Documenting the restoration of my growing collection of classic Mustangs
I don’t have much time left this year to work on Princess since I will be heading out to spend the holidays with the kids and working on other projects. My last big step this year is going to be the torque boxes. I already installed the back plate, so this is just sealing that up, and getting the front plate installed.
Continue reading “Installing Torque Boxes”
With the wheel wells and rockers in place, its time to start looking at moving the two sub-assemblies that define the convertible roof well and support the top. I don’t know what these are actually called, but one looks like a drip rail and it forms the back and side edges of the compartment the roof is stored in. Additionally, it is the edge of the rear deck between the roof and the trunk lid. This part is not reproduced in a way I can buy just what I need. The other assembly is the divider between the roof well and the back seat, along with the side supports that the roof frame attaches to. It is reproduced, but mine is solid. Both need to move over to the new floor, but at least I don’t have to save all the metal around them when I start pulling them out.
Continue reading “Transferring the Roof Support”
I started in the front. I know when I’m building, I should start from the back, but since I plan on using the front with a new floor, I wanted to solidify it first before I take it off. I also don’t have the floor yet, so this is what I can do. My goal is to replace the battery apron and radiator support while cleaning up anything else I find. That means the passenger frame rail mess.
Continue reading “First Cuts”
The body is back from blasting and priming. All flaws have been laid bare. I knew it was bad, but its even worse than I thought. I am going to end up replacing more sheet metal than I thought, and I thought I was going to be replacing a lot. First step is to do inventory of all the rot and previous owner debauchery.
Continue reading “The Concept of a Plan”
The body is off to get blasted so I am here in the shop looking for things to do. I have the blast cabinet and air compressor online in the new shop, so I figured I could start cleaning some things up for later. I like rebuilding the hinges, so I started there.
Continue reading “Breaking Down and Blasting”
Most of the external parts are removed, leaving the power train and the suspension. Once I get that removed, I will need to figure out how to get it on the body cart without a lift. It turns out a body cart is kind of tall compared to where the body sits on its own suspension.
Continue reading “On the Body Cart”
After spending some time sorting out the original wire harness on the 68 F-250, I started leaning heavily towards a new aftermarket harness. This truck needs to be solid for the owner who doesn’t want everything exactly vintage as much as the vintage look with reliability as a focus. With all the cut wires and hacks under the dash and under the hood, we decided to do a few upgrades and focus on keeping it looking original, but making it easier to get working again while also adding some reliability.
Continue reading “American Autowire Upgrade Part 1”
A friend has a 68 F-250 that has been in his wife’s family for years that he recently came into possession of. It needs a bunch of electrical re-assembly and unfortunately, the previous owner is no longer able to help provide any clues as to what was being done when work stopped. Since it’s a Ford and the same era as what I have built up some experience working on, I offered to put it back together. It’s a beautiful truck and in great shape with some good restoration work done already. The only real problem looks to be electrical.
Continue reading “Getting a 68 F-250 Back On the Road”
The 65 has been sitting for too long. My blocker has been several welding projects that need doing before I can start working on body work and paint. Blocking that has been my total lack of welding experience. So, over the past year, I have been making progress on addressing that. First, I got a welder and took a welding class. Next I got a rotisserie so I can get the 65 into a place I can start the welding and eventually paint prepping and sanding. Time to get the 65 on the twirler.
Continue reading “New Tools – Rotisserie”
Derek’s 67 is close to done, but I haven’t been home to work in the shop for quite a while. I would like to get it back on the road so I can free up some shop space to ultimately get back to focusing on the 65. Currently, he needs the clutch connected to the pedal, a new driveline, and an exhaust. At that point, it should be ready to start and figure out what needs attention to make it road worthy. Starting from the front, I decided to get the clutch working first.
Continue reading “Modern Driveline Cable Clutch Kit”