Another Mustang in for.....

Jbird · January 30, 2009, 02:05:00 AM

reconstructive surgery. This one is a 67 that's been in the same family for three generations. The grandson took it apart and took the body to a sandblaster, after the blasting was done the blaster assured him he could do the rust repair. three months and 3500$ later the blaster decided he couldn't do the job. The young man picked up the car with the floor chopped up as you see it. He took the body to several shops, trying to get the work done. Everyone of them told him to find another body, when he first brought it to us I told him the same thing. But the family history with this car has him convinced this is what he wants to do.
We're going to replace the whole floor pan, install a Total Control coil over rear suspension system, replace the front frame rails & install sub frame connectors, repair a little rust in the front foot wells, install a new radiator support and inner fenders, reinforce the front shock towers and install a Total Control coil over font suspension system.
I started out by squaring the body up on my drive on lift then bolting some doors on it. Once we had it square and flat and the doors fit nicely I made some enjenjo inspired "doors". I had the body just high enough off the rack that I could weld on the brackets for the rear suspension then I made a spreader bar to bolt to the brackets to hold the rear frame rails in place. Now I'm reinforcing the front shock towers before welding in the radiator support and front tins. Then I'm gonna put it on the rotisserie and fire up the briquets. Jbird

Jbird · January 30, 2009, 02:11:00 AM

The reconstruction begins

enjenjo · January 30, 2009, 10:45:41 AM

Glad I was able to help inspire you. That lloks a bit better than the one I did, but not much.

wayne petty · January 30, 2009, 12:11:20 PM

with all this cutting and splicing going on.. maybe its time to start checking ebay for frame racks...

i was just curious ... has anybody make or their jack stands so they can be clamped on the pinch welds??? to hold the car stable...

or even drilled two holes through their jack stand saddles to put bolts through to tighten a a pair of plates on both sides of the saddle so no major force is put on the cast?? saddle..

again .. just a thought...

Jbird · February 05, 2009, 12:25:08 AM

Some more progress pics. So far about five pounds of garnet blaster media has fallen out of the car, usually in my "hair" or down the back of my neck. I haven't burnt up the spot weld cutter yet but I broke one sawzall blade and cooked one pneumatic hacksaw blade. The rotisserie works like a charm.

Crosley.In.AZ · February 05, 2009, 07:30:25 AM

looks like you have done some welding around the front spring tower - control arm braces

Jbird · February 05, 2009, 10:36:31 AM

Yeah, Ford reinforced them on the big block cars and since this one is going to have a supercharged 408" stroker motor it seems like a good idea. Here's a better pic. I cold bent the weld ons out of 3/16" cold rolled. I still have to install the rears, that should happen today. Jbird

enjenjo · February 05, 2009, 11:50:25 AM

How do you like the fit of those repro parts? Are you going to install a full floor pan? You want a picture of my fixture for clamping the floorpan pinchwelds to the rocker boxes?

Wayne, when I did this one, I tack welded the fabricated stands to the pinchweld on the bottom of the rockers. I considered bolting them, but there was not enough room.

Isn't it fortunate that people want to restore cars that are really too far gone to do? any more, I'll search out a better body for myself, it's cheaper in the long run.

Jbird · February 05, 2009, 11:00:17 PM

Thanks Frank, a picture of your jig would be really helpful. I'm doing the whole pan plus a couple of patches on the front footwells. Sometimes it seems like the repop parts are for some never built Mustang concept car. Tomorrow morning I finish up the right torque box then I get to slice out the rest of the old pan, just glad my lockjaw shots are up to date. Jbird