Not so little side project. Going to be restoring my Great Aunt’s 1966 Ford Mustang. Her grandson(my 3rd cousin) is interested in owning it. It’s sat since before I was born. Sadly at some point a tree fell on it, luckily it’s a hard top and the only damage was the roof was dented and driver side window was shattered.
First order of business will be some tires so I can get it off the ground, and of course nobody has used tires for 14" wheels anymore so I’m just getting some cheapy tires.
We actually had the car moved from the old house to mine, and they paid a guy to install a car port so I’m working in the dry. After I know the vehicle is at least functioning then we’ll worry about body repairs.
In the South we have what we like to refer to as “Cheeto Rust”. Surface rust that if left untreated will eventually tear steel up. It’s a humidity rust instead of the salted road caused rust y’all have up in the Midwest and Northeast. Carburetor is amazingly clean and by some miracle Fluffy didn’t get into it. Unfortunately the linkage is frozen stiff.
Fuel tank is just plain gone, fell apart into dust.
Here’s the battery to carbon date it’s final usage. A branded Sears battery.
I’m going to slowly take the interior apart and make sure the floors are alright. I didn’t see any rust flakes on the rollback other than where the fuel tank was so that’s a good sign.
I really hope this 289 is in good shape. Has an automatic transmission and fluid color seems good. Great Aunt Delle wasn’t really a speed demon.
Thats almost as bad as my 66 Chevy II. Yeah Im going to have to build a rotisary for it to install a new and complete floor pan. Yeah thats going to be fun lol.
Oh if you wanna see bad floors I need to show off my GMC. Driver and Passenger pans are GONE. Only the rubber mat and floor supports are left. I have new pans just haven’t had the motivation to replace them. Leaky door and window seals plus probably a leaky heater core equals no floors.
Yeah that was the case with K-20 it literaly had 2X4’s for rocker panels. LOL. I was going to build a floor pan but glad I didnt. I just a complete pan from LMC and it plopped right in. I procastinated for 6 months do to intimidaion. But it was actually really easy with the cab off and laying on its back. That cab is now just as solid as it was when it was new. Most would have scrapped that truck.
This project will be grueling but they aren’t in a rush.
I think the real challenge will be my Great Uncle’s 60s C10. No real body rust but his daughter wants to drive it. One problem: she’s 5 foot nothing and never drove a 3 on the tree. Automatic swap it is! Plus pedal extensions, and I’m sure she will not want to mess with a carburetor so that inline 6 will likely get a Holley Sniper. I’m hoping she wants to keep the carburetor.
I have not had time to work it the last two months. But here is where is right now. I need to finish the other door and then It will go outside so I can start the chassis work and LS swap it.
Hmm, had to remove a start to a beaver pond yesterday, we had a problem with beavers many years ago, now they seem to have returned. (is it possible to eat beavers?)
Really excellent work on that truck cab Matt. I remember the before pictures.
I think you are dreaming if you think you aren’t going to have to tear that 289 down
Cody. Anyway that’s by far the easiest part of that project. I owned that car once only mine was dark green. The plus side is that you can still buy all the parts for that car. The bad part is that it;s still just a Falcon with a pretty face.
You should watch Uncle Tony’s video about how much he likes that Holley sniper.
Luckily my Great Uncle drained the coolant before putting it up. Left the oil in, though.
I’m going to be very meticulous about that engine. Pull the spark plugs and shoot some oil onto the pistons, rotate engine by hand to make sure it isn’t stuck. They want me to track my hours and keep a ledger on parts, so it’s not some shadetree job.
My dad is the auto body wizard, I’ll just be learning from him. I’m better at the mechanical stuff. I guess first thing I should get is a Haynes manual.
OK guys i dont feel so bad about spending about a year on my dakota- replacing rear axel-seals-front calupers-most brake lines-Rear frame section-working on all four cab corners-taking the seats out to shampoo. mounting air shocks on it.replacing the rusted out doors somebody filled with spray styrofoam-replacing most all of emergency brake cables. The motor and tranny might be next as i see i had to scrub the inside of the hood good to change the color,and it had oil smoke on it. THE good news is i am down to a few bondo places before i am ready to scrub down -find sand
and paint to finish it up.
I learned most of my body work skills working with my dad in our garodge back in early 70’s. i was about 15 years old when painted my first car-1971 triumth spitfire. reading your post just reminded me about my triumth car painting years or year. though i don’t remember the color. Most the cars i painted i used acrylic enamel with hardeder- though i painted 1 or 2 cars with lacquer paint. Good trade to learn for sure, you will master that trade in no time with all your other skills.
Hey Kevin, I painted my Spitfire too, a 74. I loved that car, light weight fun to drive. I then got hold of an old GT-6 to replace the hood on the Spitfire when I banged it up. It had a bulge in the middle to clear the bigger engine in the GT and looked awesome. I also transplanted the inline 6 into the Spitfire and had a quick little car. No pics though, ancient history now.
Yes you absolutely can eat beaver it is very fine table fair. It is a staple meat in our home during the trapping season and the actual reason i got into trapping is for the meat. Its a small water cow, taste exactly like lean grass fed beef. The back straps are my favorite cut, marinated in worchestshire sauce salt pepper and garlic grill low and slow indirect until done. Every person i have fed it too thinks it was a beef tenderloin. The hind quarters boned out and ground with pork makes a excellent burger. The tail is pure fat and beyond rich, small bites to keep from upsetting the stomach. i like to take the rear roast and about an inch of the tail and boil it, then finish on the grill with bbq sauce, taste just like roast beef
An overgrown upwards heavy fruits laden winter pear tree branch snap off and got wind carried over into our houses Grid feed-in line.
And down it all came.
Still have power until the Public Utilities Service guys get here.
Hurmp. And every single generator of mine now moved since last week up 65 miles away.
So last night will have been our last night sleeping here.
House is now conditionally sold.
It can go power-less now for the week or two for repairs and power restoration.
As I’ve said again and again Mother Nature trumps all of our human desires. With storms just hunker down; stand aside, and wait. Clean-up and restore later.
Steve Unruh
Been torrential down pours and gusting all around home and auburn as well, i am expecting a power outage at any time, and REALLY looking forward to a wood stove heat during the outage. Time to rotate the fuel cans out again fo genny has fresh dino squeezings to feed on. currently leaking from no less then 3 spots in the shop roof at work. You would think a roofing supply company would have a good roof on their own buildings…
Yeah. Keep those battery storm laturns handy. Good time before the need to check functioning and batteries states of charge.
Ha! And I just took all of mine and crate packed them up for moving just last evening. “Won’t be needing these here, anymore.” I’d said to myself. You fool, Unruh. Mother was listening.
@Bobmac, @mggibb Michael Gibbs; these winds events this time of year always takes me back to the early 60’s Columbus Day wind storm. My whole WHY once weeks nose-rubbed without outside supplied power motivation to make my own sustainable power.
Yes i wish i had some pics of the spitfire i had too- it was a simple 4 cyclinder car back in those days–would probley be quit valuble today. yours and my low buck car. I remembsr now i had a hard top for it also cause it was a convertable.
Yeah, simple engine I could pull out in 30 min and replace in 45. With the fenders lifting up with the hood, you even had 2 stools (tires) on ether side of the engine to sit on.
