Air Gap intake, 600CFM Edelbrock carb, 1" open spacer, Hedman intermediate headers, Pertronix Ignitor II module, Accel Supercoil, rebuilt C4 with TransGo shiftkit.
The heads are the *choke* point of the motor. I'll end up bolting on some GT40 turbo swirl's sometime in the future.
If I buy the Fastback, then the block pulled from the Ranchero will become a
347 with an AOD behind it replacing the OEM stuff. If I buy the CS, then I'll have an extra C8 289. The CS will cost less than the Fastback in the long run, but not by a terribly high amount. I'd be happy driving either one, and their both worth about the same when finished, hence my indecision. If it weren't for the options packages on the Fastback, the CS would win hands down. But...It's hard to walk away from upper and lower consoles, AC, fold down rear seat, and tilt away steering. MAN I can't make up my mind!
I did sell the Fury finally. Broke even on that deal, but it was more important to get rid of it.
Yeah, it was a one year only special order, kinda like Timberline Green, Aspen Gold, and Columbine Blue.
I think it had dried enough by then, kinda like those dog logs that lay in the sun too long.
High dollar option there.
I'm keepin' my mouth shut.
Yeah, I know. But everything is there and ready to go on her. She'll just take some time.
I know, it's my southern (MO) background sneakin' up on me. I sometimes do that. I'm from southern MO where it pronounced muzzurra, not mizzeree. :)
I tried that. He's still got all his brains, just not the strength.
I don't remember. The builder told me, but I can't say for sure.
You think the stock ones will be fine then? He did mill them a bit to clean them up. They're 302 heads from '68 with all new valvetrain. Maybe AFR
165's/185's?
Colorado, I'm in the SE corner of Denver. I'm trying to get the Ranchero finished so I can take it up to Steamboat this weekend. Got the block dropped in today and hooked up to the tranny. Tryin' to fit headers with a column shifted tranny is a PITA!!! I still need the drop bracket for the PS, but other than that she's ready for the front dress, carb, wires and plugs. It's been raining for 2 days so we gave up early. We'll hit it tomorrow and get her done and off to the muffler shop, hopefully by noon.
It would have been tight, but it just might've. I've got an interested party in the unfinished HCS. I think I'll sell her. I want something to play with and she deserves to be concours restored.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.