List of things needing to be addressed on my new Stang.

[dec322]

I wanted to do a 5 lug conversion with rear rotors and bullit wheels but I think I need to address some annoyances first. Here is the list from with the most annoying things at top. Can you help or have any advice?

1. The driver side door must be pushed in in order for it to open. The passenger side door must be pushed in and the handle must be pulled up so hard that I'd rather a person just climb through the window. I hate this about my car.

2. All the interior panels are loose with broken screw holes or cracks. I'm sure it makes a bunch of noise but my exhaust keeps me from hearing anything.

3. My headliner looks like its had mold or something....I think the rear hatch used to leak. (I think the "map" light is ugly!!)

4. The door panels are flopping everywhere and are pretty ratty looking.

5. The door locking switch does nothing.

6. The previous owner had the car painted in a shop class. Unfortunately they painted all the trim around the windshield, door windows, and quarter windows. I got an "estimate" on a paint job to make the car look like it came from the factory (fixing the door prob, replacing weatherstrips....). The guy told me it would cost about $3000. Is that normal?

Switch number 3 and 4.

P.S. I love the car b/c of the fun factor.....definitely worth having and fixing these problems.

What do yall think?

 

[jrichker]

Doors sag: Hinge pin & bushing kits are available at many auto parts stores. Or see http://www.texasmustang.com/ or http://www.mustang-unl.com/. Usually less than $7 for the kit with one pin & 2 bushings.

Th hard part is to get the old pin out. Some were spot welded in, others were hammered so that the end mushroomed. Either way, it takes a grinder or cutter bit in a drill or Dremel tool to cut the pin or grind off the weld. Once it is off, tap the pin out with a hammer. Only remove one pin at a time so that you don't have the full weight of the door to manage. I highly recommend that you have a helper standing by to hold the door.

Once the old pin is out, lower the door and tap out the old bushings. Put the new bushings in and have the helper lift the door in place so that you can slide the new pin in. It may have to go in differently from the way it came out. That's OK, as long as you put the cotter pin in the hinge pin.

OOOPS!!!The important thing to remember is that the hinge pin isn't supposed to move once you are finished. If it does, then you will end up like me - the pin moved, it wore the door hinge instead of the replaceable bushings. Now in order to fix it right, I have to remove the whole thing again and drill out the hinge to the same size as the bushing and use 2 sets of bushings in each hinge rather than one set.


The fix for the OOOPS was very time consuming and if you aren't up to some very interesting machine work, do it right so you won't have to do it again. I fixed the OOOPS but I had $43 worth of drill bit and specialized reamer plus pulling the fender off to fix it.

Door locks don't work: pull the door panels off and locate the electrical connector for the door lock actuators. Disconnect it and place a test light across the two sockets in the wiring connector. Press the door lock switch and watch the test light illuminate. If it doesn't, you have electrical problems and get to troubleshoot the door electrical circuit.

If the test light works in both switch postions, the door lock actuators have gone over to the nenmy's camp and need replacement. Follow this link to fix your door lock actuator problems http://jrichker.stangnet.com/Mustang_tech/door_actuator_fix/1_of_8_door_actuator.htm

Stuck with door lock actuators that don't work and don't want to pay the $50+ for a new one? Tried the junkyard ones and found that they last six months and freeze up?

A new actuator for less than $4. Fix one side for $17, do both sides for only $23. I don't sell parts, I don’t make any money off of the upgrade, I just tell you how to do it cheaply and easily.

 

[srothfuss]

2. All the interior panels are loose with broken screw holes or cracks. I'm sure it makes a bunch of noise but my exhaust keeps me from hearing anything.

New panels, screws and misc parts can be found at the following sites:

www.50resto.com
www.cjponyparts.com

3. My headliner looks like its had mold or something....I think the rear hatch used to leak. (I think the "map" light is ugly!!)

See above for sites that supply new headliners

4. The door panels are flopping everywhere and are pretty ratty looking.

Try finding new mats. The above sites supply nice pieces or you can get some from the local parts store. To prevent them from sliding around, look for floor mats that have short rubber spikes

5. The door locking switch does nothing.

JRICHKER can help you with this one...

6. The previous owner had the car painted in a shop class. Unfortunately they painted all the trim around the windshield, door windows, and quarter windows. I got an "estimate" on a paint job to make the car look like it came from the factory (fixing the door prob, replacing weatherstrips....). The guy told me it would cost about $3000. Is that normal?

Anywhere between $2,000 and $5,000 is expected for a good paint job of the entire car. But remember that you'll get what you pay for. So the more you spend the happier you will be in the end.
Switch number 3 and 4.

What do yall think?

Some pictures would be nice and welcome to :SNSign:

 

[dec322]

Thanks for the links. I've been all over 50resto but the other site doesn't navigate very good. I can't really find anything and what I do find is not very clear. I'll get their catalog and we'll see what happens.

About the doors: I'll replace the hinge pin and bushings within the next two weeks. I'm worried that maybe the car has been pushed hard enough to cause the body to flex and warp....would this cause the doors to act like they are acting? How can I tell? I've washed the car and don't notice any flexing but the more I read on this site the more worried I get about things.

Also, is there a place to buy seatbelts? Both of my sets in the front are very loose. If I get in a wreck, the seatbelt won't stop me from going through the windshield.....it will probably stop me before I land on the road in front of the car.

Thanks

 

[srothfuss]

Thanks for the links. I've been all over 50resto but the other site doesn't navigate very good. I can't really find anything and what I do find is not very clear. I'll get their catalog and we'll see what happens.

Sorry about that.. They have so much stuff that it's hard to find what you need. If you wait for their catalog you won't be dissapointed though. It's about as thick as a Hynes manual and is filled with only Mustang stuff.

About the doors: I'll replace the hinge pin and bushings within the next two weeks. I'm worried that maybe the car has been pushed hard enough to cause the body to flex and warp....would this cause the doors to act like they are acting? How can I tell? I've washed the car and don't notice any flexing but the more I read on this site the more worried I get about things.

Doors sag over time. The weight of the doors on two little hinges causes the bushings to wear and then you get sagging. Don't worry too much about the flex. Almost everything can be fixed or replaced on this car.

Also, is there a place to buy seatbelts? Both of my sets in the front are very loose. If I get in a wreck, the seatbelt won't stop me from going through the windshield.....it will probably stop me before I land on the road in front of the car.

Thanks

I haven't found a place that makes replacement seatbelts. Ebay is a good place to look.

 

[25thmustang]

New headliner...

I just made one which I deleted the map light. I took the old out, and stripped the foam and fabric off it. I then went to a local fabric store and bought an extremely similar material and glued it on. I will just trim it, and leave the hole where the map light was covered!

 

[dec322]

New headliner...

I just made one which I deleted the map light. I took the old out, and stripped the foam and fabric off it. I then went to a local fabric store and bought an extremely similar material and glued it on. I will just trim it, and leave the hole where the map light was covered!

I like this idea!! What kind of glue?? Does it matter? How long has your headliner held up?

Doors sag over time. The weight of the doors on two little hinges causes the bushings to wear and then you get sagging. Don't worry too much about the flex. Almost everything can be fixed or replaced on this car.

Thanks for the reassurance.

 

[vikingpower]

Why do you guys hate the map light? I think its pretty handy

 

[25thmustang]

Well I havent even finished it yet, so I cant say how long it holds, but if it does start to come off, Il try another adhesive and still be ahead of the game. I used some store bought stuf for interiors... and it also smells extremely good! The Fabric and glue all together was probably $20-22 and actually feels better than stock!

 

[dec322]

Why do you guys hate the map light? I think its pretty handy

I think it is just about the ugliest thing I've seen in the car. As a guy at work says: "Ugly as home made sin".

But to each his own....I'll send you mine and you can have one for you and one for the passenger.


I'm going for the budget headliner.....great idea....i would have never thought about it.

 

[dec322]

Fixed my doors!!!!!

I just sprayed some WD 40 on the latch and inside the door handle and now it works like a charm. I still need to replace the actual handle b/c there is a different handle on each door: one chrome and one painted gray.

There is no wear on the hinge and pin. Today was a good day.

 

[88-GT]

Yea headliner is easily done. Just finished up mine and it turned out really good. Its a little bit more of a pain in the ass if your car has a sun roof but ingenuitive thinking can get you through it.

View attachment 484018
View attachment 484020

Ended up doing mine with a little bit thicker material, almost looks like leather, then just used that chrome fender trim stuff to secure it around the sunroof, turned out really good. Was a major PITA though, I think I'll stick to the bolts from now on, apolstery just isnt my thing.