Engine Compartment and Front-End

After the engine was pulled, the engine compartment showed itself as one big, dirty mess. I took it to a steamcleaning place that washed away the 44 years of grease and grime. The battery "arpon" was rusted and needed to be replaced, which was done by the (horrible) bodyshop. Although I told them not to paint the engine compartment, they did (sigh). When I got the car home, I stripped their awful engine compartment paint job and refinished the compartment as I originally intended. It took more work because of their failure to follow instructions (a practice I sadly learned they were determined to frequently repeat).I removed every nut, bolt, and bracket. Everything was restored or replaced. The engine compartment was sanded, and sanded, and sanded, and (well, you get the idea). I then sprayed it with several coats of satin black Rustoleum Universal. I love the finish this paint provides, but I've had two (2) cans become unusuable while still half-full because their unique sprayer stopped working. It's relatively expensive paint, so this is a big problem in my humble opinion. Otherwise, the finish looks great. After it rested for a few days, I attached the reproduction service decal in its original location and reinstalled all of the little pieces of hardware I had removed. There is still much more to do before the rebuilt engine goes back in. So far, I'm happy with the results.

The front suspension was a relatively easy task, except for installation of the coil springs. I purchased one type of spring compressor that I used to remove them. It worked, but I didn't feel safe using it. I bought another, more expensive compressor to install them; it is the one offered by most Mustang parts houses.
The bolt is too long, so you have to add about four (4) inches of washers to get the right clearance. That seemed too dangerous to me. I finally rented a spring compressor from American Mustang in Rancho Cordova. They walked me through how I should use it. It took me a couple of hours to reinstall the passenger-side spring, and only 40 minutes to do the driver-side. I feel pretty confident that I could now do any coil spring installation in 20 minutes. All of the little "tricks" you need to know are not covered in any of the reference books I consulted. And the Ford-recommended compressor is no longer available. Let's just say it was an adventure. The purple marks were originally on the springs, and I tried my best to accurately recreate them. I will install the new shocks after the engine is installed. I need the weight of the engine to compress the springs so I can attached the shocks to the lower control arm.

Parts Restoration

I'd never done upholstery work before, but the car had been sitting for years and the foam and vinyl were a wreck. I stripped the seats down to the frame, sanded and repainted the frames, installed new burlap and foam. Then I restored the "listing wires" (which keep the seat cover's shape), and went to town with the hog rings to attached the covering to the foam and frame. Like all new challenges, the first one took a lot longer than the last one. Overall, I was pretty happy with the outcome. I tried very hard to keep the entire process and materials as original as possible. I think I did that, and I was fortunate to have an original car to start with, as opposed to one that had been repeatedly refinished by people who didn't care about the factory processes.

The emblems for the side of the front fenders required some detail work with small paint brushes. Several failed attempts were experienced before I figured out the best approach. These emblems, as well as the fuel filler door, are available as reproduction parts. Generally, the restoration has been guided with a bias toward original parts if at all possible.

The same is true for the rear/tail light assemblies. I cleaned them, coated them with rust-proofing — some agent that chemically reacts with the rust to create a strong surface and retards future rust. Then I painted them with silver paint and sprayed clear over that. The clear gave them an almost aluminum finish, which looks like the part when it was new, and is still the original part. Overall, I was happy with the outcome of these parts, though I was least pleased with the fuel filler door. I was able to repaint the lettering and other areas, but the spun part of the chrome didn't come out as shiny as I had hoped.

Like everything about restoration, whether it's a car, house, piece of furniture, etc., one needs to constantly remind himself that it will take longer and cost more than originally anticipated. In some ways, that is really frustrating. In other ways, it is a good reminder to stay humble, be patient, and take pride in whatever task is before you.

History, Disassembly, and Paint

I'm restoring a 1966 Mustang Coupe. After several fits, starts, interruptions, and restarts, the car is (hopefully) a few months away from being road worthy. While I had refurbished a few cars when I was a teenager and in college, I'd never embarked on a full-on restoration. I have two 1966 Mustang Convertibles that I want to restore, so I thought the coupe would be an excellent learning exercise.

The first picture is mid-teardown. I had pix of what it looked like the day I put it on the trailer to bring home, but they were on my old computer, which died when I spilled a drink on it.

The Original Car: Built in San Jose. Arcadian Blue. White vinyl roof. Blue and white "Delux" (Pony) interior. 289 V8. 2bbl carburetor. Power steering. Power brakes. Air conditioning.

History: The car was traded in at Running Bear Ford Mercury in Sonora, California around 1974. My family owned the dealership. John, our Sales Manager, purchased the car for his son to drive. His son drove it through high school and college. Sometime in the late 1980's or early 1990's, the carburetor needed rebuilding and the car was parked. Around 2001 I started harassing John to either sell it to me or fix it up. We haggled for a few months before agreeing to a price.

By the time I got it, the years of just sitting had taken there toll. The good new was that the car had never been repainted or otherwise "messed" with. It had suffered a couple of dents during its operational life, but those could be fixed. Besides the decay of the ages (and dirt), it was all there, unmolested and ready to a restoration.

After it was disassembled, it was steamcleaned, sandblasted to remove all of the old paint and bondo, and seam-sealed before being delivered to the bodyshop. Before it was taken to the bodyshop. I had is sprayed in red oxide primer - just as it would have been at the factory. It was delivered to the bodyshop needing bodywork, some panel installation (doors hung and aligned, a new battery apron), and paint. I ordered Arcadian Blue in single-stage acrylic for its similar look to factory and modern-day durability.

Wrong color! The shop was supposed to be done with it in 4-weeks. It took much longer. The guy I had originally dealt with had left the employment of the shop, and a new guy took over. He assured me not to be worried, that everything was under control. I foolishly believed him. It took another several weeks to get the car painted. When they did, they did several things absolutely contrary to what we had repeatedly discussed. It was supposed to be painted the original Arcadian Blue. The shop messed up in a BIG way and painted it the wrong color. I considered suing them or turning them into the Bureau of Automotive Repair, but we negotiated a small reduction in the price and I brought the car home. I will NEVER use or recommend that shop again. It is a pretty blue. I admit that. It just isn't the color I expected, dreamed about, or specifically ordered (as was stated on the work-order that I signed). Hopefully, I will feel better about it all when the car is completed. It is a lot of work to be unhappy.

Stay tuned for additional updates.