Where do I start for a total rebuild of 68 coupe

take the body down to metal and find if there is any rust (most likely) and get that taken care of first. the the body done (paint included so you can shoot the engine bay with color) and then work on the drivetrain . i say the number 1 rule is to not rush things. it will come in time.

If I were you, the very, very first thing I'd do is make a list and be realistic about your desire and ability to undertake a project of this size. You need to determine up front if you have the money for this, the place to do it in and the time to devote to a complete rebuild. Get several catalogs and start pricing out the things you think you need. Parts like maybe a disc brake conversion, suspension rebuild, interior refurbish and all the trim could easily top $3,000. Start adding up small parts and see how fast another $2,000 gets eaten up. Add about $5,000-$10,000 for nice paint and you can see that a nice resto job is not cheap. When I started my car I had about $5,000 saved and thought I could do a Shelby clone for that, plus whatever I could add each payday. I wasn't even close in my estimate and consequently my project has taken about four times as long as I'd thought and cost about $7,000+ more than my original $5,000. I wish I'd driven the car for another couple years and saved my money so the project would've went much faster.
A good workspace is another item that you can't do without. Rebuilding your car in an apartment carport is a pain and borrowing garage space from a relative or friend is another option if you don't have a garage, but how long will your Aunt be willing to let you and your buddies work until midnite on your car? I see so many cars sold in boxes and half disassembled these days that it's not even funny. The owners all had great intentions and lots of enthusiasm at the start, but ten months into the restoration, it turned out to be a lot more work than they thought, they get tired of being broke for a car they can't even drive and they end up selling the car for pennies on the dollar. My project has taken over 4 years and there were lots of times I wanted to just forget it, but that's how it goes. Be prepared for that feeling and be determined to work through it.
Another factor is ability. Can you take stuff apart without losing half the parts? I'm not trying to be mean, but lots of guys can't. My wife now owns a '69 427 Corvette that the original owner attempted to redo the interior himself. He took every single part, every fastener and every panel out of the interior, then went through a divorce, had to move and promptly lost every single fastener to the interior. Another freind has a '67 fastback that had a broken driver's window regulator. He tried to fix it himself, broke most of the door stuff including the window getting it out, then gave up. The car has been sitting in his garage since '87 with the window down. He says he's gonna fix it soon.
My point is that you need to gather your wits and get a plan together before you ever order the first part. Make a plan and be ready for hard times, be ready for setbacks, be ready for whatever can go wrong and if after all that you still think you can do it, then start breaking the restoration into sub-sections. I did the disassembly first, then body and paint, followed by the engine and trans, then the interior. You may choose to do yours in a different order, but try to keep from tearing the car down to the shell all at once to avoid losing half the car. Good luck!

From a complete novice on the subject: I began with stripping the car down to metal by media blasting and then epoxy coated. Repaired the rust and badly damaged panels ( 1 floor pan and 2 fender aprons). Then painted the engine compartment. The suspension, brakes, and drive train were next to get replaced or rebuilt after cleaning and painting the underside. The final body work and paint were just completed and now working on the interior and electronics. Glass and final tune and tweaks should be the last things. The body shop will get it back to fix any nicks or scratches incurred while doing the final build steps.

We just fired the engine for the first time and a very short trip down the street and back. It’s been 2.5 years since it last moved under its own power.

Definitely tag and bag every item that comes off the car. I found taking lots of photos using a digital camera to be very helpful. Do plan ahead so you don't have to undo something or spend extra money. You will spend enough as it is. Claim ignorance if your wife asks how much has been spent so far.

Since I am doing a T5 swap I am looking for my tranny parts first to fit every thing then take it out and paint the car then put it all back together. I would rather not have to ruin the paint to weld or something after its on! (probablly will anyways though!)

Also try visiting a the Vintage Mustang Forum (not part of Stang.Net) or other Classic Mustang Forums for more insight into the classics.

jeffs68coupe said:

...The only major question I have is without a "mini tub" job, shorter rearend, etc. will I ever be able to put power to the ground? I am willing to cut into the wheelhouses if It can be done without completely losing the backseat. Has anyone on here done anything like this to their 67/68 coupe?

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Putting power to the ground has more to do with suspension tuning than tire size. I know several guys that are running mid 10 second 1/4's without tubs or wheels that stick out past the fender, and thats with the 65-66 cars which have smaller wheelwells. Tubs/mini-tubs are cool, and big tires look cool, but they probably aren't a necessity. The only thing worse than a slow car, is a slow car that looks fast.

ohyaa said:

Claim ignorance if your wife asks how much has been spent so far.

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DO NOT ignore this guideline!


Interestingly enough, my name is also Jeff....and I just picked up a 68 coupe

Actually, I was able to buy back the car I had when I was 16 - the car that my mom bought in 1981 and drive as her daily before I bought it.

stangonline said:

Interestingly enough, my name is also Jeff....and I just picked up a 68 coupe

Actually, I was able to buy back the car I had when I was 16 - the car that my mom bought in 1981 and drive as her daily before I bought it.

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Heh. Yesterday I put my 68 (which I have had since I was 16, now I'm 30) into a newly remodeled garage to start a fourth round of "updating" since we have owned it. This update includes induction, fixing a leaky tranny (likely pulling it), and bodywork.

And my wife supports it! She loves the car!

That's another important factor. My wife is supportive of my hobbies, but then again, compared to some of the guys I work with, my car is very cheap. I know guys that hunt, fish and shoot trap and they pretty much all cost more than my fastback. I would've never in my life guessed how spendy trap shooting is until one of the guys I work with started buying shotguns. His Perazzi (sp?) cost $15,000 and it's not even the most expensive one they make! When he saw my look of disbelief and told me how it held it's value. If he takes good care of it, the thing will still be worth $10,000 when he goes to sell it in five years. Hmmm...I think my fastback will beat that, plus I can drive it.

My wife is supportive of the car hobby. This project was even her idea. I just jumped at the opportunity before she changed her mind. She justs asks about the amount spent every once in a while when boxes show up on the front door step.

jeffs68coupe said:

I need to find a media blast shop in the Detroit, MI area. Anyone else in my area with any suggestions of shops.

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Ray's Radiator and Hot Rod shop in Warren, MI is where I had mine stripped. He is half the price of anyone else around, but he is very busy. They will give you a great deal if you are not in a hurry and you let him do it as fill in work. Are you in Detroit or a surrounding area? I know a few places depending on your location. You can checkout www.milandragway.com they have several posts with every media blast shop in the metro detroit area.

jeffs68coupe said:

I can probably get what I want with just rollling the fender lips. Any know how to do this.

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I am told you can use a baseball bat wedged in between the tire and the lip, but for mine we ended up making little cuts in the lip and bending it back piece by piece, which I would NOT recommend - it created a few small creases in the outer edge of the fender.

I've seen people use a bat to roll the lip and they had a tech on it last year in Mustang Monthly I think, but Eastwood make a tool for rolling the lips now. It's a little expensive at around $200-$300 buck I think.

Most people dont put mini tubs in 65-66's because its actually the leaf spring that causes much of the problem. The other option is to get fender flares which will allow you to stuff a wider wheel/tire combo in without them sticking out.

jeffs68coupe said:

Actually i'm in Wyandotte. I did see Ray's hot rod shop in the phone book. Do you know of a rough price to get shell, 2 doors, and 2 fenders blasted? I saw that tool in a book. It said to buy it and charge your friends to do their cars to recoupe the money it cost for the tool. It looked adjustable so you could use it on just about any car.

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Ray charged me around $500-$600 bucks. Priming the car costs extra. He did it as a side job and it took about 8 months. I didn't bother me because it gave me time to set up my garage. There is a place called Metallizers in Belleville that quoted me the same price and said it would take 2 weeks, but they couldn't prime the car. Every other place I called wanted at least $1200 and as much as $2500. I used Ray because he seemed friendly and when you go to his shop there are a ton of classic cars in the lot getting work done. I figured if he didn't do good work then he wouldn't have that much buisness from classic car owners. He has a website too.