Putting in a new carpet involves more than just taking out the old one and installing new pieces in its place. Either way, you need to remove the seats, console, and other items. However, if you want the end result to look good, what you put back in and how you do it involves much […]

Interior inspection is pretty simple so check Mustang Restoration Guide or Tips. You’ll generally know if you need to replace or repair something just by looking at it. The real question becomes: What is the best method to resolve each issue? Torn seat covers or a torn headliner must be replaced; ditto for the carpet […]

There are far too many variations among the different models of early Mustangs to cover each one in detail, but I can provide some insight into problems that seem to have plagued multiple versions. There can be some significant hardware changes in a relatively short period of time, and I show how these affect the […]

The passage of time affects any vehicle. How much (as well as how) the car was used and maintained plus the environment it was used in are the primary factors in how much wear and tear any vehicle has. While we can’t undo what was done, we can certainly compensate for it as the need […]

The basic leaf-spring-style rear suspension used on early Mustangs is simple, yet it has provided good performance and reliability for many years. There are, however, a few subtle changes that can be implemented to make it even better. I do not get into the full-blown restomod or racing upgrades where the leaf springs are removed […]

The front suspension of our vehicle was in pretty good shape. If we were building a mild daily driver, we could have simply refurbished it with some new bushings and ball joints, for example. A show car would have received more attention, primarily from a cosmetic perspective with mostly the same parts being used. Since […]

For suspensions, there are two main concerns: bushings and wear. If the car was used in a colder climate, corrosion may also come into play. The simplicity of the suspensions used on early Mustangs pretty much limits the major concerns to deteriorated rubber bushings and worn metal components like adjusters. The former are generally the […]

Rebuilding the Rear Axle Assembly First-generation Mustangs came with one of three rear axle assemblies from the factory: 71⁄4-, 8-, or 9-inch. The axle size for a given car depended on a number of factors including engine size, trim level, and option choices. As a general guideline, the 71⁄4-inch axles were found in 6-cylinder cars, […]

Manual Transmission Disassembly and Inspection One of the main advantages of a manual transmission over an automatic transmission, beyond the more-involved driving experience, is that they are very simple to use, fix, and rebuild. There generally are very few things you can do to make them better other than make them stronger if you intend […]

All parts should be cleaned and, if necessary, properly lubricated prior to assembly and/or installation. Different types of lubricants are required in different instances. In some cases I deviate from the service manual, based on information gleaned from those with many years of successful rebuilding experience, because a superior procedure has been developed. There have […]