Tech | Metal Repair/Replacement
This month our ragged out '68 coupe finally comes full circle as a rust-free fastback. After many hours of cutting, welding, grinding, and more, our fastback project has a fresh new body for us to move forward with thanks to the awesome crew at Drake Customs. Its fastback conversion process is but one alternative to bringing back a classic Mustang from the brink of extinction. Our coupe would have been nothing more than a parts car or scrap metal for the junkyard if we hadn't saved it. So while not everyone will want to convert their coupe to a fastback (or convertible) and not everyone reading this magazine will take the same steps with their project, we can all agree that it's a great feeling to save another classic Mustang from being lost forever, no matter what your taste is in Mustangs.
Our final sheetmetal story in our project series focuses on the inside of the freshly welded fastback shell we finished up last month. The inside is where the Drake Customs fabricators went the extra mile. While the fastback sheetmetal panels (quarters, roof skin, and so on) are available in reproduction, you can't just call up your favorite Mustang parts vendor and order the fastback's interior structure and interior panel mounting brackets. The OE inner structure is very basic, though does get the job done. The Drake Customs inner structure is a dimple die fabricated 18-gauge steel panel designed to not only reinforce the quarter-panel, but allow full installation of the stock vent assemblies. Furthermore, Drake Customs leaves the majority of the coupe inner structure in place as well, further strengthening the area, something even the stock structure doesn't have from the factory.
Drake Customs' final touch is the addition of its handmade panel-mounting brackets. These brackets are handmade from 18-gauge steel and are either welded or screwed to the freshened body shell as part of the Drake Customs conversion process. They are required to mount the upper and lower rear quarter trim panels and the fold-down seat mechanism. The bracket manufacturing is quite tedious but is necessary to build a complete conversion. If you're building a race car or not planning a back seat then Drake Customs can omit some or all of the brackets for a credit. Check out the last of our metal work by Drake Customs' Ray Carmody, Ramon Aguayo, Jesse Villaroel, and Len Harris and tune in for our next installment on Project Generation Gap where we'll get started on our suspension.
The Drake Customs Way
We'd like to thank the guys at Drake Customs for rolling out the welcome mat for our week long visit to their Arizona-based shop. We've spent countless hours over the last 17 years in various build shops, factories, and garages, putting together stories for a number of magazines, but the crew at Drake Customs was one of the most professional and dedicated we've had the pleasure to work with. Not to mention they're a great bunch of cut-ups that will not hesitate to pull the first prank on you after you've been there a whole 10 minutes. Even working 16 hour days, most nights these guys knew what had to be done and didn't complain. You can really tell they've worked together for a while because watching them swarm around a car doing their jobs is nothing short of an automotive orchestra in action. If you're ever in Lake Havasu be sure to stop by for a visit.
Here's the culmination of...
Here's the culmination of our sheetmetal work-complete and ready to be shipped back to Modified Mustangs & Fords HQ-where we will move forward with the suspension and final paint and body.
The inner structure panels...
The inner structure panels are pre-cut to shape, but do require some minor fitment tweaks since every car is just a bit different. A few tack welds hold it in place and then Ramon gets to work adding stitch welds for strength.
Since the coupe's upper shoulder-belt...
Since the coupe's upper shoulder-belt mounting point was cut out during the roof conversion, we measured the mounting point on an original fastback so that the Drake Customs crew could replicate the mount in our body shell. This will allow us to easily add three-point belts down the road when we tackle the interior.
Once the inner structure is...
Once the inner structure is in place, Ramon busts out the plasma cutter and cuts out the recess for an additional reinforcement section that makes room for the factory fiberglass vent assembly.
The finished inner structure...
The finished inner structure is shown here. You can see where Ramon even filled in a gap between the coupe inner structure and the new Drake Customs structure with a custom dimple died patch.
The interior mounting brackets...
The interior mounting brackets from Drake Customs are shown here. The 24 individual pieces are handmade and allow for the installation of all stock Mustang fastback interior panels and fold-down seat parts.
The trim panel brackets found...
The trim panel brackets found at the rear of the headliner and directly above the trap door area are simply attached with self drilling screws, just like the factory did 40 years ago.
As an extra precaution, Drake...
As an extra precaution, Drake Customs test fits every car it builds with an original fastback interior trim panel setup and complete fold-down seat assembly. This allows Drake Customs to make any fine adjustments to the brackets, if needed, before the car is epoxy primed and shipped to the customer.
Drake Customs has its own...
Drake Customs has its own jig to precisely locate the weld in brackets for the fold-down seat assembly and seat base. Designed off of the original bracket locations on a factory built fastback, the jig ensures the brackets are installed in the right location every time.
The final bracket installed...
The final bracket installed is this long sheetmetal section that secures the bottom of the fiberglass quarter trim panels. As mentioned earlier, without all of these brackets you'd have a loose-fitting interior and no way to secure many of the fastback's rear trim panels.
We had our Heidt's Superide...
We had our Heidt's Superide II front suspension system shipped direct to Drake Customs so the guys could weld in the front subframe while doing all of the other sheetmetal work. We set the camera down for 30 minutes and assembled the suspension ourselves just to get this drool inducing shot. You're welcome.
Ray begins the Heidt's installation...
Ray begins the Heidt's installation on our bare front framerails by measuring and marking where the framerail reinforcements will sit and where the brand-new rails need to be notched for shock clearance.
Using a plasma cutter, Ray...
Using a plasma cutter, Ray cuts away the frame section required for shock clearance when the whole suspension is in place. The plasma cutter is a great tool for cutting through metal quickly and without the mess of cutoff wheels.
Ramon steps in and begins...
Ramon steps in and begins to tack weld the Heidt's framerail reinforcement plates to our new front framerails. He works all over the place, changing locations of the tack welds to keep the plates from warping or shifting.
The completed installation...
The completed installation after Ramon fully welds the reinforcing plates to our rails. We're now ready to slip the Heidt's Superide II cradle into place between the rails and true it to the chassis.
Using a tape measure and plumb...
Using a tape measure and plumb bobs Ramon checks the location of the cradle and adjusts it as needed to get the cradle sitting square in the frame. Measuring cross points is the best way to ensure that any chassis work you do is square.
Once Ramon is satisfied that...
Once Ramon is satisfied that the Heidt's Superide II cradle is where it needs to be he once again places a few weld tacks to secure the cradle to the framerails. After the tacks have cooled Ramon double checks the original measurements to verify that the cradle has not shifted and then proceeds to fully weld the cradle into place.
We didn't order the Dynacorn...
We didn't order the Dynacorn full front framerail assemblies because we knew we'd be cutting them up, which is a waste, so we ordered front framerails and inner fender aprons separately. Here, Jesse and Ramon have loosely bolted the Heidt's inner fender panels to the Dynacorn replacement fender aprons so that they can be temporarily fit and checked for proper mounting. Once satisfied, they once again fit the panels with tapping screws to hold them in place until fully welded.
Usually, when installing a...
Usually, when installing a Mustang II-type front end, the top of the fender apron behind the shock tower stays in place while the shock tower is cut away. In our case, we started without any shock tower at all, requiring Ramon to butt weld in custom trimmed apron patches, which you can see being welded in here.
Sometimes welding new panels...
Sometimes welding new panels in is a two person job. While one plug welds a panel, the other holds the panel in place, maintaining alignment until the plug welds are complete. The core support, which was only clamped in place earlier, is now completely welded to the inner aprons and front framerails now as well, enclosing our engine compartment.
While welded up earlier in...
While welded up earlier in the fastback conversion, Jesse now goes over the coupe quarter window opening patch with high-strength reinforced filler. Once the filler has cured it will be sanded down and fully body worked before the shell is epoxy primed.
The last step that all Drake...
The last step that all Drake Customs body shells receive is a full and generous coating of epoxy primer. The complete undercarriage, framerails, and more are carefully sprayed on a lift for the best coverage and then the shell is rolled into the in-house paint booth for complete coverage of the main body shell and interior. This offers great protection for the new metal and is a great base to start your paint and body work from, which we will soon be starting, so keep reading right here as we continue our fastback project back here in Florida.