DazeCars, 1964 & 1/2 Mustang

1964.5 Ford Mustang... My First Car:
When I bought this car, it came with a 170 CI 6 cylinder and a manual 3-speed with no syncros in first gear. The body was fairly straight, but it did need some work. Oh yes, these pictures don't do the color of this car justice. It is lemon yellow! If you are going to paint your classic car lemon yellow, you better have more than a 6 cylinder to back it up.

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With the motor and transmission out, it was time to really get started. A performanc-built 289 and Ford toploader 4-speed were just waiting in the wings to go into this car.

The floorpans were in the worst shape. They were rusted through in many spots and had been patched with stolen road signs. Ok, ok, maybe some one GAVE the road signs to the previous owner. However they were "acquired", they ended up in my car.

The car came originally with a clutch, but when the owner before me bought it, it had a c4 in it. She told me that her father had converted it back to a clutch for her. The only problem is that instead of using the correct shifter and linkage, he decided to cut up the floor to make it fit. "Dooo!" I have no problem with modifying a classic car to put things in it that weren't originally supposed to be there, but if you can avoid cutting it up, you probably should!

The car also came with the idiot light gauge cluster and stock steering wheel. The totalled parts car came with pony interior. The seats were shot but the gauges and steering wheel were in good working order.

I ordered new floor panels and, due to the lack of a welder, used windshield sealer and pop rivits to put them in. I also cut the center section around the shifter hole out of the parts car and attached it in the same way to cover the gash put in by an incompetent previous owner. Upon completion of the instillation, a little rust killer topped off with some truck bed liner made for a nice anti-rust floor pan.

When my 1962 Galaxie is finished, it will become my daily driver and my Mustang will go through phase II of its restoration. This includes such things as welding in the floor pans and a professional paint job.

This 170 6 cylinder had seen better days. It was blowing smoke with every shift. The car got 30 MPG and 60 MPQ (Miles Per Quart of oil). It wasn't so much that it was burning that much oil, but rather burning a little and blowing the rest out of every seal on the motor.

This is the performance 289 that I am running in the car currently. It came out of the parts car, along with all the other V8 parts needed for the conversion, like steering linkage, spindles, and an 8" rear end.

Specs:
     9.5:1 CR
     600 cfm Eldelbrock carb
     Edelbrock performer intake
     280 cam
     large valves
     long tube hedders
     dual exhaust
     MSD 6A ignition box
     164 tooth fly wheel
     10.5" clutch
     Motor was fully balanced

Here it is almost "done". It is really dirty and needs a bath. I rattle canned the car because I couldn't afford to have it painted and I was not going to drive a yellow car!! By painting it black, then covering it with a coat of rattle can clear and giving it a little wax several months later, it actually looked pretty good. Now, 3 years later, however, the paint has not held up to the test of time and is badly oxidized. I know a little wax would clean it up some, but at this point, it's just not worth it.

When it was done you almost couldn't tell it was a rattle canned car.

During the process, I also replaced the front and rear suspension and had the bucket seats and door panels re-upholstered.

Phase II of its Restoration

This car will soon go under another restoration. I am older, wiser and more experienced now, so it will get restored correctly this time. I plan on upgrading a few parts. The car is getting a 9" trac-lock third member, t5z, performance 351W (maybe stroked to a 427), hood scoop, Shelby bullet mirror, fog lights, all chrome parts replaced, Granada front disc brakes, new dash pad, new body panels for any and all that are rusted through, and a professional paint job. I have been buying parts over the last three years and now have everything on my list except the 351W, and of course the paint job, which I have been saving for. I painted my Galaxie myself with a single stage enamel, but I don't know if I am skilled/brave enough to do my Mustang with a base coat clear coat. We will see.

Disclaimer on Daze Tech Tips

I am not an expert in this field. I have performed these modifications myself with very good results. I am passing along restoration and performance tips for the purpose of education. If you are concerned about reliability or safety issues, I do not recommend that you or any other individual perform these changes or attempt to modify your cars from stock configuration except under your own volition. I do not assume nor accept any liability for the use of this information or how it is applied.