Hello all!
I'm new here, and figured I could use as much moral support as I can get since I will be starting my first restoration next spring.
I had joined a Yahoo group, but was basically told I should scrap my Mustang and find an easier project with a V8.
I have a 66 Stang, 6cyl auto, emberglow exterior with an emberglow and parchment pony interior.
I'm looking to make it a decent ride, but not a car to be trailered to car shows. I want to weld new metal onto it, not bondo or glass.
Now here is the initial list of things to do...
Quarter panels, trunk floor & drop-downs, partial rear frame rails, floor pans, and possibly 1 door and definitely 1 fender. If I get the metalwork done without doing a total hack job, then I will paint it and purchase an interior kit. After that, it will be cruising the shows and swap meets and using the aftermarket parts suppliers to fix the little things like knobs etc... just enjoying the hunt with my project.
I know I don't have a high dollar car, even if it was in good condition. I wanted something I could learn the restoration process on, without worrying that I might destroy the value of the car.
I plan on keeping the stock drive-train. The engine runs, sort of... carb needs rebuilt and tune up and all fluids changed, then it should be good to go in that department.
Considering that I have very minimal bodywork experience, How difficult would you say my project will be?
Any advice will be appreciated, outside of telling me to give up now, .
Wow! The body panel, floors and the frame rails are going to be the biggest part of the money. If you can do it yourself, you will save a boatload, if not, then you are going to be out as much as buying a V8 car almost done. I'm not trying to discourage you here, but reality sometimes bites, and the reality here is, it's gonna be more in the long run to fix than find another car. Try to find something in better shape, at least have good floors and frame rails, and make this one a donor car.
What you're doing is a lot of work but doable. What the others said about getting another car with less work is correct but if this is your hobby and you have minimal experience then there's no reason you couldn't learn with this car. We ALL had to learn at some point.
My '68 coupe wasn't in that bad of condition, it needed some metal work and still needs good paint, but I couldn't believe the quotes I was getting from body shops to work on the car. I also found out many weren't interested, they strictly did insurance jobs, as that was thier 'bread and butter'.
I decided to do as much work on the car myself as I could. I started buying tools I'd need like a MIG welder (with gas), sandblaster, and other assorted body tools. I take my time and do projects as I have the time and can afford them. I've been able to spread the cost out and I've been learning in the process. Before I did any welding on the car I practiced on scrap sheetmetal and I would research the best way I could come up with to do a particualr job. That's part of the fun of this hobby.
Here's one site that goes into great detail on some of the work you'd be facing http://together.net/~manycj/69Mustang.htm . I've learned a lot from the work he's done on that car and the others on his site. You can see some of the work I've done to my '68 Mustang on my site www.jasonsgarage.com . Like I mentioned on my site somewhere, the replacement sheet metal is cheap, paying someone else to install it will get expensive quick, that's why I decided to buy the tools and do it myself. Plus when this car's done I'm planning on finding another. There's nothing like the satisfaction of doing the repairs yourself.
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1968 Mustang coupe, Acapulco Blue, 289 2v, C-4, Power Steering.
Hopefully a 1969 convertible or Sportsroof (non Mach or Boss) for next Mustang project
Trying to find my father's 1973 Mustang Grande he bought brand new. 3F04F126773 last known registration and title was in New Jersey, 1982.
Well if your intent is to learn the restoration process, then you have the perfect car for that. The other forum folks were correct, if the intent was to have a show winning restoration. However I think you've got an awesome car for what you want from it. I don't know a whole lot about complete restorations yet, but I'll be on my own learning curve here soon. Here's what I do know:
1) disassembly is quicker than reassembly, but to make putting it all back together easier, bag every fastener you take off and label it with as much detail as you can. Even if you plan on scrapping the stuff, you'll need to look at them again to make sure the new ones are correct.
2) Don't get in a rush on anything, if you get frustrated at something, walk away for a little while and then come back to it.
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Sometimes I think that government fits that old-fashioned definition of a baby: An alimentary canal with an appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
- Ronald Reagan
To learn it all on,you've got a goodie.I believe your hardest thing to get right will be the frome rails,get them even a little off and you'll have trouble w/suspension mounting,the car tracking straight down the road,aligning the body panels correctly,etc...I don't have much body experience either-I would try a panel here and there,but the frame rails scare me
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"Life is not a journey to the grave with intentions of arriving safely in a pretty well preserved body,but rather to skid in broadside,thoroughly used up,totally worn out and loudly proclaiming.....WOW!.....What a ride!
"As you grow older,don't slow down,speed up-there's less time left"--over 45 and just now realizing how much I don't know
I plan on doing the work myself, with some assistance from friends. The rear frame rails are rotted from the very back, but they look pretty good about a foot before the bend over the axle. From what I've seen, the partial rails have a tapered end that slides into the good part of the existing rails, so it looks like the alignment part shouldn't be too dificult. I plan on installing full quarters instead of skins, because it seems that there would be less bodywork. I think that the weld line where you would attach the skins would be very critical to get right since they would be on the main surface of the quarter. The area where the rear shocks mount is nice and solid with no rot, so at least thats one part I won't have to replace.
The front frame rails look pretty solid except for the front 10 inches where the bumper mounts attach. Its not gone, but the bottom of the rails are a bit rotted. I think CJPony parts has a patch for that area, so thats what I will go with.
I haven't pulled the fenders yet, so the cowl condition is a bit of an unknown. If anyone knows where I could find some pictures that would show me what to look for, that would be great! I don't want to get the car done, then have a Niagra falls under the dash when it rains.
I'm going to look for a Mustang club close by, to hopefully meet some people who can show me a few tricks etc... for the restoration.
Glad to hear you can partial/patch the frame rail,front and rear,I would attempt those myself since the alignment will still be correct.As far as the cowl,a recent issue of Mustang Monthly (I think) just did an install of a new product out that is the entire cowl instead of patches. 1/4 skins vs panels,not sure which way I'd go-depends on your comfort level of body finishing--Good luck to ya.My 65 fastback is in about the same shape-but good frame rails,it's my "one day" project,but I'm gonna "restomod" it,351,5 spd,rack and pinion steering,disk brakes,etc.
P.S.-you don't see many that color combo,I like it,hope you stick with it
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"Life is not a journey to the grave with intentions of arriving safely in a pretty well preserved body,but rather to skid in broadside,thoroughly used up,totally worn out and loudly proclaiming.....WOW!.....What a ride!
"As you grow older,don't slow down,speed up-there's less time left"--over 45 and just now realizing how much I don't know
I agree with whoever said it doesn't make sense to restore this car...BUT we don't do it because it makes sense, we do it because we want to do it. So screw them and fix it
Stick a garden hose in the cowl and see if water comes pouring in the interior. That's the classic sign of bad cowl hats.
Lil' tip about the rear repair rails: they're something like 3/4" too short so cut your rails accordingly to compensate. Otherwise they are too short to fit in the notch in the rear trunk lip where they weld in, and the spring shackle hole is off too. I caught that mistake when I did the rear rails on my red car, but whoever did my car welded 'em in and moved on so now I've got to stretch both rear rails.
I've seen too many people get ripped off or jacked around by CJs, I'd stick to NPD or KAR. KAR is a bit expensive but most of trunk sheetmetal the parts I bought from them were much better than the ones I purchased somewhere else.
I have to say, I liked the cheapo black-coated repair rail as opposed to the uncoated American Designers one I had. The cheapo has much better bends and is much closer to factory. American Designers was thick and crudely bent.
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66 coupe 5.0/T5, home-brewed power 4 wheel disc setup, 350hp+, looks like it belongs in 1968
Good one Dan,I didn't look at all on your site,but what I saw looks well done/detailed and pictures are good enough for good reference.Should be a big help to all in this situation.If nobody else says it-Thanx
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"Life is not a journey to the grave with intentions of arriving safely in a pretty well preserved body,but rather to skid in broadside,thoroughly used up,totally worn out and loudly proclaiming.....WOW!.....What a ride!
"As you grow older,don't slow down,speed up-there's less time left"--over 45 and just now realizing how much I don't know
Dan,
Thanks for the website link! My shock tower on the driver side has a crudely cut hole in it for greasing also. I was thinking of trying to cut it in a nice even circle and put a plug in it, since it seems like a solid piece on the car without rot on it.
Hey thats why I made the site, I am an amature with basic skills you can do anything if you really want to! Go for it, I love my stang and its a thrill every time I take it out! I am sure you will feel the same when your car is done....Mine sat fo a year before I could drive it but I really enjoyed the work and now driving it!
Restoration Advice 
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