The engine has never been started. Everything's in place except the exhaust
pipes (which I don't have - the car came with headers and straight pipes,
which are a little loud for public streets) I rebuilt the motor, installed
it, and then had planned to finish out the car before starting the engine -
Also, it still needs to have the distributor dropped into place at the
proper timing. I installed it loosely (and at a random position) just so I
could have it in the motor.
1) What color are the interior parts you have?
all black - the dashpad (in good shape, no cracks), the seats are black
vinyl, black carpet, black metal trim, door handles, headliner, trim pieces,
the door panels (original, ready to be reinstalled) are also black. The
steering wheel (black) has some cracks around the base, but is usable.
2) What interior and exterior parts are missing or in poor condition?
you will probably want go get new side mirrors. One is missing, and the
other is kind of ragged looking. I have most of the "mustang" letters and
emblems. I had not planned on reusing them, but I've got them bagged and
boxed in my garage. The bit of interior that goes behind the back seat is
in crummy shape - the covering is torn up, and the fiberboard is cracked. I
still have the fiberboard, for use in making a pattern for a replacement.
The heater core is in good shape, except that the cardboard portion has been
cracked - you could probably patch the hole with a bit of fiberglass.
3) I noticed the images do not show the front or rear valences or the grill
do you have them?
yes. I have the front valence, and a new repop rear one (for dual exhaust)
Also, I've got the front grill and the big chrome mustang that goes inside,
both in good shape. The grill needs to be repainted. I have three bumpers,
in various degrees of repair.
4) What Transmission is in the car (I noted from your last email its a
manual, but no mention of a model or type)?
It's a 4-speed Toploader
5) The front tires and wheels look to be in bad shape, are those the current
wheels?
those are the current tires. You should replace them. I have at least one
full set of mustang hubcaps, plus a few spares. They're in OK shape, not
great. I was planning on using somewhat plain racing-type rims.
6) How are the
suspension and brakes? Did you do any upgrades on those
parts? I did not to anything to the brakes besides replace the hard and
soft lines, and install a new master cylinder. The brakes are manual, drums
all around. The
suspension is from a V-8 car, and I installed 4 new shocks.
7) You mentioned you shot most of the car in primer (except what appears to
be the passenger door, hood and trunk lid), how long has it been sitting in
that condition and what noticeable body flaws are present (misaligned body
panels, dings, etc)?
I shot the car with an epoxy primer (DP-90, I believe) It has been sitting
that way (but covered) for about 6 months. Besides the dents I mentioned
earlier, there are no other apparent body flaws. Everything looks to be
pretty straight, except for the dent right behind the passenger side door -
If you come down and check it out, you'll see what I'm talking about.
8) Is all of the wiring present and in good condition? I noticed the spark
plug wires are missing (probably due to the way you loosely installed the
ignition system), just curious.
I have a set of spark plug wires that I did not bother to install. I had
two wiring harnesses, I used what I felt was the best. There are a couple
of splices in the harness that runs through the engine compartment, and I am
missing the
9) I appreciate your honesty with me, but is there any rust in the shock
mounts, trunk or beneath the primer you shot? Bondo'd areas?
I stripped the car down to bare metal (except some of the tough-to-get
places between the rear quarters and the wheel wells), treated everything
for rust (used spray phosphoric acid) and ground out all the bondo. There
are a couple of dings on the rear passenger side quarter that you'll notice
are a different color primer - That's where I tried my hand at body work, so
you will find some bondo there. Otherwise, the body should be bondo-free.
The major load-bearing parts of the car (shock mounts/towers, frame rails,
etc) were all in very good shape.
10) You mentioned the cowl is not in good shape, which is of course a
problem area in many classic mustangs, but can you describe the extent of
the damage? I need to know if I'm going to need a donor car for another
weld in cowl or can fill the holes and work some bondo magic.
>From what I could see, the only damage was right around the air vents. I
glued in place a couple of those plastic "hats," (This car was never
intended as a daily driver for me) but you could probably section out the
rusted part without too much trouble.
As for the request, I know this Mustang started life as a Plane Jane V6, and
you have already mentioned the car is clean, but without a title. I was
curious if you could send me the VIN number so I can check the original specs
of the car?
Sorry, but I don't have the VIN readily available. I don't want to hassle
my mom to go out looking for it (can't remember if I installed the hood
hinges, wouldn't want her grappling with it if I hadn't)
I hope I answered all your questions well enough. Also, I should mention
that I've got quite a few books that will go with the car - shop manual,
"Guide to restoring your classic mustang," "how to restore your classic car"
"ford small block performance" "how to rebuild your ford 351c".... A bunch
of stuff.
