Reproduction Needs - Small tooling shop

[bkdunha]

I have a contact who has a small tooling shop and is interested in finding out what reproduction parts are needed for the 71-73 mustang and cougar community that are currently not available. He is not a big volume manufacturer so it is not full body panels or plastic components. Mainly just smaller metal items like brackets and such. I wanted to create this post to solicit some ideas from the group to pass along. Again, he is a small shop so not sure how much he can take on or the expense he can bare to develop these items. This MAY be an opportunity to get something produced that all of us need and we can appreciate his help by purchasing from him.

 

[secluff]

While not a part that would fit my Mach 1's, this is a part I've seen wished for by members here and friends of mine who have Coupes and verts. The panel that fits between the rear window and the decklid. Most are relegated to find donor cars and those with good sheet metal are dwindling by the day!

Can't say thank you enough for being instrumental in finding a source for rare pieces such as the brace/bracket under the battery tray. Battery acid, road salt spray, rust, etc has made good donor pieces almost impossible to find. ::thumb::

 

[johnwanzel]

I have a couple of pieces in mind. The metal bumper reinforcement panel that fits between the front bumper and the radiator support. The other piece I could think of is the metal strap\bracket on the backside of the door panels that holds the door pulls. And one other piece I could think of not quite sure if your guy can do this but the chrome knob for the latch of a fold-down rear seat car. Speaking of fold-down rear seat cars, maybe the chrome metal trim that goes around the seat panels, specifically the curved "hockey sticks". Thanks!!

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

The metal bumper reinforcement panel that fits between the front bumper and the radiator support for sure!!!

The sheet metal panel for coupes and verts would be a good part to repop as well if Dynacorn isn't about to pop one out.

 

[judge]

Jeff is the part you are referring to in this picture? I have one available. PM if someone needs I t.

The metal bumper reinforcement panel that fits between the front bumper and the radiator support for sure!!!

The sheet metal panel for coupes and verts would be a good part to repop as well if Dynacorn isn't about to pop one out.

 

[Austin Vert]

Hi Brian,

Thanks for putting that contact forward to the Forum. That's very good of you. Sounds like the idea has some promise to it.

Off the top of my head, the first parts that spring to mind would be the front bumper bar collapsible support arms that go between the chassis rails and the metal reo bar backup. They are telescopic by design and have rubber inserts to take up small impact collisions. These parts were designed for '73 Mustangs only. These parts are not available, except off wrecked '73 Mustangs. They are very rare and hard to find.

Greg.

 

[Mister 4x4]

I can think of a few things that aren't available (or at weren't when I needed them):

• front gas tank bracket
  
• rear shock cross member
  
• transmission mount upper cross member (the one welded to the floor/firewall junction)
  
• battery tray mounting bracket (underneath the tray on the outside of the apron)
  
• trunk opening surrounds (not just the flat part the quarter end caps mount up to)
  
• E-brake cable bracket (driver side, under the floor pan where the adjustment end of the pedal cable fits)
  
• Fender Apron to Cowl connector brackets (L & R)
  
• Outer kick panel sheet metal (L & R)
  
• Intermediate floor panels (from floor pan replacements to rear shock cross member area - Mr. Mustang used to make them, now they don't)
  
• Flasher/Relay mounting panel (inside dash above glove box)
  
• Lower dash interior courtesy lights (no repops of these - closest thing is from 2nd-Gen '70-'82 Camaro/Firebird)
  
• Rear seat bottom cushion mounting brackets (weld to the floor)
  
• Interior quarter trim panel mounting brackets (weld to the floor)
  
• Correctly shaped rocker panel sheet metal
  

I don't know what your contact is willing to sign up for, but those are some of the things I ran into when I was repairing/replacing the rusty bits on mine.

 

[bkdunha]

Added some comments in CAPS. I think several of these are now available. I do not have the time to look right now, but others may know quickly.

• front gas tank bracket - THESE ARE AVAILABLE (DYNACORN?)
  
• rear shock cross member - STATED HE IS WORKING ON STAGGERED PLATES)
  
• transmission mount upper cross member (the one welded to the floor/firewall junction)
  
• battery tray mounting bracket (underneath the tray on the outside of the apron) - ALREADY MAKES THIS (see recent separate thread)
  
• trunk opening surrounds (not just the flat part the quarter end caps mount up to)
  
• E-brake cable bracket (driver side, under the floor pan where the adjustment end of the pedal cable fits) THE CURVED BRACKET????
  
• Fender Apron to Cowl connector brackets (L & R) GOOD IDEA
  
• Outer kick panel sheet metal (L & R) THESE ARE MADE I THINK
  
• Intermediate floor panels (from floor pan replacements to rear shock cross member area - Mr. Mustang used to make them, now they don't)
  
• Flasher/Relay mounting panel (inside dash above glove box)
  
• Lower dash interior courtesy lights (no repops of these - closest thing is from 2nd-Gen '70-'82 Camaro/Firebird)
  
• Rear seat bottom cushion mounting brackets (weld to the floor)
  
• Interior quarter trim panel mounting brackets (weld to the floor)
  
• Correctly shaped rocker panel sheet metal
  

I don't know what your contact is willing to sign up for, but those are some of the things I ran into when I was repairing/replacing the rusty bits on mine.

 

[Mister 4x4]

Like I said, I didn't know if those things are now being produced or not - I just know they weren't when I needed them.

The rear shock cross member is one of those items that stops with the '69-'70 unit. On Q's advice, I bought a '69-'70 repop unit and sectioned in the shock pockets to repair the originals damaged by irresponsible use of air shocks. I believe the repop '69-'70 units are slightly narrower than the '71-'73s, but are otherwise similar in design. The repop unit materials were MUCH thicker and stronger than what was replaced on the car (3-4x thicker metal, actually) - I could probably run air shocks without any fear of damage now... but I'm still ain't gonna. My car has standard (non-staggered) shocks, which is why I mentioned it.

The E-brake cable I mentioned is located underneath the car, in the area inboard of where the driver side frame rail extension and upper transmission bracket meet (directly across from the e-brake cable idler mount, which is also welded to the floor). After passing through the floor, the cable feeds through holes in the rail extension, and fits through a keyed hole into this bracket with a giant Bobby-pin-looking clip to hold it in place. I had to fabricate that one 3 times before I got it right - mine literally disintegrated when I disassembled the floor pans/frame rail extensions to replace the floor pans.

I'm sure you're right on the other items you mentioned are now being made (kick panel sheet metal, etc.). I wasn't aware of the front tank mounting bracket, though. I got some sheet metal and was thinking of bending my own replacement, but then asked Don from OMS about it - and he actually had a few good ones from some of his parts cars... and that's where mine came from.

 

[bkdunha]

The E-brake cable I mentioned is located underneath the car, in the area inboard of where the driver side frame rail extension and upper transmission bracket meet (directly across from the e-brake cable idler mount, which is also welded to the floor). After passing through the floor, the cable feeds through holes in the rail extension, and fits through a keyed hole into this bracket with a giant Bobby-pin-looking clip to hold it in place. I had to fabricate that one 3 times before I got it right - mine literally disintegrated when I disassembled the floor pans/frame rail extensions to replace the floor pans.

This bracket in the white circle?

 

[Mister 4x4]

Yup - that's it. ::thumb::

 

[secluff]

I check Dynacorn's site occasionally to see what's new. They are doing better on 71-73 metal parts availability. Plus we have Don (OMS) to alert us to new parts released. Eric's wish list looks to be a pretty good cross section of what is on most people minds when they look at their rust heap of a project!! The under dash courtesy lamps, since they involve plastic housings, may not be something he would want to do. I know of some Ford vehicles that used the same lamp.

72-76 Torino/Gran Torino/Montego....R/S only

77-79 LTDII/T-Bird/74-79 Cougar......R/S only

75-80 Granada/Monarch...................L&R/Sides

78-79 Full size Bronco & F series .......L&R/Sides All of these applications would be like our Mustangs and have the lamps when equipped with the right options! The original lamps were D1ZZ-13776-A replaced by D7OZ-13776-A. The first two I listed had a 90 degree bend in the mount bracket on the left side lamp so they would not work.

The 71-72 front bumper center reinforcement is one I'm glad johnwanzel mentioned. When I originally posted I felt like there was something I had forgotten.

bkdunha, if that part is something your contact feels he could/would like to do, let me know I have one I ordered new from Ford he could use as a template to get the measuremens he needs. I can get it to Memphis if needed.

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

Yes, that is the part-I'd buy one if the price were right

Jeff is the part you are referring to in this picture? I have one available. PM if someone needs I t.

The metal bumper reinforcement panel that fits between the front bumper and the radiator support for sure!!!

The sheet metal panel for coupes and verts would be a good part to repop as well if Dynacorn isn't about to pop one out.

 

[timachone]

The trunk corner openings for sportsroofs would be a very great idea... I had to reweld spot by spot mine one the right side...

 

[Mister 4x4]

I had to cut off the corners of a '72 fastback to get mine repaired... then deconstruct the trunk surround and corner area to fit in the 'new' piece from the other car.

They actually make the flat part just above and to the outside of the taillights (where the quarter end caps mount up)... but not the actual corner itself with the weather stripping channel for the trunk.