Original Parts with an Original Fit!

Posts in category How-to guide

Avoiding Paint Overspray inside the Cowl Panel

Here is a tip on avoiding paint overspray inside the Cowl Panel. After you have removed, repaired, and repainted your 1965-1968 Mustang cowl panel, you are ready to reinstall it.  Here’s a neat tip for avoiding any paint overspray in the cowl panel area.  Use aluminum foil!  The aluminum foil catches all the paint overspray that would accumulate in the vent area of the Mustang cowl.

Here’s what to do:  prior to permanently welding the cowl lid on your Mustang, line the cowl floor with aluminum foil.  Then, weld your cowl lid to your Mustang.  When you are ready to paint your Mustang, this aluminum foil will prevent any overspray build-up to the inside of the cowl panel area.

After your vehicle has been painted, simply reach up inside the air or heat intake holes, grab the foil, and pull it out.  This leaves a nice cowl interior without the ugly paint “scale” (paint buildup) that is commonly left in the cowl panel area.

Here’s an additional benefit of using aluminum foil:  If the aluminum foil is carefully placed, it will also prevent weld sparks or blobs of hot metal from burning the painted cowl panel during the welding process.  Aluminum foil works much better than any plastic or paper masking material.

Exterior, Restoration Information
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Cowl Reinstallation Tips for 1965 – 1968 Mustang

Nearly all 1965-1968 Classic Mustangs and Cougars should have their cowl vent panel removed.  This area harbors hidden rust, ugly scaly paint overspray, and water leaks.  If not repaired properly, rust will continue to eat away at the cowl panel and then the firewall.  You’re better off taking care of the cowl panel before this nightmare happens.

Upon removing the cowl panel, clean, repair, repaint and re-install it.  Here are some tips for how to re-install the cowl panel.

  1. Align the cowl panel.  Make sure when re-installing, that the position of the cowl panel is correct.  It should line up evenly with the rear edge of the hood.  It should also line up evenly with the front fenders. Temporarily install the hood and fenders to get the positioning correct.  Self-tapping screws work really well for temporarily installing body replacement panels.  When the cowl position is correct, attach the cowl with a few self-tapping sheet metal screws.  This will temporarily hold the cowl in proper position.  Remove the hood and fenders so that you have access to the cowl.
  2. Weld the cowl panel.  Beginning from the center of the cowl panel and working outward, make a plug weld every 2-3 inches.  A plug weld is a weld that fills a hole in the top piece and attaches to the bottom piece.  This type of weld is about 1/4″ size.  Complete the plug welds until you have welded the entire panel.
  3. Grind the welds.  Using an air or electric grinder, grind the excess welds so that they are flush with the cowl panel.
  4. Seal and fill the welds.  Using a quality seam sealer or body filler, fill any grinder marks or unwelded holes.  Once the sealer or filler has cured, sand the area smooth.

You are now ready to paint the cowl area and permanently reattach the hood and fenders.

Exterior, Restoration Information
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1965 Mustang Bench Seat

In 1965, there were 2,111 Bench Seat Convertibles produced.  All other convertibles came with either standard interior (“76A”) or Pony interior (“76B”) bucket seats.  The Bench Seat Convertibles had a body code “76C” stamped on the left hand side, lower rocker panel.  Bench Seat Coupes were stamped with body code “65C”.

A Fastback was stamped “63A” or “63B”.  The code “A” was for standard interior and the code “B” was for Pony interior.  There were not any 1965 Fastbacks that left the factory with a bench seat.  I wonder why not?  The Coupes and Convertibles had them and the bench seat would have certainly fit in a Fastback as well.

Another oddity was that many 1965 Fastbacks have the rocker panel body code “65”, which is a Coupe body code.  The Fastback should have been given a “63” rocker panel body code.  The rocker panels are the same part, but somehow they were stamped incorrectly before assembly at the factory.

Things that make you go hmmmm…..

General, Mustang Oddities
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Decoding a GT/CS Tail Light Wiring Loom

One of the rarest, most unique parts on a Ford Mustang GT/CS is the tail light wiring loom harness.  It has a purple tag near the passenger side (right hand side) tail light in the trunk.  This tag has the FoMoCo label and the letters “SXR C8ZX-14405-A”.  Here’s how this part number is decoded:

C8 = 1968
Z = Mustang
X = Ford special or experimental
14405 = Vehicle engineering number

A standard Mustang tail light wire bundle part number is C8ZZ-14405-E or C8ZB-14405-E.  The GT/CS has the “ZX”, which is the code for the special edition Mustang.

Decoding, Misc
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Decoding a 1968 Mustang California Special

All GT/CS California Special Mustang VIN’s began with the vehicle identification number prefix “8R01”.

Here’s how the prefix is decoded:

8 = 1968

R =  San Jose, California assembly plant

01 = Designates the Coupe ( hard top) body style.

The next digit in the VIN # is the engine code.  All GT/CS cars could have been equipped with the following engine options:

T = 200 6 cylinder
C = 289 2V
J = 302 4V
X = 390 2V
S = 390 4V premium fuel
R = 428 4VCJ 4 bbl

GT/CS consecutive VIN numbers begin with unit #119,000 and ended with GT/CS and High Country Special (HCS) #172,000.  Most GT/CS’s were produced randomly in the assembly line-up with other Mustangs and Cougars.  The highest concentration of GT/CS production occurred between February 15-20, 1968.  This was primarily due to a massive wholesale dealer event in Los Angeles, California.  By July, 1968, all California Specials and High Country Special production had ended and was phased out.

Decoding, Misc
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Difference between a 1969 Mustang Power Brake and Manual Brake Pedal Housing

1814aQuestion:  Can you tell me the difference between a 1969 Mustang pedal housing for the Power Brake and a Manual Brake? What about MT vs AT housings? Is the ’69 housing specific to the ’69 Mustang?

Answer:  The difference between a manual brake and power brake pedal housing is in the the mounting flange at the firewall.

Power brake boosters have threaded studs that protrude through the firewall and housing flange and are held on by 9/16″ nuts. Manual brake master cylinders use bolts that protrude through the firewall and screw into a threaded insert in the brake housing.

Housings that do not have the threaded inserts on the firewall flange are for power brakes. Housings that do have these threaded inserts are for manual brake applications.

As far as the MT vs AT, for a 1969 Mustang, there is usually not any difference between manual and automatic transmission housings. Sometimes there is a bolt-on clutch spring hook (depending on the Mustang year). The factory punched the same mounting holes in all of the Classic Mustang housings.

The longer power brake pedal does not swing from the same pivot point that a manual brake or clutch pedal swings from. The long power brake pedal swings from a bolt at the very top of the housing. All housings also have these holes.

1969 Brake and Clutch Pedal Housings

General, Parts
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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.

Interior, Parts, Restoration Information
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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, Restoration Information
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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, 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

Interior, Mustang Information
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