Ardisscag

In 1989 I bought my 1st car a H-code (351W) 1970 Mach 1 for $1,995.  I worked on it through High School then life got in the way so we put it in a barn.  Now we are taking it down to bare metal and building it back.  It is a Texas car and IMO very solid but was mildly crashed before I owned the car (all hidden with filler-- but not nicely hidden).  Currently the body is straight and rust free (fingers crossed) except for 3 things.  
 
1. Drivers quarter panel-- The surface was in an accident, then pulled out and bondo filled in the damage
2. Drivers door -- Not the original door but it too has signs of damage hidden under 1/4" of bondo
3. Drivers rocker panel-- has a base ball sized dent in the center of the door- on the underside-- otherwise perfect.
 
Who do you recommend for replacement panels?
Should I skin a quarter panel or replace the whole thing?
On the Rocker Panel-- patch the damaged area or replace the whole thing?
 
Pics attached
 
Thanks for reading,
Brad
 
 

One of my center caps fell off and I'm trying to replace it. I bought, and now have to return, one from CJP. It didn't have the same thickness or mounting method.
 
My cap is 1" tall and clips to the wheel via spring clips (9) on the back. I've searched and it doesn't appear there's a reproduction part of this.
 
Here are some links to pics
 
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/68608749/2016-12-04%2020.44.09.jpg
 
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/68608749/2016-12-04%2020.44.20.jpg
 
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/68608749/2016-12-04%2020.41.14.jpg
 
I 'think' I found one one ebay but it's 75 bucks so I'll have to assume it's an original

http://kalecoauto.com
Perfect store to buy your Chevy friends Christmas gifts.

https://youtu.be/MykNy8e5boM
Shelby 500 transformation

Worked part day Thanksgiving day and all day yesterday to fill some orders .Last part finished and my compressor gives out a couple of coughs ,then stops and starts again ,coughs a couple more times and nothing ...DOA!
I had an email from Harbor Freight ,it showed a 1 1/2 electric compressor motor for $149 ,Sweet ,just what i need .Get to harbor freight and notice a member discount for $119 for the same motor YEAH! 
I buy the motor and take it home ,open the box and notice a piece of packing foam missing ,not a big deal .I take the motor out of the box and find leaves under it ...HUH, thinking ...Something isn't right here .Then i notice the cord is cut off ...Oh crap ! I wire it up and hit the switch and noting ...not a friggen thing .Someone had returned it after frying it and they placed it back on the shelf ...well, now i am pissed .I return it ant let them know i wasn't happy .Counter lady say's go back and get another one ...They aint no more !!! This was a 28 mile trip for me one way so i wasn't in the best of moods when i got home .It will be at least next Wednesday before i get my compressor going now .

I'm heading to Columbus this Saturday for the big semi-annual all-Ford swap meet. It's a big one (used to be bigger before eBay and the internet ruined everything, but it's still big :)
 
Post up your want lists and I'll happily keep an eye out for stuff.
 
 

I need the drivers side only or a matched  pair if you have them.
 
 
Thanks

The local Gear Vendor dealer wrapped up the install of a used GV unit I bought in March last week.   I thought I'd put some notes out there for anyone interested and I'll update again after driving the car with the system in the spring.
 
Buying a Gear Vendor unit used is a gamble.  Most of those I found were coming out of race cars or old motor homes.  Many had been bought and resold a few times and you have no idea how old they are.  Also most aren’t complete, either missing the controller, the transmission adapter, wiring, or all of the above.  Also to note in a 1969 mustang you will want to use a 90 degree speedometer cable adapter and there is another adapter to get the cable from the GV to match with the old Mustang cable.  If you buy new from Gear Vendors everything you need is in the kit.  However it is pricey just below $3000.
 
I found one unit that was complete with the major componets that had been used in a hotrodded Fox Body for 1/2 the price of new.  So it had the control box, all the wiring and switches, and the correct transmission adapter for a C4.  I had it inspected and everything looked good.  The one weird thing is it has a sticker on the Gear Vendor drive indicating it is about 8 years old and then when I worked with tech support later on it turned out the controller was 20+ years old so who knows.  It was probably also pulled from a motor home and then sent in for remanufacture.
 
A couple notes on getting parts. The local rep said if you have one they can use as a core GV charges $900 to rebuild it, new controllers cost $200, wiring harnesses/switches $175, and tunnel adapters run $600 or so depending on the transmission.  The price ranges I saw a when looking at used units included a lot out there with no adapter or no controller for $400-$500.  So even rebuilding it and buying some of the other components you could come out ahead over the $3000.
 
Back of the napkin math -- buying the cheapest units out there $400, a new adapter $600, new controller $200, new harness $175, new gaskets/shims/bolts $27, adapters $140, and rebuilding the unit $900.  That would theoretically be $2442.  But if you saw one for $1200 with a C6 adapter (which seems to be the most common) and you have a C6.  Then assuming the unit is good even if you needed everything else you’d get the unit for about 60% of new.  So sometimes the gamble is worth it.  Mine turned out to be a good find so far.  I’ll know more after next summer.
 
I did end up buying a new controller and harness because I burnt out the controller with a short.  I didn't get the wiring guide with the unit and thought I was smart enough to do it using a couple blogs for reference.  That was dumb I suggest calling up GV and get a wiring guide.  I'm still ahead of buying new unit cost wise but I’m kicking myself a little.  So the unit was probably OK when received.  The new controller also required an updated wiring harness.  
 
The GV unit fits the 1969 mustang pretty good.  It will depend on the Engine size, mounts, and transmission you have how it fits but it should.  There were several things they had to do:
1.)     We had a 1/4 inch clearance issue at the top of tunnel but they were able to modify the transmission mount to solve the problem.  They basically drilled out the holes ¼ inch higher on the mount then reinforced it with some new steel to make up for the material removed.
2.)      Next they couldn’t shorten the drive shaft I have because it is made with two steel tubes filled with rubber between them.  So a new drive shaft cost $100 more than shortening the existing one ($200 total). 
3.)     We needed the 90 degree speedometer cable adapter $120.
4.)     We also needed an adapter to mate the 2 different types of speedometer cables $20. 
5.)     New Gaskets and installation shims for the GV unit $27.
6.)     You may or may not need to modify your exhaust for clearance
 
So if you want to try to do it yourself just keep those things in mind.  The installation process doesn’t look too hard.  I did read up on it and watch a few youtube videos.  I just didn’t have the time to do it myself and I didn’t want the parts rusting in the garage all winter.  The process basically entails pulling the tail shaft off you transmission, installing the Gear Vendors adaptor, shimming the shaft between the trans and GV, then bolting the GV in and filling it with fluid, wire it up, and get a shorter drive shaft.
 
At the same time I put in the gear vendors I also swapped in a True Track Rear End with a 3.55 ratio.  The old one was the ole wonder wheel 2.80.  I haven’t driven the car enough to really get a feel for the new set up.  The way the GV works is that in Auto mode with a Muscle car adapter it shifts through 1st, 2nd, and into 3rd normally then at a certain RPM shifts into Overdrive.  In Manual mode you flip the GV splitting on and so you could have 6 gear combinations.
 
I didn’t get much time to drive but in general I’m now running higher RPMs at Mid range but it should be similar from 50 mph onwards.  I also had almost no gas so I couldn’t really test out the true track either.  Now it’s winter in MN and I’ll have to wait probably the better part of 5 months to get to have any real fun with the car.
 
Now real quick why did I go with the GV over the AOD conversion.  Well I have read people have done cheap conversions.  But I'm not really a fabricator and I didn't want a standard AOD as they aren't as strong as a C4 (mine was recent rebuilt and to handle more power).  So looking at conversion kits $550 at CJPP, a built AOD from say Silverfox starts at $1650, add in a new bell housing $200-$400 (maybe this cheaper at a junkyard or comes with the trans I don't know), flexplate $100, and torque converter $150 and you are with in $500 of the price a new unit.  Both need new drive shafts and take a bit of work to put in.  
 
Now if you get a junkyard AOD or pull it from a beater for a couple hundred and have it rebuilt for $500 - $600 you could save more.  But would it handle the power (GVs are rated to 1200 hp) and shift as nicely?  Also I can put the car back to stock and sell the GV for $1000 - $1500 even after running it for years.  So that was my rational for better or worse.  Since I got mine for around 60% the cost of new I'm pretty happy with conversion at the moment, at least till I get time driving (I won't include the parts as part of the price that I had to replace due to being an idiot).
 
A Few pics:

 

 

 

 

 
 

Hi guys. This is my first post, but I've followed thus website for a long time.
I couldn't find any how to wrap these things, I could only find what material to use so I figured I'd post this and hopefully help someone. Below is a before and after.


 
 
Things you'll need:
3m "di-noc" (marine teak matched my origianl 69 woodgrain)
Sharp razor blades
Scissors
Blow dryer or heat gun (be careful with the heat gun)
 
Okay let's get started. So my original woodgrain was old, sun bleached and bubbling. So it's time to replace.
 
 
Step 1: removing old woodgrain
Picture 1

To remove the old woodgrain I just used a grinder with sanding disk. Just took it all the way down to the metal, you can go hard on it just make sure you smooth it all out at the end, if you leave gouges or chunks left on there it'll show through your new woodgrain.
 
Step 2: sealing the metal to preserve
Picture 2

I sprayed a layer of primer and some black enamel on mine just to seal in the wood and make sure the metal will last if moisture gets under the woodgrain
 
Step 3: applying new woodgrain
Picture 3

Now this stuff is pretty forgiving, make sure you let the material get to AT LEAST room temperature so it's workable.
Cut material to about the size of the panel leaving at least half and inch to one inch overhang. This will be used to make a solid woodgrain that will not peel off easily once finished.
I found that by removing all of the wax paper and starting from the top, setting the material onto the piece. And begin working downwards while pressing out most creases. Because the panels are concave you have to work the paper down, one thing I learned was this stuff is very workable. Specially if you have ever someone using the blow drying on medium heat or heat gun on low about 2 feet away. It'll get very soft and workable. Once you notice it geto soft get heat off of it immediately or you risk burning it. Once warmed up it'll stick very easily and once stuck it'll cool into a solid hold so try and get it as close as possible, once you work it all the way down you can use the heat again very lightly and press out wrinkles. You can use a credit card or your fingers. Just leave the paper dangling off the edges like picture 3
 
Step 4: folding over the edge
Picture 4

In picture 4 you can see how to cut the corners into a fan so you get a smooth corner and no boxy points sticking out. Take your time and go around folding it back. When completely wrapped around the back heat up the back to get a solid hold from the adhesive.
 
Step 5: cutting holes
Picture 5

In picture 5 you want to cut a plus sign in the middle of the circle. Make sure to leave at least a half inch from the edge so it'll cover the inset. Cut a circle out of the center. (Picture 6)

next, This part requires heating the material and pushing it inwards, it may come undone due to tension, that's okay just try to push all the way around the circle, flip the panel over and fan the edges and fold over, heat again to solidify the adhesive.
 
Pretty much for anything you can figure it out from there. I hope you understood all of this, lots of info, some thing that a video would be better but I didn't record myself doing this.