Original Parts with an Original Fit!

Posts by Lee Walmsley

Mach 1 or Boss Mustang?

Another viewer question:

Question: Hi, I was reading your write ups on how to decode a Mustang (Mustang Guides). Very nice work. I’m in the market for a ’66-’70 fastback and have a question for you. According to the VIN # what makes a Mach 1 or a Boss a true code car over just a fastback (02 and 05)? Is there a way I can tell if its a real Mach 1 or Boss? Thanks for your help.

Answer:  All 1969 and 1970 regular Fastbacks have a “02” in the VIN #.  A true Mach 1 will have a “05”. A 302 Boss will have an engine code “G”. A Boss 429 will have a “ZZ” in the VIN #.

Decoding
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Does a VIN # indicate a Mach 1?

We received a viewer email and thought it would make for a great blog post.

Question:  I’m kinda new to the world of mustang ownership. I have always loved the 69 Mach 1.  Here is my question:  is there any way to tell a Mach from a regular Fastback by the vin#?

Answer:  Yes, there is a way to tell a 1969 Mach 1 from the VIN#.   The VIN would begin with “905”.  A regular Fastback VIN would begin with a “902”.  “05” is Mach 1 and “02” is Fastback.

If you have a question about Mustangs, let us know.  We’ll post your question (but will keep your name confidential).  Chances are, other people might be wondering the same thing.

Mustang cheers to you!

Decoding
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Removing Aged Undercoating

When going through the restoration process, all aged undercoating should be removed.  Undercoating is the factory protectant that is sprayed on the undercarriage.  Over the years, this protectant dries out and cracks, allowing rust and corrosion to hide underneath.  It is not always easy just to scrape it off.  If the coating does not easily scrape off, try using a propane blow torch and heat the undercoating until it turns black with red-hot spots and smokes.  This allows the undercoating to soften up.  Then, it should scrape off easily.  Once the undercoating is scraped off, use solvent and a wire brush to clean off the residue.  With the undercarriage properly cleaned, you could then re-finish the undercarriage with red oxide primer.   You could also use rubberized undercoating which is widely available in aerosol spray cans.

Restoration Information
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Hi Po 289 K Code 9″ Rear End Bracket

K Code Bracket

K Code Bracket

Interesting Mustang Oddity.  I’m currently restoring a 1965 Factory GT Mustang Fastback, VIN stamped 5R09C. The VIN stamp indicates it is a 289 2V, but I came across something that I have never seen before.  This car has a K-Code style bracket for the rear end snubber bumper, when it should have a standard style bracket instead.  This bracket appears to be factory original.   This K Code style bracket is flatter than the standard bracket and sits farther forward to accommodate the larger 9″ rear end.

K Code Bracket Close Up

K Code Bracket close-up

Standard Rear End Bracket

Standard Rear End Bracket (pictured from a different Mustang)

As you can see, the Hi-Po bracket is a lot different from the standard bracket. It has a lower profile. I have only seen these brackets on K-Code Mustangs and Shelby Mustangs. This car might have been a special order with a 9″ rear end. When I received it, the rear end was missing, as were the rear frame rails in the trunk.

This car is very unique because all of the fender apron stamps and title begin with 5R09C. The original door tag is 5R09A, but the consecutive unit numbers match on all of the tags. I found another VIN stamp on the left hand fender apron that was 5R09A and appears to be a Ford stamp. This car also has the reinforcement plates in the rear floor pan under the back seat, which is reinforcement for the GT exhaust hangars. These plates were never used on dealer GT’s and were only used on Factory GT’s. The rocker panels were never drilled for rocker trim. GT’s did not used rocker panel trim mouldings. So, is this car a GT or not a GT? According to Ford, all GT’s should have an “A” code or “K” code. There were not any Factory 6 cylinder or 2V GT’s.

Is this a Mustang oddity since the car should have been VIN stamped with an “A” or a “K” instead of a “C”? Too bad I can’t do a Marti Report on this car (everything earlier than 1966 has insufficient records). If you can shed any light on this, let me know.

Mustang Oddities
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Restore your 1969 or 1970 Mustang A/C Dash Vents

1969/1970 Mustang Dash Vent

1969/1970 Mustang A/C Dash Vent

Original 1969 and 1970 Mustang and Cougar A/C dash vents aren’t reproduced.   So what do you do if you have an original, but it is missing the felt or the felt is loose?

You will need to replace the felt.  Doing so ensures that, when your vent is installed in your Mustang, your vent remains in the desired position.  The felt helps to hold the plastic vent assembly in place.

To replace the felt, you will have to take the vent apart. This involves using a dremmel tool or small grinder to grind the heads off of the swedged pot metal studs. Once this is done, you can take the round plastic vent out and clean and repaint the housing. Then, line the inside of the vent housing with black felt purchased from a fabric store. The felt should be about 1/16″ thick and about 5/8″ – 3/4″ wide and long enough to line the area of the inside of the housing. Before cleaning the housing, check for evidence showing where the original felt was and let this be your guide as to where the felt would go (look for glue residue, fading, etc.)

When you put the vent back together, you would need some kind of epoxy to stick the housings together. This takes the place of the swedged studs that had been ground off to take the vent apart.  Looking for original 1969/1970 A/C vents?  Check out our inventory.  We will be listing a lot more A/C parts soon.  So, if there is something that you need just contact us.

How-to guide, Interior, Parts, Restoration Information
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Port Angeles, WA Car Show (April 25, 2009)

Car Shows
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Remove your 1965 – 1968 Mustang Cowl Panel?

Exterior Cowl Panel

Exterior cowl panel once removed

Many restoration shops don’t take the time to remove the exterior cowl panel. Should you insist this be part of your Mustang’s restoration? Here are some things to consider when restoring your Mustang.

1. Hidden Rust. Rust forms around the heat and air intake, then spreads to the door post, cowl side panel and firewall. This rust remains hidden unless the cowl panel is removed. Once the panel has been removed, the area can properly be inspected.

2. Leaks. Rust holes cause water leakage from under the dash. If the cowl panel has not been removed and restored, rust can go unnoticed until bigger problems surface. If your cowl does not leak, rust still might be forming inside. You would still need to examine the area by removing the cover.

3. Proper Inspection. Inspecting the cowl from under the dash is not adequate. To completely see all of the areas, the cowl panel must be removed. It is a lot of work to remove it, but will be worth it to inspect this area now and properly restore and seal this area to protect the longevity of your Mustang.

4. Concours Restoration. Once the cowl has been removed and restored, the cowl area can be painted. Mustangs that have had this area painted look much nicer. There is no longer any scaly paint inside the cowl vent grills (a common problem with Mustangs that have not had their cowl panels removed).

This picture is from our current restoration project, a 1965 Mustang factory GT Fastback. It was thought to have a rust-free cowl since there were not any leaks. After removal of the cowl panel, however, you can see the moderate surface rust located around the air intake area. This rust is minor now, but if the cowl was not removed, this area would continue to rust.

1965 Mustang left hand cowl air intake (driver's side)

1965 Mustang left hand cowl air intake (driver’s side)

The picture below shows the cowl heater intake vent (passenger side of the Mustang).  It has moderate surface rust located near the door post. It is still solid, but given time, this rust would cause serious problems.

Right hand side of the cowl panel, heat intake vent area

Right hand side of the cowl panel, heat intake vent area

It took several hours to locate and drill all of the spot welds.  But this time is well spent as it will save many hours of grueling repairs in the future.   The cowl will now be sandblasted and epoxy primered to eliminate any possibility of future rust.

Tips for removing a cowl panel:  see our Mustang Guides, Locating Spot Welds for a Unibody Panel Replacement and Drilling Spot Welds for a Unibody Panel Replacement for removing spot welds.

Important Note: When re-installing the cowl cover, make sure the alignment is perfect. This is critical for proper hood and fender alignment. If your original cowl cover will be used, simply align all the drilled spot welds. If a replacement cowl cover is used, fenders and hood may need to be bolted on and aligned to achieve this proper cowl alignment. Without proper alignment, you can be sure to need some Tylenol, as you will be faced with many headaches!

Exterior, How-to guide, Restoration Information
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Mig Welding Techniques

Using Mig welders can be rewarding, as they are user friendly and work very well when needing to complete a body panel replacement on a Classic Mustang.  A wire feed welder with argon gas yields a much smoother weld than welding with flux core wire.  Here are some tips for perfecting your Mig welding skills:

  1. Clean the surface area.  Do your best to grind, sand or media blast the areas that will be welded.  The cleaner the surface, the smoother the welding will turn out.  And, the more time you will save when grinding and cleaning up excess welds after welding.
  2. When holding the welding tip, weld in a direction which pushes forward, rather than pulling the tip toward you.  Welding forward, in a forward motion, ensures that the gas is able to clear the area to be welded of contaminates.  This creates a cleaner weld.  Pulling the welding tip toward you makes you pull in the opposite direction that the gas is exiting the tip, defeating the purpose of the gas.  This technique is difficult to get used to, as it feels more natural to pull toward yourself, but the results are worth the extra effort to learn the correct technique.
  3. Welds should be smooth and flat.  If welds are too high or too thick, they will need to be ground down, which is unnecessary work.  If your welds are turning out too high, your wire speed may be a little high.  Adjust the speed down to a lower setting.
  4. Welds should not burn through the metal.  If they are, your voltage may be set too high.  Adjust it as necessary.
  5. Practice on a scrap piece of metal to discover the settings that will work best and familiarize yourself with the proper settings.

For more tips on wire feed welding, see our Body Panel Patch Welding Tip post.

Restoration Information
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Classic Mustang Oil Change Tips

When your 1965 – 1973 Classic Mustang is ready for an oil change, here are a couple of tips to follow.

  1. Have the necessary tools and materials ready.  Tools:  Oil filter wrench, oil pan drain plug wrench, funnel, drain pan, and rag;  Materials:  Oil filter and 5-6 quarts of oil (depending on the engine size)
  2. Oil drains the best when the engine is hot.  Before changing the oil, drive a short distance to warm up the engine.  This helps the oil flow out nicely when changing it.
  3. After draining the oil and prior to reinserting the oil pan drain plug, always make sure that the drain hole and threads on the drain plug are in good condition.  If they are worn, you will need to replace them.  You wouldn’t want your drain plug to come out and have your Mustang lose all its oil!  You can replace the plug with a “drain plug repair kit”, which consists of a new drain plug that is slightly larger than the existing plug.
  4. Check the nylon washer that fits under the head of the drain plug.  If it is worn, replace it.  The washer forms a seal under the head of the drain plug.
  5. Make sure the oil pressure sending unit and gauge are working properly.  A properly working oil pressure gauge needle should be in the center or just above the center.  This gives it a “medium” oil pressure reading.
  6. Dispose of oil properly.  Most parts stores will accept used motor oil for free (as a part of their recycling program).
Mustang Care
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Date Code Your Timing Chain Cover

1965 Timing Chain Cover

1965 Timing Chain Cover

If you want a numbers matching vehicle, how do you decode a timing chain cover to determine if it’s the best match for your vehicle?  Most timing chain covers have a casting number.  Look on the front of the timing cover to find this number.  In this example, we are using a casting number of C4AE 6059.

“C4AE” =
“C” – 1960’s; “4” – 1964; “AE” – the engineering number used to denote Galaxie (but was also used on many other Fords).

“6059” =
The engineering number code which designates “timing cover”

In addition to the casting number, there will be a small circle with a number in it.  This example has a “65”, which means it was made in 1965.  As you can see, the casting number does not always match the year the part was made.  Within this small circle, there is a series of small dots surrounding the number.  Each dot indicates one month.  In this example, there are 7 dots, which would indicate the 7th month.  The 7th month of a calendar year is July.  Thus, the circle area indicates that this timing cover was made in July, 1965.

Some timing chain covers were service replacements made several years after the casting number.  An example of this would be a C4AE 6059 with a circle containing a “72”.  This would mean that Ford issued a replacement timing chain cover for a vehicle in 1972 (7 years after the vehicle’s production date).

Casting, Decoding
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