I’ve Got Blisters On My Fingers!

Lately I've been working in the garage and listening to the left end of the dial on the radio. This week's task was the door window assemblies, in particular the window crank mechanism.  I’ve discovered that over forty plus years, the Texas heat has not been kind. All the old axle grease has dried and is caked hard as a rock.  No wonder it was difficult to roll the windows up and down!  Copious amounts of steel wool and goof off degreaser has worked wonders on the galvanized metal.  I was able to clear all the tracks and semi polish the metal for smoother operation.  One thing I needed was a mini grease gun to add some fresh lubricant to the gears inside the window crank.  I accomplished this task by using an old syringe from a cooking marinade kit. Laugh if you will, but it worked great to really packed the grease in there! The passenger side turned out to be a cheap reproduction, but fortunately for me, my friend Paul had an original FoMoCo unit!  If you look closely at the photos, you can make out the Ford logo, part numbers and date stamps on the lever arm. Thank you Paul, this is fantastic! Also adding to the difficulty of operating the window crank, one of the scissor mechanisms was thoroughly rusted.  The plastic rollers were frozen stiff. Not only did they not roll - the plastic rollers had to be cut off as the studs had swelled and were spalling (flaking).  Since there was little meat left on the studs after removing all the rust, I found a replacement. To insure that the studs did not rust again - I used metal bluing to  help protect against oxidation.  (I know, I’m little OCD).

Does This Panel Make My Mustang Look Fat?

Seriously, check out the new tail light panel!  When we set the right rear quarter of the mustang, it was obvious that the rear panel was tilted up by about a half an inch.  Removing it intact proved to be a challenge as it was a cheap aftermarket. Speaking of panels, I learned that there are now two different gauges of sheet metal on the market.  There is light gauge which is similar to tissue paper and now there is heavy gauge (thicker mill).  Companies like Dynacorn have the heavy gauge and this is in response to all the other stuff.  The price is probably another twenty bucks, but it's worth it, my painter is happier and the car doesn't have that hollow drum anymore.

Good Things Come To Those Who Wait....

In between all the Holidays, the paint and body has been steadily moving along.  All the welds have been smoothed out and the first coat of primer is going down.  I realize that it's not red oxide, instead we are going back with a stronger and workable epoxy primer to better protect the metal from rust.  Notice too that the driver's side seat platform looks a little off, it has been lowered an inch to help my 6'-1"plus frame see out the windshield! Next seam the sealer and then a coat of sound deadening spray will be added to the floors, underside of the cowl, wheel wells and underside of the roof. Doing what I can now to better insulate the cabin from the elements! After all that, the first coat of paint will begin!