Classic Resto Garage | Restoring Classic Fords One Step At A Time.

1965 Ford Mustang Rally Pac Color Change And Red LED Lighting Conversion – San Diego, Ca

inlinesix — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:08:40 +0000

Just finished working on a 1965 Mustang Rally Pac. The customer wanted a color change from the stock black wrinkle finish to a white wrinkle finish, and the lights changed to a red LED illumination. I started off with a beautiful reproduction 1965 Rally Pac from Scott Drake. Taking these apart is a delicate operation. All the wiring and gauge internals are sharing a compact space. Since the Rally Pac has modern internals, I took pictures during the process, so I would insure that everything went back together the same way. The trickiest part was trying to find red LED lights. These days, most automotive light bulbs have a LED equivalent. The light bulbs on an original Rally Pac are 1895s, but the reproduction unit were miniature bulbs with no number on it. The bulbs were manufactured by a company in India called AutoPac. I went to their site, and they had no information on them. I ended trying a few different LED styles that would fit inside the housings, and that had the most even illumination. I ended up using cut-to-fit LED tape, and it worked awesome. After I bench tested it, I carefully re-assembled the Rally Pac. Now this Rally Pac is ready for installation.

Replacing And Repairing Window Regulators On 1964 1/2 – 1973 Ford Mustangs – San Diego,Ca

inlinesix — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:11:06 +0000

Is your Classic Mustang’s window regulators giving you problems? The causes are usually broken window track rollers, or a broken window regulators. Over the years, the design has become more modular. Ford did away with the separate scissor and regulator assembles in 1966 for the Mustangs. Also, the window track rollers were integrated to the window regulator beginning in 1967, so window roller failure is rare from then on. Explaining how to replace a window regulator is sometimes hard to do. The regulator comes out and goes back in only one way, but can get caught in the process. The most important thing to remember is that the number one premature failure of window regulators are improper adjustments on the up and down movement of the door glass itself. With the regulator out, the glass should fall freely into the door. Don’t actually do that, or you may damage something. I’ve services 45-year-old regulators, and they worked almost as good as new. If your window regulator ever gets suddenly stuck, then do not try to force it. Once you strip the regulator gear, you have to replace it. I can usually get them free, and make adjustments and lubricate them back to working condition. If I feel that there is too much play in the window regulator, I will recommend a new one. There is no sense in paying for labor twice! While I’m inside your doors, I will check and lubricate all other moving parts such as the latch mechanisms. Removing the card board backed door panels can get damaged by removing them too many times. Taking your time and patient are keys to working on Classic Cars.

1958 Ford F100 Pick Up Door Glass, Door Glass Guides, Door Latches and Locks Replacement – San Diego

inlinesix — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 04:52:17 +0000

A customer at JBA Performance Center was complaining that the windows didn’t role up on his 1958 Ford F100. At first it seemed like one of the window rollers broke which is a common problem, but after pulling the door panels it was discovered that there weren’t any glass to begin with. Most of the parts are reproduced except the front window guides, so I had to hunt around San Diego for some used ones. I got lucking, and managed to find both sides. Someone tried replacing all the window channels, but were all damaged because of the lack of the lower guides and glass. Another set of channels were installed, and they aligned properly with the used window guides. The only part of the window system that were actually in the doors were the window regulators. They were inspected and lubed before the glass went in. The new door glass are not available as an assembly, so the new glass guides had to be installed on the glass. After everything was installed, the windows rolled up and down smoothly. Next, were the door latches and locks. The doors had to be slammed shut, and if you were lucky they would close. The door latches had a reciprocating star shaped catch that weren’t very safe back in the 1950′s. They’re also harder to adjust them compared to the latches from the mid 1960′s. New latches and locks were installed, but it took some work to get them open and close properly most of the time. The last thing that needed replacement were the inside door latch release mechanisms. They have a dual function. They open the doors, and lock the doors from the inside. Because the springs were very worn, the door would not always shut solid. They are used only, and hard to find. In the meantime, the doors will have to be shut carefully.

Classic Resto Garage 2011 In Review – Thank You For Following My Blog

inlinesix — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:49:46 +0000

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 20,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 7 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

1965 Mustang Styled Steel Wheels Cleaning And Painting – San Diego

inlinesix — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 06:52:53 +0000

Sometimes you can add new life to an old set of Vintage Mustang Styled Steel Wheels. These were off of a 1965 Mustang GT Convertible. Often old chrome can be cleaned with a good quality chrome cleaner and extra fine steel wool. Extra care has to be taken, so you do not add scratches or swirl marks into the chrome. Rust can even be removed as long as it is on the surface, and has not penetrated the chrome very much. If the tires are still good, you should scrub them clean with a good tire cleaner before cleaning the wheels. Once the chrome is clean, then the old paint should be removed, and prepped for painting. You’ll notice that I did not mask of all the edges prior to painting. It is hard to achieve a soft finish on the edges with masking tape. I have a technique to get the edges to look like a factory finish. The original center caps were cleaned the same way as the wheels, but you have to careful not to scratch the plastic emblems. I painted one of the wheel Ford Argent color to see how it would look on the car, but ended up painting them Charcoal instead. Styled Steel Wheels (Rally Wheels) came in both colors. Now you can purchase the center caps in a different color other than the original red. I can also refinish old hubcaps using the same technique. 1966 Mustang hubcaps take the longest because they have both Argent and Charcoal accents.

1967-1968 Ford Mustang Re-Chromed Vent Windows Rebuild and Installation

inlinesix — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 06:28:10 +0000

Vent windows on 1965-1966 thru 1967-1968 Mustangs are more than a small window to let fresh air in. They are an integral part of the door’s glass alignment. The vent window acts as the forward track, and they have adjusters to slightly tilt the glass in or out. If done incorrectly the glass can bind, or the pot metal vent frames can break. These frames were out of a 67-68 Mustang, and were re-chromed. As you can see by the pictures that there are a lot of parts to go back together. The first adjustment is at the base of the vent frame, and is done before re-installing the vent assemblies back in the doors. The vent glass is adjusted for the smoothest opening and closing operation. Before re-installing the frames, it is a good idea to run taps in all the bolt holes especially the ones on the chromed frame itself. Chrome gets into the holes, and will cause cross threading. Once the vent assemblies are carefully installed the adjuster screws have to be adjusted. This is done to get the glass to seal up against the roof rail weather-stripping, and so the glass rolls up and down easily. The rear tracks have to be adjusted to work with the front vent tracks, so the windows do not bind. More often than not, the adjusters are installed wrong, and adjustment can’t be made correctly. The pictures show properly installed adjusters. Also, the vent windows can be tilted forward and aft to get the proper gap to the glass’s edge, and seal against the weather-stripping. Sound simple enough?

Scott Drake Parts List

Vent Seal Right (Part # C7ZZ-6521448-AR)
Vent Seal Left (Part# C7ZZ-6521448-AR)
Vent Window To Door Seals (Part#C7ZZ-6522332/3)
Front Door Glass Run Inserts (Part# C7ZZ-6521546/7A)
Vent Window Frame To Door Seals (Part# C6OZ-6322280)

1967 Ford Mustang Air Conditioning-Heater Box Repair And Restoration – San Diego, California

inlinesix — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:40:34 +0000

I recently finished a restoration on an air conditioning – heater box out of a 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback . The car belongs to the youngest son of J. Bittle owner of JBA Performance Center in San Diego, California. It’s been a long Aggie tradition of the Bittle family to restore, and own a Classic Ford Mustang while attending Texas A&M. Beginning with Jay himself, owning a red 1967 Shelby GT500 Fastback, and his oldest son owning a red 1969 Mach 1. Now, his youngest son is restoring a green 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback Bullitt just in time for college at Texas A&M. The AC box had the typical wear and tear from over 43 years of hot and cold operation. The box had to be very carefully disassembled, and all parts sandblasted. I had to repair several cracks, and re-do some previous repairs. Then all the metal parts were repainted, and the case was clear coated to give it a new stock looking finish. These air conditioning units were operated by cables, a series of vacuum pods, and electric switches, so I tested all the components to see what needed to be replaced. Later, the box was reassembled with both new and original parts, and bench tested to make sure everything worked good. Now, this Classic Mustang will look cool on the outside and stay cool on the inside under the hot Texas sun.

Scott Drake Parts List.

1967-68 Heater Seal Kit with Factory Air (Part# C7ZZ-18500-B)
1967-73 Heater Core (Part# C9ZZ-18476-B)
1967-68 A/C Evaporator (Part# C7ZZ-19860-A)
67-68 A/C Expansion Valve (Part# C7ZZ-19849)
67-73 A/C Vacuum Switch (Part# C7ZZ-18C311)
Heater Core to Control Valve Hose (Part# C7ZZ-18472-CVAC)
Thermostat (Part# C7ZZ-19A671)

All of these parts can be purchased from JBA Performance Center

Late 1965 – 1966 Ford Mustang Heater Box Repair And Restoration – San Diego, California

inlinesix — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:05:30 +0000

I just finished a restoration on a 3 Speed Heater Box out of a 1966 Ford Mustang. The internal metal components had the typical rust from years of moisture and leaking heater cores. It was also stuffed with leaves. In the past, I even found them packed with nesting material from mice. The case had a lot of small cracks, and most of the metal clip tabs broke when I removed them. The case becomes brittle from being exposed to years of moisture that swells the case material. After disassembly, I carefully sand blasted all the parts. Then I primed and painted all the internal metal parts with Rustoleum paint. The tedious part was repairing all the cracks and all the clip tabs. Only three tabs were useable. Even as careful as I am, the tabs break very easily, and you have to be equally careful when putting them back on. After all the repairs were made, I masked and painted the external metal parts, and then painted a clear coat on the entire box. I added extra coats of clear coat to the inside to seal the box from further moisture damage. While everything was drying I cleaned the original 3 speed heater switch, heater resister, and the original heater control cables. I also, cleaned and tested the heater blower motor. After which, I reassembled the heater box with new foam gaskets, new heater core, and a new heater plenum. Each new clip had to be fitted to avoid stressing the heater box case, or break the remaining original tabs. When everything was back together, I bench tested the heater box, and everything worked like new. The heater box is for sale on eBay. It will fit a later 1965 Mustang as well. Late 1965 Mustangs came with 3 speed heater motors, so this box will fit. There are two ways to determine if your Mustang has a 3 speed heater. The first one is that a 2 speed switch has two positions, and shuts off in the middle position. The 3 speed switch has three positions, and shuts off at the far left position. The quicker way is to simple look at the face of the heater box. If you see wires plugged into the face of it, then it is a 3 speed heater box.

Parts List.

64-68 Heater Box Case Clamps Part # C0DF-19A779-A
64-68 Heater Core (without A/C) Part # C5DZ-18476-A
64-68 Heater Gaskets Part # C5ZZ-18500-A
64-68 Heater Plenum Part # C5ZZ-18471-A

All of these parts are available from Scott Drake Restoration Parts

FOR SALE on eBay

1963 Falcon Futura Convertible – Door latches and brake light repair, and LED Tail light installation – San Diego, California

inlinesix — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 16:26:19 +0000

I just finished some restoration repairs on a beautiful 1963 Falcon Futura Convertible. As you can see by the pictures it is fully loaded with all the Futura options including air conditioning and dash mounted tachometer. The engine and transmission were converted to a Ford 5.0 and T5 transmission. I had an opportunity to take it out on a test drive, and it was tight running classic. It only needed a few repairs. The passenger door lock and latch were giving the customer some problems, so I repaired the latch, and lubricated everything to smooth operation. Since the passenger door lock was damaged, I replaced both door locks and ignition key cylinder for a matched set. While I was in the passenger door, I repaired the rear door glass run. I also, replaced rear tail light bezels, and installed LED panels. While testing the operation of the rear tail lights, I noticed the brake lights were not working. It turned out to be a bad brake light switch.

1965 Mustang GT Coupe Restoration Complete – San Diego, California

inlinesix — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:19:02 +0000

After a year long restoration, the 1965 Ford Mustang GT Restomod is now complete. The customer was all smiles when he said “it’s fast.” The freshly restored A -code coupe was entered in it’s first car show, and received 2nd place in the 1965 Modified Class at San Diego Mustangs by the Bay. I believe it was due to the finger print I forgot to wipe off of the door handle. It was still a great show, and all the hard work from JBA Performance Center, Custom Autobody & Paint, and Ar-Jays Upholstery paid off.

Project Highlights

• Complete Rotisserie Restoration
• JBA built & Tuned 302 Block Stroked to a 331
• 438 HP @ 6300 RMP 400 FTLB @ 4400 RPM at crank
• Tremec TKO 600 five-speed
• Modern Driveline hydraulic clutch kit
• Currie Enterprises 9-inch posi rear end with 3.83 gears
• JBA ceramic-coated headers and Exhaust
• Global West Sub-frame connectors
• Borgeson integral power steering system
• SSBC dual aluminum master cylinder with brake booster
• 4 Wheel Willwood 13″ brakes
• Polished Torque Thrust II 20×8-inch wheels
• Pony Interior Conversion
• Stock appearing AM/FM radio with Focal sound system

The Crew
JBA Restoration Specialist – David Toth
JBA Engine Builder – John Elderhorst
JBA Lead Mechanic – Tim Naylor
JBA Mechanic – Steve Fenn
JBA Exhaust Fabricator – Scott Case

Special Thanks To
Ar-Jay’s Upholstery
Custom Autobody and Paint
Al & Ed’s Stereo

Follow the progress of the restoration:

Restoration Part 1

Restoration Part 2

Restoration Part 3

Custom Instrument Gauges and restoration

Air Conditioning Box Restoration