My First Mustang (with a lot of lessons)
7/26/08, 12:03 AM
#44
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7/26/08, 11:46 AM
#46
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Thanks for the replies, so here we go.
With so many fit issues on both the front and rear wheels some ideas were tossed around to address the situation. One idea was to flare the fenders.
I really wanted to avoid the flares to keep my original theme and not make the car look like a pro street dragster. The alternative was to bead the fender wells (cut the lip and weld 3/16" brake line along the edge for a buffer) to gain some space but leave the original appearance on the outside. This would add about 3/8" and the rest of the problem would be solved by milling the front wheel backspacing down 1/2" and narrowing the rear end 2 inches. Smaller tires could be used as a final trick if necessary. That actual work would come later in favor of working on some of the body panels.
Back on the rear of the car the fit issues on quarter panels and wheelhouses were corrected.
The left side was done first as this would be good reference for some fit problems on the right door post left over from the damage that was discovered earlier. After some manipulation, the taillight panel and quarter panel fit well together.
The biggest problem was at the door post. The difference was this side was about 1/8" too long. The weld edge was rolled back using a hammer and dolly then the panel and door post lined up nicely. On the top of the quarter panel at the rear deck panel, body filler was ground out and a lot of rust revealed underneath. This panel would have to be replaced.
For the door post brackets were built to hold the door post in place. The bottom of the post was sliced to get some working room and moved forward to match the other side. The problem was solved.
The doors were then bolted on to check the progress of the work. The gaps looked really good all the way around. It was starting to look like a car again.
All body panels were looking good. The body lines were nice and straight and on the right side the panels were also looking pretty good. There was good alignment of panels and consistent gaps. This was a good sign for a first fitting.
I really wanted to avoid the flares to keep my original theme and not make the car look like a pro street dragster. The alternative was to bead the fender wells (cut the lip and weld 3/16" brake line along the edge for a buffer) to gain some space but leave the original appearance on the outside. This would add about 3/8" and the rest of the problem would be solved by milling the front wheel backspacing down 1/2" and narrowing the rear end 2 inches. Smaller tires could be used as a final trick if necessary. That actual work would come later in favor of working on some of the body panels.
Back on the rear of the car the fit issues on quarter panels and wheelhouses were corrected.
The left side was done first as this would be good reference for some fit problems on the right door post left over from the damage that was discovered earlier. After some manipulation, the taillight panel and quarter panel fit well together.
The biggest problem was at the door post. The difference was this side was about 1/8" too long. The weld edge was rolled back using a hammer and dolly then the panel and door post lined up nicely. On the top of the quarter panel at the rear deck panel, body filler was ground out and a lot of rust revealed underneath. This panel would have to be replaced.
For the door post brackets were built to hold the door post in place. The bottom of the post was sliced to get some working room and moved forward to match the other side. The problem was solved.
The doors were then bolted on to check the progress of the work. The gaps looked really good all the way around. It was starting to look like a car again.
Even with the bottom of the door blown out by rust it aligned nicely with the rocker.
All body panels were looking good. The body lines were nice and straight and on the right side the panels were also looking pretty good. There was good alignment of panels and consistent gaps. This was a good sign for a first fitting.
7/30/08, 09:45 AM
#48
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Some more fit issues - Wheelhouses Suck!
With the panels looking good it was time to go back to the problems of fitting the wheelhouses. The flange around the top was misaligned to the floor. It was actually out away from the floor over half an inch. The rear portion of the flange was reworked to move it over to sit flush with the side of the floor.
Fitting the outer wheelhouse more problems were encountered. The bottom corner of the wheelhouse was too large to fit inside the rocker panel. Once the wheelhouse was in place, the fit to the quarter panel was checked and then the two parts fit together in the car.
After some manipulation of the outer and inner wheelhouse panels, they were reassembled but the alignment was still off a bit. Another problem developed when the wheelhouse was reshaped as it affected the fit to the quarter panel. It was necessary to slice the outer lip of the wheelhouse to realign it to the quarter along the rear third of the opening.
In the front, the bottom corner of the wheelhouse was reshaped and fit much better inside the rocker panel. The quarter panel, wheelhouse panel and rocker panel were finally all in place.
Alignment of the wheelhouse panels was improved, but still needed some work. The flange on the inner wheelhouse was barely over the flange on the outer panel. It was at this point it was pulled apart and the flange was re-arched on the inner wheelhouse to bring it up to fit the outer panel.
With all the changes made in the wheelhouse panels and the outer edge cut to help the wheelhouse fit the quarter panel, it was all pinned together.
With the pins in place the parts were removed and prepped for welding and reassembled exactly as they would be in final positioning. One side down and one to go…..
Fitting the outer wheelhouse more problems were encountered. The bottom corner of the wheelhouse was too large to fit inside the rocker panel. Once the wheelhouse was in place, the fit to the quarter panel was checked and then the two parts fit together in the car.
After some manipulation of the outer and inner wheelhouse panels, they were reassembled but the alignment was still off a bit. Another problem developed when the wheelhouse was reshaped as it affected the fit to the quarter panel. It was necessary to slice the outer lip of the wheelhouse to realign it to the quarter along the rear third of the opening.
In the front, the bottom corner of the wheelhouse was reshaped and fit much better inside the rocker panel. The quarter panel, wheelhouse panel and rocker panel were finally all in place.
Alignment of the wheelhouse panels was improved, but still needed some work. The flange on the inner wheelhouse was barely over the flange on the outer panel. It was at this point it was pulled apart and the flange was re-arched on the inner wheelhouse to bring it up to fit the outer panel.
With all the changes made in the wheelhouse panels and the outer edge cut to help the wheelhouse fit the quarter panel, it was all pinned together.
With the pins in place the parts were removed and prepped for welding and reassembled exactly as they would be in final positioning. One side down and one to go…..
7/30/08, 10:10 PM
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Every possible effort is being made to prevent the car from rusting again. This means every weld is prepped welded completely, seam sealed and then coated with rust encapsulator. I did not get photos of this specific area of the welds.
7/31/08, 06:49 AM
#51
Service Manager
The fitment issues you are having are directly related to the quality of parts you received from your suppliers. While we occasionally have to tweak things here I have never had the kind of fitment issues you are experiencing. This goes to show that there are different grades of available replacement and repair parts. The Dynacorn parts I have been using in my shop have never had these issues....we have had to do some adjustments on a couple of pieces and the wheelhouse was one area but it was nowhere near the problems you experienced.
Good luck and keep up the work!
Good luck and keep up the work!
7/31/08, 07:31 AM
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I am kind of in a 50 / 50 situation with the Dynacorn parts. Many of them are and many are not. Unfortunately, this is one of the major lessons of this build. Parts do matter and going with the cheapest will not necessarily save you money. This thread is behind the actual build and I am trying to catch up so it is a lesson too late to benefit me but hopefully other people here learn from it.
Thanks,
Thanks,
7/31/08, 07:36 AM
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Sorry I forgot to mention......
This particular weld is not complete. The edge of the quarter and wheelhouse needs to be modified for the rear suspension. I will post some photos of the area when that comes.
7/31/08, 08:10 AM
#54
Service Manager
I am kind of in a 50 / 50 situation with the Dynacorn parts. Many of them are and many are not. Unfortunately, this is one of the major lessons of this build. Parts do matter and going with the cheapest will not necessarily save you money. This thread is behind the actual build and I am trying to catch up so it is a lesson too late to benefit me but hopefully other people here learn from it.
Thanks,
Thanks,
8/4/08, 08:41 AM
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Passeger side wheelhouse fitting.....
Now it was time for the passenger side to go together. First, the inner wheelhouse was placed. The rear portion of the weld flange had to be moved over like the driver's side.
The outer wheelhouse went in much easier than the other side, so the quarter panel was fit right away. Aside from moving the weld flange over, the panels lined up pretty well. Some more skillful manipulation and everything fit right up.
After pinning it together…
You can see that the tire was pretty close already with the 58" axle. The floor needed to be moved inward to the scribed line you see in the photo. After a little hammer and dolly work, the flange had been moved over on both sides. There was no trouble pulling the wheelhouse over to fit the new shape. Everything went back together nicely.
This left plenty of room for the tire to move in after the rear suspension would be narrowed an inch on each side.
With all the work on the outer panels done, it was time to get bracing in the car again and make it all work together properly. There were some minor modifications necessary to get around the wheelhouses in their new position, but nothing too difficult.
It really went together well and was ready to be disassembled to punch the holes for spot welds. The next time it went in the car would be permanent.
Just to make sure everything would work in the end, the rear seat was checked for fit. No problem there.
The next step was to remove the rear deck panel that would be replaced. This exposed the very last of the nasty rust. There was absolutely nowhere left for the rust to hide. That was a great feeling to know that the problem would soon be eradicated.
The outer wheelhouse went in much easier than the other side, so the quarter panel was fit right away. Aside from moving the weld flange over, the panels lined up pretty well. Some more skillful manipulation and everything fit right up.
After pinning it together…
You can see that the tire was pretty close already with the 58" axle. The floor needed to be moved inward to the scribed line you see in the photo. After a little hammer and dolly work, the flange had been moved over on both sides. There was no trouble pulling the wheelhouse over to fit the new shape. Everything went back together nicely.
This left plenty of room for the tire to move in after the rear suspension would be narrowed an inch on each side.
With all the work on the outer panels done, it was time to get bracing in the car again and make it all work together properly. There were some minor modifications necessary to get around the wheelhouses in their new position, but nothing too difficult.
It really went together well and was ready to be disassembled to punch the holes for spot welds. The next time it went in the car would be permanent.
Just to make sure everything would work in the end, the rear seat was checked for fit. No problem there.
The next step was to remove the rear deck panel that would be replaced. This exposed the very last of the nasty rust. There was absolutely nowhere left for the rust to hide. That was a great feeling to know that the problem would soon be eradicated.
8/5/08, 02:48 PM
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NO MORE RUST IN MY MUSTANG!!!!!!!
The day I have waited for from the beginning of the build finally arrived. The day I could say that there was no rust in my mustang. Honestly, I was not sure I would ever see it. The car was moved to the sandblasting area for the final time to remove the rust from around the rear structure and the paint from the remaining body. It made a huge difference to the look, but did expose some rusted out areas around the edge of the roof opening that had to be repaired on both sides.
The last of the paint came off the cowl and dash next. After sandblasting, the cowl appeared so much more solid and ready to do its job. The ignition switch was still in place in the dash so it was masked off and blasted around it. The keys were misplaced through the cars moving around and years of not running so a locksmith would need to be called in to make a new key so the tumbler and bezel could be removed from the car.
As the blasting proceeded outside, all the panels for the rear of the car were prepped for spot welding and then the car was brought back into the shop for assembly. The tray that fits inside of the rear structure was fit in place and welded.
Repairs then started on the last rust damaged parts of the structure. After cutting out the damaged area and forming a repair panel it was tack welded in place. You can see the difference between the completed repair on the driver's side and the damaged panel that was removed. The same process was repeated for the passenger side.
Then it was off to the paint booth for multiple coats of epoxy primer. All of the bare metal was recoated in addition to the sealing that was performed along the way. The dash and all the welds on the floor were primed as well.
In primer, the repairs on the rear structure looked nearly perfect. It was too bad no one would ever see that part of the body again.
The last of the paint came off the cowl and dash next. After sandblasting, the cowl appeared so much more solid and ready to do its job. The ignition switch was still in place in the dash so it was masked off and blasted around it. The keys were misplaced through the cars moving around and years of not running so a locksmith would need to be called in to make a new key so the tumbler and bezel could be removed from the car.
As the blasting proceeded outside, all the panels for the rear of the car were prepped for spot welding and then the car was brought back into the shop for assembly. The tray that fits inside of the rear structure was fit in place and welded.
Repairs then started on the last rust damaged parts of the structure. After cutting out the damaged area and forming a repair panel it was tack welded in place. You can see the difference between the completed repair on the driver's side and the damaged panel that was removed. The same process was repeated for the passenger side.
Then it was off to the paint booth for multiple coats of epoxy primer. All of the bare metal was recoated in addition to the sealing that was performed along the way. The dash and all the welds on the floor were primed as well.
In primer, the repairs on the rear structure looked nearly perfect. It was too bad no one would ever see that part of the body again.
