Hello from Colorado

    Hello all- Great site here. I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase a '66 fastback K last month. I wasn't looking for one, but my dad ran across this car and called to tell me about it. I knew if I didn't buy it I would be kicking myself a few years down the road. The PO had it for 30 years and it has not been licensed since '92. Just sitting in a garage waiting for me I guess. <img src=images/icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle> Needs a carb rebuild and water pump (both leaking) but it fired right up and sounds great.


    The PO thought is was a factory GT since he had owned it for so long and he didn't add the GT equipment. I'm pretty certain it is not. No GT fender badges, holes in radiator support do not appear to have been punched, and the tail lights do not come on with the fog lamps. Would like to hear some feedback to confirm my suspicions.


    The kar seems pretty original. The alternator is wrong, but my dad has a pulley for me. '65 wheels and a few other things that I know of so far, but I'm pleased. Will be doing alot of reading and research on this great site. Already have the 4th edition book in hand and it's super too. Pics of my kar at the link below. Any comments (good or bad) welcome. Thanks! Dan


    http://www.bighorntradingcompany.com/Mustang.htm

    Hello Colorado and Welcome!

    Not a GT but looks like an original Pony interior car which is most desirable. Disc brakes? Couldn't see the m. cylinder. Looks nice and straight. Should be a fun restoration Best of luck and congratulations! Ed

    Welcome to the site. Looks like a SUPER Nice find. You'll have fun working on this one.


    Check your switch wiring - if the lamps are wired off of it without tapping into the main harness that goes to the tail lights then the rear lights the dash lights won't turn on. The switch wiring is made to tap into the main harness to control all 3 when the fog lamp switch is in the ON position, but you can by pass this and just run the lamps. I know 'cause I just added this to my daughters '66 Coupe and made it work right - but didn't have to.


    You will find the best group of guys here very willing to help. Just ask.


    Hard to say for sure if it is a "factory GT" - does it have disc brakes up front? If it does all I can say is "could be".....but unless you see original holes "filled in" in the fendors for the correct GT badges and MUSTANG letters I'd say someone added the GT stuff at some point - maybe when it was last painted??? Without discs it can't be a factory built GT.

    Thanks guys. Yes it has disc brakes. The kar had the GT items on it when the previous owner bought it in 1976 so they would have been added before that. He did have it painted in the late 80's but he didn't know if there were original holes for GT fender badges or the Mustang letters. I do find it a bit strange that someone went so far as to add all the other items, but left off the badges. Maybe they just liked the ponies better.


    Here's a pic of the fog light switch location:

    [Blocked Image: http://www.bighorntradingcompany.com/images/fogswitch.jpg]


    And one of the wiring going through the firewall. It's under the multi plug. I don't see a circuit breaker on the wiper motor:

    [Blocked Image: http://www.bighorntradingcompany.com/images/fogwiring.jpg]


    One of the radiator support holes viewed from engine side. It looks drilled to me instead of punched. It would have been drilled from the front towards the rear of the car. Like the support would have had to have been out of the car or at least a good amount of disassembly done?:

    [Blocked Image: http://www.bighorntradingcompany.com/images/radiatorsupportrear.jpg]


    And the same hole from the grill side:

    [Blocked Image: http://www.bighorntradingcompany.com/images/radiatorsupportfront.jpg]


    I used this site and Vintage Mustangs forum to do some research on GT authenticity prior to looking at it. Purchase was made assuming it isn't one.

    Holes look original to me - factory used a hole drill bit and would leave a lip like this - looks like the 3 or 4 factory GT holes I've seen anyway.


    Wire is in the correct location in the firewall, but the switch is very low on the dash compared to other cars.


    My 2 cents.

    Looks like a GT to me, from what I can see. Nice car, you're very lucky to have found it. I've bought several cars from Denver, good place to find nice collector cars and not far from SLC. Thanks for posting the pics, enjoyed them. If you decide to sell it you know who to go to..... ME!!!


    Edited by - LuvKcodes on 10/19/2006 12:19:08

    Beautiful kar, and welcome to the site.


    Most of the '66 kars were GTs. It was actually less expensive to purchase a kar with the GT options than a standard kar (sort of a fluke in the way that Ford structured the pricing on these kars).


    Look for the exhaust supports in the rear framerails. Do you have any original documents? What about the bucktag? These will document the GT option.


    Best wishes,


    Doc

    <BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>Holes look original to me - factory used a hole drill bit and would leave a lip like this - looks like the 3 or 4 factory GT holes I've seen anyway. <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana" size=2 id=quote>


    Thanks Ralph. My initial research showed that they were supposed to be punched. The website I read that on has now been updated to say that they were drilled.

    http://www.kcode.net/GT65-66.htm


    <BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>Wire is in the correct location in the firewall, but the switch is very low on the dash compared to other cars.<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana" size=2 id=quote>


    I took another pic from a different angle. Look better?


    <BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>Looks like a GT to me, from what I can see. Nice car, you're very lucky to have found it. I've bought several cars from Denver, good place to find nice collector cars and not far from SLC. Thanks for posting the pics, enjoyed them. If you decide to sell it you know who to go to..... ME!!! <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana" size=2 id=quote> Thanks Rick. Do you happen to know Bob Teets in Denver?


    <BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>Look for the exhaust supports in the rear framerails. Do you have any original documents? What about the bucktag? These will document the GT option. <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana" size=2 id=quote>


    Doc- Wouldn't all K cars have the dual exhaust supports? Correct me if I'm wrong. No original documents. I have 2 folders of paperwork and receipts 3" thick from the seller, but nothing from before he bought it. It's a San Jose car so no Buck tag and I didn't see a build sheet behind the instrument cluster.


    I took some more pics and checked a few more things out. The tail lights DO come on with the fog lamp switch! We had checked it in the bright sunlight and thought they weren't on. In the garage they light up just fine.


    I also found the circuit breaker under the dash mounted to the wiper bracket. It looks like the same breaker and wiring as I found at the website linked above. Here's a pic of mine:


    [Blocked Image: http://www.bighorntradingcompany.com/images/fogbreaker.jpg]


    And here's a pic of the bracket mounting the fog lights to the grill.

    [Blocked Image: http://www.bighorntradingcompany.com/images/foglightbracket.jpg]


    I am really doing an about face and feel like this is a factory GT kar. What is baffling is the GT fender badges. The seller painted over the original paint and swears that the running horse emblems were there with no MUSTANG letters. This guy was as straight as an arrow and I do believe him. So either the previous owner took the GT badges off and put the ponies on or it left the factory that way. That is of course if the consensus is that it also left the factory as a GT.


    Thanks for the feedback guys. I do appreciate it.

    <BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>

    What is baffling is the GT fender badges. The seller painted over the original paint and swears that the running horse emblems were there with no MUSTANG letters. This guy was as straight as an arrow and I do believe him. So either the previous owner took the GT badges off and put the ponies on or it left the factory that way. That is of course if the consensus is that it also left the factory as a GT.


    <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana" size=2 id=quote>


    Nice looking car! Have you checked the front fenders for date codes? Maybe they were swapped out by the original owner?

    Well I just did that tonight. Drivers side is 5 16 2 and passengers side is 1 14 3. Car was built in June. So it looks like at least the passenger side is not original correct?

    Stikbo:


    I was referring to the small tubular reinforcements placed inside the rear framerails to keep them from pinching when the exhaust hangers for the trumpets were installed.


    There is a circular hole at the bottom of the framerail close to the back of the kar. Using your index finger, poke up and backward toward the rear bumper. If the framerails are original, then you should feel the reinforcement. If you don't, then you have either a repo framerail or a non-GT kar.


    I agree with the others, the foglight holes in the radiator support look pretty good. Hard to tell without seeing the kar in person.

    Doc- I checked the frame rails and both sides have the piece inside the hole towards the rear you are asking about. In the picture below you can see it on the drivers side. I thought that any Mustang with dual exhaust would have these reinforcements. Is that incorrect? Or were they only put there if the trumpeted exhaust tips were going on? Thank you for your help. Dan


    [Blocked Image: http://www.bighorntradingcompany.com/images/exhaustbracket.jpg]

    Any possibility of finding out who the owner(s) before the guy you got the Kar from and contacting them? Might answer all your questions.


    It does appear that the front fender(s) were changed. Look at the core support and fender aprons for any sign of collision damage/repair (wrinkling, straightening, welding) that would tell you if the car was hit in the front. If the fenders have been changed you can always tell by closely examining the car. There will be welds where there shouldn't be, the gaps won't be right, etc. Even though the one fender has a compatible date code it still could have been changed. It's so unlikely that anyone would have gone to so much effort to do all the GT mods and not do the GT badges, the most obvious of all the GT items, that it's much more likely the GT badges were left off when the fenders were replaced.


    I have 2 friends who have '66 San Jose GT cars (I have a '66 SJ non-GT convert). I was able to take a look at one of them yesterday and while I did not have your pics available for a comparison, I did look at the fog light switch, drilled hole, etc. and everything on that car looked to me the same as on your car. From what I can see I would agree with your conclusions that your car is a GT. Hopefully you can eventually solve any issues like the GT badges missing and determine that it for sure is a GT.


    <BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>

    Well I just did that tonight. Drivers side is 5 16 2 and passengers side is 1 14 3. Car was built in June. So it looks like at least the passenger side is not original correct?


    <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana" size=2 id=quote>

    Ok I loosened the fenders and the splash panels and looked at the backsides of both fenders. There is one hole just less than 2" underneath the top pin screw for the running horse emblem on both fenders. There are no other holes nor any evidence that there ever were any. Both fenders have the same hole in the same spot. The earlier stamping date on the right fender would indicate it is not original, but it has the same exact holes as the left. If 1 or both fenders were replaced they certainly appear to have been off of a GT car. Below is a picture of the right fender with a red arrow pointing to the drilled hole. The pic is canted, but the hole is right below the top pin screw.


    The original owner traded the car in to a dealer which is where the previous owner bought it in 1976. No chance of tracking him down.


    I've read that some build sheets were taped behind the instrument cluster, but I don't see one there. Any other suggestions or am I out of luck on that one?


    Thanks again for all the help guys. I realize I might be just spinning my wheels here.


    [Blocked Image: http://www.bighorntradingcompany.com/images/ponybadgeback.jpg]

    Stikbo:


    I'm reasonably sure that these reinforcements were needed because of the exhaust trumpets in particular. I may be incorrect about that, but I'm reasonably sure. You may want to post under the general discussion thread.


    I'd have to say that you're car is a GT based on the discussion in this thread. As I mentioned before, a non-GT kar would have been more expensive in '66 than a GT kar. Most of the '66s were GT kars as a result.


    Great find!


    Doc

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