A Few More Tasks Done...

I installed the bolt-on hood scoop with a scoop grill that matches the 66-style grill. The holes were already drilled before paint, so this decision was made a long time ago. IMHO it breaks up the large hood visually. Someday I will cut a hole in the hood to make the scoop functional... Also installed the driver's kick panel, which required some trimming to fit with all the sound insulation I've installed. And then installed the driver's side door weatherstrip. So I guess there are now two small "gotchas" with these reproduction doors. There should be two holes for the plastic plugs on each end of the weatherstrip. One hole was a little too big and the other hole was missing. I used my old doors as a template to see the right size hole and to locate where I needed to drill the new hole. All the lock mechanisms and rods went in great a couple weeks ago. The real test for these doors will be when the glass guy installs the glass...

Am I Done Yet?

The glass guy stood me up today, so that was a bust, but did get the hood installed after about an hour of messing with it. Painted both door interior panels with final coats. Also washed the car with a wet rag to get all the fingerprints off. Took it around the block. Maybe a few more weeks of finishing touches... Woo Hoo!

Show Me the Door

I began painting one of the door interior panels today. My painter accidently painted the door interior panel with 2 coats of Dupont basecoat a few months ago, thankfully I caught him before he cleared it with activator. So I scuffed it and shot it with lacquer primer and lacquer Medium Blue Metallic to match the dash and rear quarters. I put one more coat on after this photo was taken and frankly it could use another, which I will do this weekend after the glass installer does the side windows (in case the interior paint gets scratched).

Busy Day!

I added the headlight extensions, surrounds, headlights, and grill components today. Then I added the bumper which required three pairs of hands to get it all aligned and installed without scratching anything. The pony emblem is from the fender, but installed on the grill instead like Shelby did back in the day. I should mention that this front license plate is the original California black plate from when the car was new back in 1966 and has been on the car ever since. The plates stay on California cars even after they are sold to somebody else, until they leave the state. I will keep it there.

Now We Are Looking Like Something...

The doors, fenders, and trunklid (which needs a small adjustment) are on, and I just finished installing the front valance and stone deflector above it. There's a seam that runs down the side of the car all the way at the bottom. I taped off and undercoated that seam so it wouldn't catch so much light and look ugly. On the front valance pic you can see the silver zinc-plated bolts. I just picked up my final batch of hardware from Surtronics, but this batch wasn't as smooth and nice as past batches. The finish appears a bit rough and dull. Not sure what the reason is for that. Also I had previously replaced the headlight harness and all the other wiring on the car except for the main harness, which was in great shape. I also added a Drake headlight relay harness that should brighten the already-brighter halogen Sylvania headlights considerably...

It's Alive! (And It's Loud!)

After a 14-month hibernation, the beast was awakened. I hired Jim from Markus Mobile to stop by and spend a couple hours with me as we woke the car from its slumber. We reinstalled the MSD Ignition 8582 Pro-Billet Distributor since I had removed it without marking the rotor position a couple weeks ago (oops), threw in some fresh Autolite AR3924 Racing Spark Plugs, hooked up the electric choke, and set the temp on the electric fan. At first we were trying to find TDC to install the distributor, so the car was popping and exploding out the dumptubes and once out of the carb. When the car was running, Jim tweaked the Holley for a good idle. It was so loud, but sounded unreal. What a freakin' relief that was...

Brace Yourself

I recently purchased and installed an export brace and a curved Monte Carlo bar (fits tall MSD distributor) to stiffen up the front suspension. Previously I had a chrome Shelby-style one-piece that was period correct, but a little flimsy (and too flashy). These new black tubular pieces are from Global West, and since I have many of their other suspension pieces on the car already, these new ones look good. I should say that since the six stock shock tower nuts and external tooth washers were too tall with this set up I bought some 5/16-24 cone lock-nuts to replace them and they fit great. I also bought 4 rubber washers to go between the fresh paint on the cowl and the back mounting area of the bar.

It's Been How Long?!

So, the first photo is of my daughter as soon as I finished the interior of the car -- the first time -- and decided I'd send the car out for a $6500 paint job a few days later...

The second photo is of my daughter just the other day, now that the car has been back from the painter's for a few weeks after a paint job WAY more than $6500. See a difference (besides the car being blue)?! 435 days to do bodywork and paint the car.

Undercoatin'

It seemed a shame to cover the nice new paint under the front fenders with undercoating, but the paint would be damaged from rock chips in no time if I left them bare. So here's what I did.

Junk in the Trunk: Part II

Here's a quick shot of the trunk where I installed a larger 22-gallon fuel tank (with new sender) that I had painted silver and then clearcoated from a rattle can. I undercoated the new trunk metal with a 3M product and will be covering the whole enchilada with Ford Blue carpet. More on that later...

That Wasn't So Bad

So the headliner installed pretty well with a minimum of fuss. I hadn't installed one before and bought a Medium Blue one with matching visors and a new rear view mirror. My dad helped me with an extra set of hands here and there. I used Navy Blue windlace, which matches the 66 Original Blue seats. I have two tips: buy the professional glue in the can for about $5 that they sell with the headliner, and put your old screws back in the holes before installing the new headliner, but don't bottom them out. Screw them about halfway so they are easier to find... The only area that needs a bit more pulling are the rear sail panels which I'll do right before the rear shelf and quarter panels go in... (I forgot to get photos of the Dynamat I installed on the roof in two large sheets and the full coverage of jute padding glued up there.)

If the Glass Fits...

I hired a pro to install the glass. I paid $125 per windshield for labor. A tip is to keep the old clips. The new clips today are thin and are not springy enough to hold the stainless trim very well. My trim was from Mustangs Unlimited and fit well for repros (but haven't done the front yet.) The seals had Licensed by Ford labels on them and they were good too. The rear shelf is still under construction, but notice that it is metal welded to the frame. In fact the panel behind the rear seat is metal too, for a little fire supression...

Have a Seat

I had refinished the seats some time ago and was able to install them the other day with my wife helping me to hold them down. [Edit: Ok, my wife is demanding that I state that she placed the driver's seat into position by herself. I stand corrected.] The seats are "1966 Original Blue" but are not two-tone. They were custom made by Upholstery in Motion out of California. The price was a steal and my only problem installing the covers was that my cheap replacement foam wasn't thick enough, so I added extra padding myself. The seat belts are aircraft-style in 2" black webbing with blue stitching made by Rich Design in Canada (and bought on eBay). The carpet is Ford Blue (and is brighter in real-life.) I trimmed the edges and glued them with 3M high-strength spray glue.

Dyn-O-Mite!

I've installed nearly the whole two boxes of Dynamat 10455 Xtreme. I bought the nine-sheet boxes from Amazon for $114 each shipped (36 square feet per box). I covered the floors from the rear seats all the way up to the firewall, the kick panel areas, behind both door skins, and the rear wheel arches. When the rear quarter interior pieces are going in, I will cover the window assembly area instead of using the standard flimsy watershield. I sealed the seams of the Dynamat with A/C Duct aluminum tape. A 50-yard roll is $10 or less. On top of the Dynamat, I put the standard Mustang underlayment and even a large extra sheet of jute padding on the seat stands before the carpet (didn't get a photo, too excited)... Also, in the photo you can see the heater box reinstalled after being resealed so it should be functional and rattle-free now.

Lots o' Parts

I took these photos before I left on a trip about two weeks ago (in case the house burned down and I needed to show the insurance company what was in the garage.) Fortunately, the house and everything else were still there when I returned.

The Cowl: Up Close and Personal

After cleaning most of the cowl area, here's what I had. Definitely no rust here... Removing the tar sealant that was applied from the factory required a stiff paint scraper and -- for the residue -- I used 3M General Adhesive Remover (one aerosol can).

Almost Done with the POR-15

Here's the front and rear with POR-15 Black Semi-Gloss applied and also some 3M clear sealant from a caulk tube. The cowl is tackled in the next installment. The four large silver floor plugs were removed, cleaned, and reinstalled with sealant after the POR-15 was put down. While I'm thinking about it, I used one quart of POR-15 in gloss black and 2 tubes of 3M sealant over the POR-15 at the many seams.

Cleaned and Ready for POR-15

Ok, here's the driver's side front and rear. Very little rust, mainly just surface rust in areas that are normally rotted away... I had to grind down some rust in the driver's footwell area, then used an epoxy adhesive to install a small patch panel cut from a replacement footwell. Came out pretty well. I've already used POR-15 Black Semi-Gloss on the passenger side.