1965 Mustang add ons?

you wont ruin the value by restofying your stang...in fact the value may well go up! i have built 7 mustangs over these many years and have had lots of good times an fun doing so...first thing is the old suspension...urethane bushings and shelby spec relocation of control arms is a good place to start...then it will handle like it should have from the begining...a good aftermarket aluminum intake and a mild cam will wake up that 289...you may consider rear disc brakes also...

My suggestions might sound a little more "boring" but you will be glad you didn't start with flashy rims or leather seats in the long run.

Ive owned a 66, 69, 90, and 65 mustangs (still have the 65). Start with the drivetrain, a car with nice rims or seats won't get you far if the engine doesn't run right, tranny doesn't shift, etc. To get a general idea of the condition of the engine pull a valve cover and see how much sludge is built up on the valve springs etc. After you change the oil, pay close attention to the oil level. You want to know if it is burning ANY oil at all. If it is burning oil then you probably have a problem with a piston ring or valve seal, you will want to fix this first

Start with a basic tune up: oil and filter change, fuel filter change, coolant change, tranny fluid change, rear diff fluid change, new distributer cap and rotor, new spark plug wires, new spark plugs, depending on the carb you might need a new one or a tune on the current carb. Bleed the brakes really well to ensure your safety

Make sure the tranny shifts properly and has fresh fluid. If it is a C4 you might look into a new valve body (easy and cheap).

Thats not everything but you probably get the idea on the tune up

Once you get that stuff out of the way and you have a sound drivetrain, then you can look into some mods to have fun with. Personally I would start with front disk brakes if this car currently has 4 wheel drums. 4 wheel drum brakes are scary if you need to stop in a hurry, especially if it is raining. There are lots of front disk conversions out there for a 65. You can get brakes from a ford granada which work great or you could look into kits from baer, wilwood, etc which will run you quite a bit more $ than granada brakes. Again, no matter what you do with the brakes, bleed them really well to make sure that there is no air in the system. If you have drums at all, consider new wheel cylinders if the current ones are leaking at all. You can also add a power brake booster and dual master cylinder to help braking. Tires also play a huge part in brakeing, make sure that there is a good amount of tread left on your tires and that they are properly balanced

At this point you will have a healthy drivetrain and safe brakes and you can have a little more fun with mods. The typical place to start would be with the exhaust to get her to exhale better. Start with headers of your choice and 2.25" or 2.5" dual pipes and mufflers of your choice. To get her to "inhale" better look into a 4 bbl carb if it doesn't have one, 14"X3" air filter and an aluminum intake.

After these mods the possibilities are endless, cam and lifters, aluminum heads, forced induction, etc.

Have fun with your 65 and unless you have a K code, mod it however you want, don't worry about how it came from the factory in 1965

Oh lastly, don't replace the struts as was previously posted. The main reason for this.......a 1965 mustang does not have struts

Well the answer to that simply depends on how much the car has done to it already. I always believe in performance over looks if you don't have the money for both. Go with a few simple bolt-ons first. Headers, Intake manifold, carburator upgrade/rebuild kit, tires, exaust system to go with new headers, mufflers, etc. After that go with things like rear gears, shift kits (if it's an automatic), electric ignitions and so forth.

And even though i said performace over looks, a non-functioning car won't take you anywhere make sure you get the basics fixed before you start adding horsepower.

I'd skip the underdrive pulleys because I used to have a 1990 GT with them and the accessories didn't work too well. For example, the power windows were really slow. I'd go for some BBK shorty headers along with the cat-back exhaust and also some Flowmaster mufflers. That should give you between 20 and 25 horsepower and a total of about 30 with the cold air intake. None of those mods will shorten the life of your engine. In fact, they'll actually make it healthier!

I would make sure you have the stock paint and interior and do what you want with the rest. From there you can do tires & wheels, engine dress up kits which are actually standard for Fords of those years. Make sure its safe reliable and fun, there are lots of aftermarket things available and don't forget Mustangs are a dime a dozen in those years so fix it like you want and enjoy it. If you do stock paint and interior you can always switch it back to boring stock condition someday.

You can actually upgrade the 289 internally and dress it up stock and no one will know. 289, 302, 5.0 HO, 351W. Lots you can do.

Changing a classic reduces the value--why not restore the original stuff and show it as it was in 65?? NEW suspension--because they wore out real quick---I mean all the bushings., struts, linkages. How about the exhaust--they rusted bad!! Floor pan under the carpet--quarter panels--rusted bad too--4 grand will be better spent on the important stuff. Leather seats falling through a rotted floor??? Sounds like a bad decision.

There isnt much you can do. Its one or the other...your better off just restoring it...people appreciate a classic not something like your talking about...restore it...maybe a custom paint job and some custom rims. For example the American Racing Torque-Thrust rims would work nicely with the cars lines...get them in 15 or 16 inch rims. Possibly change out the grill...put in a subtle chrome grille and a pair of fog lights...hood pins help. Hope this helped...good luck

Hey go buy the book store and pick up a book on mustang 65 and up and create your own impression on it you will have a good time you are your own person so state it hope this helps,

Air conditioning always adds to the value

new paint job?? maybe and a system but not all hardcore and a new radio cd mp3 try to leave it with the classic look