Crane's 1968 Mustang Restomod

crane550 · Sep 1, 2008

Hey folks,

I have been checking out some Mustang forums and am trying to decide on one to stick with (got high hopes for you guys!) and ya'll seem alright, or at least don't have over the top moderators who fix every little spelling mistake or put crazy advertisements everywhere. Guess I will relax here for a while and see how it goes.

My current project is a 68 Coupe w/ a 200ci, C4, and very little rust or problems. The first few pics are how I bought it +1 wax job.

I bought it last year with the intention of using as a daily driver (which I have) and restore it later, which I am doing now. So the sanding, the polishing, the parts ordering and the research has begun.

I just wanted someplace where I could share my progress. Perhaps it will be here. Enjoy!

PLEASE! Feel free to give advice, ask questions, and most of all PLEASE throw me ideas! I don't have this whole thing planned out yet, but that is half the fun!

crane550 · Sep 1, 2008

First major thing I did to it was add the 4.5 leaf Grab-A-Trak (sp?) suspension. I did a little homework before ordering from Mustang Plus and settled on this. Somewhere I have some before and after pics, but you know how these girls like to sag after a while. Seems like they turn 40 and the butt just drops. The new springs make a heck of a difference in stance and handling. Were I to do it again I would have bought this first thing last summer.

Chrome and trim has been coming off (all within the last 3 weeks) and my beautiful Stang is starting to look a little homely. I have started sanding and ordering new parts that I want to replace.

So far I have new door handles from ebay (~$30) and the M U S T A N G letters fro the back. (~$15 ebay) Both are great quality and I am very happy with them. I will put them on when it goes back together after painting.

As you see she had a vinyl top when I got her. Her top had to go. Just could not get crazy over it. I was very lucky to find no rust underneath, and everything seems straight. I will need just a little filler in one or two low spots but really nothing major.

Any ideas on filling the holes? Weld? Bondo? I have a lot of guys tell me different things, and help would be great. Thanks you guys! Also, I'm new to bodywork and paint, so any tips would be helpful. I want to do it (or most of it) myself.

machnone · Sep 1, 2008

the paint scheme looks like a gold nugget special .is it ?

69gmachine · Sep 1, 2008

crane550 said:
I was very lucky to find no rust underneath, and everything seems straight. I will need just a little filler in one or two low spots but really nothing major.

The lower driver side corner of the back glass sure looks like rust to me. If you don't get that completely removed it will bubble back through the paint in a year or two at the most.

crane550 · Sep 1, 2008

69gmachine said:
The lower driver side corner of the back glass sure looks like rust to me. If you don't get that completely removed it will bubble back through the paint in a year or two at the most.

Yea, but I considered that under the trim and not under the vinyl so much....but sure, it has a bit. It is not deep and you bet I will be fixing it before it all goes back together.

Ok, I think I have to brag....

I search Craigslist everyday for parts and I came across an ad that read something to the effect of "Misc mustang parts." Most of the stuff seemed useless to me, except one: Crager SS rims. All prices negotiable.

I called the guy up, drove about 45 mins to a neighboring town and found these:

Crager SS 14x10 and 14x7's w/ Goodyear Eagle radials on them

5 minutes a piece and no more surface rust:

Oh, did I mention the price? $10 a pop.

j69302 · Sep 1, 2008

what did you use on the wheels to clean them up? they came out good.

68EFIvert · Sep 1, 2008

Looks like I nice project you got there. It reminds me of mine 4 years ago. To fix the holes from the trim pieces on the top you should weld them. Good luck and keep us posted.

crane550 · Sep 1, 2008

j69302 said:
what did you use on the wheels to clean them up? they came out good.

I used a damp cloth, and then an off the shelf chrome polish. Nothing special about, can't remember the brand.

zookeeper · Sep 1, 2008

Looks great and the tires alone are worth what you paid for the rims and tires. Nice work!

crane550 · Sep 1, 2008

As to be expected I am looking for a way to convert my car to 5 lug so I can use my new rims. I was looking around on Craigslist and saw the following ad:

"I have a complete 5 lug front disc brake set up for $250. I also have a 5 lug drum set up for $75 I also have a 5 lug 8 in rear end for $175, and a complete power steering set up for $75 All of it fits 65-68 mustang and 69-77 maverick Most of it is off a maverick."

Does this sound like it would work for what I need?

ultrastang · Sep 3, 2008

As to be expected I am looking for a way to convert my car to 5 lug so I can use my new rims. I was looking around on Craigslist and saw the following ad:

Quote:
"I have a complete 5 lug front disc brake set up for $250. I also have a 5 lug drum set up for $75 I also have a 5 lug 8 in rear end for $175, and a complete power steering set up for $75 All of it fits 65-68 mustang and 69-77 maverick Most of it is off a maverick."

Does this sound like it would work for what I need?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The '65/'66 Mustangs are 2" narrower in track width than a '67-'70 Mustang. I'm not sure of the exact front end track width measurment of the Maverick --which was produced from '70-'77 [Mercury Comet, sister car to the Maverick, was produced from '71-'77], but the 8-inch rear end in the Maverick/Comet is even narrower than the '65/'66 Mustang's.

'65/'66 Mustang rear end [bare --no axles no brakes] is 52¼" wide.

'67-'70 Mustang rear end is 54¼" wide.

'71-'73 Mustang rear end is 56" wide.

Maverick/Comet rear is around 51".

Any of the above rear ends [including Mav/Com rear end] will mount under any of the '65-'73 Mustangs because all of these have spring perches on 43-inch centers, but obviously some rear ends would be really wide for certain Mustang bodies, while some would be very narrow if installed under others.

I'm not sure how wide the Maverick power steering slave cylinder/draglink assembly is, but just assuming that it fits a '67-'70 Mustang, then it would not work in a '66/'65 Mustang due to the difference in the track width between the two.

I am assuming the 5-lug disc setup is from the Maverick. If so, then it is the same disc brake setup used on the '75-'80 Granada/Monarchs. It will work on the '67-'70 Mustangs with no issues. These same brakes installed on a '65/'66 Mustang [in some, not all cases] can create excessive bumpsteer problems on them --depending on mods to the front of the '65/'66s ...such as if there are shorter springs installed and/or if the upper A-arms have been relocated.

crane550 · Sep 3, 2008

Ok, so when I went to look at it and broke out the old tape I was very disappointed to find that the Mustang rear end was 4" wider backing plate to backing plate than this 8" that came off the Maverick. Oh well, time to go home.

Then it hit me: I am going from 6.5" width tires to 10's. After crawling around under the car for a while I found that there WAS enough clearance to fit the tire in the wheel well (as verified by measuring center spring perch to inside closest point on tire.) with the new axel and diff. I lose about 1.5 to 2 inches of inside clearance, but have about 1.5 to spare even after. My tire also sticks out the car another 1 to 1.5 inches towards the outside. Stock tires, tho they might fit, would look terrible on this diff. With these wider tires it balances out perfectly.

So all around it seems that not only will this setup work, but it is ideal. If I had a stock axel width my new tires would stick out about 4 inches past the wheel well, wish would just look tacky. This keeps the tire mostly inside the wheel well, where it should be, yet still lets a little new meat show. My guess is that the back tire will still stick out farther than the front.

As far as the front tires, doesnt placement depend on the width BETWEEN perches rather than the perches themselves?

NewStangOwnr · Sep 3, 2008

crane550 said:
Everything you see here is what I have. Am I missing anything?

Front Disk Brakes.

crane550 · Sep 4, 2008

NewStangOwnr said:
Front Disk Brakes.

The drums will work just fine. I am getting married in April and have better things to spend my money on. I don't drive this enough to justify them right now.

slepe67 · Sep 4, 2008

keep in mind, IF you decide to sandblast the diff, you WILL get sand in there. I taped the CRAP outta mine, stuffed rags, anything I could think of to keep sand out of the diff. I paid very close attention to the proximity of any openings while blasting, and when I finshed, blew it clean, and opened it up, there was sand like crazy in there. I then fired up Mr. Pressure washer and cleaned it out for a LONGGGG time, then grabbed about 50 rags, wiped it spotlessly clean and dry, and reinspected. Reassembled. Just my $0.02.

CraigMBA · Sep 5, 2008

If you sandblast a rear end, the only way to do it is with the third member installed and the axles installed and the vent tube temporarily replaced with a bolt. Even then...............

I'd suggest a wire brush.

slepe67 · Sep 6, 2008

CraigMBA said:
If you sandblast a rear end, the only way to do it is with the third member installed and the axles installed and the vent tube temporarily replaced with a bolt. Even then...............

I'd suggest a wire brush.

very true...hey, I'm learning as I go! hahaha

crane550 · Sep 6, 2008

Ok, so I cleaned and painted the drums, spindles, and diffy. I think they look really good.

Only got one installed, which took a good chunk of the day. Ran into problems with getting the brakeline removed, and had to cut it. Then ran into issues removing the top ball joint. Finally got it.

Have not been able to bleed the spindle/drum that I installed. Could not get the little nut loose. Will try again tomorrow after I try to find a better tool. A socket will not fit, and a wrench wont grab well at that angle. Not sure what the plan is.

Also, after driving about 5 miles I noticed the drum was getting warm. I will pull it apart tomorrow and see whats going on. I'm sure there is going to be some sand in there that I will want to get out.

70vert · Sep 6, 2008

Re: the front discs, just to be the voice of reason and safety here, as a husband-to-be, the first thing I'd do is upgrade the braking system, or perhaps the seat belts. Since it is a daily driver, I'm stressing this issue.

The problem isn't that the drums don't work OK. They did in 1967. The problem is everybody else on the road now has better brakes so you could end up rearending someone and face-planting into the steering wheel.

There, I said it - now I'm covered. ;-) By the way, nice car. I'd love a '67-68 coupe so I could turn it into a GT/CS clone!

project1965 · Sep 7, 2008

Iam doing a budget restor myself and i found that if you just buy the brackets from Cobrabrakes and buy the rest from Autozone the price is pretty reasonable.

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