1971 Mustang Convertible - Code Name: Burn Victim

[gewalker]

The Mach 1 stickers can go, but the hockey-stick stripes are a must, IMO. They really set off the car's looks.

I also believe that it is almost impossible to have too much chrome on the car. The chrome bumpers look really, really nice (as does the chrome front edging on the hood).

I have the twist-lock NASA (NACA, whatever) hood on my '71 convertible and I like it a lot. Easy to open, easy to close, sharp looking.

Thanks for the input. Did your car come with that hood or did you have to purchase it?

It was put on by the previous owner who did the paint job.

 

[Paul of MO]

I have worked on two different flame job vehicles and both had long term issues with the burnt, stripped, sealed, and repainted panels holding up.

Both cars had the noses burnt off like yours and the panels bubbled and rusted from the inside out starting about a year after they were redone.

I would look into what special steps need to be taken for crispyness in the panels.

New fenders are not all that expensive and may save you some heartache down the road.

I do not shy away from salvage or rebuilder titles, you get them for a much lower price and when you are done you sell them for a lower price. The differential is the same. If you plan to keep the car then it is even better.

- Paul

 

[AMWeaver47]

I have worked on two different flame job vehicles and both had long term issues with the burnt, stripped, sealed, and repainted panels holding up.

Both cars had the noses burnt off like yours and the panels bubbled and rusted from the inside out starting about a year after they were redone.

I would look into what special steps need to be taken for crispyness in the panels.

New fenders are not all that expensive and may save you some heartache down the road.

I do not shy away from salvage or rebuilder titles, you get them for a much lower price and when you are done you sell them for a lower price. The differential is the same. If you plan to keep the car then it is even better.

- Paul

I really appreciate the input Paul. Were those cars simply blasted down to bare metal and repainted? Do you think something like Por 15 on the underhood pieces would keep everything nice? I have done a little research and have found a lot of people that think they know what they are talking about but not much in the way of an actual documented burn restoration. It would most definitely be worth doing it right the first time as I do intend on keeping the car.

If anyone sees any writeup on restoring a burnt car or something that applies I would appreciate a link.

 

[Paul of MO]

I have worked on two different flame job vehicles and both had long term issues with the burnt, stripped, sealed, and repainted panels holding up.

Both cars had the noses burnt off like yours and the panels bubbled and rusted from the inside out starting about a year after they were redone.

I would look into what special steps need to be taken for crispyness in the panels.

New fenders are not all that expensive and may save you some heartache down the road.

I do not shy away from salvage or rebuilder titles, you get them for a much lower price and when you are done you sell them for a lower price. The differential is the same. If you plan to keep the car then it is even better.

- Paul

I really appreciate the input Paul. Were those cars simply blasted down to bare metal and repainted? Do you think something like Por 15 on the underhood pieces would keep everything nice? I have done a little research and have found a lot of people that think they know what they are talking about but not much in the way of an actual documented burn restoration. It would most definitely be worth doing it right the first time as I do intend on keeping the car.

If anyone sees any writeup on restoring a burnt car or something that applies I would appreciate a link.

I bet Q knows!

We DA'd the panels down to as close to as much shiny metal as possible, used walnut shells to clean the rest and get into the pits, sealed with epoxy, primer filler, and then painted as usual.

The non burnt parts of the truck looked great and held up well. The burnt bits seemed to rust and bubble from the inside out.

If it were me I would sand / sodablast / walnut shell / what ever you want but would not sand blast. Seal with POR15 on the interior metal and simply replace the fenders with good used or Dynacorn new.

You should consider looking for a parts car because you are going to need wiring and lots of unforseen odds and end. Even if the parts car fenders need some work you will be money ahead.

Found this with ease:

http://slo.craigslist.org/cto/4260193806.html

Sell the fold down for what you pay for the whole car!

- Paul

 

[judge]

+1 To Paul of MO. I bought door shells of a new van to go on my van back in the 80s. They came from a burn out. I blasted them. Treated with rust converter(hate that stuff now)then later on a redo tried etching primer. Then High build primer and aycrilic enamel. I couldn't keep the rust and bubbles from coming back. It was such a waste of time. If the paint was burnt off, you have your work cut out for you. I'd replace every panel you can. You will be ahead. Por15 or powder coat was not popular then, but may offer some resistance.

 

[caspianwendell]

The metal is probably warped beyond repair anyway

 

[AMWeaver47]

The metal on the car is surprisingly straight to the naked eye but it could be a little out of shape considering the hood had a pretty good wave in it. It seems like the majority goes towards replacing panels. That's probably what I will end up doing to be on the safe side. I plan on purchasing a parts car anyway so it might be possible to find one with decent fenders, or I might just go aftermarket.

 

[luxstang]

It's funny that you say that because I feel like your car looks really well balanced as is.

The black top and chrome windshield surround go well together.

Thanks for the kind words. By the way, I blacked out the chrome around the windshield and it looks even better in my opinion but I think that is because the car is yellow. I dunno if it would work on a red car.

 

[auron73mach1]

here are a few before pictures





and some after but I am going to take her all apart again when I get back to the states and have her soda blasted and por-15 after the metal work is done then smoothed and primed at least before I reassemble her for the last time hopefully.

 

[OLE PONY]

here are a few before pictures

and some after but I am going to take her all apart again when I get back to the states and have her soda blasted and por-15 after the metal work is done then smoothed and primed at least before I reassemble her for the last time hopefully.

Cool looking headlights, what are they?

 

[auron73mach1]

hid projector headlights 10k they have a blueish tinge to them bu super bright and are more power conservative then the original ones and they have a hidden led bulb that you can hook up to your park lights but you cant see them when the headlights are on

 

[AMWeaver47]

hid projector headlights 10k they have a blueish tinge to them bu super bright and are more power conservative then the original ones and they have a hidden led bulb that you can hook up to your park lights but you cant see them when the headlights are on

Thanks for posting the pictures Auron. Those headlights are pretty cool looking, I might have to look into those. I don't want to put anything out of place on the car but they wouldn't look much different than stock and would make a cool update.

 

[Qcode351mach]

I have worked on two different flame job vehicles and both had long term issues with the burnt, stripped, sealed, and repainted panels holding up.

Both cars had the noses burnt off like yours and the panels bubbled and rusted from the inside out starting about a year after they were redone.

- Paul

Exactly..I wouldn't use any of the burnt sheet metal PERIOD..The out come down the road isn't going to be good..With out going into a to technical explanation..the metal expands from the heat the pores open..all the impurities from the fire get in..the fire dept comes..shoots water on it the metal shrinks.in essence locking in the impurities.. Theres a reason the Insurance company didn't repair that car & paid off the owner (besides the fact it would cost more than the car is worth) They know they would be married to it..In all my years of adjusting claims I never repaired a car burnt like that..totaled every time..Looking at the auction yard picture it looks like the fire was pretty intense in the engine compartment & you need to do a real evaluation of the damage to the inner structure to see just how far bad the burn is in the towers.. frame rails.. crossmembers...firewall..It may have compromised the strutal integrity of those components..At the bare minimum if those areas are ok ..I would completely gut the car & media blast the entire car top to bottom..replace the aprons rad support fenders hood etc. If you want the most definitive answer as to the correct approved repair procedure I would actually contact Ford directly..They have tech bulletins repair documents that can be had..You could also check with I-Car who actually has a course on fire damage assessment..I don't think your going to like what you hear though..Heres a bit on repairing salvage fire damage

Risks of not complying with manufacturer guidelines or best industry practices

If you repair a vehicle without the guidelines or to best industry practice, you run the risk of the vehicle being incorrectly repaired and its structural integrity being compromised. This may result in the area of repair being significantly weaker or stronger than originally intended by the manufacturer, leading to the crashworthiness of the vehicle being compromised and potentially catastrophic results if the vehicle is involved in an accident.

Fire affected vehicles

Generally, a fire damaged vehicle will usually be assessed as a Statutory Write-Off. In the case where the fire damage is minor and the vehicle is assessed as a repairable write-off, the fire damaged components must be replaced. It should be understood that the heat in the incident may not be limited to the immediate fire area, and have affected other components in the vehicle, especially high strength light alloy steels in key structural components. Repairing such a vehicle may facilitate replacement of major components that have been heat affected, and may become more costly than estimated.


Just to add: Not sure if your aware of the motor vehicle law in your state concerning the rebuild of a salvage vehicle..You need to document everything have every receipt for every part..Than have an Inspection apply for a new title..

IC 9-22-3-15

Rebuilt salvage motor vehicles; issuance of certificate of title

Sec. 15. If a salvage motor vehicle is rebuilt for operation upon the highways and ownership is evidenced by a certificate of salvage title, the person who owns the vehicle shall apply to the bureau for a certificate of title. The bureau shall issue a certificate of title that lists each person who holds a lien on the vehicle to the person who owns the vehicle when the following are completed:

(1) The inspection of the vehicle by a police officer.

(2) The verification of proof of ownership of major component parts used and the source of the major component parts.

(3) The surrender of the certificate of salvage title properly executed with an affidavit concerning the major component parts on a form prescribed by the bureau.

(4) The payment of the fee required under IC 9-29-7.

IC 9-22-3-8

Vehicle restoration; affidavits

Sec. 8. If a salvage motor vehicle has been flood damaged, extensively burned, vandalized, or severely wrecked so that one (1) or more component parts are required to restore the motor vehicle to an operable condition, the person or business that restored the motor vehicle must furnish, on an affidavit of restoration for a salvage motor vehicle form, the name, identification number, and source of all component parts that were included in the restoration of the vehicle. The affidavit must be attached to the certificate of salvage title and be submitted to the bureau upon application by a person for a certificate of title for the vehicle.

Here's the link to the Law:

http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title9/ar22/ch3.html

http://www.dmv.org/in-indiana/salvaged-vehicles.php

 

[droptop73]

Good luck with your project!

 

[John J]

I like red verts. Good luck with your project.

John J

 

[AMWeaver47]

First, thank you very much Qcode for the post, lots of good info in there.

What you said about the metal expanding and contracting really makes sense and I can see why it would be next to impossible to get paint to stick to it again.

I don't disagree with the fire impacting the structural integrity of certain components that suffered from heat damage. The plan is to get a parts car to work from and swapping the entire nose of the car, inner structure and everything, might be the best plan.

I will have to look into the I-car course plus I have connections at most of the local Ford stores. As far as liking what I hear, I didn't expect to when I bought the car. I have accepted it as a big project from the beginning. I've been called borderline OCD anyway so I would have a hard time half-assing the car. I don't expect a show car but I know it needs to be right when it's done.

When it comes to title brands and the process, I have a pretty good handle on it.

I'm sure your information will come in handy as I'm working on the car so I really appreciate your info and advise as well as everyone else's. This forum in general has been nothing but helpful.

I like red verts. Good luck with your project.

John J

Methinks you might be a little biased... that's OK though. Thanks

 

[auron73mach1]

Wow Q that's good info my fire was just the carb and top plastics / wires and was put out with what based on the residue in the intake was a powder extinguisher.

 

[AMWeaver47]

Nothing major going on with the Mustang but I figured I would put a small update online. First I have a potential lead on a fresh 351C that I would dearly love to have in the car. My original plan was to try to use the 302 that's in the Mustang now but I almost can't pass on this motor, I just don't have the money for it at the moment but I'd like to try to put something together on it. I'll keep you guys updated if anything happens with it. Second the steering wheel that's in my car is pretty worn out and I don't much care for the style of it and my dad mentioned he had one that might work. Well he made the effort to pull it out of his Collection O' Parts and told me I could have it if I could make it nice enough to put in the car. I will admit I didn't think I could make it as nice as I would have liked it but it actually came out very nice for the age.

This is after washing all the dirt off from just sitting around. The picture doesn't show it well but the spokes had quite a few spots that were pitted, especially on the back side.

I used some really fine steel wool and polishing compound to clean up the spokes and they came really clean. The outer rim has a little wear on it but it's definitely nice enough to put in the car. He wasn't sure if he had the center cap for it or not but that's probably not a huge deal to get a hold of.



It was advertised to me as a 70s Ford wheel. He said he has had quite a few of them that he used in various cars. Have any of you guys used this wheel in your own cars?

 

[72Bossclone]

I had that same wheel in my 72 for a while until I found a mint rimblow. That wheels nice though comfy grip and a little thicker gives a sporty feel compared to the ultra thin original wheel, diameters a little smaller too so if your tall it's kinda nice no knees rubbing the wheel.

 

[kidwithfastback=fast]

These mustangs in my opinion are some of the handsomest verts out there. If you feel that you can put it back on the road, go for it! you got our support!!!

(just please dont put gigantic chrome rims on plz. Stick with some 5 spokes) ::