1968 Mustang 289

[tayfarms]

So, im trying to restore my 1968 and 1/2 Mustang 289. Never restored anything before. It was my moms Mustang from the 90’s and she crashed it into a house in the 2000’s hence the side being off. I want to restore it as my first car, Im 16 and I don’t really know where to start on it. Anyone willing to point me in the right direction? I’ll answer any questions. Update; I’ve learned the engine is Edelbrock.

 

 

Edited January 20, 2018 by tayfarms
update (see edit history)

[trimacar]

Looks like a sound candidate for restoration.  However, I'd advise against tearing it all apart to start with, it's a long road back to a whole car from there.

 

My advice is to clean it up first.  Clean out the inside, tear out the carpets, and get everything as dirt free as possible.  Clean all those leaves out from under the hood, and wipe down (or better yet, find someone to steam clean) under the hood.  Give the car a good bath.

 

Then, you need to find a garage or other inside storage.  See if you can get the car running.  This will mean changing oil, probably rebuilding carb and removing gas tank to be cleaned if it's been sitting up.

 

Once you have a running, clean, car, then you can determine what's next.  Find a new or good used fender, and assess any other damage to the car cause by crash (front end alignment, etc.).

 

Then, you can determine how to proceed.  A full restoration can mean years of work and the car being a paperweight during that time.  If you have it clean and running, you can start doing one thing at a time, keeping the car more or less together.

 

Good luck!  I started when I was 13 so can appreciate you having the bug!

[tayfarms]

17 hours ago, trimacar said:

Looks like a sound candidate for restoration.  However, I'd advise against tearing it all apart to start with, it's a long road back to a whole car from there.

 

My advice is to clean it up first.  Clean out the inside, tear out the carpets, and get everything as dirt free as possible.  Clean all those leaves out from under the hood, and wipe down (or better yet, find someone to steam clean) under the hood.  Give the car a good bath.

 

Then, you need to find a garage or other inside storage.  See if you can get the car running.  This will mean changing oil, probably rebuilding carb and removing gas tank to be cleaned if it's been sitting up.

 

Once you have a running, clean, car, then you can determine what's next.  Find a new or good used fender, and assess any other damage to the car cause by crash (front end alignment, etc.).

 

Then, you can determine how to proceed.  A full restoration can mean years of work and the car being a paperweight during that time.  If you have it clean and running, you can start doing one thing at a time, keeping the car more or less together.

 

Good luck!  I started when I was 13 so can appreciate you having the bug!

Thank you! Definitely helps. 

[tayfarms]

Update; It’s looking much better already and i’ve learned it has an Edelbrock engine.