1965 Mustang Coupe - Father and Son Build

[turbocobra]

I have been a member of the site for several months now. I am on the site several times a day reading and learning.

So far I have bought the following products from the store to use in the restoration.

- Picklex 20 (2 orders)
- Zero Rust
- Stud Gun Kit
- Spot Blaster
- Spot Weld Cutters

All orders were delivered within a couple of days, were reasonbly priced and worked as advertised.

A big thanks to Len and the other Senior level guys on the board that contribute.

I have been doing motor/turbo/tuning work on late model mustangs for a few years as a hobby, but his is my first attempt at any fabrication, rust repair, body work, etc. So we are learning as we go using this site as a primary source of information along with some videos, etc.

On to the car. It's a 1965 coupe. First time buying an old car, so its been a learning experience. The car is in much worse shape than I originally thought, and everytime I remove a panel, I find more rust or areas needing repair.

I am 38 and my son is 14. Our plan is to have the car ready for him by the time he starts his junior year in HS (he is a freshman now). My goal with the project is as follows:

- Teach him fabrication, bodywork, and automotive skills in general
- Spend time working together
- Create memories that we can reflect on for many years
- In this day and time, especially with younger people there is a trend of people looking for instant gratification on everything. I am hoping that working on the car at least 2-3 times a week for a couple of years will teach him that hard work does yield results, and if you want it to be right, you can shortcut or rush things. When he gets 16, he will also be expected to get a job to help buy parts for the car.

I started a blog to document the progress, keep notes and organize the pics. It's located here: http://65turbostang.blogspot.com/2009/01/begining.html

This is what we started with:

This was the day (June, 08) we picked up the car in El Dorado, AR (5 hours from our home in Dallas)

[turbocobra]

This is what the car looked like as we got it home and started disassembly:

[turbocobra]

The first thing we did was start with the Roof. We are doing all rust repair, body work, filler work and putting epoxy primer on one section or panel at a time.

Here are the blog updates for the roof work with lots of pics:

Roof Repair Part 1 - Shave Drip Rails
http://65turbostang.blogspot.com/200...drip-rail.html

Roof Repair Part 2 - Rust Repair and Dent Pulling
http://65turbostang.blogspot.com/200...moval-and.html

Roof Repair Part 3 - Epoxy Primer
http://65turbostang.blogspot.com/200...xy-primer.html

A couple of before and after pics in case you don't want to have to go to the blog.

Before:







After all sheetmetal replacement, rust removal, shaved drip rail work, and filler work, we put a coat of PPG epoxy primer on it.

[turbocobra]

Now that the roof is complete, we are putting a full floor pan in the car as well as replacing the toe boards. Last weekend we go started removing the old floorpans. The previous owner had attempted a repair riveting in replacement metal on top of rusted metal and sealing over the rivets with a clear bathroom type caulk/sealent.

I will finish cutting the remainder of the floor pan out this weekend as soon as I receive the new spot weld cutters I ordered from the store.

Here is the blog link for the floor pan work: http://65turbostang.blogspot.com/200...-2-cutout.html

[turbocobra]

The interior roof was prepped and painted with Black Zero rust. Turned out nice.

Here is the blog link: http://65turbostang.blogspot.com/200...oof-paint.html

Before:





After:

[67 canso s/d]

The first thing we did was start with the Roof. We are doing all rust repair, body work, filler work and putting epoxy primer on one section or panel at a time.

Here are the blog updates for the roof work with lots of pics:

Roof Repair Part 1 - Shave Drip Rails
http://65turbostang.blogspot.com/200...drip-rail.html

Roof Repair Part 2 - Rust Repair and Dent Pulling
http://65turbostang.blogspot.com/200...moval-and.html

Roof Repair Part 3 - Epoxy Primer
http://65turbostang.blogspot.com/200...xy-primer.html

A couple of before and after pics in case you don't want to have to go to the blog.

Before:







After all sheetmetal replacement, rust removal, shaved drip rail work, and filler work, we put a coat of PPG epoxy primer on it.

GREAT work Turbocobra !!!
I love the shaved drip rails.
There is nothing like doing a father and son project.
You have come a long way in a short while, and I admire your determination and knowledge. I can't say enough about your project.
I have a question on shaving the drip rails. What is the proper procedure to follow and what do you watch for?
I am planning to do my 67 Acadian, but need some expert advice before starting.
Thanks and sorry for stealing the thread.

[turbocobra]

GREAT work Turbocobra !!!
I love the shaved drip rails.
There is nothing like doing a father and son project.
You have come a long way in a short while, and I admire your determination and knowledge. I can't say enough about your project.
I have a question on shaving the drip rails. What is the proper procedure to follow and what do you watch for?
I am planning to do my 67 Acadian, but need some expert advice before starting.
Thanks and sorry for stealing the thread.

Thanks 67. It was my first time doing it, and if I can, anyone can. This site has a ton of info that can be helpful, particularly in the body work that you will need to do once they have been shaved.

Not sure if you saw the link to my blog, but here http://65turbostang.blogspot.com/200...drip-rail.html is the writeup with some details, and step by step pictures.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to email or pm me.

Good luck.

[showcar]

curious to see what the left quarter looks like when you sand off the mess. I think there's metal somewhere down there! Lotta work but it'll be worth it when it's said and done.

[turbocobra]

curious to see what the left quarter looks like when you sand off the mess. I think there's metal somewhere down there! Lotta work but it'll be worth it when it's said and done.

The bottom rear of both quarters are rusted through. I have some repro patch panels to go on.

Otherwise I suspect there will be a few dents that need pulling and properly filled and blocked. Just like most every other panel on the car!

This is the first old car I have ever bought and certainly learned alot!

[jaak]

Cool Project, Turbo Cobra!! I look foward to me and my son doing a project together one day. (He is just 9 months old right now). Anyways keep up the good work and keep us updated on your progress.


Jason

[turbocobra]

It's been a couple of months since we did any work on the car. Finally got the full floor pan welded in and finished up, and this weekend we started welding in the new toeboards.

Here is the blog writeup for the the floor pan:
http://65turbostang.blogspot.com/200...installed.html

Here is the blog writeup for the toe boards:
http://65turbostang.blogspot.com/200...-firewall.html

Lots of pics and info on the blog, but for those of you that don't want to click the link, a few pics:


Toeboard repair:

[Gibs07GTcpe]

Wow great job. I never thought of cutting that piece in half to install it.

Your project has really got me going on mine. I read alot of what you did and said hey I can do that too.


Gib

[Len]

I can't believe I haven't commented on this project, what a great project for you and your son. He will benefit from this effort for the rest of his life.

Are you letting him do any of the welding? Is he still enthusiastic? Kids can have a short attention span and loose that excitement after a while.

Be sure to use some of the Picklex on the metal before you weld, it makes the welds bite and flow more easily.

Keep up the good work.

[turbocobra]

I can't believe I haven't commented on this project, what a great project for you and your son. He will benefit from this effort for the rest of his life.

Are you letting him do any of the welding? Is he still enthusiastic? Kids can have a short attention span and loose that excitement after a while.

Be sure to use some of the Picklex on the metal before you weld, it makes the welds bite and flow more easily.

Keep up the good work.

Len,

Thanks for the comments. Yes, he has been very active in alot of the work. Cutting, welding, grinding, cleaning up.

I tried weld through Primer, but didnt' care for it. I have also used picklex on the back of patches that I could not reach the back of once it was welded in. But I didnt' think to use it on the toeboards because I can prep adn paint both sides once it is welded in.

He does loose interest easily. This part of the project is not really that fun. Alot of hard work and not much "bling" effect. I am sure the excitement will pickup once we start getting color on the car, putting the motor in, doing interior work, etc...

You probably have not looked at all of my blog entries, but here is one where I tought him to weld a little.

http://65turbostang.blogspot.com/200...ng-lesson.html

A couple of pics from this in case you don't want to follow the link:



Plug Welds:

[turbocobra]

OK, here is an update from some work Matt and I did this weekend.

Blog entry for full details: http://65turbostang.blogspot.com/200...ge-repair.html

A few pics in case you dont' want to click the link.

Due to leaking seals, lack of protective coatings, etc, the cowl / firewall area rusts out on almost all classic mustangs.

This car really need a full firewall. The toe boards were rusted out, and the top flange of the firewall where the cowl mounts is damaged from the previous owner drilling out the spot welds, and the flange is rusted out in several areas as well. The firewall on these unibody cars is what connects the front subrame to the car and I did not want to mess with having the front subrame disconnected from the rest of the car.