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 Posted - December 20 2014 : 8:22:36 PM
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Hey guys, forgive me, but I know this is way off topic here, but I thought I would share anyway for those who like restoring old cars.
I finally pulled my baby out into the daylight for the first time in two years. Headed to the shop yesterday for final assembly! It should be done by Spring. I started rebuilding it about 10 years ago now. Never thought it would take this long. All that is left is to swap the manual choke with an electric choke, hang the exhaust, install the glass, assemble the front grille assembly and install the interior.
Yesterday, getting it there, we encountered a problem with the steering gear box. Looks like a simple fix however.
I started with a bare shell. After purchasing 8 parts cars, I finally acquired just about all the option I could. The only three I could not get were the tilt wheel steering, fold down rear seat and posi traction rear. All of those are still on my radar and will add when I find them.
So, instead of going on and on about it, I though I would show some pictures...
Here she is on the day I pulled her from the paint shop:
This is the custom paint I had done to the hood. The paint color is actually blue pearl on black. The blue only shows up when headlights or a flash of light hits it. Otherwise it looks black.
Late in 2012, my neighbor finished putting the engine together for me and got her running:
After that, he installed the rest of the wiring:
Then she sat. Neither of us had time to work on it. My kids hockey took all my time. But finally, a shop Brian told me about finally had an opening and away she went! Man! Look at the dust that piled up in two years! Since she was in the garage on jack stands and being worked on, we could not wash her. Then the dust accumulated and so I could not cover her. It just got worse from there!
This was the first time I saw her face in almost two years!
Made it to the shop safe and sound! Man was I ever nervous. The most nervous was when we were loading it of course.
So here she sits.. ready to get worked on:
The first task after swapping the choke...
Then install the Flowmaster dual stainless steel exhaust:
Then it's time to install the interior:
Then eventually the grill, glass and many other small little details to button up!
If you guys are interested, I'll keep you posted on the progress.
Sean
"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!" - Mario Andretti!
Edited by - Mustangs_n_Trains on December 20 2014 8:24:38 PM
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Posted - December 20 2014 : 8:31:09 PM
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You can keep me posted.
It looks sweet so far.
Evan
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Posted - December 20 2014 : 9:31:10 PM
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| Nice! I want a ride along!
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Posted - December 20 2014 : 9:53:22 PM
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Hi Mustangs_n_Trains,
Man, I love the way this looks so far!
Please keep us posted on your progress.
Mytyco
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Posted - December 20 2014 : 9:58:01 PM
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I'm sure there are car guys on the Tyco Forum ( Me! Me! ) as well as train guys. I have a driveway full of AMC projects ( most I'll never get to I think ). I want this thread updated as well. Stick a Tyco train in the trunk occasionally for a post, and you're good. ;)
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - December 20 2014 : 10:16:23 PM
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Thanks for posting Sean - it looks SWEET  and it's finally heading for the finish line. Looking forward to more progress posts!
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - December 20 2014 : 10:39:42 PM
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Just wonderful! What's under the hood?
" Heck with counting 'em rivets, TRAINS ARE FOR FUN! Not called the Mad Scientist for nothing either!"
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Posted - December 20 2014 : 10:52:02 PM
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Interesting, Sean... My love, my hobby and my living revolves around cars & trucks..  What engine is in the Mustang?
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Posted - December 20 2014 : 10:52:29 PM
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I saw the title of this thread and then who posted it...I was going to be a little upset if there weren't car pics in here.  Everything looks great so far, you're getting very close to the finish. I can only wish I had a garage to work on my project in like you do. Keep us updated!
Edited by - DaCheez on December 20 2014 10:53:29 PM
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Posted - December 20 2014 : 11:10:49 PM
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Impressive build. I've never been much of a car guy myself, but the story of someone's restoration project is always pretty cool. And somehow I get the impression that no one here has ever cared if things are off topic Keep us posted!
--CRC
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Posted - December 20 2014 : 11:45:44 PM
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One of my favorite builds was this S-10 a few years ago. Many body modifications including remote door openers (no door handles) , no visible gas filler door, etc... Air ride was added to raise & lower the truck...Could also hop around by moving the air ride controls quickly... House Of Kolor Tangelo Pearl Orange polished to a mirror finish. The owner told me later "its so slick that the cover wont stay on it in the garage"...
   
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Posted - December 21 2014 : 01:50:34 AM
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quote:Just wonderful! What's under the hood?
Originally posted by Redneck Justin - December 20 2014 : 10:39:42 PM
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quote:Interesting, Sean... My love, my hobby and my living revolves around cars & trucks.. What engine is in the Mustang?
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Thanks guys! I just wanted to make sure it was OK with the regulars here before I added more.
Justin & Walt, the engine is a 351 Windsor pulled from a '69 Grande purchased from a guy named Justin in New Jersey. Purchased for ~$2,250 back in 2006. Also, equipped with a C6 trans and options including 9" rear, AC, PS and power assisted disc brakes. All but the trans was used on my Mustang. I still need to rebuild the AC compressor, but the under dash portions are all restored and installed.
The trans is a 4-speed toploader snagged from a 69 Coupe Parts Car found in Columbus. It was equipped with a 289 which I saved and is to be used later in on my '67 fastback Mustang.
I Paid ~$1,850, but traded the rolling car, less engine & trans for both full rear quarters, deck lid, rear outer wheel wells, tail light pan, and both front and rear valances. All original Dynacorn parts, and all of which went into my '69, in addition to, new floor, both front fenders, 2x full doors and a new hood.
My project Mustang also has has a very very rare option added. (By me) It is an instrument cluster with a factory tach. The cluster was included in this mess:
Only part I used from the entire purchase is 3/4 of the way back on the right. It is a instrument cluster with 120 mph speodo & 8000rpm tach. All of which came as part of this purchase:
A 1970 Mach I from Prospect PA. I think I paid $2,00 for everything. I had been hounding the guy who lived approximately 30 miles from my home to sell me a 70 fastback Mustang that was sitting in the weeds on his property. I found it 4 years earlier while doing a property survey for the adjacent property. I called the courthouse, located the legal owner's name and phone number, then was re-directed to the property co-owner, then to his son. After leaving about 12-14 messages on his answering machine over the course of the first year, he finally answered. He was quite stern and would not sell and finished the call with an abrupt hang-up.
I let it go for about a year, then I decided to start calling again.. The number was disconnected, so I had to start all over again. This time, when I talked to his parents, I decided to go a different route. I explained my story to them and how I was building mine and wanted to buy his because I needed the parts and his was "rotting away in the field". The first call was with his father, the second was with his mother, which I think was my best move that day. If you ever want to buy something that someone has sitting and rotting away, go to mom.
After that, I called ever other month or so for the next two years. Around January 2008, I was headed to Michigan to do some work for/on the Lake and State Rwy. We stopped by the field on the way. The car had been vandalized and all the lose parts saved in the interior had been stolen. I immediately called the mom again and told her. I think I called one more time in February. Friday... shortly before I was rear-ended on my way home from work, I got a call from the son.. He wants to sell.. not only the car, but all the parts he has at his house too... What a LUCKY DAY! Yeah, I got into an accident with a much larger SUV shortly after the call, but what the heck, he hit me, so still my lucky day! Persistence is the key!
Nearly 4 hours of the day were spent getting my buddy's truck and trailer un-stuck from the mud, out in the middle of no where using two come-alongs and a long chain. That's a whole other long and funny story!
Sean
"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!" - Mario Andretti!
Edited by - Mustangs_n_Trains on December 21 2014 01:53:32 AM
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Posted - December 21 2014 : 02:56:33 AM
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My passion is restoring old parts. This Ford rear disc brake part goes on my narrowed rear end for my Dodge A-100. 1st photo is the original nasty rusty part after take off. 2nd pic is the same part totally clean, sandblasted to bare metal. 3rd pic is part primed quickly after the blasting, with PPG's DP-40 gray-green epoxy primer with new seal. On my truck project.. Every part will be cleaned like this one, The under side of the truck floors and chassis parts will all get blasted with sand, glass or soda...then painter a nice color. Maybe the Tangelo Pearl orange as the truck above...
  
Edited by - walt on December 21 2014 03:01:38 AM
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Posted - December 21 2014 : 07:43:45 AM
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| Sean, excellent story and I personally don't mind hearing the back story on your Mustang. Keep posting pictures and telling stories!! Oh, by the way sweeeeeeet car!!!
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Posted - December 21 2014 : 12:21:37 PM
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Sean the Stang is a beauty, sounds great too. I have a '07 GT 500 in the garage. I love the solenoid start in the video. I've used that move many times in the past. Keep us posted, would love to see and hear it when it's finished.
Tom
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Posted - December 21 2014 : 12:29:48 PM
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Dude, I love Mustangs. Keep them coming. 
-Steve
"A lot of modellers out there who go to these train shows see broken HO stuff and go, 'This is useless' when, in reality, they can still be used for modeling whether it's as a prop on your layout or a cool project to make something old new again."
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Posted - December 21 2014 : 12:41:27 PM
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quote:One of my favorite builds was this S-10 a few years ago. Many body modifications including remote door openers (no door handles) , no visible gas filler door, etc... Air ride was added to raise & lower the truck...Could also hop around by moving the air ride controls quickly... House Of Kolor Tangelo Pearl Orange polished to a mirror finish. The owner told me later "its so slick that the cover wont stay on it in the garage"...
/tyco/forum/uploaded
Originally posted by walt - December 20 2014 : 11:45:44 PM
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Nicely done Walt!
Sean
"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!" - Mario Andretti!
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Posted - December 21 2014 : 5:38:24 PM
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I think IF I ever did this my car would be a 1969 Dodge Charger in orange & 01s on the side
with a 4 or 5 speed stick cruise control & then drive it to Hazard, Nebraska hehe
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Posted - December 21 2014 : 8:11:21 PM
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Sean I seen the pictures of it leaving to the shop on Flickr a few days ago. Unless they were old ones. I never seen a mustang where the windshield opened up.
ank
toptrain
" It's a Heck of a Day " !!!
Edited by - toptrain on December 22 2014 08:47:12 AM
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Posted - December 24 2014 : 09:50:25 AM
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OK.. well for some progress. The shop text me the following images. I did not have a chance to see her in person yet. The mufflers look a little crooked. He called me and said he had some trouble getting the system to fit. From what I can see in the photos, since the wheels are not supported, the rear axle is pushing down on the drive shaft which in turn is pushing on the H-pipe cross pipe. If you support the rear wheels by placing a transmission jack under the pumpkin and raise it up a few inches, this will reduce the load on the exhaust. You then should be able to straighten/level the mufflers.
When I stop on Friday to take some pics and a video of it running, I'll be sure to tell him this. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear it!
Sean
"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!" - Mario Andretti!
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Posted - January 15 2015 : 12:23:56 PM
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OK guys... been really moving on her and she is nearing completion. This week I registered her with PA DOT and have been issued a license plate. The headliner went in yesterday. The door glass is in and needs only to be adjusted. The window crank mechanisms have been rebuilt. The front half of the carpet is in.
I repaired and painted the rear seat side panels. This morning before work, I epoxied the back side of a crack on the center console and reinforced it with a fibre glass mesh. This evening I will paint it black and tomorrow /Saturday it will be ready to install. I still need to repaint the glove box door. All the rest of the interior trim pieces have been either purchased and or re-painted and restored.
The windshield and rear glass and stainless steel window trim are all going in today. I spent roughly 8 hours over the past two days buffing and polishing the old window trim. The rear glass was polished and the windshield is brand new.
I also assembled the driver's seat and it will be going in once the glass is in. The way the car can be driven for the first time!
Sean
"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!" - Mario Andretti!
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Posted - January 17 2015 : 3:46:01 PM
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| Well Sean, that automobile sounds and looks pretty healthy. I would have expected no less of you.
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Posted - January 17 2015 : 8:50:12 PM
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Very nice off topic project Sean. I like it !
frank
toptrain
" It's a Heck of a Day " !!!
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Posted - September 04 2017 : 12:09:40 PM
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OK... I've had some new updates to post on this topic... Got my mistress running for about 18 months before the lifters started tapping. I did only a cosmetic rebuild on the 351 before putting it in. It was a strong running engine so I figured i would run it until it ran not more... (or at least until I could not stand the engine noise.)
So early last Spring I decided to tear the engine down. Shortly before this, my wife was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. After tearing her down, I never went back to her until last weekend... There she sat for nearly 18 months. Well long story short, my wife is still battling the cancer and I have decided I can not take not being able to drive my mistress any longer...
The harmonic balancer gave me fits and refused to come off using usual tools and even my air ratchet.. Therefore I had to pull out the plumbing tools... Since I was not planning on using the crank again, I was not worried about damaging it.
I took the block to a machine shop in McKeesport Pa. They dipped clean and magnafluxed the block to check for cracks and any other imperfections. There the shop owner told me the block had previously been bored 0.030 over and there was a groove in one of the cylinder walls. We needed to bore it again. He recommended we go to 0.060 over instead of doing 0.040 over and using oversized rings. So now the engine compartment cleaning begins...
I cleaned and wax polished the engine bay...
I even resorted to using a toothbrush and engine degreaser to clean the bell housing and the transmission...
So after a lot of searching and discussions with my Mustang buddy Paul, I decided on the following parts... Since the machine shop said I should go to a 0.060 bore over, my options were pretty limited. I found this rotary assembly at Summit Racing. There apparently would be no options here if I had gone with a 0.040 over bore... Through a combination of the bore and a stroke change from 3.5 inches to 4 inches, it will create a 414 cubic engine from my original 351. I plan to have the shop balance everything and with Paul's help, I will be assembling it myself.
Sean
"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!" - Mario Andretti!
Edited by - Mustangs_n_Trains on September 04 2017 12:12:34 PM
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