1971 Coupe resto-mod

[mustaguar]

Following on from my introduction in late January I have now had my car in my new workshop since the first week of February. The process of stripping the car has begun and having not turned a wheel for 18 years there are many stubborn and rusty nuts/bolts and fixings to argue with!

I work on the car one/two evenings per week and my day off (usually a week day) where possible but not always possible. I have the help and advice of my two brothers who also have cars in the workshop and we try to work together one evening at least both for a bit of chat and to catch up and to help each other when we can.

As mentioned in my introduction the American car bug only got me when offered this car and I will no doubt need to ask some silly questions to help as I go along. As with all great plans I would like to have the car on the road next summer (June for a trip to Le Mans is the target....) but am fully aware that this might be a little optimisitc!

The basic plan is to stick to a budget which has directed the specs a little. I plan on a decent spec for brakes and suspension and will save money by not having a traditional or plush interior and fill in more on the full specs later.

I have attached some pics which so far have revealed some expected rot/rust but areas where I was expecting but pleasantly surprised with the overall condition.

Desired spec/build:

Jaguar 4.0 straight six

Tremec T5 world class box

Jaguar IRS with LSD

Front disc conversion, Mustang Steves kit, any advice or feedback?

TCP front Coil over kit with UK sourced coil overs to match rears

New front Grab a Trak rebuild (unless advised otherwise??)

Steering!! Would like rack and pinion but may have to stick with the box.

Original dash but stripped out interior, no rear seats, roll cage

I have an engine already but am on the look out for a good supercharged version. I have an AJ16 unit and Jag made an XJR of this unit with factory supercharger pushing power to 320bhp. Luckily in the UK I can run this without the CAT in the Mustang and with standalone ECU can expect 350ish bhp (flywheel) without other mods.

The IRS is something I want to do for a few reasons, being in the UK drag racing is not as popular as in the US and living in Scotland the roads are more suited to IRS. The other reason is 1) it is different 2) it is cheaper (hopefully) than replacing all current parts to OEM and then fitting a disc conversion. The IRS comes with decent brakes, decent LSD from the XJR easy to get cheap replacement discs/pads and suspension parts over here.

On Sunday I stripped the full interior but did not have my camera with me so will take more pics next time I am at the 'shop but was really impressed with a totally original floor and very solid sills. There is rust and a reasonable amount of work to do in the rear arches but not surprised.

I know very little on the cars history but have found a plate in the engine bay referring to Ford Motor Company Belgium and a few other markings, I took a photo on my phone and will post it up. Any info or history would be appreciated! The car has the speedo in KM's which leads me to believe the car was originally imported to Europe and converted to KM's from MPH then later imported to the UK but not converted back to MPH. Is there a way to find out what cars left the US for official export/import to Belgium or mainland Europe?

There is a lot more I need to do obviously and will keep this as up to date as I can but will likely be a monthly update with photos and a lot of questions! Thanks for reading.

 

[Qcode351mach]

Nice project...A few suggestions..On the frt end coil over conversion I looked at the tcp set up & numerous other set ups ..All Nice but the street or track setup is nicer & less expensive it's the most bang for the buck & the quality & fit is simply perfect !! ..It's what I went with on my car, you can see my install here..http://www.saturdaymorninggarage.com/2011/03/front-susp-install-3511/ Whats even nicer is sot makes a late model cobra disc brake conversion kit too..I sourced all the parts (calipers etc. from rock auto very cheap !) As far as the jag setup for the rear, by the time your done it's going to cost more than doing a set of high performance leafs & the cobra disc conversion..it's a major undertaking your going to have to modify the frame..fabricate a mount set up..Modify the trunk floor..Modify the gas tank..Custom make a drive shaft..& you may have to modify the spacing of the hubs in order to fit your tires in there modify the exhaust..etc. etc. Not only that, your going to need to have access to a frame machine in order to set up the car & properly measure, jig the rear end to maintain the correct geometry relative to the front end & unibody of the car.. You could make your own jig but again more work & more expensive..There's not much benefit for the expensive & labor required vs a good set of leafs..shocks...cobra disc conversation..Anything can be done but think it through & do a cost analysis..The bottom line is there's a lot more than meets the eye in doing that swap..

 

[Joe Stang]

Great ride and 4spd car !

The IRS will be way cool too. In the USA we would be using mustang cobra type set up, the Jag would be mega bucks !

I will ask Santa to bring you a 429/or 351C.....

With the price of fuel thier the Jag is the way to go !

 

[mustaguar]

Hi all,

A long time since posting any news about my project, a very busy 2013 and not enough time but there is progress and a lot of progress about to happen over the coming months.

Since my initial introduction a few things have changed. I now have purchased my engine and gearbox and have managed to source the supercharged engine I was after and also found a rare donor Jag with a manual Getrag box that will be swapped and mated to the s/c engine. There will be a lot of head scratching and wiring to get this to run properly with an aftermarket ECU but have a guy that knows what he is doing luckily!

The car itself is now stripped bare and is booked to go away mid March to a specialist company here in the UK to blast back to bare metal and repair all rust and to make the modifications to the steering to fit rack and pinion, make up the engine and box mounts and to fit the Jag IRS I have.

I will be able to update more regularly when the car is away and in progress.

 

[Boss1Ray]

Great ride and 4spd car !

The IRS will be way cool too. In the USA we would be using mustang cobra type set up, the Jag would be mega bucks !

I will ask Santa to bring you a 429/or 351C.....

With the price of fuel thier the Jag is the way to go !

Joe,

I can see how you thought 4-spd but after closer inspection I found his car was originally a 6 cyl 3 spd car.

Of course the Tremec will be a 5-spd.

Ray

 

[jbojo]

Those are some really nice projects.

-jbojo

 

[mustaguar]

Thanks, my 2 brothers and myself have a few rusty projects that will run one day!! A couple of Alfas, an old Skoda and my Mustang! My 71 Coupe is top priority at the moment and will be making good progress this year.

 

[luxstang]

Yeah, I saw the Alfa under the tarp. Nice!!

 

[caspianwendell]

Keep the updates coming

 

[71_resurrection]

Wow, definitely an enthusiastic build with all those rare parts. What an interesting idea to put Jag parts under an old Mustang!

 

[Wide-body71]

Just found your project and I like where your taking it. You were discussing budget which is where we all live, and I thought I'd mention that I bought my interior from TMI and it being their latest offering at 2013 SEMA in Vagas, was only $960 to my doorstep. Obviously going to be different for your local but probably worth a look if you can install it yourself. High quality and has the appearance of thousands of dollars of custom upholstery.

 

[mustaguar]

Long overdue progress report..... I was let down by a company so had to put plans on hold whilst seeking an alternative. Luckily a friend has stepped in to help out and progress started on Friday so will have regular updates coming. First task has been to remove the old live axle and then place/measure up the new Jag replacement before repairing all the rot, no point in having to cut in to fresh metal/panels without trying first. Being in the UK I had to order and wait 6+ weeks for fresh panels and metal to arrive but now have this ready for when modifications have been made.

Current status is:

Old axle removed

New Jag IRS unit in place to measure and fabricate brackets and mountings, at the moment this is in place to get an idea but will be measured and worked out accurately obviously!

Rust in floor identified and cut away to expose chassis rails to strengthen especially in areas where new axle mounts will be needed.

I have new inner wings, front radiator panel, rear 1/4 panels, inner and outer wheels arches, rear light panel and a few other pieces that I bought through a UK company that buy and inport from Mustangs Plus.

With Scott carrying out the metalwork my task over the coming weeks will be to remove the auto box from my donor engine and hook up with the manual Getrag 5 speed that I have. Next issue after that will be working out how to fuel and manage the engine.... These Jag engines are notoriously difficult to make them run in anything other than a Jag! I have a couple of ideas but will elaborate on that when we have engine mounts and the physical drivetrain worked out and in place. A long road ahead but good to get the ball rolling again and progress under way.

I will keep the updates and pictures coming.

 

[protouringstang73]

I like this project! You are taking it a way no one else ever would do! I hope to see some progess soon, I will follow this project for sure..

 

[71_resurrection]

Any updated pictures?

 

[mustaguar]

Old axle ready to be removed.




A bit dark but live axle out!



Jag axle lined up



With some trimming and alignment now sitting roughly in place



Rear view and rear mount view. A good fit and looks almost designed to fit...

 

[mustaguar]

Hi, thanks for taking a look at my project. Weekly progress now and some more pictures updated. Strengthening frame rails first and fabricating front IRS mounts.

 

[mustaguar]

Thanks Daniel, likewise very impressed with the way you are taking your car! As you will know not being in the US it makes it harder to just buy parts off the shelf which is why I have taken an alternative route with my car. Had been really frustrated not making progress but now have a great guy/friend helping and working on the car weekly so will be making good progress over coming months.

Rear IRS mounts taking shape and once in place the panels/rust can be replaced and then move on to the front end and engine mounts. A few more pics from yesterday.

 

[caspianwendell]

Looks like you're making progress

 

[Mustang Dynasty]

That's anew. If the leafs have been replaced as precautionary for the TCPs or as mine blew shortly afterwards, then the leafs replaced 1st, then QA-1s in front and Koni's in rear.