67' Shelby Project
Awesome. I can't wait tosee this'n done
9/5/08, 04:09 PM
#87
Service Manager
Yup, we have decided on some interesting twists with the project. John is local and with the hit he took having been misled by the seller on the condition of the car initially we decided to look for some help for him and as a result TMS has adopted this as a 1st Generation TMS featured project. While this is done with John's budget we thought that if we could help in any small way....we can help make this the best possible early Mustang restomod it can be. Keep in mind TMS is not paying for this project...this is John's baby but we are doing what we can to help him with contacts and support.
Originally John looked for a rust free car so that we didn't have to do all this metal work and the car he found was presented as such...with magnets placed on the fenders, doors and quarters this appeared to be a good car....even when it arrived it seemed decent. A little time went by and when we started tearing the car apart it was discovered that previously in it's life this car was sectioned and was actually 2 cars...the work looked like it had been done in the late 70's/early 80's and the floors were brazed in with brass...and A LOT OF IT! Then when we soda blasted the car the problems got worse....it looked like swiss cheese....sure the doors, fenders and quarters were rust free but the rest of the car had rust holes everywhere and the doors had some hidden rust on the back side, large damage and the fenders had damage that had just been filled in from an early accident. This car became a good example of why NOT to buy a car that has been restored where you end up finding that someone else has covered everything up.
This car is not going to be your average restomod. The Mustang II front suspension is the most cost effective but is also the absolute WORST handling option for an early Mustang. If you want to cruise around to shows or cruise ins it is fine but if you ever want to take a twisty road or an off ramp at speed then you had better think twice! SO....we contacted Griggs Racing and will be using their GR350 suspension system on this project. These parts should be arriving next week sometime and we will start fitting things. We have already prepped the car in preparation removing the strut rod mounts, lower control arm mounts and swaybar mounts. The rear suspension is going to utilize an 8.8 with a Watts Link. This system is not designed for a convertible so there will be a bit of modification that we will have to do to compensate for the different interference issues.
We are also working on installing a set of S197 Mustang front seats so that we can get rid of the original "church pew" backbreaker seats and get something more comfortable that doesn't look so much like an aftermarket race seat. This is going to require some creative modifications to make it work but the end result will be worth it.
We are still not sure on the name of the project.....originally I thought of "Diamond in the rough" considering John's profession and the fact that we ended up with something rough to start with but one that will shine when done. Another idea was "Project OH CRAP!"...to reflect our reactions when we discovered the issues the car had.....but we are still thinking...if you have a good idea or suggestion, let us know
.More to come....
9/5/08, 06:43 PM
#88
All this coupled with the 03 cobra power plant going in the car is going to be one sick resto-mod!!!
anyone wanna place bets once its all done and over with, which car John will drive the most?
Now I'm even more interested as this sounds more along the lines of what I'm after. I can't wait to see the finished product!
9/6/08, 02:33 PM
#90
Service Manager
One of the problems with the early Mustangs is the seats....they are like church pews and offer very little in the way of adjustment making it difficult for short and tall people to drive the cars. As I stated we wanted something comfortable and the new S197 seats are pretty comfy....that and the manual track seats offer a HUGE range of adjustment both front to back and up and down so the shortest and tallest of people can get comfortable in the car. However there is a problem....in order to use the factory seat tracks on the '05 and up cars it puts the seat pretty high at the lowest setting which would create clearance issues if you were to wear a helmet on a track event and depending on height your head may brush the headliner in coupe models and bump the top bracing in a convertible.
So we sat back and started playing with it and figured out a way to redesign/modify the floor and make these work. By doing this we gained a little over 2" in drop which translates to that much more head room. The pictures attached show the RH side in factory form and the LH side which we have already modified. Next will be to make mounting brackets and add studs and nuts to the floor to mount the '05 up seat tracks.
One thing that remained the same is the factory holes....so in theory if you HAD to have original seats in the car, you could still just bolt them in but they would sit 2" lower...so you could either make spacers or if tall enjoy the added head room.
More pics to come soon.....
So we sat back and started playing with it and figured out a way to redesign/modify the floor and make these work. By doing this we gained a little over 2" in drop which translates to that much more head room. The pictures attached show the RH side in factory form and the LH side which we have already modified. Next will be to make mounting brackets and add studs and nuts to the floor to mount the '05 up seat tracks.
One thing that remained the same is the factory holes....so in theory if you HAD to have original seats in the car, you could still just bolt them in but they would sit 2" lower...so you could either make spacers or if tall enjoy the added head room.
More pics to come soon.....
9/6/08, 02:58 PM
#91
Team Mustang Source
Thread Starter
Haaaayyy.......wait just a sec ... I was just there thurs.., this was done without my permission...
Sweet,,, more head room
,,,WAIT Do you think my head is getting too big?
Sweet,,, more head room
,,,WAIT Do you think my head is getting too big?
Last edited by 390 4spd; 9/6/08 at 03:13 PM.
9/6/08, 03:46 PM
#92
Service Manager
You mean I am supposed to ask your permission before cutting on your car?
....and just in case your head gets too big....but I was actually fitting it for my big head, you don't think I'm not going to drive this do you? Besides, Scothew wants to take it for a ride and you know how big HIS head is....
Anyway....more pics....
Here is a pic of what an original S197 seat track looks like and then our modified one....we just removed the original brackets and fabbed up our own to fit the car. The last picture is how we set it up in the car....2 studs at the back and the front has nuts welded into the floor and bolts go in from the front.
....and just in case your head gets too big....but I was actually fitting it for my big head, you don't think I'm not going to drive this do you? Besides, Scothew wants to take it for a ride and you know how big HIS head is....
Anyway....more pics....
Here is a pic of what an original S197 seat track looks like and then our modified one....we just removed the original brackets and fabbed up our own to fit the car. The last picture is how we set it up in the car....2 studs at the back and the front has nuts welded into the floor and bolts go in from the front.
9/6/08, 03:48 PM
#93
Service Manager
Next we have a picture showing how far the movement of the seat is and the different heights....The first picture is all the way forward, the 2nd all the way back....both of these pictures have the seat base adjusted all the way up as far as height. The 3rd pic shows the seat base all the way down for height.
9/6/08, 03:58 PM
#94
Service Manager
Next we have the seat reassembled. On the convertible with the inner rocker clearance we are going to have to modify the trim panel on the seat in order for it to achieve it's lowest setting. On a coupe/fastback this would probably not be necessary.
Just think....we have been at this all day now and still have one more seat to go!
Just think....we have been at this all day now and still have one more seat to go!
