Yeah, I've always liked that style hood, and yes the vents are sunken down into the hood just like on the 03/04 cobras.
Build Thread Bird_dog0347's Frankenstang, sure is nice of us to build a car around the fuel filler door
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Willybill32
But at least it's tight!
Not a lot to post here at the moment. After the shell got completely stripped and pretty much every panel got replaced, it went to the sand blast guy for him to blast anything Kevin hadn't already replaced. He found a bit more rust in the passenger side floor pan so I sent a new LMR passenger floor pan to Kevin and he was working on getting that put in over the last week or so. He's also been prepping the back part of the roof getting it straight and finishing up the T-Top frame. Between the customer cars like yours and mine, and him trying to get his 94 to the finish line for PITS, I'm trying not to push him to send regular updates and just let him work.
Been a while since I really updated this, it's been a bunch of boring stuff blocking and sanding some of the body panels and getting them perfect. Getting the front bumper done with the Cobra insert to make it look like it was original and not cut and stuck on there. The top of it will also be closed in and look like a GT bumper cover from the top when you open the hood (can't tell a difference with hood closed). Pics from a while back while it was being fitted.
Anyway, after the shell got completely stripped and Kevin thought he got any/all rusted panels replaced he sent it out for media blast and discovered there was more rust in the passenger floor pan so I shipped him a passenger pan replacement from LMR which he managed to install and make it look better than factory. The car is officially rust free now, straight, and ready to start shaving the engine bay. The car, including the new floor pans has 5 fresh coats of epoxy primer.
Anyway, after the shell got completely stripped and Kevin thought he got any/all rusted panels replaced he sent it out for media blast and discovered there was more rust in the passenger floor pan so I shipped him a passenger pan replacement from LMR which he managed to install and make it look better than factory. The car is officially rust free now, straight, and ready to start shaving the engine bay. The car, including the new floor pans has 5 fresh coats of epoxy primer.
Also don't worry about that cracked header panel behind the bumper cover, that was the old one used to mock up and work on the cover, there's a new one that is being used.
Been a while since the last update, not a ton of new stuff to show as it's just a lot of the same... primer/sand/primer/sand/primer/sand but here's a couple of new ones showing how straight the door is and how nice the bumper is compared to the earlier pics. Almost ready to let them cure a few months for paint.
Willybill32
But at least it's tight!
@bird_dog0347, Yes, Kevin has my ‘86 as well, and much the same story. He actually got my car before yours. Haven’t gotten an update (or an invoice!) in the past couple of weeks. Of course, with all the work he’s done on the body, I told him to go ahead and pull the engine/transmission and clean up the engine bay, knowing that would be a delay.Been a while since the last update, not a ton of new stuff to show as it's just a lot of the same... primer/sand/primer/sand/primer/sand but here's a couple of new ones showing how straight the door is and how nice the bumper is compared to the earlier pics. Almost ready to let them cure a few months for paint.
Bill
Yep, Your car has mostly wait and cure panels at this point. Hard work done and now looking for a window to start the engine/engine bay/new transmission part. As well as new seats on and on. Nicks panels are getting to the same point slowly….and Im currently finishing the paint on @SorsCode 97 Saleen which we started in 2021
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Willybill32
But at least it's tight!
Yep, I knew this would be an on/off process with the cure time and what not, as well as other cars in the rotation. Mine needed a crap ton of repair before we could even get to this point though, I think Kevin said this is the most work he's had to put into a customer car and rivals the GT he did the back half on. Do you have a build thread on your car that I've somehow missed?
Willybill32
But at least it's tight!
Willybill32
But at least it's tight!
@bird_dog0347, I've enjoyed following your build thread. Several times I thought it would have been easier to start with the donor car...but that doesn't satisfy the emotional connection with the original car.
Bill
Honestly if we knew how screwed up this one was we would have used a donor shell, I don't have too much emotional connection to the shell, well at least I didn't before this build started. If we knew at the time the extent of the rust/damage hiding on the car it would have been faster/easier/cheaper to replace the floor and the roof of the donor instead of using pretty much everything BUT those parts on my car. Oh well. It's gonna be perfect now.
SorsCode
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
I know when @95steedamustang started on mine in 2021 I already estimated it wouldn’t be home till end of summer 2023/fall of 2023. This all because him and I follow a very similar process when doing cars like this. Right now mine is in a painting stage then will sit for a little while before graphics goes on. We have already started talking about what all we will do with the 95 Saleen v6 Sport.
I think our original goal set last summer was having it ready for PITS in 2024 but with everything that had to be replaced on it, as well as the drive train swapping that feels ambitious at this point. I'm not in a big rush either, I'm just happy it's being done correctly.
Like most things in life…To get cars to the point where people see them and are blown away doesn’t take tons of skill and talent. It really just takes practice, persistance and patience. Luckily The three P’s are what Im good at because talent and skill Im low on. Lol! I try to keep things moving but at the same time the end results are all I care about. My 94 cobra took me yrs to finish but it was all worth it when I look back at it
- Mar 2, 2015
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If I ever hit the lottery, or come into a huge amount of money, I'd definitely get my fox done. The Steeda is pretty straight but has some dings that my PDR guy is going to make some money off of.
New edge Steeda is a cool car to have. I have a saleen extreme, cobra R, bullitt, mach 1 and terminator in new edge so the steeda would be one Id consider adding along with an S-351. But S-351s were only 99 and a few 00 chassis cars.
- Mar 2, 2015
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We can have that conversation if you want. Not sure if I want to sell yet but I'm not completely opposed to it. Having 3 mustangs makes my garage seem small. A new building won't go up for atleast 2 years and I don't want to take it to the farm.
