1965 Fastback project.

mustbereel · Aug 25, 2006

Hi All,

I've been working on this project for the last 16 months and thought I'd share. I know how you all like pictures so I'll include a few. Many of the modifications have been discussed here from time to time and I've found much info in the forum. There is no way to justify the amount of time and money that I have invested in this car but it sure is fun. Along the way I have learned a few things too.

Object: completely rebuild and modernize a 40 year old rust bucket. Here is the beast as purchased and for which I paid too much (I'm not telling how much).

First nugget of wisdom: There will always be more rust than you expect.
Somewhere along the way somebody put fiberglass over rust and painted. This was typical of both rear quarter panels, both wheel housings, both doors, both front fenders and the trunk floor.

In the end I replaced both rear quarter panels, full trunk, one rocker panel both doors, full front aprons, both front fenders, partial rear frames, one partial front frame, full floor pans, firewall and of course the cowl area. What does that leave? The roof and little else. As I said this was a learning experience as in I learned to weld sheet metal pretty well.

Next up: the world of rotisseries.

Brad

RedGTvert · Aug 25, 2006

Next time, please reduce the pic size. Makes looking much easier.

mustbereel · Aug 25, 2006

Since this was to be a complete rebuild I decided to buy a rotisserie. This was the best investment I made. I bought mine from Auto Twirler. Get the lifts and casters. You won't regret it.

Saves space in the garage.

Easy access to underside.

Another cool thing is you can turn the car upside down to dislodge loose objects. It's amazing how much dirt and sand accumulates in these old cars.

Nex up: paint and body.

mustbereel · Aug 25, 2006

Sorry about the large pictures. I didn't expect them to be so big!

After welding in subframes (TCP), new rocker and torque boxes for support I cut away most of the original metal. Next time I am going to start with a rust free Mustang.

View attachment 445390

Since I was replacing the wheel houses and quarter panels I decided to do something a little different. In the interest of larger tires I used a 67/68 outer wheel housing instead of the 65/65. This housing is about 1.5" wider. By stretching the quarter panel over the larger housing the fender is flared subltely flared out. It looks stock until it is parked next to another 65.

This allows a 275 to fit in there pretty easily.

Next I turned my garage into a paint booth complete with exhaust fan and filtered air. I still got lots of junk in the paint. I haven't color sanded yet but I think it will look o.k. Next time I'm paying somebody who know what they are doing. Painting is too much work.

View attachment 445396

It looks good in the sunlight.

mustbereel · Aug 25, 2006

Suspension.

I debated front suspension components for a long time. I knew I was going to replace everything. I wanted rack and pinion steering and disc brakes. Coil over shocks and tubular A-arms would be a plus. In the end I decided on a Rod & Custom MII setup. This is a good kit and a bargain since it includes everything from hub to hub. I know the handling aspects have been debated thoroughly. I'll have feedback once I get to drive it again.

It's a lot of work but not too difficult if you take your time.

My orginal idea for the rear suspension was to use fiberglass leafs, an aluminum alxe housing, panhard bar and underider traction bars. I would also add disc brakes. However, I've always thought it would be neat to put an IRS into an old Mustang and when I saw the Heidt's IRS kit I was hooked. The cost of the complete rear end was actually less than my original plan. Plus it just looks cool!

View attachment 445386

Installation of the IRS was very involved. This is not a Mustang specific kit and all mounting points have to be fabricated and/or modified. Carefull measurements are necessary to align the driveline and make sure front and rear axles are parallel. As I look over my pictures I realize I don't have a shot with the coil overs and forward struts installed. Once again driving impressions will have to wait.

mustbereel · Aug 26, 2006

Transmission and engine

A 5 speed was a must. I decided to go with a TKO-500 just to avoid the possiblity of broken T-5s. I bought the kit from JMC. This is a very complete kit but I didn't like the angle of the engine and tranny so I cut the tunnel, modified the crossmember and raised the tranny about 2" to get a 3.5* drive line angle.

The heart of any car is the engine and this one had to be special. I wasn't looking for maximum power but rather minimum weight. I got carried away and ordered a Dart aluminum block based 347 from Bad Ass Racing engines. To top it off I want a set of Weber 48IDAs. I just love the look of those 8 velocity stacks on a small block Ford (or 12 stacks on an old Ferrari).

Now the wiring (painless) is almost done, the pluming is almost done and if all goes well I will starting the engine for the first time this weekend. There is still much to do before I can drive it and even more before I will consider it finished but I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Brad

PJx5x · Aug 26, 2006

wow man, thats awesome. definately makes me jealous

dennis112 · Aug 26, 2006

You have a very nice project going and also some great ideas. I am sure your next project will be a breeze from all you have learned doing the fastback. Good Job!

Now that I am done sucking up, I would like to ask you to post a couple pics of the side of your car. I would like to see how the new quarters look from dead on and in a way that they can be compared to the front wheel wells. Sounds like an interesting idea.

19simmons65 · Aug 26, 2006

Very nice. Wish I had the skill to work on my own car. Would have saved me big money.

lauras70mach1 · Aug 26, 2006

Very nice. You should be proud of your work.

ultrastang · Aug 26, 2006

mustbereel said:
"... There is no way to justify the amount of time and money that I have invested in this car but it sure is fun. Along the way I have learned a few things too."

Brad

If you were wasting your money on something like gambling, booze, or drugs, and would have nothing to show for the money after it all was said and done, then I think you could say you spent (wasted) too much money.

Spending your money on a project car, to me isn't wasted money. It might cost a lot of money and time, but in the end you have something to show for your time and effort.

Building a car also has a nice theriputical value to it as well. You've done a good job in what you've accomplished with this fastback.

www.ultrastang.com

krash kendall · Aug 26, 2006

View attachment 445352

You and your project rock! I didn't expect a detailed write-up when I opened the thread!

mustbereel · Aug 26, 2006

Quarter panels

This is the third classic mustang I have owned. My first car was a 68 fastback that I bought in high school 25 years ago. I learned all about the mechanics of an old car by working on that car and a subsequent 66 coupe. I modified both car's engines and suspensions but largely stayed away from body work and paint. Both of those cars were my only transportation and I had to be able to drive them every day. It is much easier to work on a car that can sit until it is done. As far a skills I am not in the same league many on this forum. But I am not afraid to make a mistake and redo something. I started welding on the floor pans because I knew I could hide ugly welds. There is considerable orange peel in the paint but color sanding will take out most of it. The next project will go smoother but I doubt I will ever do something as extreme as this again. Yes it is therapeutic and I enjoy the creative process and problem solving aspects of retomoding. With the money I've spent on this I could have purchased a pretty nice new car (or possibly a used Viper) but I would rather build something unique even if it's worth far less than the sum of its parts.

Enough talk. More pictures.

Quarter panel pretty much dead on.

Front fender/rear quarter. The front fenders are fiberglass with built in flares. These are from Maier Racing and they required lots of work to fit. The finish was pretty bad too. It's a good thing I'm not building a show car because I really hate sanding. The best way to see the difference is to park it next to another 65 (yes there is another 65 next to it in that pic. That's the next project. I told my wife I would build one for her. I get to choose the engine/suspension and she gets to choose the styling/color/interior). Since neither car can be moved right now I can't get a good shot of them side by side.

mustbereel · Aug 26, 2006

quarter flare

Here are a couple of shots showing the difference in quarter panels. I shot these from behind the trunk looking down the right quarter panel.

dennis112 · Aug 26, 2006

mustbereel said:
Here are a couple of shots showing the difference in quarter panels. I shot these from behind the trunk looking down the right quarter panel.

Thanks for the pics. I am anxious to what it will look like when it is done. The car looks great!

mustbereel · Aug 26, 2006

It's alive!

Success! Fired up on the first try (a first for me). No leaks, surprises or catastrophies. Ran pretty rough for about 5 min. then the lifters filled and it really smoothed out. The first video is right after the start up and the 2nd is after it smoothed out. The throttle response is snappy! I'm just giddy now. All I have to do is bleed the brakes, set up and bleed the clutch, install a steering wheel and bolt in a seat and I can drive it!

iskwezm · Aug 27, 2006

I hate you..........that is all

very nice progress, hope to see around the shows up here in the OC

ryan218 · Aug 27, 2006

my favorite mustang in the world. 65 fastback

how much did you pay? pm please id really like to know becasue i can get just a 65 coupe for 1,000. no engine or trans though

Mustangus · Aug 27, 2006

Thats an amazing project. Seriously well done. What setup did you have exactly for the paint booth as I am planning on doing this in a few weeks. Is it just plastic sheeting everwhere and the fans? What fans did you use? Sorry for all the questions. Thanks
Angus

hungrymonkey · Aug 27, 2006

Nice looking stang.

Its late and i am to lazy to re read the post. But did you say you learned the body work as you went along?

1965 Fastback project.

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