Mustang or Model A most restored vehicle?

[roccaas]

“The 1964-66 Mustang is the most restored vintage vehicle,” said Dennis Mondrach, Ford Restoration Parts licensing manager"

This is about the new Stang bodies being manufactured.

Both have lost bodies to Hot Rodding, etc.

How many 64.5's to 66's were made? I seem to remember 250,000 A's in US.

[Randy in ca]

Total Mustang production for those years was just under 1.3 million.

[Frank Miller]

Remember they were starting to restore these cars just over 10 years after they were new. Coupled with the fact that there was not war to crush them for and it would only make sense that this would be the most restored vehicle. Given that the Model A is 35 years older than the Mustang driving one vs the other is like night and day. But a Mustang and a car that is 40 years newer is not as much of a noticeable difference.

[Poor Boys Garage]

I was thinking it was somethin more like a Million Model A's were built.

[Clem Clement]

4.5 Million Model A's were built plus spares. However, a depression, war and scrap drive took its toll. We are very lucky to have as many survive as we have. And very proud so many came back as war steel.
Clem

[29RPU]

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I don't know because does it count to be restored twice?? If so, then I'd have to think the Model A has it beat hands down. I was looking at some 1959 pictures of a model A meet with hundreds of restored cars and people in the time period costume. Some model As might have been restored as many as 3 times now, and I would think that the mustang (in general) would be lucky to have been restored twice in some cases? Just a thought...there was lots of model A restoring going on before the mustang was born.

[Peter J]

I wonder how many Mustangs will be around to celebrate their 80'th birthdays like the A's? I don't think they'll last. Steel too thin.

[mrtexas]

Originally Posted by 29RPU

I don't know because does it count to be restored twice?? If so, then I'd have to think the Model A has it beat hands down. I was looking at some 1959 pictures of a model A meet with hundreds of restored cars and people in the time period costume. Some model As might have been restored as many as 3 times now, and I would think that the mustang (in general) would be lucky to have been restored twice in some cases? Just a thought...there was lots of model A restoring going on before the mustang was born.

It was already restored when I bought it and yup I'm restoring the 29 roadster again. A friend restored his 29 roadster in the early 60s and again 10 years ago.

[Bruce Adams]

Mustangs, Model A's, they are both great collectible cars !
We had three hundred Mustangs of all years at Mustangs on the Beach on Long Island this year, but we can get hundreds of Model A's at our Long Island New England Meet too.

[JimK1930A]

I have both and am the second owner for each of my cars. I own a 1968 Ford Mustang Coupe with an in line 6 cylinder 200 cubic inch engine and a 1930 Model A Ford Coupe Deluxe.
I bought my Mustang in 1979 with only 57,000 original miles, it now has 80,000 miles.

[Uncle Bob]

Since the claim is made by the licensing manager he's probably basing it on the number of notices for components of each they have in their records. This narrows his view somewhat because they didn't get real serious about their licensing program until 2 or 3 decades ago. I'd bet there were a lot of "bootleg" (their point of view) parts for decades previous that aren't considered in their calculations. He may still be correct, just not to the degree he claims. For much of it's life a Model A was "just a car", whereas the Mustang became a "collectible" in a much shorter time.

[Kevin in NJ]

Model A's and Mustangs seem to go together.

How many A guys also have or had a Mustang? Seemed like everyone with a Model A in the 70's and 80's had a Mustang too.

Mustangs are cheap. For a couple of grand kids can buy something that moves. They start a restoration not realizing they need another $8000 to $10,000 to finish it. So they car gets some interesting repairs and some kind of a paint job/ interior and they have a play toy on the cheap. So long as the car stays in a garage they will look good for a quite a while. There are also a lot of partial restorations on coupes for sale with the cars apart in a garage. You can really get underwater restoring a coupe that is not special (GT or K code).

I only have 2 Mustangs at this time. Had like 4 or 5 at one time.

The repro bodies are an interesting concept I do not fully understand. They basically make almost all the parts in repro so they got permission to weld them together. Fit may not be the best. For $15,000 you get a "new" body. Then you have some VIN issues to settle out. I guess best done quietly. What gets me is I have not been able to sell a 66 Fastback with a pile of NOS and repro parts and all the sheet metal fixed or rust free original for $10k with a clear title. I know for under $15k you can get a rust free original car that you can drive.

FWIW, There is HUGE value in a restored rust free 6 cyl convertible. They are relatively cheap to buy and keep. Reliable and fun for going around. You can do some economical engine upgrades and get some surprising umph out of the little engine.

[KCTA Chris]

My wife and her family consists of Shelby Mustang collectors/restores.
I'm an early Ford guy.

The debate in our home continues.

[Dan Baron]

I'm with 29RPU, I know for a fact that my Town Sedan was restored at least 3 times, 2 before and and once again after I got it. So how many times would a 64.5 Mustang get restored in 40 years.

[barnstuf]

I also have a Mustang and Model A's. I bought the Mustang new in September 1964 and still going strong, cost new $2600. Standard shift 3 speed, 289 V8, special handling package, factory pin stripe, heat and music. From 1964 to 1994 it was the households newest car. I will never restore it as originality counts with me. Original paint, upholstery, and under the hood only replaced hoses and distributor cap and battery. Original battery went 14 years. Current mileage about 84,000. One of my Model A's has logged an estimated 600,000 miles based on its business use an estimated 100 miles a day, 6 days a week, for 22 years. Mileage estimate from Postmaster in its community of service, as it is a retired mail truck.

[Frank Miller]

They made the first Mustang when the first Model A was 36 years old. They made Model A's for 4 years and they have been making Mustangs for 47. Considering they only made Model A's for 4 years and so much stuff got scrapped during the war it is amazing how many of them are out there.
As for the new bodies they are for building them for the restomod crowd. It gives you a nice rust free body and it does not ruin an original car. Brooksville has been doing this for years with the same purpose in mind.

[Uncle Bob]

Saw both the repop 65 and 7 bodies at SEMA yesterday...............as many would expect, tons of body work needed to get them even to acceptable. They're not worthless, but could/should be better.

[Uncle Bob]

As far as commenting on the expense and effort to tackle such a daunting project as a full body reproduction I can't speak from experience............either not enough cohones or interest. And any who have striven for "perfection" know that the last 10% (to pick an arbitrary number) are the hardest to achieve. That said, these folks are spending well over a million bucks per design for tooling and end up with a (in the Mustang case) $15k body that could easily cost $7-10k (in the hands of a professional shop) more to get "right". For those who have the will and skill to spend the time to hunt down an original, and maybe spend a lot of time and skilled labor to repair it, the repop doesn't make sense. Others who don't have the time or interest in the process, who just want the final outcome and have the resources to exchange for that, they might be the target market. But I still have a hard time understanding why the body manufacturer (Dynacorn in this case) doesn't go the extra distance to get the panel alignment right. Yeah, it would increase their tooling costs proportionately higher for little visual improvement to the inexperienced eye, but in the end they'd be offering a better product. I'd prefer that the marketplace tell Dynacorn something like "Congratulations for attempting to respond to our desires.......now, go back to work and make it worthy of purchase and I'll gladly write the check." But if people step up and buy it the way it is, my view don't mean squat.

Jeff, you mentioned Brookville, and I get that you're commenting more on the attitude of buyers who prefer original to reproduction regardless of quality, but in my experience with Brookville product compared to what I see in the Dynacorn/Ford boothes.................Brookville quality is leagues ahead. They may not sweat some of the subltle details that act as a tell, but for exterior fit and finish, the two are vastly different.

Since it's o/t to this thread I won't comment on Drake's '40 as displayed, only to say I commend him on his attempt.

[bobpo]

I got to thinking about what 29RPU said when he mentioned the "time period costume".

If you look at the Model A and then see the Guys and Gals dressed in the clothing of that era, they're sharp and they have "Class".

Now fast forward to the 60's Mustang. What mode of dress would you expect to see back then? Hippy? How about just taking a 60's Mustang over to one of those "Occupy" gatherings and well, there you have it. 60's all over again.....................................LOL

Now before any of you ol' "stangers" go gittin' mad at me here, I'm just kiddin' and this time I really am tellin' the truth..........................

[Bruce Adams]

Originally Posted by bobpo

I got to thinking about what 29RPU said when he mentioned the "time period costume".

If you look at the Model A and then see the Guys and Gals dressed in the clothing of that era, they're sharp and they have "Class".

Now fast forward to the 60's Mustang. What mode of dress would you expect to see back then? Hippy? How about just taking a 60's Mustang over to one of those "Occupy" gatherings and well, there you have it. 60's all over again.....................................LOL

Now before any of you ol' "stangers" go gittin' mad at me here, I'm just kiddin' and this time I really am tellin' the truth..........................

Interesting but 1964 was PRE HIPPIE and even Pre Anti Viet Nam.
I would think chinos and a plaid shirt with the gals in a big dress or sheath skirt. What a bore !
We were still in the "1950's" in 1964.