Driving A '65 Mustang Taught Me A Valuable Lesson

"Torque Affair" (torqueaffair)
08/30/2015 at 15:01 • Filed to: MUSCLE CAR

This 1965 Mustang was so beautiful. As soon as I saw it at Mosing Motorcars, I knew I had to drive it. I was salivating all over it like a dog drools over, well, whatever looks like it could be eaten - like an electrical outlet. Kirk, the sales manager of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! knew immediately what I was up to when he saw me eyeing the Mustang. He has seen me around before to take the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! out for a spin and I’m sure he looked at me and thought: “ Why do you come around here anyway? Do you even write anything? Does anyone read what you write? Why are you putting miles on our cars for no reason?” All valid questions.

I could hardly blame him if that is what he was thinking. But I don’t think that those were the specific thoughts going through his mind since he handed me the keys to the car - but that may have been because it was the only way to get rid of me. I was glad. I’m living proof that “persistence pays off.” Annoy till you die!

But, then, in the next few minutes I started questioning if practicing the “annoy till you die” ideology was really worth it.

As I was about to find out - visually appreciating the car was a better proposition than actually driving it.

You see, with older cars like these, you can’t just get in and start driving. You have to take some time to get used to it and wrap your head around all the quirks that come with a car that’s 50 years old. For example, there is no passenger side rear view mirror.

Only a driver’s side mirror exists which is utterly useless anyway and so you have to be ok with driving without having a clue of what’s behind you or around you. But that’s fine - isn’t that what they say about living life? Just look ahead and don’t look back?

There is also no ideal seating position. No matter how much you move your seat forward or backward, you’ll still feel awkward. After a few minutes of messing with it, you’ll realize that you can only choose between a horrible driving position and a not very good one.

And finally, once you’re about to get going, you’ll come to find out that the ‘65 Mustang requires superhuman strength to just move the car out of a parking spot.

Here is what it takes:

Step 1: Forget about turning the steering wheel when the car is not moving. It would have been easier to push the car up a hill than to actually budge the steering wheel. Since there is no power steering, it feels like the Mustang’s tires are glued to the road and the only chance you have of changing the direction of the front wheels of the car is to get it moving. But because you’re in a tight parking spot with almost no room, it is really hard to get enough momentum to start being able to turn the wheel. However, once you do start moving, you will face a problem which brings me to step #2.

Step 2: It takes so many turns of the steering wheel to move the wheels of the car just 5 degrees, that your arms feel like they will fall off after you go through the process. Do not underestimate the cardio workout you can get with your arms and hands flailing all over the Mustang steering wheel. With a car like this, you really don’t need to go to the gym.

Unless you’re a highly trained, well conditioned athlete, you will absolutely run out of breath trying to keep up with rotating the steering wheel. And just when you think it’s over...

Step 3: ..it’s not. When you want to straighten out the wheels, you have to initiate the same number of rotations of the wheel, but this time, they will be in the exact opposite direction and by the time you have your wheels pointing straight, you will have had enough of a workout for the day and want to take a nap. You’ll also want to munch on a Snickers bar to replenish that lost energy.

At this point, if you want to skip the nap and continue driving, you will realize that as you gain speed, the enormous hunk of metal surrounding you won’t really slow down. The brakes don’t work well and so you have to be completely aware of your surroundings at all times. If someone in cuts in front of you, immediately start praying. Even if you’re an atheist, pray anyway . You can slam on that brake pedal as hard as you want, but don’t expect the car to come to a halt. Instead, prepare yourself for an imminent collision. And this is what will happen.

The steering wheel will cut you in half. It’s gigantic, rock solid and if you hit it as a result of an impact, it will be one of the most painful experiences of your life - if you happen to live, that is. And you can’t even sit that far away from the wheel, because then you won’t be able to reach the pedals.

Besides getting used to the steering, you’ll also have to get used to the placement of the gears.

In this car, reverse = 1st

Now, imagine this scenario. You pull up to a stop light and happen to catch a nose-picker in the car next to you. Naturally you think: “will she eat her booger or just flick it somewhere?” Before you’re able to find out what she does, the light turns green and within a millisecond you hear a deafening honk from behind you. You immediately respond to this by shoving the gear lever into first ( or so you think ) and floor the gas pedal.

Instantly, you accelerate in the wrong direction and then…. .BAAAM!

You plow into the person behind you.

The enraged driver of the F350, who could barely feel you hit him, jumps out of his car with the look of death in his eyes, charges towards you, reaches to grab his gun, realizes he left it at home and then proceeds to beat you until you’re unconscious.

You’re now almost dead because of the simple fact that in a moment of panic you didn’t remember that the location of the 1st gear is actually where 2nd gear usually is.

The Steering Challenge Continues...

Besides all the scenarios that could leave you almost dead or paralyzed, there is another challenging situation with the steering that you will encounter. That is getting the car to take turns. There’s so much play in the steering wheel that you can move it side to side like people do in movies with the fake background, and just like in the movies, the car will continue to drive completely straight regardless of what the driver is doing. I can’t even get my 3 year old car to go this straight no matter how many times I take my car in to get the alignment checked.

It turns out that the only way to get this car to make the turn that you’re wanting to make is to engage the hand-over-hand technique (step 2). After turning the wheel 12,450 degrees, you will finally be able to make that stupid right angle turn.

Today’s cars make it so easy to pilot a car with a just a fingertip or a slightly long fingernail that getting into something as manual and mechanical as a Mustang presents a steep learning curve. You really don’t get how much work it is until you try it. It blows my mind that people actually drag-raced these cars back in the day - how did they not all crash and die?

Because driving the Mustang was so mentally and physically stressful, I was actually looking forward to bringing it back to Mosing. I didn’t want to risk damaging anything on it because it was in such pristine condition. Also, I had to pee.

The way I see is that if you grew up in that era, something like this would probably be of significant value to you. Especially, something as nice as this particular 1965 Mustang. It’s perfectly restored still retaining the vast majority of its original parts. It has barely been driven (only 10K miles) and has stayed garaged the majority of its life. Honestly, I’d rather stare it than drive it.

It really is a stunning car. It has gorgeous lines and is one of those cars that draw tons of people at car shows. This Mustang will undoubtedly end up in someone car collection and continue to just sit there and I’m perfectly fine with that!

Lots of folks that used to own this car many years ago would enjoy driving this since it will elicit memories of going on dates, using the back seat as a bed ( I’m not kidding - there are shelves you can cover the seats with), and of course, racing.

As for me, I’ll just stick to cars that comparatively take very little effort to drive. I’ve learned my lesson - I’m a wimp. I’d rather admire these cars in a museum than drive them.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is about exploring my fascination with cars; I’m always on the lookout for things that interest me in the car world.

Follow !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

DISCUSSION (100)

petebmwm > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 15:14

the trick to turning is not to be stationary, roll the car.

Cherry_man1 > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 15:15

Now I will say, if you want to drive something with more quirks. Come to Kansas City and give my Gran Torino a spin. you will go wtf. why/how did I get going so fast. and why is there heat coming form no where.....

Torque Affair > Cherry_man1
08/30/2015 at 15:16

haha, yea I bet. Love the way a Gran Torino looks though!

Cherry_man1 > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 15:20

Right now the Distributor cap needs to be replaced...I think. But it runs like a champ!

Berang > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 15:32

That was about par for the course before Nader started whining about cars being far more dangerous than necessary.

MM54 > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 15:39

I actually found this pretty funny, I daily drove my ‘71 chevelle for a few years and all the things you’re pointing out as problems are some of my favorite parts. The look on their face when, on occasion, your passenger notices your foot go to the floor while you load up the manual drum brakes; the upper body workout from parallel parking, the determination of the car to not change direction... it’s all in the character of the car.

Torque Affair > MM54
08/30/2015 at 15:43

You’re right - it is definitely the character - too much for me!

Scott Satellite > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 15:50

No wonder they don’t want to give you the keys to anything. Its stupid to judge a vintage car based on today’s standards and not the era to which is was born.

Especially as to not knowing what is behind you, you do know you are allowed to turn your head while driving, right?

Mr. Malaise > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 15:53

Back when you couldn’t even attempt to be distracted while driving, or else you wouldn’t able to drive at all. Good times.

Lahjik > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 15:54

Holy crap if you think a 65 Pony takes effort to drive, you should make a point of never driving anything older than Nintendo. Maybe I have superhuman strength due to growing up on a farm, driving (real) tractors and farm equipment but my first car was a rebuilt 68 and never once did I think it required too much steering effort. So far as braking; you should always be aware of what’s going on around you (wah-wah, only a driver’s side mirror...) regardless of your braking envelope.

All in all this reads like a millenial’s guide to “cars I don’t get cause they’re not a Corolla”.

ThatbastardKurtis > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 15:55

“The steering wheel will cut you in half. It’s gigantic, rock solid and if you hit it as a result of an impact, it will be one of the most painful experiences of your life - if you happen to live, that is.”

I’ve seen a pic of a guy in shock trauma who had the center part of a ‘65 Mustang’s steering wheel embedded in his forehead. ‘Stang-head didn’t look too great with a metal third eye.

Torque Affair > ThatbastardKurtis
08/30/2015 at 15:57

Ouch!! That sounds terrible.

Diavel in Hawaii > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 16:09

My 66 vette had almost none of those issues. The steering was tight with almost zero play in the wheel. To be fair, it did have power steering. The 4 wheel discs, while not power assisted, were enough to bring it to a stop in a halfway reasonable distance. Seating was a bit cramped and there wasn’t much in the way of seating position changes. Still, not uncomfortable for a couple hundred miles.

Disclaimer: My DD is an 87 Bronco so my expectations might not be the same as others.

rdevv444777 > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 16:11

It sounds like you would be better suited to a Camry or Accord.

Mustang 'DontHitTheCrowd' GT > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 16:20

“will she eat her booger or just flick it somewhere?” - I audibly laughed when I read this

Torque Affair > Mustang 'DontHitTheCrowd' GT
08/30/2015 at 16:24

Hahaha.

Twonius > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 16:25

Reminds me of when I considered a 240z as a daily. No power brakes meant when I got back in my old accord after the test drive I did a full panic stop at the first stop sign.

After that I decided nothing pre-ABS for me.

Kelly Wittenauer > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 16:27

You do realize power steering, front disc brakes & 4spd. or auto could be had on those cars, they just cost extra?

Mark Longoria > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 16:29

Remind me of the F100 my eldest sister had once. No Power steering, No power boosted clutch, Column shift.

If someone wanted to put her back into, she would castrate them with a torch!

Baskingshark > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 16:29

The Reverse-in-place-of-first is not unique. I had a Lancia Fulvia Coupe which had a 5-speed with Reverse in that position. Some Ferraris do as well. It was a mindfuck for a couple of days when I first got the car but I got used to it. It helped that it wasn’t exactly where 1st would be either, it was a bit further over to the left.

celio > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 16:31

Nothing can scare me, I drove a Yugo for 2 years!

Maxxuman > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 16:31

Wimp

Whitesmoke > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 16:32

I did grow up in that era and that is what it took to drive a car (pickup trucks were much worse). As far as reverse being where first should be - not so. Three-on-the-floor was just three-on-the-column that happened to be floor mounted.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 16:38

I’m glad you got to drive the Mustang. I don’t think that people these days realize how hard it was to drive cars back in the day. I learned how to drive a 1965 Ford F10 3/4 ton 4x4. You could not turn the steering wheel unless the truck was moving. It also took both legs to let the clutch out with any semblance of smoothness, so I resorted to rev and dump mode. And the brakes, OMG, I drove a 1968 Buick Electra for a while, it had one good stop in it then you had to let the brakes cool off for about 10 minutes before you could even attempt to stop again.

Torque Affair > Baskingshark
08/30/2015 at 16:38

In this car it was surprisingly easy to slip into reverse. No resistance of any kind.

GoGoGadgetBurner > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 16:38

This has been my dream car since I was a kid. One of those love at first sight things. After reading this, yeah, I still want one.

Torque Affair > Mark Longoria
08/30/2015 at 16:39

hahaha

Torque Affair > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/30/2015 at 16:42

the ‘68 Electra sounds nightmarish. Death sentence!

Coronelli > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 16:50

With all do respect, I believe the term weenie comes to mind. Classic cars actually make driving the experience, forget the destination. The sights, sounds, smells and feeling of driving a classic car embody what driving truly means.

Are they louder, less comfortable, more dangerous, sure they are. Comfort however does not mean enjoyment and danger, hell we all have to die someday. Besides, if you spend some time with them, understand the limitations and have experience, the risks are minimal and the payoff is sublime.

Rusty Shackleford > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 16:52

Don't care. I would retrofit a nice rack and pinion system with power steering along with a nice set 4 wheel disks. As far as I am concerned, these are necessary safety features.

SquirrelyWrath > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 16:55

A tasteful restomod will fix most of these issues if you own a classic car. And unless you are planning to take it to pebble beach it won’t hurt the value much. You can dial out a lot of the floaty dangerous handling to with some modest updates.

krhodes1 > Baskingshark
08/30/2015 at 16:57

I had a Datsun 310GX (of all things) with that pattern but 5 gears. It had a hugely obnoxious warning buzzer when you were in reverse. Which I was actually quite thankful for!

Zibodiz > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 16:57

Eh, I don’t know. I currently DD a car without P/S. It’s really not that hard, you just have to get the hang of it. Sure, it’s easier when you have some momentum first, but even from a stand still, turning the car isn’t unreasonably hard.

I’m 30, and in the 15 years I’ve been driving, I’ve had 3 DD’s that didn’t have P/S. I’m not an old codger who remembers driving a 1st-Gen mustang new. I’m also quite comfortable in nicer cars, like the Escape my wife drives. But to berate an old-fashioned vehicle for lack of a modern amenity (my current DD is 20 years old, and it wasn’t even available with Power Steering), kinda comes off like someone whining about the lack of an MP3 player.

Also, the gear layout shouldn’t be hard for anyone except Millenials. The standard transmissions found in most trucks until the ‘90s had a granny gear (ultra-low 1st gear) where the Mustang had Reverse. Nobody used it, unless they were hauling a heavy load, so starting in 2nd was par for the course. Lastly, and I’m probably in the minority here, but doesn’t everyone shift into 1st gear as soon as they come to a stop? That would prevent the entire scenario you’ve described.

Lastly, the brakes were probably not power assisted. I’m actually surprised by this one; I would’ve expected the ‘Stang to have power brakes. Either way, though, you can still smoke the tires with manual brakes, you just have to, as my parents used to say, “stand up on the pedal.” But I do have to admit that manual brakes suck. My first car had them, as well as no power steering, and a non-hydraulic clutch. Driving was definitely a two-handed affair. Shifting while going around a corner was not possible. Of course, it also wasn’t that necessary, since it was only a 3-speed+granny, and any speed above 20 was spent in 3rd gear.

Steve in Manhattan > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 16:58

I’ve driven a car like this, and others. You have to plan your stops. It’s difficult to keep it in your lane. And, as you pointed out, very little safety equipment.

RacinBob > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 16:59

Kinja'd!!!

I had a ‘66 with 200 six, AT, and AC. Having driven both the stick ant AT, I think the automatic better suits the car. You didn’t mention the AC which was at best modestly effective. However it does work as a excellent G meter in right hand turns. Take any turn at more than about .5 g and condensate will rushout out soaking your socks and shoes.

You are also spot on about the 4 wheel drum brakes. Stomp on the brakes and for a millisecond they feel great, and then go into instant fade. If that was bad enough, enjoy the lottery which is guessing which way the front end would be darting makes panic stops even more exciting

Still I really liked the car when I was in school. Recently, my neighbor bought the above ‘66 6 cyl stick, so I got to re-live my college years and drive it around. Wow - were those things are crude compared to anything sold today.

It’s fun going back, but it’s not a place where I would want to stay for very long......

Maxaxle > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 17:00

Kinja'd!!!

Three-speed? Why!?

MTY19855 > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 17:00

Forget turning the wheel when the car is stopped? You aren’t supposed to do that anyay.

w.tirado > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 17:01

To be fair...the steering wheel is actually abnormally hard. That mustang was NOT designed with that wide a tire in mind. Those are like 7” wide not the 5” wide from factory. Drive a stock mustang and you’ll notice a difference. That car should have power steering installed to compensate.

Whitesmoke > Maxaxle
08/30/2015 at 17:02

4-spd was exotica back then!

SuzukiGuy > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 17:04

Wimp, I drove a 5 ton dump, that was upgraded to handle 7 tons on the front axle and 11 tons on the back axle. It had manual steering, hydraulic brakes, and a stick with a 3 foot throw. That Mustang is a breeze compared to that monster and it’s NA 4stroke diesel. It was kind of fun, but you had to be aware that it was big, heavy, and cumbersome. But it would easily smash that F-350 and barely notice it. LoL

RavenousRam > Baskingshark
08/30/2015 at 17:04

Shades of James May in a MB 190E, not sure if it was scripted or not but still another example of that shifting layout.

Junker_CM > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 17:14

I still love it!

tbp0701 > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 17:18

Because of this article I remembered seeing older relatives using “suicide knobs” when I was a kid. I think they had other names, but they wound up causing enough damage to earn the “suicide” moniker. Anyway, before power steering many people bought these:

Kinja'd!!!

LTIROCKS > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 17:19

The vast majority of “enthusiasts” don’t realize how terrible these cars were by today’s standards.

Loose steering crap brakes, “handling” that would be shamed by that of a modern pick-up truck, under-powered engines, lousy fuel economy, lots of road and wind noise, poor stereos, no safety equipment to speak of, and so on.

I love the old cars for what they WERE, but they’re long since obsolete. Half a century’s woth of progress tends to do that....

Torque Affair > LTIROCKS
08/30/2015 at 17:27

I love the way they look - they belong in museums now.

Torque Affair > tbp0701
08/30/2015 at 17:28

Interesting...I would think that those knobs would make it even harder to turn! Hard to grip those things properly

SavageBeard > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 17:32

I daily drive a 67 coupe with manual everything. A good alignment and skinnier tires in front makes steering not bad. A couple upgrades in the suspension makes a fun to drive cool lookin car. Dont judge the squirrel before the rabbit eats its dinner.

Torque Affair > SquirrelyWrath
08/30/2015 at 17:33

Yeah, great point.

jbm0866 > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 17:34

My first car was a partially restored 66 convertible with a 289...everything you just wrote is absolutely true. Braking requires planning ahead, mirrors are useless (my rearview mirror was loose, and always pointed to the floor after hitting the first bump) and tight parking lots could be a challenge with that loose, no power assist steering. Having said that, I loved that car more than any other since...but maybe because it was my first.

dixonbeaver > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 17:36

See, the thing you miss: it’s not a new car. It was technology to date for its time. Today’s cars in 50yrs, God willing, will look prehistoric compared to their new counterparts. The biggest takeaway from driving an old car: it’s 1000x safer than a new car. By that I mean you actually have to drive it. Not fuck around with you phone, eat a burger, smoke a cigarette, jerk off, whatever. You actually have to DRIVE THE CAR!!

Torque Affair > w.tirado
08/30/2015 at 17:38

You’re right - this does have wider wheels on it which I’m sure made it worse. Power steering would’ve definitely made a huge difference here.

tbp0701 > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 17:38

I never drove a car with one, but it spun, so I think it’s somewhat akin to turning a larger gear with a smaller gear. Now that I think about it I’ve seen them on some tractor sterring wheels as well.

Torque Affair > dixonbeaver
08/30/2015 at 17:39

Haha, you’re definitely correct about needing to drive the car! Not a chance of doing anything else but drive!

PowerFlower > Baskingshark
08/30/2015 at 17:42

Having reverse there is common enough. My Boxster S has it there too, though my non-S had it on the other side. It took me all of 5 minutes to get used to. To be honest, I find it less scary then having it near 5th gear.

Torque Affair > GoGoGadgetBurner
08/30/2015 at 17:48

Definitely - get one! As some folks have pointed out in the comments, with a few modifications, these cars would be much easier and more fun to drive - not to mention safe!

Torque Affair > Junker_CM
08/30/2015 at 17:48

Absolutely! Looks fantastic.

alohahomer > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 17:49

You know what's even more fun is when the reverse h shift pattern is on the steering column!

f86sabre > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 17:50

You captured it perfectly. My first car was a 68 with the three speed. I bought it in 1990 for a girl at my high school for $2000. Drum brakes all around. They worked, in a manor of speaking. It sounds like you had a good steering box, because I wasn’t ever sure if my wheel was connected to anything while going down the road. At a stand still it is hard to get the wheels turned. Maybe not as hard as you make it out to be. I loved that car though. You do eventually get comfortable, but it takes time. I’m still comfortable when I sit in it. Sadly, it is under a cover in my folks’ garage. Waiting for the day when I can breath life back into it.

alohahomer > LTIROCKS
08/30/2015 at 17:51

I drove a 63 ford falcon as a daily driver for years. But after I got in a new car it was like so 50 years of engineering sure makes for a nice quiet smooth reliable ride. ;)

Michael G. Curry > Cherry_man1
08/30/2015 at 17:52

Kinja'd!!!

I have a 67 Stang and the 72 Torino each car has its own personality, but unlike this article my 67 stang has power assist and a 4 speed, and as easy to drive than any modern car if not more so because it is lightweight , and 72 Grn Torino 500lbs of torque and a buttery ride show what has been lost in a comfortable car.

While my ‘13 Boss obviously handles better and stops quicker each car is an experience and has thier own purpose, and note for the ‘collector’ mentality no car is made to sit and is done worse for doing so

Mike

Torque Affair > f86sabre
08/30/2015 at 17:53

Awesome! As some people in the comments have pointed out, you could do a few tweaks to it to make it much more fun to drive...like power steering!

Michael G. Curry > Cherry_man1
08/30/2015 at 17:54

Kinja'd!!!

Power Steering and a 4 speed fixes all the ills mentioned int eh article, btw the disc brakes the car stops shorter than most new ones (especially since you can manually control the lockup)

Torque Affair > alohahomer
08/30/2015 at 17:54

hah, yea I bet!

Publius > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 17:56

And try driving a car with a choke some day. It presents an almost infinite number of ways to look foolish.

Jim > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 18:00

I56l’ n

69montego > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 18:02

Wow, just wow. No offense, but you wouldn’t survive DDing one of these.

You get used to the standard steering quickly. And as long as the brakes are in adjustment, the brakes are adequate.

How do I know? First car was a 68 cougar with standard steering. DD for 4 years. A few years later, DDed a 68 Torino, with standard steering and brakes. I ended up doing a Granada swap on that one and disc brakes made a world of difference, I’ll give you that

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 18:03

The 68 Electra was by far the largest car on the road including school busses, so you are going to do fine in a collision.

Jedidiah > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 18:05

Did it have power brakes?

That vacuum booster makes even drum brakes work way better than the non-power equivalents.

Power steering makes a world of difference, non-power steering is exhausting even in light cars.

Guido Corvairi > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 18:16

Damn, if you have all those problems with a simple little Mustang, what the heck would you do if you were trying 421 Grand Prix or 427 Galaxie. Certainly be better off taking out an MG or Vauxhall, something with the skinny baloney rings for tires.

LTIROCKS > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 18:22

Yep, some of the cars from the 60’s look great - often times even more so in person.

I saw a real Hemi Road Runner on a local street here 15 or so months back. The car had a real attitude and looked awesome. It had a very low rake and wore wider than stock rubber. Other than that, it looked (but didn’t sound) production line stock.

NRNLAW > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 18:24

This was my exact first car. Got it in high school in Dallas, Texas — 1982. A ‘65 fastback (red) with a 289 and three speed that my Dad bought me for $1,500. A prior owner had put headers with very loud pipes on it, so when I drove into my high-school parking lot, no one, not even the rich kid whose Dad had bought him a new 1982 Camaro Z28, sounded as cool. I had a little problem with the gear shifter sticking in second gear. But it really did not matter because I could probably start in 3rd with that engine without stalling. The flip-down back seat was supercool—and you could get into the truck from the passenger compartment if necessary. It was rusting out pretty badly, and a year later we upgraded to a ‘66 coupe that my uncle had put a 302 V-8 from a Ford Torino in. The ‘66 had power steering and an automatic transmission and was lots easier to drive. But it did tend to wander all over the road. I remember a very scary trip to Fort Worth during the summer when I had to make a delivery for a job. Driving on the Interstate at 60 mph while staying in my lane was something of a challenge. Good times.

Rwlong > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 18:30

God bless these kids now a days. All these aids that help you drive. If you can’t turn a 65 Mustang don’t even think about a period sedan! First car was a Dodge Cornet. No power steering, no power anything, no air conditioning, flat bench seats with waist belts. Driver side mirror only. Hot in the summer, cold as hell in the winter. Great car!

Torque Affair > Jedidiah
08/30/2015 at 18:32

Not sure about brakes actually. But yea, power steering is essential.

Torque Affair > 69montego
08/30/2015 at 18:33

you’re right - wouldn’t survive at all. However, like you said, disc brakes + power steering would be great.

Torque Affair > NRNLAW
08/30/2015 at 18:37

Very cool! Thanks for sharing.

EricG > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 18:42

Owning and driving a 65 coupe for 10 years now I can attest to pretty much all of this. But it's just what comes with driving a car this old and I with all the looks and stares I get I wouldn't want to trade it for anything.

Torque Affair > EricG
08/30/2015 at 18:47

I love the way it looks...gorgeous!

Leonhard Euler > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 18:53

I was trained as a paramedic in the mid 70s. One specific injury we were trained for was the steering column being impaled through the chest because: brakes, steering wheels.

Okay, that wasn’t really an injury, it was pretty much instant death. So we weren’t actually rescuing anybody as much as being warned “there will be blood, a lot of blood”. And you might have to wrestle the body off the center column.

lone_liberal > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 18:54

Or you can get one that was bought with power steering and a four speed back in the day. After all they were available, but optional.

SmugAardvark > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 18:57

I owned/restored a ‘65 coupe a few years ago. While driving it is a lot different than driving a modern car, it’s nothing that you can’t get used to. Yes, you have to pay more attention. Yes, the lack of power steering makes parking lots a little trickier. Yes, the safety equipment leaves a bit to be desired. But at its fundamental base, you have a true machine that is more about the drive than the destination. I’ll take that nearly every time.

Mark Longoria > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 18:59

More like ow, ow, ow after a day of driving.

NOX > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 19:01

Pussy...
My ‘65’s steering was so sloppy that in order to avoid swerving into the oncoming lane, I’d have to turn right before cresting a hill.

EricG > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 19:04

Yes! It is a very visually striking car.

Torque Affair > SmugAardvark
08/30/2015 at 19:06

Oh yea definitely, it is something that takes getting used to. Like some other commenters have said, wouldn’t take much to make this car much more drivable and safe.

Torque Affair > Leonhard Euler
08/30/2015 at 19:07

Oh man! That’s horrible...

Ogre8 > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 19:14

Normal 3 speed manual pattern. On a 3 on the tree reverse is toward you and up, first toward and down, etc.

E92AP1991.2JK > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 19:17

Agreed, I restored a ‘66 convertible and drove it through high school. Beautiful car but I don't miss it at all.

R Henry > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 19:28

As a person who drove these cars as ordinary transportation in the day, I find it amusing how much of a pussy the author is. My girlfriend drove such a car and never complained about the steering...or anything else. Except of course, the confined nature of the back seat....!

You might consider putting your smart phone down and work on developing your muscle tone.

Mirror Universe Stig > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 19:35

Had one for 16 years, 9 of those living on Gough street (a very steep hill) in San Francisco. And yes, it was a manual. You learn to pump the brakes as you stop, keeps the pressure a little higher and really improves stopping distance. Tried putting a power steering pump on it, but that made it so jittery and overboosted at highway speeds I took it off.

NipperDawg > celio
08/30/2015 at 19:40

I drive a Justy, bring it on.

Berang > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 19:43

Kinja'd!!!

Steering columns on pre-’68 cars did not telescope in accidents. And well - if you have ever needed any excuse to avoid pre-’68 cars this pic is a pretty good one.

Rand0nS > Steve in Manhattan
08/30/2015 at 19:51

Sounds like these shouldn’t be on the road anymore. That’s sad.

picoFarad > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 20:00

Oh my f’ing gaaaawd what a whiner. Everything you’re describing is part of the magic of driving old cars. They were built to be driven by a tougher breed than the soft and pampered 21st century American.

JamesBattaglia > Baskingshark
08/30/2015 at 20:04

This is similar to a dogleg transmission. It’s designed for racing since it keeps 2nd and 3rd in a straight line since you rarely use 1st when racing.

SmugAardvark > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 20:07

Yeah, the Restomod community has done some very cool engineering to make old pony cars drive much more like their modern counterparts. I got to ride passenger in a ‘68 fastback that rode like a car 30 years newer. It was an odd juxtaposition. I could look around and clearly see I was in a vintage car, but everything I was feeling betrayed that thought. It’s interesting to say the least.

Break-Mend-Continue > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 20:15

At the risk of stating the blatantly obvious, what exactly did you expect?

Keep in mind lots of elderly people bought Mustangs new, not just young gearheads. If grandma could manage just fine without power steer and ABS in 1966, you should be able to.

Sure, it’s harder to drive than a modern car and it’s less safe. But that is part of the fun of an old car. They were pretty much all like that back then. Forget fingertip steering, you really drove a car. Nowadays, if you like cars like this you learn to adapt to driving one properly. If you expect it to be just like a modern car, you won’t understand it. It sounds like you are in the latter category.

michaeljayallen > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/30/2015 at 20:16

A very low speed one, anyway.

michaeljayallen > Berang
08/30/2015 at 20:18

Is that a Corvair? For extra driver puncturing, besides not having an engine in the way it had the steering box well ahead of the front axle line.

CommonSenseIsn't > Torque Affair
08/30/2015 at 20:18

Kids these days. *feh*

Seriously? Manual steering and brakes wear you out so much that you can’t enjoy driving a classic piece of history?

Go back to playing your racing app on your iPhone 27. :P

michaeljayallen > tbp0701
08/30/2015 at 20:23

That looks like a Cadillac that is new enough that it would have power steering, although GM cars continued to have huge steering wheels for years after they needed them. Those suicide knobs were most popular in late ‘30’s - early ‘50’s cars with about six turns lock to lock and steering wheels twice the size of the Mustang for even more leverage.