Wait, wasn't it just summer?

Sorry for the dearth of updates. I had taken a break to do some minor things, and in the spirit and fashion that only I can seem to manage, they all unraveled into fairly involved things. Here's a list of things I did in the last 6 weeks:

Shop Truck Winterize

Ah my trusty old shop truck. I spent the summer hauling engines and gear and rear-ends and whatnot. It was time to give it some love before winter snuck up, especially since there was an ominous sounding "clunk" coming from the front suspension when steering at low speeds. I also knew that the front shocks looked terrible. I probably should have spent more time diagnosing, but to me "clunk" means "replace all the damn ball joints and tie rod ends" (and maybe even the steering pittman arm). Shotgun loaded, online parts catalog deployed- a week later I was under my old GMC with a pile of parts and an impact wrench. Unfortunately I learned that GMC beancounters engineered the lower ball joints instead of GM engineers and the result was a mess that required time-intensive and destructive pnumatic and fire-breathing techniques to disassemble. Lucky for me the replacements only required an impact tool. All in all a job that took 4 hours in my head took 2 weekends. C'est la vie. Truck drives like new now, and the front suspension should last until the rapture!

Air Compressor

I had an odyssey involving my workshop air service that ended interestingly.
My dad left me a heavier-duty 5HP air compressor with a 50 gallon tank which for all I could tell might have been usable. The electrical box cover was removed, and looked like someone took a messy stab at fixing some sort of problem. Electrical not being sorted, I couldn't really test the motor. There was also some orange RTV gasket goop sticking out from underneath the head, so I knew someone had performed mechanical work on it for reasons unknown. Since I grow increasingly impatient with my small, underpowered pancake compressor in the garage, I really wanted that big tanker to work. So I loaded it up out of my storage unit, delivered it to Mike at Cox Electric in north Urbana, and asked him to go through it.
Mike did his thing, finishing with an apologetic call to report that the motor was bad, the crank was bad, the bearings were bad- in all, not worth fixing. After thanking him and paying for his service, on a lark I asked whether or not they had anything suitable for a small garage like mine. Normally, Cox is a repair shop, not a sales joint. But that day Mike just happened to have something that another customer had turned in to exchange for a larger unit. He explained that it was a fine, low-hours unit they had just inspected and tuned up. I slipped behind the counter, went back in the shop and took a look.
I turned the corner and saw it. My eyes scanned from its foot, mounted on a heavy pallet, upward, past a vertical 80-gallon tank and stopped at the 7.5 horsepower motor and drive belt turning a crank connected to two soupcan-sized pistons configured in an air-cooled V. Overkill, it was complete and utter overkill. This unit could drive four of my shops if I ran them full time. "That'll do", I said.  Won't bore you with the logistics of moving that thing, but I will pause to thank fellow car enthusiast friends Jeremy and Josh for swinging by to help move and unload. Not a dainty endeavor.

Furnace

It's getting cold, and in anticipation of winter, I purchased a furnace. The back of my house and garage needed their own unit to stay comfortable. I spent part of November building a mechanical room in the back of the house, arranging for my HVAC contractor to fabricate a plenum and run new ducting, then install the furnace.

Electrical

I would like the ending of the compressor story to be me plugging it in and using it to finally blasting those darn stubborn leaf spring bolts loose with my impact wrench. I would like the ending of the furnace story with me under the car not freezing my ass off. As luck would have it, I opened the main panel in my garage and realized there was no place to properly add the needed breakers or circuits. To solve, I decided to install a garage subpanel. I needed it also for the welder and workbench outlets as well anyway. Then I realized the next problem in the stack: there was neither the room nor any open lugs to clamp down the fat 2-gauge wiring needed to add my subpanel. Stupid fused main. The proper way to do this would be to replace the main fuse panel with a breaker panel. That lead to realizing the need to pull the meter on the outside of the building, and probably moving the entire main (old feed is in place that may require updates due to new code requirements). This tightly-coupled mess all of the sudden turned into something I need to bring the power company and licensed electricians (personal rule - as good as I am with electrical, I will not mess with any main feed). It's a lot of work, but it is a huge project I had been avoiding. I just really dislike that I need to do it right now.

So there it is. Nothing really going on with the Mustang in the past 6 weeks - I have been jigging up and practicing stitch and plug welds on 18 gauge. Helped out my buddy Jeremy with welding up a 4" exhaust flange for his new turbo setup (pretty cool), and he in turn helped me out with moving that monster air compressor. I plan on getting back down to business soon, after all, my workspace is no better or worse than it was last winter. I'll just bundle up in my Carharts until I get my shit sorted.

Happy birthday, dear chux0rMustangproject- happy birthday to you

Has it really been a year? Guess so! In October of 2015, I rolled into our main work bay the 65 Mustang gotten out of a barn and purchased from my buddy Jason, and initiated this 2-year restoration project. I suppose this is a great time to stop and reflect on things.

Although I know a few things, the goal was and is to learn the rest by just doing it. In many ways this project doesn't have much to do with cars as much as it is about conquering some of my demons. Number one demon was the notion that I don't know enough to do this. As much as I've picked up over the years, I always labored on the sidelines under the notion that I needed to be some sort of super expert to even begin. Stupid, right? If you don't start, nothing will ever happen! I wasted so much time paralyzed by this thing, afraid that I'd mess something up. Ridiculous, I know. No more. I acknowledged I will definitely mess something up, and that it's no big deal. In fact I have already messed up a couple things, then went back and recovered, and in doing so have learned a great deal. Number two demon is patience. There are really no quick fixes on this project- all of it requires focus and patience. Focus I have in spades. Patience? Well let's just say I think I am getting better at this. The penalty of course for being impatient is you get to redo whatever you just rushed and messed up.  

Full disclosure: The 2-year time estimate I pulled out of my ass. I had no idea what I was in for, but 2 years sounded like enough time to stumble into problems, figure out what needs to be done, learn the stuff I needed to learn, and get at it. I might be right, who knows. Right now feels middle-ish. Here's everything the kid and I have done:

Engine overhaul.

We didn't think the engine needed major work at the get-go, but I suppose one needs to expect this every now and again when picking up a non-running project. I thought maybe it was just a starter and a fuel delivery problem, but when I found the valvetrain trashed, I knew we were going to have to tear it way down. First time I've pulled apart an engine all the way to bare block. Not bad for making shit up as I go! It's also worth noting that I benefited greatly from my local machinist, who knew exactly what I needed even though I didn't really know at first everything I needed to ask. Learned tons about what to do, and what not to do. I like the way it turned out. Can't wait for the next engine build!

Rrrrrrrust! Welcome to Illinois.

Like the engine, the rust didn't seem terrible until we picked at it a bit. It's still not, like crazy rusty, but there's just more than I thought there would be. The rust in the floors and firewall and trunk and wheelhouses was all just masked really well. I peeled away slowly all of the tin patches, the body-filler, the undercoating, and the riveted panels to reveal the rust that was always hiding there, and set out to figure out the best ways to address it a) properly and b) permanently. Luckily I had already taken some welding classes at my local community college. After adding a welding rig to the garage and making about every rookie mistake a greenhorn welder can make, I got dialed in and down to business.
As for sheetmetal, one can buy any panel on this car from a variety of restoration catalogs, and I have bought some big ones to replace large sections of rusted floorboard, but I am fabricating smaller patch panels with no or simple bends.

Highlights

I've taken a wire-wheel on an angle grinder to the belly at 10,000 RPM after kicking back off a corner, ooooh baby. Yes, it left a mark. I've overtorqued and broken bolts after looking up the right torque specs to the wrong engine, requiring a trip to the machinist. I learned how to gap rings, lash valves, assemble the rotating assembly, and disassemble an entire car down to the bare chassis. My garage boogie is close to perfect enough for JoAnne to suggest a web cam. This could be a thing. Jegs and Summit like me so much I get full catalogs sent every month, making my bathroom magazine holder happy. Best is yet to come.

The next 12 months

In the next 12, you will see welding, priming, painting, wiring, chassis work. We are going to tub the rear end. We'll drop our new engine in. We'll install a modern 5-speed transmission (and learn how to drive stick!) We'll install the interior. Paint and detail. Vroom.

Best of Pics, last 12

Chassis jam - engine bay

Cutting into the chassis to remove rusty bits - careful now

If you are wondering what happened with the rusty driver's side cowl sides and toekick panel rust I was knocking out, looks like the parts I need to fix that are backordered. We'll have that stuff in a week or two. Not like there's a dearth of stuff to do on this beast, so this week the TL;DR is I started removing front suspension and worked on completing some things we need to repair in the engine compartment. I found out that our front bumper struts were rusted clear through and need replaced. I fabricated some patches and began fitting a new inner fender on the passenger side. Oh, and as usual, I made a shitload of sparks with the angle grinder and cutting wheel for dramatic garage action

Springs, shocks, and bumper mounts

Springs actually look pretty good

I decided since lots of the front suspension is slated to be sent to the scrapper, no time like the present to get started ripping out things. It may not seem like it, but we're actually pretty close to painting the engine compartment, frame, and front inner fenderwells. Getting rid of the last of the cruft will help get us there. I removed the shock tower covers and spring covers, then the old, dead, shocks.  Springs came out (with some sweat invested) next. The unexpected removal came when I discovered penetrating rust on the bumper mounts. A quick shove answered my question- the thing just crumbled. Luckily they are pretty cheap, so new ones are on the way.

Battery tray rust hole repair

The passenger side engine compartment where the battery tray is located got some love this week. Batteries powering this car's electrical system over 50 years corroded the sheet metal all around its home, including the radiator core support, the passenger frame box, and the inner fender. One of the previous owners had fashioned a so-so fix by riveting in some 22 gauge sheeting coated in thick black goo, which I noticed while cleaning out the bay. I removed it in favor of arresting and eliminating rust as well as welding in permanent repair panels

Traced locating marks around

Before I cut...

Although I have this nice new replacement inner fender from CJ Pony Parts, I noticed the "ears" spot welded to the backside (also rusted at where the metal sandwiches together) are not included. These pieces are mounting points for the headlight bezels, so I imagine they'd be missed if I tossed them! I carefully air-chiseled them off and set aside for re-use. I'll have to weld them back on once I weld in the new inner fender.
  

Removing the rust hole- inner fender

This path makes sense, honest

The joke is- to remove a hole first you need to make a bigger hole, which I did. I didn't need to remove the whole inner fender panel, just the damaged part. So I'll be using about half of the replacement panel, just cutting nice and casual-like while templating everything out carefully. The location of the fender mounts are critical, the correct mounting of the headlight bezel ears is important. The rest can slide around a mm here and there.

Fab time: radiator support rotten spot

Ah crap

I cut the inner fender, then elected to chisel off the spot-welded tab carefully with an air chisel. The patch where the inner attached to the radiator support panel unfortunately tore. It tore because rust damage at the attachment point created a perfectly perforated line. This tore really nicely when I hit it with the air chisel. Plan B: It didn't make sense to buy anything here, since the damaged thing had a pretty simple shape. I decided I could easily fab up a patch. I

Damage, cut out. Template, lookin good!

stopped, carefully traced the profile onto some cardboard, then cut out the damage. I made a patch replacement from some scrap 18 gauge steel and popped it in there. Easy

New steel patch. Fits like a glove!

peasy.

Next week?

Next week Hopefully I'll have my cowl patch. I'll be getting back to repairing the driver's floor and the lower firewall over there so that this hot rod does not have anything in common with Fred Flintsone's ride!

More Pics

cowl rust- new panel on the way!

shocks and springs out

bumper mount- wasted

look at all the rust that fell out when I hit it with the impact!

The frame has surface rust, but it'll live. I may add a gusset.

That Itch

OK, let's take everything off

The floor repairs are looking good, but as thorough an inspection as I thought I gave to the surrounding panels, I noticed some problem spots I hadn't previously expected to be a big deal. Upon further inspection however I realized that these places had also received not-so-great riveted, mudded tin panel repairs, which at best mask the problem without really having addressed it. The damage was in two locations: around the wheel housings where they intersect the floor in the trunk, and on both toekick panels around where the driver and shotgun passenger's floor panel reach upwards to the firewall (and consequently, where salt spray from the front wheels would be hitting the body- makes sense in Illinois). I realized that there was no way I couldn't do this right without planning more rehab. Patching (or ignoring) really wouldn't cut it. Even if it's stuff I can't easily see, it'd bug me. It would be an itch I couldn't scratch. I'd know it was there. And really, doing a great job includes doing complete detail work in invisible places.

Removing everything

Garage cat scanning terrain for mice with laser beams

To access the toekick panels and cowl sides for needed repair, I removed the instrumentation, the fenders, bumper, valence, steering column, steering clutch/brake pedal assembly, and the steering box. This was the last equipment left bolted in, really. I guess bragging rights will have to include "complete nut-and-bolt resto".

Unsafe at any speed?

Although the column (above) is out, this javelin remains

Ralph Nader was going after the design of the Chevy Corvair about the same time as this car was being assembled in Dearborn, MI. I own other classics with underdeveloped or nonexistent safety gear (my son was super confused when he first climbed in my '59 Chevy and discovered "no seatbelts")- I should have known I'd find something, and now was the time. When I removed the steering column I discovered that the steering shaft and steering box are pretty much one whole piece. Modern cars separate the two with a guibo or rag joint so that, amongst other reasons, the thing won't skewer the driver through the chest should he get in a crash. The one in this car would make shishkebab out of me. The guys on the Mustang forums lovingly refer to it as "the thoracic impaler". I will be installing a safer steering box. I'm sure there is another person out there who is looking to restore their '65 Mustang back to OEM spec, and I have a steering box assembly for them. Hopefully they trailer it everywhere or park it in a museum or make a planter out of it or something.

Why replace when you can upgrade?

Detroit Speed minitub kit, unboxed

When I saw the rust-through around the rear wheel houses, it was discouraging. I began estimating the time and materials it'd take to properly repair yet another thing. I returned to the car to inspect them and noticed that these things were probably bad when the quarter panels were replaced, telling me the damage had time to degrade. But as I looked at all the different sheet metal, I realized this was an opportunity. For a modest premium over what stock wheel houses cost, I could instead modify the wheel opening to fit a wider tire (245s are about the limit on the stock Mustang, as opposed to 335s with a mini-tub kit). Pretty cool. I ordered the Detroit Speed kit that includes the wheel tubs and the frame boxes needed for the narrowed rear. Great upgrade, it'll add safety due to increased traction, and it'll look pretty badass.

Next week, we scratch the itch and cut out the last of the bad parts

More Pics

Sittin on the dock of the bay?

wiring labeled, gauges removed

steering box and pedals, removed

removing the wheel

dashpad coming out

AM radio! Retro.

Spike, my chickenshit cat

That tail says "I smell a maus!"

There's more car on my wall than on my car!

Removed the nose.

Gotz a fender!

fenderless

cowl driver side have some old repairs screwed on

shotgun side looks ok