Last month we left off with our '68 Mustang project, Generation Gap, back in the care of the folks at Classic Creations of Central Florida for our final series of stories on body prep and paint. We know there's been quite a dry spell between our last round of work and the start of our paint portion of the project in the March issue. Hopefully, we'll be back on track now with monthly, or near monthly, stories on the project as we squirt the color, and start working on plumbing, wiring, interior, and more. We'll also be posting updates on our blog section of our website at
blogs.mustangandfords.com, as well as our Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/modmustangsandfords.
Our work in the March issue included our first application of K38 high-build primer, as well as working on some rough sections of body filler where fiberglass parts had been molded in, such as our wheel flares. We also worked on truing up our fender-to-hood gaps, too. To continue our work in this issue, we'll be adding the last of our body upgrades-LED side markers and an LED CHMSL (center high mount stop lamp, or third brake light)-and prepping the body further with another coat of K38. Then, more sanding, getting our final gaps set, and then our sealer coat of DP50 primer. At that point, we'll be down to some final wet sanding and we'll be ready to break the car down (removing the hood, fascia, door handles, trunk lid, and so forth) to get it ready for spraying our basecoat.
Speaking of color, longtime readers will remember when we started down the road of this build, we discussed production Ford colors when we unveiled our artist illustration from Cars by Chris (
www.cars-by-chris.com). As we began to get deeper into the project, we were introduced to Brian Smith, owner of Auto Body Color & Supply in Nashville, Tennessee, through mutual friend Kevin Tetz, host of the Trucks! TV show on Spike. As we discussed the paint for Generation Gap, Brian felt a custom mix, essentially our base Ford colors with a little "flair" would accentuate the fastback's flowing lines. When UPS showed up a few weeks later, we had a gallon of Ghost Gray Pearl for our body color and a quart of Reaper Black Metallic for our modified Le Mans-style stripes that were custom-mixed just for our project-just like Brian does for many popular automotive television shows. Once our project has been painted and completed, you'll be able to order the exact same color from Auto Body Color & Supply (or any PPG dealer) for your project as well.
Mustang Project offers universal...
Mustang Project offers universal 6-inch LED light strips for custom installations and the company has started packaging them in a side marker kit with amber or red reflective lenses and metal mounting plates. Since we're installing the front side markers in our fiberglass front fascia, Danny Gaydos of Classic Creations of Central Florida uses the mounting plate as a template to cut our lens opening, and then used different shape files to finish the opening.
The amber lens fits in from...
The amber lens fits in from the rear and will eventually be bonded into place. For now, the lens is clamped into place so it can be carefully sanded down flush with the fascia.
A light coat of body filler...
A light coat of body filler is used to fill any imperfections between the lens and the fascia, as well as level out the area. Even though it's not necessary at this point, the area is sanded in several stages, ending up at 1,500-grit to polish the lens out and see what it would look like.
To mount the LED light assemblies,...
To mount the LED light assemblies, you're on your own to determine a mounting solution, as they are a universal product. To mount ours behind the amber lenses up front, Gaydos made simple "Z" brackets with a small welded stud on them. They'll be bonded to the back of the fiberglass fascia, allowing the light to simply be bolted in place.
The rear LED side markers...
The rear LED side markers are a bit more involved, as they'll be installed into the actual metal quarter-panel. Due to the large surface area of the quarter-panel, Gaydos uses a level to ensure the car is level before placing the mounting plate.
Gaydos opted to use the mounting...
Gaydos opted to use the mounting plate as a template again, versus welding the mounting plate into the quarter-panel; mainly because the majority of the fiberglass and bodywork has already been done in this area.
Gaydos test fit the lens and...
Gaydos test fit the lens and filed the opening as needed, taking extra care to get the corner radius just right. The end result is a fitted lens that will require very little bodywork around it. At this point, the lens is ready to be sanded flush with the body.
Mounting the LED light housing...
Mounting the LED light housing to the quarter-panel itself was considered first, but Gaydos felt it was better to create a mounting bracket for the LED light that doesn't put any stress on the quarter skin itself. A simple boxed bracket that will secure the LED light to the trunk floor was devised using 18-gauge steel.
Gaydos lined up the LED light...
Gaydos lined up the LED light housing with the finished bracket and drilled mounting holes to secure the light and allow the wiring to pass through.
The mounting end of the fabricated...
The mounting end of the fabricated bracket is punched with mounting holes to allow for a simple bolt-in mounting, allowing removal for light servicing, wiring, and more.
Gaydos placed the bracket...
Gaydos placed the bracket in the trunk to line up the LEDs with the previously made opening to ensure the LEDs are placed squarely in the opening.
Once the LED placement is...
Once the LED placement is verified, Gaydos mounted the bracket with stainless tapping screws. The bracket will be cleaned up and painted during final assembly.