64 falcon...good deal?

Im looking at buying my first falcon, I found one here in CA here's the craiglslist ad-

1964 Falcon Hot Rod Muscle

anything I should look for, he sent me some pics and the interior needs some work but the paint and body look good. Im looking at it tommorow. How hard to get a car from non op to registered in CA?

Thanks for the help

Sounds like a decent price for that car. Start by pricing what it would cost to get to where it is and you will see it mounts up pretty quickly.

I have a 64 Falcon sedan with the "B" pillar.
I have had it since 1964 in my family.
The car in the ad is a hard top which is without a pillar as part of the car. Probably not a Sprint---more desirable than the Futura model which is what it may be. Get both a 1964 Falcon and 1965 Mustang/Falcon shop manuals for very detailed info of the car.
Where the top meets the rear of the horizontal part of the body---by the front of the trunk, there are, on both sides, a welded seam running from the front corner edge of the trunk to the rear window. I have seen these hard tops at that joint split because the car has been hopped up and the torque force of the car "twisting" eventually weakens the weld. That's why a roll lbar is used especially on those hard tops! There may be broken welds & cracks in the welded areas where the shock tower meets the firewall. Watch out for bondo or body repairs..the paint may look good, but watch out for rust eating away the sheet metal & paint later on.
Look for rust in front of the rear wheel wells, where the fierewall ends & the floor pan begins. Look behind the door panels front & back for signs of rust beginning. A the front vents just before the front windshield underneath that area look for rust breaking through where the right heater vent meets the cowl and the same area on the left side. Those 2 areas are known to rust as the owner neglects them when water gets in. Since the owner did alot of mods to the car, look how WELL THE WORK & MODS were done!!!
With only a 302 engine in there, why the battery in the trunk unless he was looking for more weight for better traction. Watch out for excess holes drilled or welded areas done by others & not the factory. Lastly, look at the wires to see if any of them are cut, frayed, missing. Make sure all electricals work!!!!
Try to find out of this was a Calif car or one brought in from anoher wet state like Nebraska or where snow & rain is in excess. This all depends how bad & how much you want the car. Don't think you can fix all that wrong stuff--the idea is to get a car that is sound. It looks like the car has been set up to suit the owner and not you. So keep that in mind as you may want to do something and it can't be done as his work would interfere with you plans.
I would pay no more than $1,500. Figure how much it would cost to fix it after you bought it---if it is repairable and deduct from that price.
Always expect to hear a "good reason rather than the REAL reason" the car is for sale or any other ecuse about the car.
My car is sound, no rust or butchery of the body frame or electrical system. It has a Windsor 427 stroked with Aussie heads Tremec 5 speed and 350:1 rear end with a RRS front coil over suspension that allowed the shock towers to be clearanced for a bigger engine later, rack & pinion and Ford Crown Vic rear discs. There is no upper a-arm to get in the way of the headers. If interested in more info let me know.
Good luck

Thanks guys, I'll check out those spots for rust, he claims there is none but we'll see when I get there. Ive priced out some interior stuff(i.e carpet, seats, dash stuff etc..) and it didnt come out to bad, this wouldnt be my first project so I know to expect more than what im expecting to pay. I didnt want a complete project so Im hoping turns out ok(I just finished a frame up bronco project that took a couple years)

Falconguy52

would pay no more than $1,500. Figure how much it would cost to fix it after you bought it---if it is repairable and deduct from that price.

????????

So pray tell me where you can buy a clean, rust free 64 Falcon HT for $1500 and I will buy two of them. Add in the motor and drive train, brakes, wheels,tires and everything else.

Rust free 64 Falcon HT for $1500, put my name in for two also

Guys,

There are deals out there. Just harder to find. this one may be great, or a lug. In the case of cars like this that has been hooped up....for over 20 years (I'm aging myself) the best ones are those that haven't been molested or butchered! I have seen Falcons hopped up and the jobs they did on them was horrible. If the work done was really GOOD and no holes, cracks & that kind of thing [that makes the car unsafe] & you don't have to put in repair $ then yes, I agree pay alot more in the $8 to 12 grand for the car. The ones I have seen have all had those problems I talked to the guy about. That was my point. The Falcons left are few now & the ones owned by a lil ol granny may still be there...just somewhere---right? Why buy a pig in polk when the pig is dead. Its an investment. They always look good on the outside but 45 years of road and weather---come on guys show me one that doesn't have those problems and I'll show you 100 cases of bondo and welding rod used on that car--any car. [especially Chevys--ha]