truesteve

Passenger door stuck closed last week. opened up the panel on the drivers to get an idea how it worked, then back to the passenger door unscrewed the top door panel/window scraper trim on the accessible back screw, popped the door panel off in the back, rolled the window half way up and reached my hand over the glass and into the door and pushed and pulled every rod I could, no luck, then I went back in with a can of spray lube and soaked everything until dripping out the bottom of the door. Pushed and pulled on everything again and nothing. Went around to the outside handle and it popped open. Guess it was gummed up, seems to work fine now. I did notice that after installing the arm rest screws/lag bolts, it seemed to lose it's snap it had with it all open. Maybe the screws are rubbing against the rod from the interior handle back. Installed new Quarter window to jamb rubber, emergency brake rubber pad, door sill ford decals/plates. Also bought the stainless steel door lock grommets that the door lock handles pass through. No threads, or bend over tabs to hold them on...WTF? so I grabbed a chunk of hose (5/8 or 3/4) and slipped it over the bottom side of the grommet to hold it on...worked great!

Got lazy and left the pony outside of the stall last night, and there was frost on the windows this morning. Poor cold pony. A little scraping and she fired right up and was ready to roll. Noticed some steering wheel shaking during the daily drives, so I stopped by and picked up a couple of outer tie rod ends (that I noticed were loose) from the Mustang Shop in Auburn. Not much in their showroom, but they seem to have several items stocked. Will check the inner tie rods when I get it up on stands. I will also be doing a complete check of all hardware tightness, and try to determine what other front end components need replacing. Shaking wheel can be a number of items, so I need to narrow it down instead of throwing parts at it. Snapped a window crank knob (seems to be original) so grabbed a replacement. Tight window operation so I will be pulling door panel to check it out.

The great thing about mustangs, when they rust (and they will if driven like they were meant to be driven) is the access to all the parts to fix them for another life. And because they are made from good old steel, they can be rebuilt over and over. Isn't that why we love them, so we can tinker, improve, alter, modify, restore and drive, drive, drive! I've been daily driving new cars since I could afford them starting in 1994, and I've realized that if I have to spend thousands of hours of my life trapped in a cage, it might as well be a cool cage. One that I enjoy. I would buy new crotch rocket style bikes and get bored so quick, not because they weren't fun to drive, but I couldn't tinker with them as much. Now give me an old Triumph or a Sportster, and I'm out tinkering with the thing as much as I'm driving it. Same with cars and trucks. Give me something I can tinker with (not just throw new parts at), and have fun driving too, and I'm a happy man. Meat and taters, keep it simple

Drove the mustang to work today during heavy rain with lots-o-standing water on the roads. The car will be sitting outside, uncovered, all day, in the rain. Poor little pony! I will be checking for the source of the inevitable leaks when I get home. No stereo, no blue tooth, no clock...just the wonderful tone of American V8 music. Bliss has returned, now if I can just learn to keep the volume (volume+ velocity= expensive) of that blissful music down using the right foot adjustable money modulator. Driving a 69 Stang is like riding a motorcycle with a topless chick on the back...All the 14 to 74 Y/O guys are breaking their necks to get a look. Ordered door lock stainless grommets, door sill emblem plates, quarter window to body seals, rubber emergency brake lever pad, quarter window latch attach bolt yesterday

Thanks for the OE/OEM information. I'll try to locate a pair of OE/OEM's from a 69 fastback/sportsroof. Has anyone tried the plastic set with guage openings? I could always use more info on what's happening under the hood. Also anyone know of a guage housing that sits in place of the stock dash speaker area? It's a large enough area to hold 2 - 2 1/8 guages angled toward the driver. Have 6 guages, would love 10. If I can't find one, maybe I'll fab one from fiberglass

A couple more photos from yesterday

Not sure if the trim is OEM or aftermarket. Had a PN molded in, don't remember what it was. Photos show the gaps. Are OEM trim pieces available, or which aftermarket fits the best?

Drove the car today in the rain and parked it outside in the rainy Seattle area weather. After a couple hours of driving and being out for over 8 hours during fairly heavy rain, I pulled it in the garage and opened the trunk and found some moisture. It seems to be coming in around the rear window still. Maybe between the rubber and window as I already sealed around the outside edge. I will lift the edge of the rubber against the glass and run a small bead of clear silicone between the rubber and glass. There has to be a way to keep these cars from leaking. It is very important in this area as we get rain 9 months out of the year. The rain is the reason I sold my Sportster (27th bike) after riding for over 30 years. Too much water removes the fun factor of riding. So my need for adventure during the daily drive must be fulfilled by the mustang. Bought some rain X wiper blades to keep the view clear, and purchased a few Meguiar products for washing/cleaning, waxing and protecting the beast from the rigors of daily use.

Any ideas out there as to why my fiberglass A pillar trim fits so bad (69 sportsroof)? When looking through the front windshield there is a 1/2 inch gap between the window and the trim And a 3/8 in gap on the door side. I am using the stock mounting holes, I even tried to trim the ends to see if it would sit any closer, no luck. Is the window rubber supposed to protrude (1/2) on the inside of the window area to take up the gap? I tried to push the center in to reduce the gap, and of course cracked it. Is it supposed to look that crappy? I'll try and take photos tonight and post them.

Not wanting to spend the $600+ to purchase the Fold down rear seat kit, but still wanting the capability to fold the already hinged seat if necessary. I purchased 2 slide bolts and 2 rubber stoppers from home depot for under $12 total. Photos show the stoppers and hasps on the seat stop brackets, and the slide bolt screwed into the seat back. Not easy to operate slide bolts when all trim and seats installed, must reach through the trunk (long reach). Not made to support a lot of weight as the seat rests on the lip of the ABS plastic rear quarter interior trim when down, but allows for a pass through to the trunk for skis, fishing poles, or too long purchases.

These ideas are not for the purest/concourse restorer, but for the restorer who wants to save money for important purchases (nitrous, wheels, brakes, etc..) Cheap sound deadening/insulation; Frost King E/O 12 in. x 15 ft. Self-Stick Foam/Foil Duct Insulation - Home Depot - $18.77. Foil covered foam. sticks great to cleaned and prepped surfaces, OK to not so prepped surfaces. Doesn't stink like tar based stuff. Great on bottom of fiberglass package trays, behind rear quarter ABS plastic interior panels, floors, inside fenders, wheel wells (interior), inside doors, behind sail panel area, etc... 1 roll did pair of rear wheel wells (forward of axle in passenger area), bottom of fiberglass package tray, behind rear quarter ABS plastic interior panels (pair) Corrugated Plastic for sail panel, side trunk panels, trap door panel, door panels, actually cost a little more than cardboard if purchased, free if using election signs on road side. Doesn't warped if exposed to high humidity/water, easy to work with. Not for structure or strength, but very light. Can be mounted with stock screws and locations (glue washers around holes or use metal grommets) or with velcro. Use 3M spray adhesive (lightly spray) to adhere vinyl. 1980 International Scout 304 ci, distributor cap, local parts store $14 to $25- Certain styles of this cap have the male HEI type posts that allows the use of Ford Racing 9mm plug wires from Summit $45.97. Cap fits stock ford distributors with points or aftermarket electronic ignition (petronix)

The previous owner was going for the Eleanor style. paint scheme is close, Le Mans gas cap (on rear instead of fender), Shelby wheels. I can't seem to figure out the goal of the build though. He put in a battery cut off switch, which leads me to believe he planned on racing it. But then he pulls the stock rear end and replaces it with a high gear (2:79 or higher) 8 inch unit (maybe narrower for wider wheels?). And pulls the manual trans and replaces it with a C4 unit with a 3000 stall. He put in a total control rack and pinion, so he was going for better steering, he put $3500 in wilwood disc brakes and $3000 in wheels and tires into it, so he really wanted to stop. He cammed the motor to have a nice lope and decent response, 600 cfm carb, so not a huge amount of fuel. Roller rockers to rev. Stock oil pan (which leads me to believe stock pump and no windage tray) and then he went and put a vintage air AC unit in ????? The massaged motor, auto trans, rack and pinion, bitchin brakes, tall gearing and A/C kinda points to a decent daily driver (Lucky Me!!) but the battery cut off switch has me baffled. Missing from the spoiled daily driver list are cup holders, stereo system, power port, power steering and power brakes. That's all OK, as I plan on using it as a daily driver. The Ford Fiesta I currently use as transport, hurts my soul to drive. I have Prius owners looking over and winking...which scares the hell out of me. The fiesta requires I remove balls and leave them at home in the wife's purse before any drive. Nothing better than a 69 Stang to re-attach balls to their rightful place and drive the cougars crazy :tt2:

photos of battery tray replacement, and gap around rear window filled with open cell foam prior to silicone

Picked up a 69 sportsroof in Jan of 2014. It was supposed to be a restomod almost completed. It turns out to be an amateur attempt at a build project. It is a fairly solid, original blue on blue, 302, 3 speed base model. It now has a built 302 with procomp heads, edelbrock manifold and carb, roller rockers, and a non stock cam with a nice lope to it. A C4 replaced the 3 speed manual, and an 8 in with extremely high gearing (2.76:1 or higher) out back. Paint job is a great 10 footer. It has full wilwood discs and a total control rack and pinion (good install). The wiring was done ok, all switches moved as toggles onto a custom console. Interior was half assed, carpet installed crooked and then cut, dynamat installed over dirt and surface rust, VIN dash plate removed and "lost" headliner not tight, sail panels warped, rear interior area thrown together and not complete or finished. Cracks in the sheet metal above the shock mounts. Battery moved to trunk with cable routed along bottom of unibody with little protection (flexguard, heater hose, something) Wide tires installed without rolling fender wells (cutting side walls) gaps in rear window. Gaps around rear qtr windows. 2 pages of fixes to clean the car up to get it driveable. I'll try to add photos as the re-build advances. Mar 6 update; sail panel completed and installed. Made from corrugated plastic and heavy vinyl covering. Trimmed rear interior ABS plastic quarters to fit. Installed 90 degree angle trim pieces behind aftermarket package tray to window edge, on front of package tray facing forward, and along top back edge of seat. Installed rubber stoppers and slide bolts from Home Depot behind seat for fold down option. Beat fender well lips down with rubber mallet, cracked paint on pass side. Taped around rear window trim and body and applied 3/16 to 1/4 of clear silicone to seal back window. Installed new hood seals, trunk seals, door seals, A pillar trim pieces still fit like shiza. Looking at options. Defroster vent openings in new dash look like crap, looking for closeout trim pieces. Filled gaps behind/under rear quarter windows with duraglass, seam sealant and painted. Moved horns out from in front of radiator (I didn't think they needed cooling more than radiator/engine) New ford racing 9mm plug wires, cap from 1980 International scout 304 is holley small size with male HEI style plugs, plug wire routers. New battery tray patch panel installed (rusted)

reproduction sail panels got wet (brand new with stickers still on) and the cheap cardboard warped (thank you gap around back window). fit like crap anyway. Made new ones using corrugated plastic, covered in heavy vinyl, 3m spray foam, velcro fasteners. Fits down to aftermarket package tray without side trim pieces.