My ‘89 GT build





Like many fox bodies, my rear 1/4 glass had grey/white streaks in it. Now in the pictures it looks virtually perfect, but in person I can see the difference in the blacks. How I did it was used a scuff pad to remove most of the bad paint and then wiped off the edges with laquer thinner. Laquer thinner melts paint if used inappropriately, so I used that to my advantage. After I was satisfied with the bad stuff gone, I applied a real wet coat of some rattle can flat black. I recommend making it runny so it will get in the little paint cracks. Hope this helps anyone with the same issues.
 
Today, one of my projects was to repair the torn rear bumper. Being a thermoset type of plastic, regular welding doesn’t work. Btw, rigid epoxy is probably never the right answer for flexible plastic bumpers. Drill a hole at the end of the tear and then grind away exposing 3/8” to 1/2” of the bare yellow plastic. Get it in the right position with clamp(s) or whatever you prefer. Polyvance is the only solution I’ve ever found to work on these, but there may be others. Melt a layer of their R01-01-03-NT on the outside then the inside. Let it cool and sand down to the right level and then start your typical bumper repair.



 
Did you open the crack some, clean or rough it up any? Is there a something like MEK that will prepare the plastic to stick better to the filler? Lot's of work but looking good! What clutch, flywheel, pressure plate do you have in mind for the ride?
 
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Thanks Jim. In the first picture of the bumper, you can see how I shaved the bumper down with a dremel on both sides. When you grind it down, it’s as clean as it ever will be.
I can’t remember what clutch and pressure plate I went with, but it was rated for just one under 500hp. Stock flywheel resurfaced because I didn’t see any reason to change it.
 
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Made the coil mount the other day and mounted it today. I’m happy with the location.
Wired up the alternator. Ran new 2 AWG wire to it. Hid pretty well. Put in a 150amp fuse on the frame rail. It’s out of sight, out of mind.
Can’t do too much since I had surgery yesterday, but this stuff didn’t really rely much physical activity.
 
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Looking good! Quick recovery..... hope all is well !
 
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I’ve been tinkering with the car even though I’m not supposed to until the doc gives the the ok on Wednesday. Got the electric fans wired up. I wanted a plug in option for them, so I ended up using a 4 wire trailer wiring kit that was only about $6. I’ve already wired up the relay to control it, except the ignition power source(still need to find one). Wired up the remote battery, removed and cleaned the rear bumper reinforcement bar and replaced, installed headlight brackets, and some other stuff. The thing I’m pretty happy about is I’ve finally came up with a solution for the coolant overflow tank. I wanted to retain the level sensor. The only custom option I found was the canton and I just didn’t want to go that route. So what I did was cut up the stock unit. Basically I cut out the bottom bend and made it straight. I also took about 2 inches off the bottom so it will clear the hood. Tomorrow I’ll weld it all back together and clean it up. I may paint it satin black and leave a section clear to see the level.





 
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I haven’t been able to get much done this week. Been feeling dizzy from the surgery, but did manage a few things. Picked up a 5 lug disc rear axle. Removed the drums and shafts off the car and started to break down the other one. While I have it all apart I’ll replace the pinion seal, trac loc clutches, axle bearing and seals. I planned to paint the body today, but didn’t have the right reducer for my epoxy primer.

 
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The pics look good. Did you have to work around all of the stuff the pics show that are in the garage, or are you having to move it in and out? Lastly,..what type of surgery did you have?
 
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