Progress Thread Barn Find - Twilight Blue 1991 GT 5spd

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I know its been a while since I've updated this but with the holidays and work I haven't had much time to tinker in the garage. I figured today was quiet I'd make some time to work. I still haven't been able to get those two oil pan bolts out of the block but I haven't given up hope yet. I may resort to loading up the block and taking it somewhere as nothing I have tried has worked. Since I don't really want to drop the motor back in until I get that and the radiator support resolved, I thought it best to start going over my list of "to-do's" and see what else I would need to add. I think I might have an issue with rust in my driver side door jamb and under the cowl area. I'm not sure what its going to take to fix this but thought I'd share what I'm seeing :D

Driver Side Doorjamb - Top
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Driver Side Doorjamb - Middle
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Driver Side Doorjamb - Bottom
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Passenger Side Doorjamb - Top
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Passenger Side Doorjamb - Bottom
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Driver Side Cowl
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Passenger Side Cowl
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The door jambs look like they can be saved. In my opinion the best way is to remove the doors. Then you can really see what's going on and it can be repaired. I would imagine you will need a few patch panels welded in at minimum. For the cowl area, use a shop vac and vacuum all of the crud out of there. Then scrub it down with a wire brush and POR 15 all of that surface rust in the cowl.
 
With that seam in the cowl area having rust do you think the dash needs to come out and the firewall insulation removed to check for damage and seam sealer that has given up the ghost? That insulation could have gotten wet at some point t and need to be replaced as well.

I know that is extreme but would hate to let it get worse if it’s there. Sounds like the dash is going to come out anyway so something to look at.
 
The door jambs look like they can be saved. In my opinion the best way is to remove the doors. Then you can really see what's going on and it can be repaired. I would imagine you will need a few patch panels welded in at minimum. For the cowl area, use a shop vac and vacuum all of the crud out of there. Then scrub it down with a wire brush and POR 15 all of that surface rust in the cowl.
Good idea on taking the door off, I'll see what I can do about that and seeing what's going on in there. The cowl will be interesting, any tips on getting up in there to get a good coating of POR all over that area? This will be a new adventure for me but I expected this so it will a chance to learn something.

With that seam in the cowl area having rust do you think the dash needs to come out and the firewall insulation removed to check for damage and seam sealer that has given up the ghost? That insulation could have gotten wet at some point t and need to be replaced as well.

I know that is extreme but would hate to let it get worse if it’s there. Sounds like the dash is going to come out anyway so something to look at.
Yeah that dash is coming out sooner than later. It will be interesting to see what's behind there. I do plan on replacing the heater core while i"m in there. I only want to pull the dash out once.
 
Wholly crap batman, now I feel bad, I didn't realize it was that way.
Don't hate me. Next time you're near me you can poke me in the eye. :confused:

Aw man its cool, You have nothing to feel bad about and I never would think that you were responsible for this :nice:. You're a stand up guy and I would do business with you anytime (and plan too, just need to get a parts list together and come raid your stash). :D

The cowl area wouldn't have been noticed unless we pull the cowl cover off and I didn't see the doorjamb when I came down and gave the car a once over. The doors looks to be isolated to that one spot and the passenger side looks good from what I saw (still going to pull that door off too just to be sure though). It's still a solid car that just needs some TLC to get it back on the road. Hell man its 32 years old, there is going to be stuff like this that crops up. It's part of the adventure we sign up for when we pull them apart and put them back together.
 
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That door jamb needs attention for sure! Looks about how mine did and it was all cut out and replaced with a donor piece (click link in sig below to see what all got replaced). The easiest way would be to secure a clean donor door jamb and replace it that way, cutting out all the factory spot welds and putting it back in like the factory did, that's how Kevin did mine. That will not be a small job, but if you have patience and somewhat decent welding skills you can do it. The dash will need to come out, the door will need to come off, wiring out of the way, and *maybe* the windshield too depending on what you find as you start taking it apart.
 
That door jamb needs attention for sure! Looks about how mine did and it was all cut out and replaced with a donor piece (click link in sig below to see what all got replaced). The easiest way would be to secure a clean donor door jamb and replace it that way, cutting out all the factory spot welds and putting it back in like the factory did, that's how Kevin did mine. That will not be a small job, but if you have patience and somewhat decent welding skills you can do it. The dash will need to come out, the door will need to come off, wiring out of the way, and *maybe* the windshield too depending on what you find as you start taking it apart.
Hehe, well my welding skills are non-existent so I may have to look at finding a body shop here in the Orlando area that I can work with. I had planned on cutting my teeth with welding when I replace the radiator support but I haven't bought a welder yet.

My next step is to finish pulling that dashboard out and seeing what's behind it; With any luck it will look okay.
 
I just realized that you mentioned a broken oil pan bolt? I had that oil pan off and just stuck a couple bolts in to hold it on,, A little more on this please.
Oh that... yeah that was total screw-up on my part.

https://stangnet.com/mustang-forums...-blue-1991-gt-5spd.923850/page-3#post-9369660

I mentioned it a few posts back and got some advise on how to try and get them out but nothing I've tried has worked. Long story short, I had the pan off and figured I'd replace the oil pump while I had everything on the stand. I got the new pump in and torqued down without any issue. When I went to put the pan back on and tighten it down, I grabbed the 3/8" torque wrench by mistake (was distracted) rather than my regular ratchet and proceed to over-torque two of the bolts. Snapped those suckers right off, almost flush with the block.
 
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To remove broken bolts (especially ones flush in the hole) I weld a nut on the end of the broken bolt and slowly work it back and forth to remove it. There are plenty videos online how to do this, but it has worked every time for me.

About a year ago I bought a pair of GT40P heads that had all but two exhaust bolts rusted/broken off - two or three intake bolts too. It took multiple attempts to get some of them (if weld penetration isn't good enough you will twist the nut off - then just clean it up and try again) but they all came out and I didn't need a single extractor tool. Once they were out I simply chased the threads with a tap to clean it out and all is ready for when I want to use them.
 
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To remove broken bolts (especially ones flush in the hole) I weld a nut on the end of the broken bolt and slowly work it back and forth to remove it. There are plenty videos online how to do this, but it has worked every time for me.

About a year ago I bought a pair of GT40P heads that had all but two exhaust bolts rusted/broken off - two or three intake bolts too. It took multiple attempts to get some of them (if weld penetration isn't good enough you will twist the nut off - then just clean it up and try again) but they all came out and I didn't need a single extractor tool. Once they were out I simply chased the threads with a tap to clean it out and all is ready for when I want to use them.
Yeah I've heard about the welding technique. I may have to give it a try once I buy a welding setup for when I do the radiator support. I just need to figure out what kind of set up I need. It was mentioned earlier in the thread that I should be looking for 140amp MIG welder and those are running around $500 - $600 around here (Home Depot / Lowes). Once I get a setup, then I'll need to practice on how to actually do it before I try it on anything that really matters (core support, block, etc..)

I'm in it for the long haul on this car so I'm taking it slow and trying to make sure I do it right the first time (or at least the second time ;) )
 
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Yeah I've heard about the welding technique. I may have to give it a try once I buy a welding setup for when I do the radiator support. I just need to figure out what kind of set up I need. It was mentioned earlier in the thread that I should be looking for 140amp MIG welder and those are running around $500 - $600 around here (Home Depot / Lowes). Once I get a setup, then I'll need to practice on how to actually do it before I try it on anything that really matters (core support, block, etc..)

I'm in it for the long haul on this car so I'm taking it slow and trying to make sure I do it right the first time (or at least the second time ;) )
A 140 MIG would do well, just make sure you get one that can accept the welding gas so you won't have to use Flux Core wire and that will reduce the splatter and mess and give you cleaner welds.
 
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