The project mav AKA The misstress...

Bodywork progress is coming along nicely.....

 

Thanks Frank!!!

 

Looking nice and straight! Can't wait for the next installment.

 

New digs...Started this project in 07. (Was supposed to be a simple sub frame connector install and back on the road) Yeah right! 5 years of saturdays later and, its time to move. I was going to finish and paint the car here (Did many in the past here) But...Its nice to have a friend with a flatbed too. Dad dont want to tick off the new neighbors. So, loaded up and off we go. Scored a two bay shop next door to where I was working at the time. Got as much done here in one summer as I did in the 6 yrs at mom and dads house (10 minutes from home as opposed to 45 min to mom and dads) All my tools literally 15 foot steps from the car. 2 lifts...Big ol compressor (which I purchased when I left these digs) Yeah...One summer and off to another shop. Maybe I should name this car the Gypsy...LOL... Anywhoo here we are in the new shop. Finished the body here, the interrior floor pan, pulled the engine, re-did the eng compartment here...Good times.
First order of buiseness...Finish the body...This is what I call the nit pick session. Body work is done at this point. Body has been blocked and primed twice at this stage. Now I go looking for the little things that separate a good paint job from an awsome one. Mind you, I could have painted the car at this point and It would look really good...I dont do " good" I try to do "OMG thats awsome!" when I paint a car, even if its just my own junk. The 5th pic shows the spots I dont like...See the little green pieces of masking tape??? Each one denotes a flaw. ( The car was covered in little bits of tape) Granted they are all minor enough that a little high build primer in the suspect areas will fix the problems but, flaws none the less. Last 3 pics...Primer where all the little bits of tape were...Next step...Block some more and final prime...Next time.

 

Looking good - you've come a long way

 

Ok so, one more go round blocking and here it is in final prime. Next on the list is the engine compartment and the floor pan... I think I did as much, if not more sheet metal fab and welding in the engine comp, than on the rest of the car! The aprons were rotting where they overlap the towers, at the mounting rail for the fenders. The left apron was rotting where the horn mounted. (debris gets behind that anchor plate for the horn bolt)...that's it. The apron under the battery tray was swiss cheese. (Of course) Some hack blew holes in the towers to grease the upper cont' arms. The right apron was rotted where the charcoal cannister used to mount (another stinking anchor plate) I drilled holes in the core support many moons ago for hood pins. (Hey watching your hood try to open itself at a buck twenty gets old real fast) So...Had my work cut out for me. (Thats why I avoided the eng comp like the plague) I started with the overlap of the aprons at the towers. Once again, an area that debris can get into and start the whole rust process. I cut/ground the rotted material away. Treated the tower to some rust neutralizer and then coated the areas with rust encapsulator. Fabbed some patches and welded em in. These areas will be seam sealed top and bottom after primeing so moisture/debris can not get in between the panels again...Ever...Next was the mount point on the right apron for the charcoal cannister.If you look to the top of the pic you will see more rot on the apron just behind the tower...Yeah both sides were like this and proved to be worse than I was hoping for. I was hopeing for a hole the size of a quarter...Easy fix right? Not!!! ( Theres allways a few surprises) Till next time!!!

 

Todays episode: More engine comp repairs. Had to make a patch for the rotted apron where the horn used to mount (Cursed anchor plate) There was also a rotted out area at the bottom where the apron is welded to the frame rail. Fabbed a patch for that too and welded it in. On to the right side again. I apparently mislabeled these as left side pics...Dont know what I was thinking when I did that!!! Yeah, this was not a quarter sized hole after grinding...LOL... Surprises do pop up. I should have figured since, I had to do this same repair on the other left side. Cut out the rot, fabbed a patch. The spring cover bolt hole was perfect as a reference point and mount point for welding the patch in place. Buzz buzz/grind grind...Taa Daa!! fixed... Allmost time to prime! While I was at it, I stitched the eng mount plates/ upper cont arm reenforcement plates to the shock towers to help stiffen up this stuff. I will be useing the HD belly bar and export brace from toporanger on this car (Every little bit helps) I also seam welded a few other things in the eng comp, as well as the sway bar mounts on the frame rails. Last pic showes the overall condition after repairs. Lots of tedious and uncomfortably hunched/crouched (my body hated me while doing this) portion of the work. Next up...Get the rest of the undercoating off the aprons/frame rails on the outer portions, and its time to prime...

 

Very nice work. Had any updates?Also what rust nuetralizer/inhibitor do you prefer, you keep talking about one that wicks inbetween panels

 

Thanks for the comment. I have used a product from NAPA called Rust stop...Workes very well and is thin so it wicks into tight seams and pinch weld areas. I do also use Eastwoods rust neutralizer and their rust encapsulator. Their products also work very well and play well with other products from different manufacturers. Updates...I have neglected this thread a bit haven't I. I will post up some more pics this weekend...

 

Ok, it's been a while since I posted up progress pics... Been buisey with other stuff,changed jobs, building models for the upcoming IPMS regional show in april and a couple contract builds for other people etc... I hate winter. Anywhoo when last we left the intrepid mavman and his never ending project. The eng comp was ready for primer and the aprons had to be stripped of undercoating in the wheel well area. The black paint the factory put in the wheel well area is pretty bullet proof. Withstood a propane torch/stripper and several different scraping devices so I left it. If it isn't coming off now, it never will. That said, some final sanding and cleaning and it was time to prime. The following pics show that all the hard work paid off in spades. Next installment will be the finished eng comp and the finished chassis...I didnt take pics of the chassis stripping process since its mundane and just plain filthy work. Not to mention there wasnt anything to do to the chassis other than cleaning to prep it for paint. Till next time gang!!!
Pete

 

You have been one busy young man!!! What do you do for a living?

 

Actually this has been done over the course of 8 years of saturdays. I am an auto mechanic by trade but, I finally stopped doing it for a living this last fall. Bad back, arthritis etc... Too many severe aches and pains. It was really makeing life difficult so I stopped. I do armed personal security now. Been doing collision and restoration/paint since I was 12. I love this stuff soo...I do it as a hobby. I also generally take on one major restoration project a year and do other resto type stuff on the side. R&R quarters for people, fab work and the like. Goin on 50, so not so young but not old enough either...LOL...

 

I was looking at all the pictures including the one of your nephew. I didn't read all of the wording associated with the pictures. I thought your nephew was the owner/writer.

Regardless, you are still a young man! Keep up the good work!

 

OK, latest and last installment for now... (This is where the project is at this point) Seam sealed the eng compartment. Painted with Eastwoods under hood black. Dont know why I only took one pic. Musta been the paint fumes...Next on the agenda was the floor pan/chassis. Scraped enough undercoating off it to coat a new mustangs chassis. Glad it was there though, otherwise the chassis would have been fairly nasty no doubt. After cleaning, priming the chassis. 3 full wet coats of Eastwoods 2 part chassis black...Taa Daa!!! Still have to mock up the A/C system and mount the hyd clutch master cyl. Then the suspension upgrades/brake upgrades (H.D belly bar,disk brakes and the like) and go through the rear axle and another set of new springs for the rear (This will be the third set in 28 yrs) It will be time to paint the car and re-assemble it. If all goes well, I should have a place to paint it by summers end. Then the re-assembly will commence. Hope to be driving it again summer of 16' Time will tell...
Thanks for looking and thanks for all the positive comments gang!!! Will update as progress continues.
Pete

 

Yep! Been looking for some updates. Nice work/garage area!