[MommyCar65]

Help,

Talked about my 65 needing body work. After engine or course. Has vinyl top which is old and am sure there is much rust under it. Need suggestions and ideas of where to purchase/order etc. I was thinking restoring it to metal only and no vinyl. I know all is possible if you have big bucks yet don't have um'. Please advise.

MommyCar65

[Preacher17]

Originally Posted by MommyCar65

Help,

Talked about my 65 needing body work. After engine or course. Has vinyl top which is old and am sure there is much rust under it. Need suggestions and ideas of where to purchase/order etc. I was thinking restoring it to metal only and no vinyl. I know all is possible if you have big bucks yet don't have um'. Please advise.

MommyCar65

Years ago I helped a friend remove the vinyl top from his 66 Pontiac...no problem at all, just be sure you have all the glue off and the metal is properly prepped for paint and you should be good. You'll have fun replacing it if thats the way you want to go...can be done yourself and I've seen the directions in several books on restorations...but it may be better paying someone to do it unless you don't mind screwing it up and doing it all over again. I'm in the -"it's my car so if I screw it up it's no big deal" group. There is a learning curve with everything we do but the pride and bragging rights you'll have when your done is worth the price of buying an extra top if you mess it up.

Mustang Restoration Handbook by Don Taylor and Tom Wilsom (ISBN 0-89586-402-9) Has the instrutions. Any book store can order it just give them the ISBN number.The Paddock sells new repo tops for $59.95 but the catalog I have is a couple of years old so it may be a bit more but still reasonable. (www.paddockparts.com)

Hope that helps.

Mike

[fastbck65]

the preacher man has good advice. They have all kinds of replacement vinyl tops available. My '73 had a vinyl top. There are instructions for a '71-'73 top replacement at www.desertmustangs.com
if you want to look at it. It's probably similiar to earlier installation techniques.

I chose to go with a metal top though and not fool with the sticky stuff and trying to replace all the trim and moldings. Like you, I'm sure there are rust pockets under the top. It's just a big water trap anyway. The corners of your windows and the lead seams where the rear quarters weld onto the top probably need attention.

[MommyCar65]

Guys,

Thanks a bunch for the info. Checked out the sites and ordered my free catalog already. Yeah, corners of the windows definitely need attention. Runs good though. Sounds like its got a hole in a muffler pipe or needs donut replaced. Just got my headlights to turn on as well as my driver side tail light. (My little project.) Husband wanted me to take it to the electrical shop. Didn't want to let me play with my toy. Need to work on my blinkers now. By the way, I just got my tranny rebuild. My husband mentions it could have two gears only??? Know anything about that. When I accelarate, it picks up real good but have to get to a certain speed. Also, carb flap, should that have a spring or something. Looks to me like its missing something. When I turn it on, like it wants to choke. Needs to be reved up to idle or it will turn off or is that normal. Not really sure. Again, new at this and I'm a supervisor at a social service agency and not a mechanic! Sometimes wish I was though. Laters!!

MommyCar65

[meangreen92]

I'm sure it has three gears, it's just that the shifter will only let you select drive, which is 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, or you can put it in low, which is either 1st and 2nd, or just 2nd. There's no (good) way to hold it in first gear.
It sounds like your choke might be messed up, or need adjustment. It's the metal flap at the top of the carb. It should be closed when the engine is cold - in cold weather. As the engine warms up, it should open. If the weather is warm, it really shouldn't close. You could just buy a cable kit at the autoparts store, and convert it to manual choke.