First time mustang restorer!

dan66 · Nov 6, 2004

Hi,

I have just purchased an origional 1966 Mustang GT Coupe (A Code).
As you would have gathered from the name of the thread, this is my first
mustang resto. I am going to be doing it slowly as I get the money.

My first question is what do i do first? Do I sand blast it first so I can see
what i'm doing on the body? What should I do about rust proofing? When
should my wiring be done, as I am converting it to right hand drive? In what
order do I do these things and the rest like painting and engine etc?

any help is going to be much appreciated,

Dan66

HistoricMustang · Nov 6, 2004

Dan, just spend a couple of days seeing what you have. Rust, any accidents, worn out parts, things that do not work, etc. Do you have an area for working? How much time you will have? Tools that may be needed and the all important - how much money do you have set aside or what is the budget. Usually a restoration will cost more than your original estimate.

As you hit on areas of opportunity, put up your questions? My project should give you the necessary inspiration. Here are a few before and after photos:

www.historicmustang.com/tech.html

Good Luck,
HistoricMustang
www.historicmustang.com

reenmachine · Nov 6, 2004

dan66 said:
I sand blast it first so I can see
what i'm doing on the body? What should I do about rust proofing? When
should my wiring be done, as I am converting it to right hand drive? In what
order do I do these things and the rest like painting and engine etc?

For God's sake, don't sandblast the body. It leaves a rough texture and the pressure and heat can warp the sheetmetal. I have seen this happen with my own eyes. The best blasting results I've seen so far are from plastic media blasting, which is very gentle and leaves a smooth surface.

Anyway, I digress. Congrats on your purchase! Slow down a bit, take a step back, and spend some time carefully looking over the car. Start making a list of the obvious projects and prioritize it. Do you want to take the car entirely off-line until it's totally restored or do you want to drive as you go as much as possible? This decision will determine how you start.

Spend a lot of time with your friend the "search" function on the forums, and get a few books on basic Mustang restoration. There are many out there.

Good luck and have fun!

66_stang · Nov 6, 2004

well, i have a 66 GT coupe also so here is a little motivation for you. Maybe your car can turn out something like mine (mine is no where near to being "perfect" etc but yea)

Doc Voodoo · Nov 6, 2004

Is that a real GT or is it GT options ?

The side molding along the bottom and quarter molding give it away as a non GT . Did someone like that stuff and put it on after ?

66_stang · Nov 6, 2004

its a replica GT. Still is an A code tho

dan66 · Nov 6, 2004

thanks alot people, I'll start looking over the car and taking note of what i have and don't have, also what works and what doesn't.
Can i just say that those pics look really good and make me want to stick to my time limit of two years or less. Yes i am tking it off the road completely untill it's finished.
My budget is about $20,000 AUS. I have been told this will be enough if i am carefull.
Tools and work area are not an issue as my father is a panel beater.

thanx I'll definately be back with heaps more questions soon.

dan66 · Nov 6, 2004

I bought my car less a carby. Can anyone tell me which carby i should have on this car? I know it's a 4 barrel.

thanx

FrdMustangCpe · Nov 6, 2004

good luck with the resto! my .02 is 'its not gonna happen overnight'. i keep thinking about what i wanna buy for my cuda, when i know i need to fix some wiring. make sure you get the mechanics of the car perfect before the body.

good luck

Doc Voodoo · Nov 7, 2004

Both the A and K code 289's came with Autolite 4100's, with the A code rated at 480CFM and had 1.08" venturis. I believe the K code had 1.12" venturis, a manual choke, and were rated at a higher CFM.

dan66 · Nov 8, 2004

i am going to change the car from auto to a 4sp man top loader. What else needs to change on the car (engine) when i do this?

dan66 · Nov 9, 2004

does anyone know the actual colour code of the dash and door & pillars for a 66 coupe?

First time mustang restorer!

dan66

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