Sub-frame conectors and Torque box repair

The sub-frame connectors arrived from Laurel mountain mustang, we went with them because they were the only supplier with a heater box in stock. We also got the rear quarter-panels and tail panel as well. After patching the torque box area and the frame where the leaf spring attaches we were ready to weld in the sub frame connectors. It really went fairly smoothly, once we got the shackles from the leaf springs to finally come off( lots of grinding and banging). Welding has become somewhat enjoyable for us. We have mastered the basics and nothing has come up that's been too difficult.

Trunk Pan Fits Like a glove

We were skeptical. Will it fit?? Well it did fit. We did have to remove the drivers side wheel wells to be able to slide the pan into place. Once they were cut out, the pan slid into place. We smiled from ear to ear, finally something went according to plan. We drilled out holes so we could spot weld the pan into place. Once we welded the pan down we attached the floor to the trunk. Then we cut out the remaining rust that was left on the floor and fitted a couple of patches. We are not quite finished but we are close to a final grind and then POR 15.

Trunk Comes Out

We thought that the trunk restore was going to be a piece of cake. It couldn't be worse than the cowl or the floors, could it?? It was downright nasty. Every spot weld was a real pain to drill out, and there must have been well over 100 spot welds in very tight spaces that needed to be broken out. We finally took the sawzall and the hammer and the metal shears and what ever we could to remove small pieces of the trunk until finally the last piece came out. Next we measured the rear frame rails so we would have the exact measurements when we put the replacement rails in. Once we had the measurements the rails were cut with the sawzall then everything was ground down and then finally treated with POR 15. We then fit the new rails into place measured and the clamped the rails into place. After one final check for correct length and height, we welded them into place. We gound all the welds down flush, then re-primed the rails. Next up, dry fitting the full trunk pan.

POR 15 is the Best

We finished of the floors with a final grind of the spot welds. The we proceeded to seam seal the joints with 3m seam sealer. The final step was to apply POR 15. Not knowing much about the product other than it was recommended by Mustang Monthly as the number one rust preventive and rust converter. We applied it to the whole floor area as well as under the dash and anywhere we could get to. We are going to apply it to most of the car as well.

Floors are in!!!!

Well its been awhile, but the floors are finally in. Our welder friend Got them in and we have not seen him since. Jon and Dad picked up the ball and ran with it. We are using his Lincoln welder and after some practice we are having no issues with our welds. The spot welds are all done and we connected the toe board to the firewall and then patched the firewall as well. We also replaced the frame support under the seats. Our next step is to prime then seam seal all the joints then apply POR 15 rust converter and inhibitor.

289 Engine

We finally found our engine. It is out of a 66 mustang. This makes it a correct date to match our car. We borrowed a truck and our welder friend Al came with us to make sure we got something that was worth rebuilding. Hopefully we start welding next weekend. Now we need to find a C4 tranny and a 8inch rear end. Craigslist here we go again.

More Parts

Jon and Dad took another ride to Mustangs Unlimited in Manchester CT. It was about an hour and a half ride. Two big gulps and 2 pit stops later we made it. We are working on the cowl and needed the patch panels for the drains on both sides, as well as two firewall patches, and the frame to cowl connector that was shot after removal. We forgot to get the POR 15 rust inhibitor and the weld through coating from 3M. We were lucky to find them in Fall River when we got home. We took some pictures of some nice cars we saw at Mustangs Unlimited a great place to roam around and dream. We got home and started cutting out the bad metal. It isn't getting any better the more we open up the more we find. I think we are probably going to pull the dash and wiring and go all the way down to a shell and start from there. Our welding friend Al is going to start soon on the floors, our job is to get as much grinding and removing of the rust and bad metal as we can. Tried some spot welds and I am not having much luck. I seem to be burning through the metal. I'm sure there is a technique I need to learn.. We are going to find some new sheet metal to practice on this weekend.