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 […]

Taking apart any automatic transmission requires considerable care, not only to avoid damaging components but also to avoid losing any of the small bits that tend to fly all over the place if you’re not careful. Many things are under spring pressure and can shoot out suddenly and cause injury. Study the service manual diagrams […]

MUSTANG RESTORATION:  ENGINE DESASSEMBLY AND INSPECTION- STEP #1 Cylinder wear was pretty minimal. There was no ridge/step at the top of the cylinders, just the normal discoloration that comes from the residue of unburned fuel above the top ring. The wear marks on the cylinders matched the wear pattern on the piston skirts, as expected. […]

MUSTANG RESTORATION:  POLISHING THE PAINT AND APPLYING THE STRIPES – STEP #1 Begin the polishing process after the final color or clear coat layer has been applied and the vehicle has been baked to cure the paint. This involves first sanding the cured paint with an extremely fine (1500- to 2000-grit) abrasive before it is […]

Final Surface Preparation: Using Body Fillers In Chapter 3, I discussed how to repair rusted and damaged body panels prior to their final surface preparation and painting. The goal was to restore a solid, relatively smooth surface to work with. High-build/sandable primers and other coatings or sealers sometimes provide the necessary level of smoothness required prior […]