From Disgustang to Mustang without breaking the bank…
Refurbishing / Replacing Kick Panel Upholstery First-generation Ford Mustangs used plastic kick panels. If you had the standard interior, that’s all it was— a big piece of plastic. Deluxe (Pony) interior cars added kick panel upholstery and a bright piece of stainless trim to jazz things up a bit. Essentially Ford glued a piece of carpet trimmed with … Read moreKick Panel Upholstery Installation
A Radio History Lesson Most early Mustangs came with an AM radio, if they came with one at all. Virtually identical to the radios installed in ’64 Falcons, 1964.5 and 1965 Mustangs usually came with radios made by Bendix or Motorola. Philco, a brand purchased by Ford in the early 1960’s, also supplied radios for early Mustangs. … Read moreRadio Installation Frustration
Working for Six Hours, Accomplishing Nothing Sunday (yesterday, by the time you read this post) I accomplished nothing. I worked for seven hours, and I have nothing to show for it, other than dirty forearms. Accomplishing nothing of substance is understandably frustrating, so I’ll share with you what I’d intended to do this past weekend. In … Read moreAccomplishing Nothing Despite 6 Hours of Work
Tackling Back Glass Installation Alone… For reasons passing understanding, I had a bug up my behind on Saturday to get the back glass installed. Of course my live-in helper (also known as my brother) was out-of-town, and I hadn’t done much planning, so I endeavored to install the glass alone. Again, I don’t know what possessed … Read moreBack Glass Installation (By Myself)
Ford Tooling Dash Pad Fits Right the First Time It’s rare that I find a part that fits correctly the first time, but such is the case with the dash pad. Of course, that it’s made from original Ford tooling makes a difference. The dash pad fit perfectly, and it was perhaps the easiest install of anything … Read moreDash Pad – Ford Tooling Makes a Difference
Save Money by Restoring Original Glass I’ve written about restoring original glass before, but at the time I hadn’t perfected my process. Also, because I hadn’t remembered to take any before photos, it was hard to show the difference a little elbow grease made. All that’s about to change! The Labor Day weekend was super … Read moreRestoring Original Glass: Part II
Gratitude: It Makes a Difference Monday was a good day. Not only did I make real progress on some long-overdue projects, but it was also objectively a beautiful day here in Los Angeles. The temperature was in the mid-70’s most of the day, it was sunny but not hot, and there was a gentle breeze all afternoon. … Read moreGratitude For Good Fortune
The Scott Drake Oil Pan is Responsible for my Clearance Issues I’ve had a positive experience with Scott Drake reproduction parts on the Disgustang ’66 Mustang build. Much of his stuff is excellent. His concours-quality outside mirrors? Perfect. His styled steel wheels are works of art. The trunk weatherstrip he sells is great. His windshield weatherstrip? It’s … Read moreScott Drake Oil Pan is to Blame
Clearance Issues are Par for the Course… I’m confident that everyone building a resto-mod will at some point abruptly smack into clearance issues. That’s the nature of the beast. Modifications are rarely bolt-in installations, and tolerance stack-up is a legitimate concern. In other words, clearance issues multiply with each additional modification. There’s no way to … Read moreClearance Issues Have Me Stumped
“Power Suit, Power Tie, Power Steering” My Mustang came from the factory with power steering. Since the original plan was to drive the car on a regular basis, I’d decided to keep the power steering setup for the sake of drivability. And while I kinda regret that decision, second-guessing myself and switching over now would … Read morePower Steering Parts Trouble