I have had some emails saying why don’t I do a before and after photo set of the restoration? Then I got to thinking as to why I hadn’t up till now. There was no reason, so this post may be cheating a little as there is nothing new here. But what is new is the fact they have never been compared side by side before. As I didn’t start my blog until a year after I bought the car, some of the earliest pictures don’t exist as such, during that time I had re-wired the car for the first time, managed to fire the car up, got the locks working (sort of), painted the trunk section and interior floor pans. Obviously if I had of known I would be doing a blog at that time, I would have documented it all much better than I have done. However my early work was re-done once the car had got to Mustang Maniac. Under their supervision and help it would be done “Properly” as Adam told me. So in effect you are indeed seeing the restoration from scratch, all be it not as bad as it was. I suspect that I would be playing catch up to keep on top of the car all the time to keep it looking good, especially with the original route I was going to take, ie; the amateur way.
Body Work:
Rebuilt Back End:
left quarter
no lights and fuel tank out.
Underside:
This was the old underseal, dirt and what ever else was squirted on there. Welded, ground down, filled, sanded down, painted with red oxide and painted with proper underseal and satin black paint.
from inside the trunk
Doors, Roof and Sides:
new door
right quarter
rear glass removed
daunting start
Rebuilt Front End:
battery tray plate
new door
Interior:
Inside was originally treated with POR15 for rust protection. This was later removed and proper sealant applied at paint and then primer and top coats. The last step was the Dynamat sound proofing, before the carpet that is.
left different angle
Rear back
left side with prep sprayed
Engine:
The story here was that I wanted to go sort of modern with the silicone look. As I knew I wanted a blue look to the car I went for the blue silicone and the blue spark plug leads. I went of the idea and eventually swapped them for the revised black and chrome look. The spark plug leads were changed at the last month as was the valve covers. The cable routing went through a number of variations until I was happy with it at that point. Rewire of the car was the first job as I had to see if the engine started, which it did on the second turn of the key after twelve years of standing years. Pretty impressive.
Brake booster in location at the very back right hand corner
prep for intake removal
Transmission:
unable to even see the grease nipples.
box end
Steering and Suspension:
finger tight fittings
steering box end of column
old shock right side
right
Brakes:
Even the brakes look as good as the outside of the car. The front drum brakes were replaced with disc brake conversion for stopping power and safety. The brake servo was original from the factory but was upgraded to dual system, again for safety.
Drum before treatment
Black caliper
drive shaft removed with back plate in place
brake set and inner gasket on (awaiting additional sprng for the seperator bar under the cylinder
Booster surface rust
Electrical:
All electrics have been replaced and the bulbs converted to LED where I can.
Original burnt out wire loom
lens and bulb out
LEDs located on the housing
Glass and Bright Work Trim:
rubber seal cut away and left on mastic
frame in place
frame Insides cleaned
right inside before clean
right inside cleaned
Original state
Paint Process:
There are hundreds of photos I could add here but I have kept it to the more key stages of the process.
Transportation:
These were some interesting shots of the car coming and going to different places.
ramp up
Driving Her:
Special Thanks:
I have mentioned this before, but none of this would have been possible without the help and moral support from Mustang Maniac and their associates; Adam, Al (Yogi), Paul (Lob Monster), Chris (Careful), John, Paul (the paint), Lance (OCD from Marketing). I have learned so much from them all, above all I have gained some great friends who have all helped me realise a life’s ambition and dream come true.
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