1965 V8 Mustang Coupe, $1,700. An online listing with exactly what we were looking for at a price we could afford!

We bought the car back in 2003 after finding it online. It was a local car, maybe 50 miles, and had a 289 V8 at a much lower price than the other listings available at the time. Complete Mustang novices, and not doing our research, we had no idea that the car and the motor did not leave the factory together, nor what that meant for the restoration.

We knew we had a major project on our hands (the floor pans were cut out and stored in the trunk!), and we looked forward to it. What we didn't realize was that the car was originally an inline 6, not a V8, and still had I6 wheels (4-lug, with very few aftermarket options), an I6 rear end (not sturdy enough for V8 power), I6 front spindles, and I6 steering componentry.

Ultimately, to get the look we desired we needed to change the wheels to the GT's 5-lug pattern. This forced a change of the front spindles and the rear axles (whole rear end). The steering linkages needed to be changed as the I6 design rubbed against the V8 oil pan, and we learned that it took a V8 convertible's motor mounts to mate the motor to the body correctly.

Would we still have bought the car if we knew better? If we had walked up the car and right away said "hey those are 4-lug wheels- this was originally a six!"? Maybe not... but I'm glad we did!