Model A job

[kb426]

Looking good.

[enjenjo]

What's the plan on the bumper, polish or paint, or chrome

[idrivejunk]

No idear. We may not even prime anything as far as I know. Guy just wanted the pan. Kinda looks like a Monza now somehow.

[chimp koose]

IDJ how come when you do panel replacement it looks so easy? Nice work.

[idrivejunk]

Thanks. Its the lighting.

[idrivejunk]

Well Mike says he needs another 1/8" clearance around the idler bracket bolt on right hood side of the A. As I figured. Later on that  The Camario has 42 pull rod holes in the tail light panel.

But the tuck revisions are nearly complete.

I'll probably be on the worm can 68 Firebird next. A time if I can work it in.

[kb426]

The 42 holes could have been worse. They could have braised pull tabs to it.

[idrivejunk]

The whole job was just crap. Poorly planned and poorly done. I don't want my name anywhere near it. Other guys would have just let you go a week with no new content but I am not them.

What these try to show but hardly do is the area where pan terminates at rear of tag pocket. What you see in the notch there, that isn't bumper. Little end pieces fit closely and the part that goes across is only welded at ends and rear-







Hard to make out any of that with the lighting. Hopefully, good riddance. Top speed with quality far below minimum is a soul killer, take my word for that.





Shop is getting a big boy covered outdoor blasting setup. I hope to never have to operate it. My hands would be useless in minutes.

On the homefront, something of a tradition now is standing on the porch watching Grape endure more hail while the insured one worth one tenth as much sits inside.



I'll say it for you... That ain't no hail! OK, OK... park your pride and joy in it then, and love it.

[idrivejunk]

The 42 holes could have been worse. They could have braised pull tabs to it.

If it fit in a frying pan yep, I suppose so.

[idrivejunk]

Bonus distraction post-



Thats a cute little number, with it's girly bodystyle, color, and engine.    Customer visited on the other one which is on the lift. Since boss went to four day weeks I had to take time to show it's owner the deplorable undercar rust repair done by his kinfolk long ago. Left, right, and trunk pans were shaggily hacked out, new pieces laid over top and sparsely connected. Like the tank braces I showed, but everywhere.

I could rant on and on but will just shut up there and do what I'm told but I have seen on several cars where body and suspension mounting pieces are simply sawed through and left hanging and this one is a Lulu. My kindest words and reassurances couldn't avert the nauseous facial expression on the young man as we both avoided the 800 lb gorilla hiding behind the curtain... the how did it get this far with nobody looking under it part. For crying out loud. To skip posting about that upcoming task would be candy coating truth.

So here, look at this and make glasspacky V8 TH400 downshift noises. Loafy ones. 455s don't change tone much climbing hills.



The A could be finished in a day. I'll be working overhead on that though, with constant air tools and sparks, welding upside down under the lift as opposed to squatting because my stool isn't low enough to sit on and work like the last few weeks. Because putting it on a roto either probably costs too much or is currently unavailable clear until the day I finish. So theres that. The nonstop thrill stream of admirable works is about done for good. Nothing like a bunch of halfassing one's preferred brand. Enjoy.

[idrivejunk]

Our hero wanted to yes take some time to help out the tail light panel with the dent puller for less mud depth-



Wasn't sure so included that spot in the epoxy shoot. Looks like this now-

[idrivejunk]

One of the guys took the interior out of that car in preparation for mini tubs yesterday. Today I made the pieces shown below.

When I took the phone out to get this pic, news was there that a dear friend passed yesterday morning. My loved ones are in the midst of a string of natural deaths of friends and or kin with varying degrees of suffering. I feel a bit young for so much of that but am reminded how alive my family and I are and how temporary that is.



Nevertheless... with weakened focus, I cut those apart and flipped one half of each over to produce these  





Day ran out a couple minutes short of bolting the HL bar on but after a tad more finishing with fenders off or brackets off then a bondo bath, they should be hardly noticeable yet nice and snug.



Alas, tomorrow is teardown of a wrecked early first gen Mustang convertible that took a high hit in front. A bloody nose and no brakes. Any wagers on what type master cylinder? Glanced at from 50 yards it looks like a light hit but those core supports are bad puny.

So at least theres another hurdle jumped on the A, and teardown for inspection is my only known task on the ponycar at this time.

[enjenjo]

They have some pretty good repo core supports for the early Mustangs. I installed one a while back.  It fit good.

Ingenious work in the HLB recess. You do nice work.

[idrivejunk]

Many thanks.





They are not as precise as I would like but I'll have to move away from quality from here on out so theres my start. I wondered for weeks how I would handle those pieces but until I had marked metal in hand and was standing at the bead roller making an attempt to taper off a C on one end with the tension adjustment, the idea to split and flip did not present itself. Then I was like "Oh. Duh.". And there they are. Ingenuity required, thats all. It'd be best to reference the bar and pads during mud work there.

Before I did that though, I tore down the Mustang. Before: (yep single master cylinder)  



Core support looks like a banana-



But of course, that is the one part not available.  

So...



I am on the other end of that red stick and the mechanic doesn't have a real steady hand, but-



Then off I went. About half the fender extension bolts snapped off flush. I nearly bled but not quite.

Half hour til lunch, next A operation involves taking some stuff off, so I made sure the gas flap hingenuity was intact-



Didn't fool with the magnetic latch right now. But last customer visit, I regretted that our hero couldn't play with it and show it to his friend. He gets a big enjoy off that flap, man. I look at some of this stuff and wonder how who did it.

[idrivejunk]

Revised blister for additional clearance at outer blower idler bracket bolt-





Oh and the core support availability story changed. Got one coming.