The 1971 is back!

Getting acquainted with its younger Sister!

Great weekend to reacquaint myself with the '71.  

 Even if am getting to old to get in and out of them =)

Cowl!

This is the most awesome 50 year old inner cowl I have ever seen on a Mustang! 

 

The Game Commences.

For the usual fee plus expenses. The 1964.5 Mustang has started. Upper cowl removed and the lower seems to be in much better shape than I thought it would be.  That is great in and of itself. The cowls are the most problematic things on these cars.

No "Oh S&#t" moments yet. Car is in remarkably good shape. Hell. It looks better than I do right now! 

 

Don't Judge

If you are driving around and see another car that is out there and looks like crap? Don't judge. Award winning Mustangs are here now but not so much back in the day. The 1971? Mechanical restoration completed in 1982. Cosmetic restoration not until 1989. The 1966? Bit shorter, but still five years. Both took thousands of dollars too and a lot of effort. I lost my best helper along the way to boot. 

This 1964.5 Mustang to most would look like crap. I know better. It is running again. Soon.

50 Years.

So I'm running around and trying to find stuff for the 1964.5 Mustang. They were all titled as 1965's. I ran across this. This little book was everything FoMoCo (shorthand for Ford Motor Company) thought you needed to know about your new 1965 Mustang. 

Everything. 

Granted that cars today are a bit more complex and have many more options than an AM radio. Still though. Here is the packet for a 2015. 

I jokingly say I have not read it. That is not true. After I picked the car up the SD card for navigation was missing and no owners manual. Called the dealership and they handed me this. After that I found all the stuff already in the trunk. Perhaps that is why FoMoCo put the graphic on the top of this packet to tell the dealership where to put the thing =) 

One of These is Easy to Get. One is Not.

So you can blow in to a Ford Dealership and have one of these proudly displayed on the passenger side dash with a decent credit score. 

Easy. "Since 1964". 

Much harder it is to actually have a Mustang from 1964. A true piece of history. 



This one has been through a lot in the 32 years my Family has had it. When Lawyers get involved it gets ugly. Finally after all of that 25 years later it is running and soon to be ready for a closeup. 

Make no mistake, this needs to be done right. I am not an MCA fan boy, but seeing people push cars out of trailers makes me sad. If you have the car, drive it! OTOH, this car is very special and all due actions need to be taken during the cosmetic restoration. 

Soon. Very soon. 

And that is part of the fact I have not been Blogging. I apologize.
 




 

Baby is Getting a New Pair of Shoes!

Hard to believe that the restoration of this one owner ride was over 25 years ago. Part of my problem is that it looks really new, but is not. In fact the car has spent more time in this condition than factory. 

The tires are old. Rear main oil seal is toast and the '94 has this annoying habit now of converting you from "riding" to "walking". 

No matter, one thing at a time. I could not find Goodyears anymore in the correct size. 


My fault actually. Got scared to drive it on these tires. New shoes are on the way! The history of this car deserves at least that. 

 

 

It's Good. Very Good!

So although I have an original plate for the 1964.5 Mustang under glass I decided to order one. From here. 


They did not disappoint! 

If that video was too boring, try this one. 



Good looking plate for sure! 


 
 

Ha! Speed Dating FoMoCo Style

From a friend on the book of face comes this video. Well played FoMoCo! "I play base guitar, I'm a ninja." Ha! She is a stunt driver. I'm not smoking the Pirelli P Zeros for anybody. Well for her I would. I think she could teach me things =) She is always watching where the car is going to go yet banters with the guys.

Ah, My Old Friend!

I knew you and I would get back together again, just a matter of time. 

The 64.5 Mustang has the old Eaton power steering on it and now it seems to have adapted a NASCAR setting. Simply meaning "GO LEFT" all the time. There are many things that can go wrong with this system. So I referred to the ancient revered documents for guidance. 

 

Seat Belts

Believe it or not, the Ford Motor Company offered them starting in 1955 as a dealer installed option. It was tied into a "Arrive alive in '55" ad campaign. They were not Federally mandated until January 1, 1968. 

Finding cars with them prior to the mandate is somewhat rare. Compounding the issue is the fact that dealers could install them prior to the law. This 1964 and a half had them. It appears to be a factory install. Sadly, one belt was cut.

The dealer belts seem to be quite different than factory ones.  I had one goal. Replace the buckle hardware for the one that was cut. All the webbing is going to be replaced anyway. 50 year old fabric I don't trust. 

Here are the dealer belts I scored on fleabay. The boxes call out a "C5" number stating that the boxes at least were labeled for 1965. On top of one of the boxes is the cut belt from the car. 

I'm after the label on the cut one to affix to the the new webbing and buckle. 

Date code 7-64. Totally correct for this car. 


Here is the bottom of the buckle from the car. Note it sports the correct FoMoCo and date stamping of 1-64. 
 

 
Then here is the bottom of the dealer buckle. A lot of difference here. 

This buckle is sporting a "C3" number denoting a 1963 part yet stamped 1-64. The Ford oval stamping has been replaced with a "Rotunda" as well. Oh, BTW. I need a Macro lens for this camera it seems! 

The label on the webbing is totally different as well on these belts. 

They also have some markings on them as well that would be excellent for a NOS person but not suited for something that will be driven.

There are some small variances in the buckles as well, but I will take what I can get! 

Original is on the bottom, the dealer accessory on top. Close enough! 

 The grain is much deeper on the original. 

Why do I do this? Well, details matter and my Mother will be driving this car.  

Keeping a 100 pound meat sack restrained in a 2.5K pound car if it goes bad has made leaps and bounds of advancements in 50 years. Best I can do right now though! 

Oh Crap!

So while tending to the 1966 Mustang we note this:

This is bad. Although the car was carefully prepped and painted with epoxy primer and a finish coat back in *cough* 1989, as with icebergs usually the visible rust is only a small portion of whats really there. On top of that, the cowl area is the weakest link in the body for these rides. This area has already been sleeved for fresh air intake repair back in 1988 to prevent water leaks into the interior. A total cowl replacement is tedious, expensive, and requires more skills than I have. 

Sigh. More information about this less than stellar design is here.  

I will deal with almost anything else on one of these. This is bad and will not get better. As with so many things back then this was "good enough" for then, but not now. 

At least it is garaged, I have some time. 

So a Twist on an Old Story.

Today it was decided to get this back running and on the road.

The one on the right. A 1964 and 1/2 Coupe. It has a long tortured story over the decades it has been under my care. It should have not gotten to that point or involved lawyers but it did. Supposedly I am under a condition of the settlement with the "restoration" shop that did work for me in the past and held on to the car for A YEAR while this car was viewed as an asset to the business and it was sold. The car was already in perfect mechanical condition thanks to humble efforts and the year of sitting around in a body shop killed that. 

So, if you actually want a Mustang fender emblem PUT ON BACKWARDS on a NEW NOS Fender I can tell you there is a place in Walnut Cove that can do that. 

I look forward to seeing this car on the road again. This Mustang will at the end of the day be worth more than the other four here. It has great provenance and options including seat belts, back up lights, power steering, and A/C! 

Putting this on the rear valence will be a sweet victory. 

 

Can't wait!      

UPDATE! Sheesh! Here is the 8-Track! Its That Time of Year!

So I pull the '66 Mustang out of the garage for a bath. It's that time of year. Even though garaged, it is going to need some more attention, but tonight it was simply a first pass. 

Here she is showing her younger sisters how its done. 

It is amazing to see that I need to replace some washers, grommets, and screws on the outside. I have to remember that the restoration of this car is approaching *cough* 25 years or so. 


The '71 is next in line and I turned it over and wanted to see how the new camera did with taking videos. You be the judge. A 1971 Cleveland 351 at idle. 



Quick gauge check! 

I'll take that! Anybody got any cassettes =)

For everyone that lamented the lack of an 8-Track. Dang. I hoped it would not come to this. Here is a pic of me in '79 installing a clever Pioneer FM/8-Track in the car. Traditional underdash install would not work.

Everyone Ok now? Oh ML. Performance is achieved by applying some pressure to the right foot =).   



 

Ponies!

My friend Murphy's Law went to a car show today. Nice looking Mustangs on display to be sure! Thanks ML for the post. 


My first car was a Mustang. A 1971 Fastback my Father bought new. It's still here.  The original left side fender emblems are here on my desk.

On the other side of my office is this ad.

I even tried "Brand X" back in 1982 (Hi Karen! It's been a long time =).

Know what? I always came back to the Mustang. I am fortunate in that with a lot of help I have been able to still have these time machines. They have always got me home, sometimes despite my best efforts to prevent that from happening. 

So now they live in semi retirement. All but one is road ready, tagged, insured, and ready to go. 


My garage:

Although these vehicles give the illusion of freedom, it is just that. They require care and a support infrastructure much as a seafaring ship or an airplane. For a moment in time though, when your right foot goes to the floor that freedom is addictive and hard to ignore. It is a siren call that hopefully I can answer for some time to come. 

Things come and go. 

Here is the 1994 GT in front of a building that is long gone in the mountains of Southwest VA. The Courthouse and church in Independence VA. are still there. 

Thanks Murph for kicking the muse in tonight!

Another friend Old NFO went to the range today with some ponies as well. My favorite is the Colt Woodsman. Hey NFO! Need the instructions for it =) 

I guess I'm a sucker for stuff with a pony on it =) 



  

 

Happy Birthday Mustang!

The 1965 Mustang was introduced to the "motoring public" on April 17, 1964. Happy Birthday to the Pony car!



Oh, there are a couple around here. 

Pffft! Here is how you do snow in NC!

This is in the State Capitol:

Less dramatically here is the driveway at stately manor. Yeah I could shovel it or wait for a capitalist with a tractor with a blade to clear it, but meh, just fire up the 1994 Mustang and have at!

 



































As with so many other things in my life not esthetically appealing but effective. Traction control consisted of clutch and accelerator!

So we shall see how bad all of this freezes over tonight.

Coolant Leak!

Not quite as dramatic as this:



Troubling just the same. The '94 Mustang beater is reporting "Low Coolant" on an idiot light. Bad on me for not catching it sooner. There is a reason they call them "idiot lights". Sigh.  Luckily, the "No Coolant" light is not on yet =). Looks like the thermostat housing. On it tomorrow, it's supposed to get cold here Friday.  

Now a moment of silence for the solid axle

So the 2015 Mustang has been unveiled. WITH independent rear suspension. OK, I'll reserve judgement until I drive one, but in the meantime a moment of silence for the 49 years of solid axle. Here have some 1964, 65 Mustang commercials. 

So the Cool Kids Have Fun....

Murphy's Law and OldNFO get together to shoot some really great looking hardware. A great tribute for Memorial Day. Anytime these two Gentlemen whip a Firearm out it is always interesting. I need to get back up there!

Me? A simple task that reminds me of the incredible price paid in blood for me to do it. I gave the new ride its first bath and polish. Why does this remind me of the huge sacrifice of our Military? Because. A famous quote: "The Ford Mustang is American as hell. No other Country would have produced it, and its slavish love of it's antiquated rear axle pushed with obscene horsepower proves it." Heh. Much like the 1911 or M1 huh?

So we get to it. 

 



 







I don't wax cars. I polish them with Zaino. Much easier to apply, longer lasting, and without the flaky crap to get stuck everywhere. The right shoulder is for absorbing recoil, not the "Wax on wax off" workout. Of course I can whip out the Porter Cable random orbital buffer, the air chisel, air grinder, or the bondo depending on how bad it gets, but this was a cake walk.

So of course while I'm taking a break someone stops by to comment on my work. 

 
 










 Thanks!

So I need to take the new ride on a road trip soon. Stretch my long gun game out. 

See some friends. I can't wait!