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1968 Mustang Fastback Build - Project Generation GapOur New Project Brings Old And New Together On More Than One Level From the June, 2009 issue of Modified Mustangs & Fords By Mark Houlahan Photography by Mark Houlahan
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If any of our illustrations...  If any of our illustrations from Cars by Chris look familiar then you're probably a regular reader of Modified Mustangs & Fords. We took the parts we liked best from our favorite restomod Mustangs and merged them together in our illustration. Up front, we have a CDC Flashback front fascia and a '67 Shelby GT350-style hood. Moving rearward, you'll notice the flared wheelwells, Mustangs Plus rocker molding/ground effects, S197 Mustang door handles, and lower C-scoops. Out back is a Shelby-style trunk lid and end caps, a blacked out taillight panel with a LeMans-style pop-open fuel filler, and a body color rear bumper as well. The fastback is sitting on low-profile rubber wrapped around Centerline Retro Legend wheels with optional black faced spokes, and the car is drenched in one of our favorite late-model Ford colors--Dark Shadow Gray with Ebony stripes. Minor changes will most likely happen as we move forward on the project and some products don't make the cut or we find other products to use, but this is our ultimate goal shown here in our illustration. If you're starting a new project, or just want a cool illustration of your completed car, give Cars by Chris a shout for your very own custom illustration at www.cars-by-chris.com. There's no doubt about it, car magazines need project cars. From the basic bolt-on upgrade to a complete car build up, readers soak up the information like a sponge. We've heard numerous times of readers cataloging tech projects for their own future builds and even building their own projects up to mimic the projects they see in their favorite magazines, which we find quite flattering to be honest. Our new build we're debuting here is a '68 Mustang we're calling Project Generation Gap. After completing our Factory Five Roadster last year we wanted to get back into a classic Mustang project for our readers. Some of you longtime readers may remember the '68 Mustang coupe we purchased last year; well this is the launch of that project. But you're probably wondering why our illustration, courtesy of Chris Jones at Cars by Chris is a fastback. Well, we're converting our coupe to a fastback of course! Our fastback conversion is also going to feature a 4.6L Three-Valve engine for motivation and upgraded suspension from Heidt's Hot Rod Shop with braking from Stainless Steel Brakes Corp. Naturally, we'll be looking into making the fastback as safe as we can with high-back seats, three-point belts, power brakes and steering, and much more. We've got a lot of other sub-systems to still figure out, but we're sure you'll like what we've got planned. But what about the project name, right? Well, we must give credit where due and our good friend and fellow editor, Steve Turner, of 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords magazine, gave us the suggestion and it fit our story. You see, we're building this car by merging different generations of Mustang into one sweet ride. As we progress you'll notice parts from S197, Fox era, and other generations of Mustang being used in the build. But more importantly, Editor Houlahan will be building the car with the help of his 16-year-old son, Kyle. These two generations, working together to build the Mustang, are just as important, if not more so, in the project coming together. We know it won't always be a smooth ride (because 16-year-olds know everything, right?), but we know the end result will be an absolutely bitchin' ride and a positive parent/child experience. For our fastback conversion and rust repair we reached out to Drake Customs in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The company has been quickly growing its name with completely refurbished '65-'70 Mustang body shells. An original coupe body shell is stripped, media blasted, all rust damage replaced (just about every car gets a one-piece floor), and the fastback conversion process applied. Drake Customs uses Dynacorn sheetmetal for a great fit and a stronger car. Complete body shells will set you back $9,000 for '65-'68 models and $10,000 for the '69-'70 models. These shells come with a Ford VIN (for a coupe, of course) from the original body, and a clean title, making registration and titling easy in any state, even California. They will also convert your existing coupe body to a fastback for $5,500 to $6,500, depending upon the model year. Full refurbishment of your body shell is also available. If Drake Customs can bring back our rusty and accident-damaged coupe from its date with the wrecking ball, it can fix any body shell in our opinion. Be sure to check out our build progress online, where we'll post extra photos, videos, and more.  We shipped our '68 coupe out...  We shipped our '68 coupe out to Drake Customs via Reliable Carriers, and by the time we flew out there for our photos the Drake crew had all new metal lined up for our project and chomping at the bit, tools in hand, to get to work. Starting early on a Saturday morning, the Drake crew, which included Ray Carmody, Drake's owner, shop manager Jesse Villarroel, and fabricators/welders Ramon Aguayo, Len Harris, and Lee Watts, tore into our roller, removing all bolt-on sheetmetal, glass, and trim left on the car. If sending your coupe for conversion, the more you can strip off of it the better.  Once all bolt-on components...  Once all bolt-on components were removed, the '68 was rolled over to the lift and raised for access to the suspension.  Len tackled torching the 9-inch...  Len tackled torching the 9-inch of unknown origin out of the chassis (and it'll get a new life in the rear of one of Len's projects), while Jesse and Ramon yanked the front suspension courtesy of air tools, cutting torch, and some pretty big prybars.  We were really hoping to be...  We were really hoping to be able to produce separate stories on the major metal repairs, but our '68 needed so much work and we were only going to be on site for a week that it ended up being a free for all, with each person just working on something to make progress. For starters, Ramon and Lee began on the right rocker panel replacement by drilling out the numerous spot welds, both inside and outside the shell.  Ramon used a standard metal...  Ramon used a standard metal cutting torch to trim back the floorpan so that the floor sheetmetal wouldn't interfere with the new rocker assembly fitment. We're replacing the floor anyway, so it wasn't an issue.  The old rocker was cut out...  The old rocker was cut out in sections until the complete rocker assembly was freed. The job would be a little different depending upon whether the floorpan and/or quarter-panel is being replaced or not at the time. Notice, too, the large amount of dirt, clay, rust, and debris from inside the rail, now on the floor.  The new rocker assembly from...  The new rocker assembly from Dynacorn is fitted to the body. You'll notice here that any metal that was drilled through to remove the old rail has been ground down and cleaned up to ensure a good solid weld when the time comes to secure the new rocker permanently. Some metal repair jobs are not for the faint of heart and a Mustang rocker panel is one of them. If you plan to try your hand at metal repairs, start with something small and easy like a taillight panel or inner fender apron.  With the new right-side rocker...  With the new right-side rocker assembly tacked into place on the inside of the shell, Ramon begins the task of cutting out the rusty floorpan. He removes the pan in small sections, being careful not to cut through anything we'll reuse. Note in the picture, too, that bracing has been added to the car. The more you cut into a body shell, the more support you'll need to keep everything straight during your work. Panels will move and you'll be fighting all sorts of alignment issues if you don't. A tape measure is a good tool here. Record all measurements before cutting.  While Ramon worked on the...  While Ramon worked on the floorpan part of the project, Len whipped out the reciprocating saw and made our '68 three feet shorter by cutting off the complete engine compartment "box" in about 5 minutes. Why did we do this, you might be asking?  Well, we had one bad framerail,...  Well, we had one bad framerail, rusty toe boards, improperly braced rusty shock towers, and poorly installed/patched inner fender aprons. Not to mention we would be losing the shock towers anyway to make room for our Heidt's Superide II front suspension setup. Ray felt it would actually be faster if we simply installed two new front framerails and new inner aprons.  The left rocker assembly was...  The left rocker assembly was in solid shape, only needing a few pinholes welded shut. Ramon ground away all of the rough metal and spot weld remnants on the inside of the rocker, preparing it for the new one piece floorpan from Dynacorn.  We've used the Dynacorn one...  We've used the Dynacorn one piece replacement floorpans in the past and we must say they are the easiest option when it comes to floorpan metal replacement. Ramon and Jesse fit the new Dynacorn floor into place between the rockers and use self tapping screws to temporarily hold the floor in place while multiple measurements are taken to ensure the floor is in the right position (always take plenty of measurements before cutting away the old metal).  With Ramon and Jesse busy...  With Ramon and Jesse busy inside the car prepping the floorpan for final welding, Ray begins work on the exterior of the coupe, trimming away the major sheetmetal areas that will be replaced during the fastback conversion. These include the rear quarter skins and the roof skin. An air chisel makes quick work of the panels.  Lee finished up the two toe...  Lee finished up the two toe board installations just as Jesse and Ramon were ready to start welding in the floorpan. Notice the toe boards are fully butt welded. The guys at Drake Customs don't mess around and do the job right. A little grinding of the welds and they'll be good to go.  The completed floorpan installation...  The completed floorpan installation gives us our first glimpse at real progress with new metal. The one piece floor actually saves labor time since there is less welding to be done. The old full-length individual pans required butt welding along their entire length, where the one piece floor is simply plug welded every few inches, just like the factory spot welds.  It's getting late on our first...  It's getting late on our first day at Drake Customs, but everyone knows how much work we have in front of us and agrees to stay, making 15 hour days for most of the project. Ray has done dozens of these conversions and barely has to measure anymore, as he knew right where to cut the coupe's rear roof section away for his conversion.  Once the rear portion of the...  Once the rear portion of the roof was cut away Ray continued on with the metal removal required for the fastback conversion.  This included the top of the...  This included the top of the quarter panels, the coupe's seat divider panel, and package tray metal.  Our trunk floor was not only...  Our trunk floor was not only tweaked from accident damage, but the trunk drop off panels were rotted away as well, leaving us no choice but to replace the complete trunk floor with one of Dynacorn's new one-piece trunk pan assemblies. Ray also felt it would be easier from a time constraint standpoint to replace the inner wheelhouses as well, as they would have needed some small patches and simply dropping new ones in would be better use of our time and about a wash price wise when you consider the labor and materials to make the patches.  It was closing in on 10:00...  It was closing in on 10:00 p.m. and we'd started at 7:00 a.m.--a 15 hour day of cutting, grinding, welding, and more. We were filthy to say the least. Ray dressed the edges of the coupe rear structure that were still in place with a hand grinder and then we called it a night. These coupe inner structure panels will be utilized in the Drake Customs conversion, which will add a lot of strength to the car that a real fastback never had from the factory. You'll see what we mean when we start on the inner structure upgrades later in the project's build up.  Bright and early the next...  Bright and early the next morning, the Drake Customs crew got started on hanging our rear framerails. Since the rear of our Mustang had been involved in a flat-towing altercation that tweaked the back of the car, there weren't any good points to take measurements from. An original or reproduction shop manual will give you major chassis measurements to ensure the framerails are square. While Ramon measured and double checked the rail fitment, Jesse used several locking clamps to hold it all in place.  While you can purchase assembled...  While you can purchase assembled wheelhouses, Ray keeps the individual inner and outer wheelhouses in stock so they can simply replace what is needed. In our case, even though the outer wheelhouses had been replaced before we bought the car, it was easier to install the inner and outer wheelhouse together. Ray simply took the two sections and tacked them together on the bench before installation.  The Dynacorn one-piece trunk...  The Dynacorn one-piece trunk floor was laid into place on the framerails and the freshly welded wheelhouses were first clamped to the coupe structure and then the trunk floor and inner wheelhouses were screwed together for test-fitment. Ray likes to use self tapping screws, as they allow easier repositioning of the panels than having to deal with grinding away a tack weld. A few strategic welds are placed once everything is checked for fitment.  At this point, the rear of...  At this point, the rear of the body has been built back up to the point where Drake Customs usually can start its fastback conversion process, but we still have the front to deal with. First, the framerail extensions are test-fit, measured, and welded into place, and then the main framerails themselves are placed into the extensions, measured, and leveled.  Once Ramon is happy with the...  Once Ramon is happy with the framerail position on each side, they are tacked into place. Full welding will not happen until later when measurements are checked again.  Our rusty and tweaked coupe...  Our rusty and tweaked coupe body shell is now straight as an arrow and solid once again. Now the Drake Customs guys can move forward with their typical coupe to fastback conversion steps. Ramon started by utilizing an air chisel to strip away the very edges of the roof skin, leaving only the remaining coupe roof structure in place, as well as cutting away the driprail metal, as new fastback driprails will be welded in their place.  In our body shell's current...  In our body shell's current state, it was still quite flexible, so more reinforcement was added to the project in order for Drake Customs to transport the body to the media blaster. Once everyone was happy that the body shell was sufficiently reinforced, the body was transferred to one of the company's wheeled body carts. Luckily the media blaster is just a few doors down.  Normally, Drake Customs sends...  Normally, Drake Customs sends its modified body shells to the media blaster once, but since our current body was so rusty the guys felt it would be a good idea to blast it now to see if we find any surprises and to ensure the remaining roof structure was clean and ready for the new fastback skin. Ray explained our project to the guys at AR Custom Fab, the media blaster, and they were great to work with.  This photo of the remaining...  This photo of the remaining coupe roof structure shows just how clean the metal comes back after AR Custom Fab is through blasting it. Once blasted and wiped clean, Jesse puts a coat of DP40 epoxy primer on the bare metal to prepare it for the addition of the fastback roof skin. Tune in next month as we continue our sheetmetal repairs and begin the actual fastback conversion process with new quarters, roof skin, and more.
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