Original Parts with an Original Fit!

Posts by Lee Walmsley

Mustang turns 45, FastbackStack LLC is reborn!

Happy 45 Birthday Mustang!

Happy 45th Birthday Mustang!

Yes, 45 years ago today, the Ford Mustang was unveiled. By July, 1964 100,000 Mustang Coupes and Convertibles had been produced and were being sold at record speed. No other car has ever skyrocketed so quickly into the ranks of the top sellers. The Ford Mustang was (and still is) a true icon.

It seems almost fitting that the launch of our re-designed website coincides with this moment in history. To celebrate Mustang’s birthday and our new website, we are offering a 10% off storewide sale, which continues through the end of April.

The price of a Ford Mustang back on April 17, 1964 was $2,368. We thought it would be fun to see what other items cost in 1964:

Average Cost of new house: $13,050.00
One gallon of gas:  30 cents
Loaf of bread:  21 cents
United States Postage Stamp:  5 cents
Movie Ticket:  $1.25

Happy Birthday Ford Mustang!

Nostalgia
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Body Panel Patch Welding Tip

How do you weld a seam that is almost invisible on your body panel? Take some time to make your replacement patch a perfect fit.  Ideally, there should only be a 1/32″ (or less) gap between the patch and the body panel.  Place the welding tip wire through the gap and tack-weld the patch in place (put a couple of small spots of weld here and there).  This holds the patch in the correct position.   Next, begin welding a small portion at a time (1/2″ to 1″ usually works the best).  Be careful not to weld too much at once, as this would warp the body panel.

Once the welding is complete, carefully grind the welds flush with the existing body panel.  Further welding may be required to fill the areas that were missed.  Wire feed welding is a good weld for beginners to try.  Try practicing on a piece of scrap body panel before attempting to weld your body panel.

Tip:  when purchasing a wire feed welder, make sure it’s a name brand and purchase the welder set-up that uses the argon gas rather than flux core wire.  Gas aided welding is much smoother and user-friendly.  It’s a little more costly, but well worth the investment.

Restoration Information
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Where have all the Mustangs gone?

1969 Convertible from the year 1994

1969 Convertible from the year 1994

Back in the mid-1980’s and early 1990’s, there were a lot of “daily driver” Mustangs in western Washington. By the mid-1990’s I noticed fewer and fewer on the road. By the late 1990’s, I also noticed a very sharp decline in the availability of used original parts at all local swap meets. The classified sections selling Mustangs and Mustang parts within the local newspapers were also dwindling. I remember the day when you could look at local newspaper, AutoTrader, and Little Nickel ads and come up with a Fastback Mustang project. It may have taken a few weeks of searching, but one would turn up. Now, in 2009, it seems like finding a similar project is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

At the recent Portland, Oregon Swap Meet that we attended, finding original Mustang parts was difficult. Oh sure, there were Mustang parts, but the quantity of them were dismal. Our vendor booths seemed to be the only ones with an abundance of parts. But, after all, I have collected Mustangs and parts for the past 20 years and have amassed quite a collection.  As an avid collector, however, I still continue to search for more parts whenever I can!

Nostalgia
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Original vs. Reproduction

Original 1968 Shelby Mustang Interior

Original 1968 Shelby GT 350 Mustang Interior

How do you decide to purchase original parts or reproduction parts for your Classic Mustang?  In most cases, original parts fit the best.  Reproduction parts are often flimsy and not of the finest quality.  For instance, original Mustang fenders fit and line up nicely with the door, while some reproduction fenders are made of a lesser gauge steel and do not line up well.

In the early days of the reproduction industry, the parts were made with presses and dyes that were worn down from the original assembly line machinery.  As a result, these inferior reproduction parts did not offer the best fit, nor did they offer the quality that the original parts did.  In recent years, reproduction parts have gotten better, but are still of inferior quality.

Ford recently began to offer original Ford tooling body panels.  These panels offer good fit and quality, but still need a little fitting work when installing them on a Mustang.  Unfortunately, these tooling parts are expensive and run about double the price of other reproduction parts.

Original parts, being between 40-45 years old, often need a little clean-up.  However, once original parts have been restored and placed on a Mustang, the Mustang’s appearance and value have been preserved and the fit is all-original.

Parts
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Mustang Cheers!

Since this is our first post with our WordPress blog, allow us to introduce ourselves.  FastbackStack, LLC specializes in 1964 1/2 – 1973 Classic Mustangs and parts.  Our all-original parts are obsolete, hard-to-find and rare.  We don’t sell reproduction parts…we only sell original parts that offer the right fit for your Mustang.

We are avid Mustang enthusiasts and collectors and have a Mustang collection totalling over 50 Mustangs and 100,000 Mustang parts.  We enjoy meeting other Mustang enthusiasts and sharing Mustang and restoration information.

Our blog will focus on providing information that Mustang restorers and enthusiasts are looking for:  restoration tips and tricks, decoding information, Mustang parts, interesting Mustang finds, crazy Mustang oddities and other useful information.

If you have any questions regarding restoration information and/or Mustang parts, feel free to contact us.  Mustang Cheers to you!

FastbackStack, LLC

Mustang Information

To GT or Not to GT

How do you tell if a 1965 or 1966 Mustang was a true factory GT or just a Dealer installed imposter?

There were 2 types of Mustang GT’s:  Factory GT and dealer installed GT equipment.  What is the difference?

Factory Mustang GT’s

Factory Mustang GT’s were equipped with the following:

  • “A” or “K” code 289 4V premium fuel engine
  • Reinforced rear floor pan for the GT exhaust
  • Extra hanger bracket inside the rear frame rail for the GT exhaust
  • Factory fog lights
  • Rocker panel trim that was deleted (there weren’t any holes in the rocker panels for the trim)

Dealer GT’s

Dealers installed original GT equipment because it was readily available if a customer requested it.  Dealer GT vehicles could have been equipped with the following:

  • May or may not have an “A” code engine
  • Could have any available transmission
  • Almost never had reinforced rear floor pans
  • Never had rear frame rail exhaust hanger brackets
  • May have factory fog lights, but chances are, the underdash wiring harness would not have been changed (it would have been modified instead).
  • In most cases, would have rocker panel trim.  If it was removed, there would be evidence of filled trim holes.
  • Could have any interior that the customer requested.

How to tell a true Mustang GT from an imposter:

  1. Pull up the lower cushion of the rear seat.  All GT’s (Coupe, Convertible or Fastback) should have a reinforced rear floor pan.  This was for the heavy duty GT exhaust hangers.  The factory installed an extra sheet metal plate in the location of the rear seat belt mounting area to provide extra strength to hold the GT exhaust.  Only factory GT’s have these.  Dealer GT’s did not.
  2. Feel inside the 3/4″ hole on the side of the rear frame rails, near the rear spring hanger for an extra bracket.  Factory GT’s had these brackets for the GT exhaust.  Dealer GT’s could not manually install these brackets.

Copyright 2007:  FastbackStack, LLC

General, How-to guide, Mustang Information
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1965-1966 Mustang GT fog light switch: Measure & Drill

If you are installing a 1965 or 1966 Mustang GT reproduction fog light switch, you will need to know where to drill the hole in your dash.  Ultimately, you will make two measurements and will drill the hole above the cross section of these two measurements.

Use these steps when measuring and drilling:

  1. Using a pencil, draw a vertical line 1 1/8″ over from the door post (this will be at the lower, left hand corner of the dash).
  2. Using a straight edge, hold the straight edge at the center of the hole in the door jam where the interior light button switch is located.  Draw a horizontal line across the vertical line drawn, making a cross section.
  3. Drill your hole 1/4″ above these two crossed lines.

These measurements were taken from a 1965 Mustang Fastback factory GT and will work for a Mustang Coupe, but a Mustang Convertible with a power top may differ slightly.

Copyright 2007:  FastbackStack, LLC

How-to guide, Interior, Mustang Information
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1964 1/2 & 1965 Mustangs: What is the Difference?

The Classic Ford Mustang is an American beauty.  When you see a vintage Mustang, you can’t help but admire its stunning characteristics of one of the greatest American cars ever built.  The popularity of this classic automobile still holds true today.  Many may wonder about the first produced Mustangs and exactly what the difference is between a 1964 1/2 Mustang and a 1965 Mustang.

There actually aren’t any Mustangs that are stamped “1964”.  They all carry a “5” in the VIN number, designating a “1965”.  Mustang Coupe and Convertible production began in April 1964.  It is still unclear as to exactly when Fastback production started, but it appears to be sometime in the summer of 1964.

The first Coupes and Convertibles that were manufactured had the engine codes C, D, F, K or U.  When the early D, F and U engines were being phased out, the Fastback production was just beginning.

As the first Fastbacks rolled down the assembly line, some may have been outfitted with the last remaining early engines available.  Therefore, the first Fastbacks may have had engine codes D, F or U.  As production continued and these early engines ran out, engines with codes A, C, K and T were used.  The K code engine was available from 1964 up until 1967.

It can be difficult to prove a true 1964 1/2 Mustang, but any early Mustang with a D, F or U engine code is definitely a 1964 1/2 Mustang.  Mustangs with engine codes A or T are considered 1965’s.  Mustangs with the C or K code engine option could be either a 1964 1/2 or a 1965 Mustang.  It is important to check the build date on the door tag.  This date gives further information as to when the car was assembled.

There is also a “gray area” when explaining the differences between 1964 1/2 and 1965 Mustangs.  The very earliest 1965’s could have some of the 1964 1/2 parts installed on them.  These parts were put on 1965’s until the parts were phased out, similar to the engines being phased out.  Some of the unique characteristics of the first parts include the following:

  • HEADLIGHT EXTENSIONS AND HOODS:  The first manufactured headlight extensions had a beveled edge along the top.  The front corners of the hood skin remained un-pinched around the hood frame.  This un-pinched flange pointed straight down to fill a gap that was caused by the beveled headlight extension (1965 headlight extensions did not carry this beveled edge; therefore the hood skins were pinched).
  • RADIATOR CORE SUPPORT:  The first manufactured core supports had three long vertical slots near the battery (1965 core supports had four elongated oval slots).
  • HORN STYLE AND MOUNTING LOCATION:  The first manufactured Mustang horns were quite large and mounted down on the strut rod frame rails near the bottom inside corners of the radiator (1965 horns were considerably smaller and mounted on the core support near the top outside corners of the radiator).
  • FASTBACK REAR INTERIOR STEEL TRIM:  The first manufactured Fastback rear trim wrapped around the interior’s fiberglass panels.  This steel trim extended from under the rear window, around the fiberglass interior panels and stopped about 1 1/2 inches short of the door glass (1965 steel trim extended all the way to the door glass).
  • AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFTER HANDLE:  The first manufactured AT shifter handles were quite small (1965 AT shifter handles are the same shape, but about 50% larger than the early ones).
  • PASSENGER SEAT:  The first manufactured passenger seats were not adjustable to move forward or backward.  There was not any sliding track mechanism on the mounting hardware (1965 passenger seats had full front to rear sliding adjustment).
  • SHORT CARPET:  The first manufactured carpet did not climb up the rocker panel.  It stopped at the rocker and had an embroidered edge.  The rocker was then covered with vinyl to match the interior (1965 carpet climbed up the rocker panel and was covered by the door sill plate).
  • FLOOR PAN:  The first manufactured floor pans had staggered seat belt mounting holes along the transmission tunnel for the front seats.  The passenger seatbelt mounting hole was the furthest forward to accommodate the non-adjusting seat.  These floor pans were not immediately phased out.  I actually have mid-year 1965 Mustangs with staggered holes (Most mid-year and later 1965 floor pans had evenly spaced seat belt mounting holes).
  • SEAT RISERS:  The first manufactured seat risers had a large oval cutout in the center.  (1965 seat risers had a solid top).

These are some of the differences that we have found.

Copyright 2007:  FastbackStack, LLC

General, How-to guide, Mustang Information
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Unibody Panel Replacement

Unibody panels need to be replaced when they are rusted or damaged.  After spot weld drilling and panel cutting is complete, it is time to begin fitting the replacement panel.  This guide will apply to most panel replacements, including roof skins, rear quarter panels or patches, floor pans, cowling vent, taillight panel and trunk floor.  It will take you through the steps of replacing a panel.

Tools Needed

  • Hammer
  • Dolly (a variable shaped iron straightening tool)
  • Drill or Air Punch
  • Clamps and Vice Grips
  • Shears
  • Sheet Metal Screws
  • Impact Driver
  • Welder
  • Grinder

Body Panel Replacement Process

  1. Drill all spot welds and remove the old panel.  For further information on this step, please see our guides on Locating Spot Welds for a Unibody Panel Replacement and Drilling Spot Welds for a Unibody Panel Replacement.
  2. Use the hammer and dolly to insure all flanges are flat and free of distortion.  This can be done by placing the dolly on one side of the flange and hitting it with the hammer from the other side of the flange.  This will straighten the flange.
  3. Using a grinder, grind all excess spot weld bits and pieces smooth.
  4. Next, fit the replacement panel in place.  Some panels require slight trimming or slight reshaping, depending on the reproduction panel.  This is done with shears and/or grinder for trimming and hammer and dolly for reshaping.  NOS parts fit the best with minimal reshaping, but are not readily available.
  5. Once the panel has been nipped and tucked and fits reasonably well, clamp it into place using vice grips, C-clamps or sheet metal screws.  Helpful tip:  if you are installing sheet metal screws to hold the panel in place, an impact driver is a big help.
  6. Look at the panel very carefully and mark any areas that need additional fitting work.  Rework these areas as necessary.
  7. Once you are satisfied with the fit, remove the panel and drill or air punch holes in the replacement panel every few inches on the weld flanges (the new areas that will be drilled will be similar to where the old panel’s spot welds were drilled).
  8. Re-clamp the panel in place.
  9. Next, begin to weld the panel in place.  Use the plug weld method, in which you weld through the hole of the new replacement panel, filling the hole which attaches it to the backing flange.
  10. After welding is complete, grind any excess weld buildup.  The welds should be flush with the new panel.  If you installed sheet metal screws to hold the panel in place, remove them now and then weld the holes shut.  Grind these welds flush also.
  11. Replacement is now complete and ready for any refinishing that you desire.

Copyright 2007:  FastbackStack, LLC

Exterior, How-to guide, Restoration Information
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De-rust Your 1964 ½ -1973 Mustang Door

Original Mustang doors have rust. This is common knowledge that 40+ year old doors are going to suffer this fate. How do you handle this? What do you do when you discover rust on your classic Mustang door? We have an economic and environmentally friendly solution to this rusty problem.  This guide will give tips on how to de-rust the bottom section of your Mustang door, as this is the main area that problem rust occurs.

Rust on the inside bottom seam is not visible to the eye, but is generally present.  This rust causes the bottom edge of the door to swell if it’s not eliminated.  No amount of sandblasting will remove rust from this area.  Thus, utilizing this environmentally friendly chemical dip is imperative to remove this hidden rust before swelling occurs.

Materials Needed

  • 4 – 5 gallons Apple Cider or Distilled White Vinegar
  • 1 54″ long piece of PVC pipe (6″ or 8″ diameter)
  • 2 end caps
  • PVC pipe cement (glue)
  • Rust inhibitor paint (such as POR 15)

The Process

This process will walk you through creating a container made from PVC pipe that holds vinegar.  The bottom section of the door is then submerged in the vinegar.

  1. Prepare the door:  Complete any patchwork, sand off paint, remove excess rust scale, and clean the inside of the door with a vacuum or compressed air.
  2. Using PVC pipe cement, glue an end cap to each end of the PVC pipe.  Allow time for them to completely dry.
  3. Cut out a section of the PVC pipe large enough to fit the door in it.  Once cut, it will resemble a trough, and look like a canoe with two blunt end caps.  PLEASE NOTE:  You can use or devise a different non-metal container that suits your needs.  I have found that cutting PVC pipe in this manner works well.
  4. Fill the trough with 2-4″ of vinegar.  TIP:  large containers of vinegar are often sold at grocery outlet stores.
  5. Submerge the door in the trough and prop it up so that it won’t tip over.
  6. Leave the door submerged in the vinegar for 7 days.  Check progress after 7 days.
  7. If rust still appears, leave it submerged for another 7 days.
  8. Remove the door from the trough of vinegar and rinse the door with water.
  9. Place the door near a heat source where it can thoroughly dry on the inside and on the outside.
  10. Using compressed air, blow any remaining moisture and water from the groove located on the inside bottom section of the door.
  11. Apply rust inhibitor paint to the inside of the door, along the seam.
  12. Your door is now ready to have the body work completed.

Copyright 2007: FastbackStack, LLC

Exterior, How-to guide, Restoration Information
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FastbackStack, LLC is not affiliated with the Ford Motor Company.