Chris' Custom 'Vert Build Thread ( For Sale)

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Joined
Dec 20, 2012
Messages
125
Reaction score
1
Location
Eugene, Or
My Car
1971 mustang convertible. my first car, Im in the process of "refreshing" it.
For Sale! http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-for-sale-one-of-a-kind-71-mustang-convertible-restomod

On the other forums that I am on people do build threads for their vehicles that they update every time they do something significant. I thought this was a good idea to compile everything, so here is the "build thread" for my 71 convertible.

First of all a little about myself. I am 16 and have loved cars since I was about 2 years old. I saved up all my money in hopes to one day buy a classic car. When I was about 10 I started buying and selling things on eBay with my dad and thats how I got enough money to buy the Mustang on my own. It is a 71 convertible with a 302. It was red from the factory with about half original paint. It has a black top and black interior. Last summer I got my dream highschool job at a classic car restoration shop called Precision Classics. I worked full time over the summer and now they are letting me use the shop to repaint my car. This means I can get it done for just the price of supplies and I will learn a ton along the way.

When I bought it.

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Current picture.





There was rust in the floors, so I re-did those.

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Put down sound deadener.

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Trip to Reno for Hot August Nights.

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New wheels and chin spoiler.

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At a car show with the guys I work with.

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Started disassembly for paint.

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Redoing the trunk.

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Making custom panels to make the trunk floor flat.

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I wrapped the panels in vinyl and made sides so stuff doesn't put big dents in the quarter panels.

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Also made a carpet trunk mat to go over the vinyl.

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I found a console at a mustang supply store in Albany.

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There was a crack in the door that someone had tried to repair by chunking in a bunch of weld. Needless to say this had to be fixed.

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Sandblasting the doors and trunk.

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Fixing the cracked door with a section from a donor door I got for cheap.

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Bodywork on the doors and trunk.

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I finished the doors and trunk, so I started on the fenders. I shaved the marker lights, because the stripe Im going with has a slant and the lights were rectangular.

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While not at the shop I am working on cleaning up the front suspension and wheel well.

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This is when I found this site and saw Obsidian71's AWESOME taillights. I tweeked his rendering to make it look like what my car will be when its done.

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Saw these headlights on CJ Ponyparts and thought they would go well with the taillights.

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And thats it for now, I will continue to make new posts when anything substantial happens.

 
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WOW! Great write up so far! It is great to see someone younger getting into the hobby. It looks like you are learning all kinds of skills at the resto shop. If you can make a living out of it, and you love it, then all the better.

In the mean time I like what you have done. The trunk looks great! I look forward to following along as you continue.

You have found a great place to get support on your project.

 
Dang! You're a lucky AND motivated dude. When I was your age I was lucky to get a job rebuilding diesel starters, which only lasted a couple months. Way to go man, you going to stick with the Windsor? Sometimes I wish my F code still had the 302 because there are so many options and they are cheap to build. Lots of knowledge on this site, both mechanically and aesthetically. If you have any questions, there are much smarter people than me that will help you out! :D

 
Dang! You're a lucky AND motivated dude. When I was your age I was lucky to get a job rebuilding diesel starters, which only lasted a couple months. Way to go man, you going to stick with the Windsor? Sometimes I wish my F code still had the 302 because there are so many options and they are cheap to build. Lots of knowledge on this site, both mechanically and aesthetically. If you have any questions, there are much smarter people than me that will help you out! :D
Thanks, I plan on keeping the 302 for now. Mostly because of funds, but also because I think its a great motor and it actually gets reasonable gas milage (not that thats super important in this car, but its nice). I eventually would like to put a modern Mustang motor in it (either the 4.6 or 5.0), but that is WAY down the line.

 
Dang! You're a lucky AND motivated dude. When I was your age I was lucky to get a job rebuilding diesel starters, which only lasted a couple months. Way to go man, you going to stick with the Windsor? Sometimes I wish my F code still had the 302 because there are so many options and they are cheap to build. Lots of knowledge on this site, both mechanically and aesthetically. If you have any questions, there are much smarter people than me that will help you out! :D
Thanks, I plan on keeping the 302 for now. Mostly because of funds, but also because I think its a great motor and it actually gets reasonable gas milage (not that thats super important in this car, but its nice). I eventually would like to put a modern Mustang motor in it (either the 4.6 or 5.0), but that is WAY down the line.
A few guys on here are going the modular engine route, I know that the shock towers have to be removed (clearance issues) which means you have to budget for a new suspension as well as the new engine. My 429 barely fits but from what I gather, the 5.0 is wider. That would be cool. I'll be watching this thread.

The thing is, with a stroker kit you can make over 300 HP, maybe even 350 HP naturally aspirated, out of the 302. That's not too shabby and relatively cheap too.

 
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Lookin' good, I opted to keep my 302 as well. I am anxious to put it on a Dyno and see what it will do. I don't have much good to say about the 4.6L newer motors because everyone that I have seen started smoking at around 50,000 miles. We have had them in our Crown Vic Interceptors at my department since 1992. I'd stick with a 5.0, mine was original but needed to be bored again so I chose a 1985 block with the one piece rear seal to avoid the inevitable oil leaks that the two piece seals develop. What sound deadener/insulation did you use?

 
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Looks like Q might have to up his game a little bit now that he has some competition.

Everything looks first class. Thanks for taking the time to share.

 
Finally got my nasa hood! Its pretty "well used", but it's workable.

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The worst of the rust. will need to be cut out and repaired.

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Also forgot to post pictures of the doors and trunk that are in primer.

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Thanks everybody for the positive re-inforcement! It really helps keep me excited and motivated on this project. Not much new today except that I wil be sending out an order for all new front suspension and some other little stuff pretty soon. Gotta always have more parts comming in the mail...



What sound deadener/insulation did you use?
I don't remember the name of it, but it was a cheaper equivalent to dynamat. The biggest difference that I noticed along with sound, was how much it reduced heat, especially on the transmisision tunnel.



Looks like Q might have to up his game a little bit now that he has some competition.

Everything looks first class. Thanks for taking the time to share.
Thanks.

(ps: who's "Q", it sounds like he has a sweet car that I need to take a look at!)

 
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Who's Q?....

He's another gentelman on the forum doing a first rate job on his Q-code, here is his latest Vid on his latest progress,

http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-progress-video-1-7-13

If you do a seach there are a world of vids on his projects and progess, well worth a look....

 
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Got the fenders primered! Notice something missing?!

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I also just ordered some fancy billet parts through Eddie Motorsports! they actually have a surprising amount for our cars. http://www.eddiemotorsports.com/product/ford-hood-hinges/hood-hinges-71-73-mustang/ I got hood hinges, a gas filler, and the cowl vents.
I think 1 or 2 members had problems with the billet hood hinges. The hood would stick up in the back and not set flush with the fenders. I'm not sure of what brand they were.
 
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