1965 Mustang C-code

[phlegm]

A few weeks back, I went to a local auction to bid on and buy a
1975 F250 Crew Cab 4x4
non-stock 400/C6

But after my purchase while still in some sort of disillusion euphoria.. I also bought a
1965 Mustang Coupe
Factory 289/Manual trans car, I bought it with no motor/trans/doors/fenders.
And it has a non-stock 7.25 i6 rearend.
My Dad has a parts car '66 Mustang coupe with doors and the correct 8" rearend.

Once I got it home, I took out anything that would hold moisture, carpet, cardboard boxes, headliner. It was all garbage and would only serve to accelerate more rust.

It has some obvious issues, bad quarter panel hack job, some rust in the floor.

It came loaded with stuff.
Enough seats for the car, plus a single high back bucket seat.

No rust in the front suspension or frame rails.
I got a heck of a deal on the '71 AirStream earlier this year also, its in the middle of a remodel.

The radiator core support is slightly bent, nothing a port-a-power can't fix

The only bit of rust under the hood. Battery box under the bird nest.

Rest of it looks pretty good.

From under the car, both sides have small rust holes in the toe board area.

Looking over to the passenger side.

Rear frame rails look good
Passenger Side

Driver Side, bummer they are fuzzy.

Has Front Disk brakes.

Trunk has rust all along the fuel tank
Driver Side

Pasenger Side

There is a little in the trunk drop outs.
Aside from the upholstery I saved very little out of the cabin or trunk when I cleaned it out.

The seat risers are rusty, the floor metal around them looks decent

Rear seat area looks great.

Passenger front, same rust hole location as the driver front.

Passenger seat riser is in better shape

Passenger Rear Seat area looks as good as the Driver side.

For some unspecified and unknown of time, the car has been backed into my hay barn.

I currently don't have a title for it and my plans don't call for it to be street legal.
I plan on using it as a test mule and for taking pictures of the parts I build.
And I want to prep it for fun uses, drag racing, AutoCross, Open Road course.
And I'll use that '75 Crew Cab and a trailer to get it there.

I'd like to install the convertible inner rocker panels and torque boxes like this.
http://www.streetortrack.com/Installing-convertible-rockers-into-a-65-68-p-14.html
Subframe connectors.

Custom motor mounts (buening designed)
I sold a couple sets through here and other sites.. never got pictures of them installed, and haven't had time to install them into my own '68 Mustang yet.
Custom Motor Mount Plates -- StangFix.com

Boss type shock tower reinforcements (inner and outer similar to Opentracker)
StangFix.com -- Shock tower reinforcement - Day 2

Lower Control Arm eccentrics (and eccentric eliminators)
Road racing type engine crossmember to tie into the LCA mount bolts (buening designed)
Finished my Cobra Automotive-like 70 Engine Crossmember -- StangFix.com

Export and Monte Carlo braces (my own design)
Rear Seat Divider (I'll build my own)
Outer Spring cover to firewall braces (I have homework to do)
Shelby/Arning mod (information from dazecars.com)
Control arm boxing plates (similar to Opentracker)
Roller Spring perches (I built my last set using parts from dazecars.com)
Tubular Strut Rods (I'm building my own with information from buening)
Custom Built Strut Rods -- FordSix.com


Rollbar (don't know yet)
TankArmor (I'll build my own)

Should be fun -- better be.

 

[phlegm]

Last night my neighbor gave me 2 1965 Mustang dash gauge sets.
I also picked up a 1970 Mustang 20 gallon tank, it probably won't be used for this car.

And it may not be fair, but another reason I want/need to work on this car is so that I can improve my skills of metal fab/repair, so I can get to something far more rare..

My 1963.5 Falcon Convertible

Rear seat floor patch panels do not exist for the Falcon and it has a large rust hole right under the leading edge of the back seat.

any water that fell or melted onto the back seat ran down hill behind this vertical support.

Behind the vertical divider, there is this hole. I called everywhere looking for patch panels and the resounding answer is that I can either modify '65 Mustang Convertible patch panels. Or hand hammer a piece of 18g to fit the hole.

Since it is modification either way, I've decided to start with a piece of flat steel.

But first I need to improve my patching skills.
And this poor C-code 'stang will be my guinea pig..

 

[phlegm]

Not necessarily in this order..

I stopped at Dad's house and checked out the door donor car.
Good thing I was only hoping to salvage the doors and suspension; I thought there was more to this car.

Dad bought this car from a local steel scrap yard. When he agreed to buy it, the top was still in tact, some jack-hole with a front end loader crushed down the top ruining the window frames and roof.

I emailed John (OpenTracker) about adding convertible bracing

Convertible Inner Rocker Panels, $77.50/each ($162 total)
Convertible Torque Boxes $75.95/each ($152 total)
Convertible 1pc Seat Platform $119.95

And just because I want it,
Eccentric Eliminator Kit $95

Short tally is $532 to OpenTracker

Locally I talked to a place called
Auto Connection
out of Pelican Rapids MN.
Quarter panels $109/each ($220)
Front Fenders $149/each ($300)
Hood $210

another $730

And with that, the body is almost complete, just missing a few parts in the front, headlight buckets, stone shield, grill, lower valance, and possibly a bumper.

don't mind me, just making a list to remind myself what I need to get done.

I am in no rush to buy exterior body panels (fenders/hood/decklid) so I'll put out some feelers locally with the mustang club and see if anything turns up between there an craigslist over winter.

 

[phlegm]

Like I said from the beginning, this is a slow grind, back burner, but I still think about it from time to time.
Sunday I found a set of quarter panel skins locally on a facebook sale page, I picked up a pair of them for $80.


And after I got the pair of them home, before going back in storage.


Turns out that they are Scott Drake parts.



Next up, I'll have to determine how I am going to attach them.
Weld or glue?

The guy in this thread makes panel bonding look easy.
Advice on installing quarter skins? -- VMF

And this thread makes welding look like a snap
Planning to do something with my rear quarters this winter/sprang -- Mustang Steve forum

thoughts for a novice?

 

[phlegm]

Maybe I'll be taking a different direction with the powertrain.
Last week I found this 351W/AOD for $60...
And I found another pair of T5s that need to be rebuilt for $40
It might be time to start mating some parts together.

 

[Horseplay]

A PAIR of T5s for $40?! Where the hell do you shop? Around here complete crap is a couple hundred minimum.

 

[phlegm]

I have 4 now.
2 from a swap meet a year ago ($20 with 1 SBF bellhousing)

And the 2 from last weekend $40.

I think the way to find them is not to look for them?

The first 2 the guy just wanted to get rid of them instead of taking them home.

The second guy had just given me a set of SBF heads and said he had to get at least $40.

 

[Fst Blk]

Nice find. I use to find deals like that...

 

[B67FSTB]

Nice collection !

 

[phlegm]

I've been collecting stuff for a long, long time.

I considered the idea of building a webpage called
ErectorStang

Where I'd list all the components that I have available and let people request that I assemble it into a Mustang in any configuration that they would like to see to hopefully assist them in their own motor conversions. And I'd add parts as I acquired them, or build things as necessary (motor mounts/crossmembers/pedal assembly supports). And then I'd link to parts I used, or if I built them, I'd sell them through the website.

Hasn't happened yet.

I've got these 2 at home also, one an 3.03 out of a '66 Mustang V8
The other one is a 4 speed that I haven't identified as an actual top loader or a top loader impostor.

Not pictured; I've got a spare t-10 for my '63 Falcon on a shelf, and lastly a M5OD from a 2wd SBF in the back of my pickup.

At Dad/s house, I've got a 3.03 out of a '68 Mustang from behind a 200 and an M5ODR2 with transfer case from an early 90's F150, and a '93 ZF 5speed from a 3/4t 2WD SBF.

Quite a few motors too 260/289 (5 bolt) 302/351w, 144, 170, 200, 250, 240, 300

I'm looking for an M5OD R1 from a Ford Ranger that has a 2.3L/5speed. I have a 2.0L Zetec that I am going to convert to IR motorcycle carbs, I should be able to squeeze 160hp/160tq (NA) out of it, and I want to use the motor in a rear wheel drive conversion. I could use a 2.3L T5 behind the 2.0L zetec, but the gear ratios aren't optimal. I think it would make a fun powerplant for a light unibody like a Mustang or a Falcon.

 

[phlegm]

Nothing really has happened with the old C-code except that I found a bunch of original sheet metal, and I pushed the radiator support back out, its fairly straight now.

And installed a 200/c4 that originally came out of a '67 Mustang convertible.

Fenders, Doors, and a decklid

 

[tarafied1]

cool!

 

[phlegm]

A little farting around this weekend, I pulled the motor and did a rattle can rebuild.

Stripped it down, taped off the ports.


Next I used heavy duty Simple Green (its purple)

After cleaning it 3 times, I primed it.


And now its painted.


For grins, I mocked up a set of long tube headers and 3 carbs.
This won't be the actual final configuration for this motor, but its fun to look at.

 

[tarafied1]

looks like you are having fun with it

 

[kb3]

That is going to be one fast little green wagon!

 

[phlegm]

I am, that's why I own old cars, for the fun.
But I had to pull the Mustang back out, I am supposed to be working on the Scout...

That wagon will be fast, the only one with wheelie bars attached to the transmission output housing.