My First Mustang (with a lot of lessons)
8/11/08, 08:52 AM
#62
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First, it is a lot of work to say the least. Second, it is a lot of money and not money that will probably ever come back to me. I have no idea what this car will be worth when it is finished. I do not have any plans to sell it anyway.
There are some crazy things you learn about mass production tricks when you take one of these cars apart. I am hoping that the result of this will be a very original looking car with a much stronger, longer lasting, and better performing foundation. With all of the upgrades, parts, re-engineering, fabricating that is going into it I am hoping I achieve that.
There are some crazy things you learn about mass production tricks when you take one of these cars apart. I am hoping that the result of this will be a very original looking car with a much stronger, longer lasting, and better performing foundation. With all of the upgrades, parts, re-engineering, fabricating that is going into it I am hoping I achieve that.
8/11/08, 10:35 AM
#63
Legacy TMS Member
I've never done anything remotely like what you are doing. But you certainly seem to be paying close attention to both the small and big picture. I am confident the end result will be fully rewarding, even if you never see the money come back to you.
That wasn't your reason to begin with anyway, I bet. Keep showing us what's up; we are all enjoying it a lot.
That wasn't your reason to begin with anyway, I bet. Keep showing us what's up; we are all enjoying it a lot.
8/12/08, 08:22 AM
#64
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Taking Shape
Next 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. Its too bad no one will ever see that part of the body again.
With all the new steel lying around and the structure coming together, it was impossible to resist putting it together to see how it looked. You could almost tell what it was again.
There were of course some fit and alignment issues to resolve. For example, the passenger side where the door and fender meet at the windshield frame is shown below and needed some work.
The driver's side was also assembled to make it look like a car again. When bolted up it looked good in the picture, but some alignment issues on this side had to be worked as well.
From another angle the misalignment of the body lines became obvious, but this was just an initial fitting and the overall situation was not bad. This was one of the first real feelings of progress.
In primer, the repairs on the rear structure looked nearly perfect. Its too bad no one will ever see that part of the body again.
With all the new steel lying around and the structure coming together, it was impossible to resist putting it together to see how it looked. You could almost tell what it was again.
There were of course some fit and alignment issues to resolve. For example, the passenger side where the door and fender meet at the windshield frame is shown below and needed some work.
The driver's side was also assembled to make it look like a car again. When bolted up it looked good in the picture, but some alignment issues on this side had to be worked as well.
From another angle the misalignment of the body lines became obvious, but this was just an initial fitting and the overall situation was not bad. This was one of the first real feelings of progress.
8/19/08, 08:56 AM
#65
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That was fun but back to work......
After rechecking the fit and final placement of the rear panels, the car was disassembled back to the inner structure and it was time to weld. These pictures show a close up of the inner panels and reinforcing plates clamped in place and ready for welding.
At this point, another fit problem was encountered with the wheelhouses. When the wheelhouses were pulled up tight to the inner structure they were pulled inward enough to draw the quarter panels in and cause a fit problem to the floor. After some consternating, it was decided to eliminate the weld flanges on the wheelhouse panels and widen the wheel well slightly to make up the distance.
As the wheelhouses were being modified, the dimples towards the front were worked in to clear the convertible top. The top assembly was checked for clearances and there was plenty of room for the top to lay down nicely.
After cutting the wheelhouse a strip of 18 gauge sheet metal was used to fill the gap between the two panels. The panels were worked with hammer and dolly to tighten the fit as they were tack welded together. The quarter panel was then pinned in place to check the fit yet again. The on to the driver's side for the same process.
The seams were then welded completely on the inside of the wheel well. This may not be necessary but it ensures the edges would be sealed. The top side of the seam was spot welded to hold the edge down. It was then sealed off with seam sealer.
During this phase the wheelhouses were also welded into the rocker panels and remaining attachments to the inner structure. At the rear of the wheel wells the weld flange was flipped over to cap off the joint to the trunk floor. This gave more room for the tire and does a better job of weatherproofing the joint.
After all the work the panels lined up better and no warping occurred in the quarter panel.
The inner structure was welded to the wheelhouse panels. The flange on the wheelhouse panel was left in place for this joint.
Let the grinding begin...... It cleaned up pretty nice and the result was a cleaner look in the trunk without the flanges. All the gussets and reinforcing brackets were welded in place followed by lots of grinding and a healthy application of seam sealer.
At this point, another fit problem was encountered with the wheelhouses. When the wheelhouses were pulled up tight to the inner structure they were pulled inward enough to draw the quarter panels in and cause a fit problem to the floor. After some consternating, it was decided to eliminate the weld flanges on the wheelhouse panels and widen the wheel well slightly to make up the distance.
As the wheelhouses were being modified, the dimples towards the front were worked in to clear the convertible top. The top assembly was checked for clearances and there was plenty of room for the top to lay down nicely.
After cutting the wheelhouse a strip of 18 gauge sheet metal was used to fill the gap between the two panels. The panels were worked with hammer and dolly to tighten the fit as they were tack welded together. The quarter panel was then pinned in place to check the fit yet again. The on to the driver's side for the same process.
The seams were then welded completely on the inside of the wheel well. This may not be necessary but it ensures the edges would be sealed. The top side of the seam was spot welded to hold the edge down. It was then sealed off with seam sealer.
During this phase the wheelhouses were also welded into the rocker panels and remaining attachments to the inner structure. At the rear of the wheel wells the weld flange was flipped over to cap off the joint to the trunk floor. This gave more room for the tire and does a better job of weatherproofing the joint.
After all the work the panels lined up better and no warping occurred in the quarter panel.
The inner structure was welded to the wheelhouse panels. The flange on the wheelhouse panel was left in place for this joint.
Let the grinding begin...... It cleaned up pretty nice and the result was a cleaner look in the trunk without the flanges. All the gussets and reinforcing brackets were welded in place followed by lots of grinding and a healthy application of seam sealer.
. I wish I had a big garage! 
8/27/08, 03:27 PM
#71
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It's coming together
For final fitting of the rear sheet metal the trunk lid was put in place to check the gaps and alignment of the panels. This revealed that the aftermarket deck panel was a little too wide.
To correct the problem, the side of the deck panel that is up against the quarter panel was worked by rolling the flange over and moving it in about 1/4".
The edge of the quarter panel curves inward slightly toward the rear. That was another issue that would be worked out as the quarter panels worked in.
In between fitting the rear panels, the inner structure was masked and shot with Lizard Skin on the areas that would no longer be accessible when covered by the quarter panels.
The deck panel was welded in place to allow fitting of the passenger side quarter panel.
As the fit of the quarter panel was refined, a small repair panel was made and fit in at the bottom of the door post. The quarter panels and tail light panel all fit up nicely and were ready for welding.
Starting with the flanges at the door posts the quarter panels were adjusted as they were welded so the contours matched the doors. Then the welding worked back along the top seam.
After welding the front flanges the welds were ground smooth to get a better look at the gaps to the doors. The panels lined up nicely and gaps were consistent.
With the forward areas of the quarters welded in, it was time to finalize the position of the tail light panel. The trunk lid was set in place again to check the alignment with the rear panel.
After a little adjustment the rear panel was welded in.
The quarter extensions were bolted on to check fit to the adjacent panels.
Overall the fit was pretty good, but the rear corners of both quarter panels were a little high next to the other panels. The edges would be sliced and the panels moved down to get the fit perfect.
After slicing the corner, moving it down and welding it back together, the extension was bolted back on to check the fit.
The line down to the extension looked good and all the panels sit flush to one another.
In order to get the extra bit of wheel clearance in the rear of the car, the flanges on the rear quarter panel were removed and replaced with brake line for support. The factory flange was left over the lower six inches so when the car is on the ground it would have a factory appearance.
To correct the problem, the side of the deck panel that is up against the quarter panel was worked by rolling the flange over and moving it in about 1/4".
The edge of the quarter panel curves inward slightly toward the rear. That was another issue that would be worked out as the quarter panels worked in.
In between fitting the rear panels, the inner structure was masked and shot with Lizard Skin on the areas that would no longer be accessible when covered by the quarter panels.
The deck panel was welded in place to allow fitting of the passenger side quarter panel.
As the fit of the quarter panel was refined, a small repair panel was made and fit in at the bottom of the door post. The quarter panels and tail light panel all fit up nicely and were ready for welding.
Starting with the flanges at the door posts the quarter panels were adjusted as they were welded so the contours matched the doors. Then the welding worked back along the top seam.
After welding the front flanges the welds were ground smooth to get a better look at the gaps to the doors. The panels lined up nicely and gaps were consistent.
With the forward areas of the quarters welded in, it was time to finalize the position of the tail light panel. The trunk lid was set in place again to check the alignment with the rear panel.
After a little adjustment the rear panel was welded in.
The quarter extensions were bolted on to check fit to the adjacent panels.
Overall the fit was pretty good, but the rear corners of both quarter panels were a little high next to the other panels. The edges would be sliced and the panels moved down to get the fit perfect.
After slicing the corner, moving it down and welding it back together, the extension was bolted back on to check the fit.
The line down to the extension looked good and all the panels sit flush to one another.
In order to get the extra bit of wheel clearance in the rear of the car, the flanges on the rear quarter panel were removed and replaced with brake line for support. The factory flange was left over the lower six inches so when the car is on the ground it would have a factory appearance.
8/28/08, 07:14 AM
#75
Service Manager
Do you have a picture of the aftermarket deck lid? I see a painted one in the pics that looks like an original. I have yet to see a deck lid that is too wide by that margin....perhaps the quarter panels were installed a little off? There are some problems with some of the aftermarket parts but like I said, I have yet to see that kind of problem with a deck lid and I've been working with all kinds for more than 17 years....not that it's impossible but a part that far off should not have remained vaible on the market for very long. Do you know who made the deck lid. A 1/4" is a lot to have to shave.
8/28/08, 09:02 AM
#76
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Paul, The deck lid is original. The problem was the quarters. As you know from your 67 project, when you take the car ALL THE WAY down, keeping the geometry on the car is tricky and that assumes the geometry was correct to start with. I think this situation really derived from non-Dynacorn panels and the changes to the wheelhouses. The resulting fit is actually really good. I would add that the original Ford specifications were used to triple check all the geometry on the foundation. That I am sure is true. This type of work is kind of cosmetic.
8/28/08, 09:05 AM
#77
Service Manager
Paul, The deck lid is original. The problem was the quarters. As you know from your 67 project, when you take the car ALL THE WAY down, keeping the geometry on the car is tricky and that assumes the geometry was correct to start with. I think this situation really derived from non-Dynacorn panels and the changes to the wheelhouses. The resulting fit is actually really good. I would add that the original Ford specifications were used to triple check all the geometry on the foundation. That I am sure is true. This type of work is kind of cosmetic.
OK, when you used the term "Deck panel" It seemed to reference the trunk lid often referred to as a Deck lid which is why I asked.
WOW!!! Lookin good...
9/2/08, 08:57 PM
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Now for some heavy work.....
Back to the rear end, the tires were bolted on and the rear axle was positioned to center the tires in the wheel openings.
The mud bogger bracing around the rear of the car was in the way at this point and was no longer needed. The car sure looked different with that steel out of the way. This is an exciting moment as you can really see the car taking shape now.
With the axle in position, the crossmember was checked and tack welded to the frame rails. It was then time to get the trailing arms and support rods set up.
And it was road block time again. The pinion support rods ran into a problem. The rods were supposed to be positioned at a 45 degree angle from vertical, but the floor was in the way. Something had to be cut to make this work. The yellow angle gauge illustrates where it needed to be. The rear floor would have to be notched to accommodate the crossmember for these rods, one on each side.
If any of you followed the Reenmachine build the same rear end was used. It was not talked about in the build as I recall but in the pictures you can see that they actually shortened the pinion support rods. I do not know how that turned out but it would certainly scare me to change the geometry like that.
You can see in the photo of the inside of the car a lay out of the affected area. The only options I could see is for the entire section to be cut out and boxed in or notches in the floor would be cut big enough for the rods to fit through and the crossmember mounted above the floor and under the rear seat. The decision was made based on the fit of the rear seat to see what would work underneath it.
Opening the whole area would solve the problem in one big move and mounting the crossmember would be easier, but it was not sure the seat would allow that. The smaller notches would be the way to go but involved more engineering to get the crossmember in.
Once again it was time to call Heidt's tech support and they referred the question to a shop in California that deals exclusively with Mustangs. The guy there gave some very confusing advice. He suggested lowering the axel an inch and a half to accommodate the pinion links and adjust the ride height with the suspension after installation. That would make very bad geometry for the suspension to get the lowered look I wanted and would produce some bad driving characteristics. That was a waste of time but it was worth verifying the wheel position for ride height front and back.
The axle center in the front was about 1/2" to 3/4" higher in the car. This means there was a slight rake to front which was precisely desired. The axle needed to stay right where it was. With that question out of the way, it was back to Heidt's again to ask one more time. The installation guide recommended the angle on the pinion links to be 45 degrees. To keep the links under the seat, 30 degrees was allowed. The guys at Heidt's said that would work just fine.
Now a new crossmember had to be built for the pinion links, as the one that was sent in the kit was not even close to what was needed.
Holes still had to be cut in the floor to get 30 degrees in the pinion links, but they sat under the seat without any modifications to the seat structure. A fabricated enclosure would cover the ends once the new crossmember was finished.
The links were set up pretty close to the final position and the crossmember would have to carry the brackets at the ends of the links and contain a loop in the center to clear the driveshaft.
First, 1/8" plates were cut and welded in to reinforce the sides of the frame rails.
Once the plates were in, a piece of tubing was cut to go across and carry the link brackets. It would not remain solid all the way across because it lands right in the middle of the driveshaft.
The crossmember for the pinion links was then cut and the driveshaft loop engineered in front of the 3rd member. The bottom was formed to half unbolt to service the driveshaft if necessary.
In the end 32 degrees was achieved. This was as close to 45 as possible, while staying under the rear seat, with the understanding from Heidt’s that 30 degrees was acceptable.
The pockets covering the pinion link brackets finished up nicely and the rear seat cushion fit over them with no problem.
In preparation for setting up the trailing arms for the rear suspension, floor reinforcements were fit and welded in place under the seat area.
The trailing arms were set up to run parallel to one another. Again in the Reenmachine build the trailing arms were angled in toward the center of the car. This is not desired for handling characteristics but it does give a clean look.
The arms were long enough to reach the floor reinforcement panels. The area was reinforced with 1/8" steel. When the seat box would be set up on top of the floor, a gusset would be added in the same area to reinforce it from the top and form a very strong structure when complete.
The view from the side of the car showed the work but when the car was on the ground the bar did not show, maintaining a clean profile.
The brackets that came with the IRS did not work to mount the trailing arms so all the pieceswere fabricated in house. The brackets were made from 3/16" steel which was thicker than the factory stuff.
Now for some fun; you can see all the geometry from these angles.
It was then time to take it all apart again to get the main crossmember in place and do some final welding.
With the rear starting to wrap up, some final checks and measuring were performed so the front suspension crossmember could be welded in place all the way around.
The mud bogger bracing around the rear of the car was in the way at this point and was no longer needed. The car sure looked different with that steel out of the way. This is an exciting moment as you can really see the car taking shape now.
With the axle in position, the crossmember was checked and tack welded to the frame rails. It was then time to get the trailing arms and support rods set up.
And it was road block time again. The pinion support rods ran into a problem. The rods were supposed to be positioned at a 45 degree angle from vertical, but the floor was in the way. Something had to be cut to make this work. The yellow angle gauge illustrates where it needed to be. The rear floor would have to be notched to accommodate the crossmember for these rods, one on each side.
If any of you followed the Reenmachine build the same rear end was used. It was not talked about in the build as I recall but in the pictures you can see that they actually shortened the pinion support rods. I do not know how that turned out but it would certainly scare me to change the geometry like that.
You can see in the photo of the inside of the car a lay out of the affected area. The only options I could see is for the entire section to be cut out and boxed in or notches in the floor would be cut big enough for the rods to fit through and the crossmember mounted above the floor and under the rear seat. The decision was made based on the fit of the rear seat to see what would work underneath it.
Opening the whole area would solve the problem in one big move and mounting the crossmember would be easier, but it was not sure the seat would allow that. The smaller notches would be the way to go but involved more engineering to get the crossmember in.
Once again it was time to call Heidt's tech support and they referred the question to a shop in California that deals exclusively with Mustangs. The guy there gave some very confusing advice. He suggested lowering the axel an inch and a half to accommodate the pinion links and adjust the ride height with the suspension after installation. That would make very bad geometry for the suspension to get the lowered look I wanted and would produce some bad driving characteristics. That was a waste of time but it was worth verifying the wheel position for ride height front and back.
The axle center in the front was about 1/2" to 3/4" higher in the car. This means there was a slight rake to front which was precisely desired. The axle needed to stay right where it was. With that question out of the way, it was back to Heidt's again to ask one more time. The installation guide recommended the angle on the pinion links to be 45 degrees. To keep the links under the seat, 30 degrees was allowed. The guys at Heidt's said that would work just fine.
Now a new crossmember had to be built for the pinion links, as the one that was sent in the kit was not even close to what was needed.
Holes still had to be cut in the floor to get 30 degrees in the pinion links, but they sat under the seat without any modifications to the seat structure. A fabricated enclosure would cover the ends once the new crossmember was finished.
The links were set up pretty close to the final position and the crossmember would have to carry the brackets at the ends of the links and contain a loop in the center to clear the driveshaft.
First, 1/8" plates were cut and welded in to reinforce the sides of the frame rails.
Once the plates were in, a piece of tubing was cut to go across and carry the link brackets. It would not remain solid all the way across because it lands right in the middle of the driveshaft.
The crossmember for the pinion links was then cut and the driveshaft loop engineered in front of the 3rd member. The bottom was formed to half unbolt to service the driveshaft if necessary.
In the end 32 degrees was achieved. This was as close to 45 as possible, while staying under the rear seat, with the understanding from Heidt’s that 30 degrees was acceptable.
The pockets covering the pinion link brackets finished up nicely and the rear seat cushion fit over them with no problem.
In preparation for setting up the trailing arms for the rear suspension, floor reinforcements were fit and welded in place under the seat area.
The trailing arms were set up to run parallel to one another. Again in the Reenmachine build the trailing arms were angled in toward the center of the car. This is not desired for handling characteristics but it does give a clean look.
The arms were long enough to reach the floor reinforcement panels. The area was reinforced with 1/8" steel. When the seat box would be set up on top of the floor, a gusset would be added in the same area to reinforce it from the top and form a very strong structure when complete.
The view from the side of the car showed the work but when the car was on the ground the bar did not show, maintaining a clean profile.
The brackets that came with the IRS did not work to mount the trailing arms so all the pieceswere fabricated in house. The brackets were made from 3/16" steel which was thicker than the factory stuff.
Now for some fun; you can see all the geometry from these angles.
It was then time to take it all apart again to get the main crossmember in place and do some final welding.
With the rear starting to wrap up, some final checks and measuring were performed so the front suspension crossmember could be welded in place all the way around.