1965 Ford Mustang Convertible Carpet Installation And Dash Pad Installation – San Diego, California

     Have you ever tried to get a bunch of last-minute things done on your Mustang before a car show, and wished you had some help?  Well, help is just a phone call away. One of my customers needed some installation help the day before the Good Guys Car Show in Del Mar, California. While he was installing some trim, I installed his Carpet kit from Auto Custom Carpets (ACC) and Dash Pad from Dashes Direct.

      When you first take the molded Carpet out of the box, it is the shape of the box. A warm sunny will help flatten it out. Another thing you may notice is that it’s not a perfectly snug fit. A heat gun, and some trimming will insure a great fit. I also use high heat adhesive to help keep the corners snug, but the carpet can still be removed safely later if needed.  A great thing about these Carpets is that they melt except in the event of a fire of course. Any cuts or holes that I make in the Carpet are melted with a soldering iron. This makes for perfect holes, and no fraying. Did you know that the factory installed Carpet Screws near the corners of the transmission tunnel ? Before drilling any holes through the Carpet, I melt guide holes first. If it is not done first, you can destroy a foot of Carpet in the blink of an eye. If your installing new Sill Plates and Kick Panels, some pre-fitting will be required to ensure a good fit. New Sill Plate holes almost never line up, so some patience and the right tools would be a good idea. If you can afford buying the Concourse Sill Plates, I would recommend those over the cheaper ones. They are the same heavy gauge metal as the originals, and will not look like crumpled aluminum foil in a year. The new Kick Panels will have no holes, so careful measuring and drilling will be needed  as well. Some of the improved Kick Panels have re-enforced areas around the screw holes, but I would not rely on the accuracy of the holes. Remember these holes were drilled by hand on the assembly line. The carpet installation went great with the exception of one of the Kick Panels. The customer bought them a year ago, and did not realize that he was sent two right hands. Running into some snags comes with the job, but I never ran into that issue before. The next installation was the new Dash Pad.

     Most of the dashes are molded with extra material that can be trimmed for a perfect fit. They will require a couple a pre fits before final installation. Having a warm and pliable dash will be very helpful. There will be some holes to be drilled and some notching before installation. I practice the “measure twice, cut once” method. I may even go three times. If you are installing a 1966 Mustang Dash Pad, you may want  to be very careful when drilling the lower mounting holes. If you miss the metal re-enforcements, the drill will follow an unwanted path. I have also replaced and repaired new dashes because they were installed improperly. Some customers do not realize that there is trim holding down the Dash Pad.  Forgetting the trim will result in it looking like a Banana in a few months. If you need pre-show assistance please call 619-929-8506, or email me at david@classicrestogarage.com.

Happy Cruising!

Repairing 1965-1966 Mustang Pony Door Panels, And Installing 1967 Mustang Deluxe Door Panels – San Diego, California

The Pony and Deluxe interior decor groups are the most popular interior options for Classic Mustangs.  Before I get into the article, here is a quick education on these interior options.  For 1965-1966 Mustangs, the interiors were called Pony, and they have galloping ponies in the upper seat panels. For 1967 Mustangs, the interiors were called Deluxe, and Ford started using chrome rectangular buttons on the upper seat panels.  All the Classic Mustang interiors after 1967 were called Deluxe.

Pony and Deluxe door panels are harder to install, and take more care when removing and re-installing than standard door panels. The two enemies are moisture, and improper removal. Ford used paper water shields to try to protect the door panels from moisture. If you’re going 100% concourse, then you should replace them with the stock water shields. If you want better protection, then use a heave clear plastic like they use in newer cars. Improper door panel removal causes the most damage. You have to get directly behind the clips with a non-scratching clip removal tool. Even then, you have to be careful not to tear the cardboard backings. If they get damaged, I can usually repair them. The one thing you want to avoid is drilling holes through the outer stainless moldings to aid in re-attach them to the door. Please Don’t Drill! New molding are expensive!

If your replacing worn door panels or converting to Pony or Deluxe interior, they take careful preparation. First you have to make sure the new panels are flat or slightly bowed towards the door.  If they are bowed outward, they will be very difficult to install, and paint damage may result. Then, the moldings have to be removed off of the old panels without bending them, and installed onto the new panels with care as well. Some trimming of the edges of the new door panels may need to be done before installing the moldings. Lastly, carefully install the door panel clips in the exact location as the old ones. Pre-fitting the door panels a few times will be necessary, and using the correct clips are very important. The clips are different for the standard panels and Pony/Deluxe panels.  If the clips are not correct, you will bend them or tear the new cardboard backings. Good preparation and patience are key to a good restoration.  If you need assistance or help, you can call Classic Resto Garage at 619-929-8506 or email david@classicrestogarage.com

Happy Cruising!

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

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