kenyu73's 69 Coupe Restore [Archive] - 1969 Mustang Supersite Web Forums

kenyu73

04-07-2011, 04:27 PM

The Plan

I plan on a 3 year restore with mild modifications here and there. The car is complete and has matching numbers. I'm not going all out and making it a show car with a 500+ hp engine, but I do plan to have a solid, mean looking summer driver.

Car Specifications

1969 Mustang Coupe
Manufactured: Oct 8th
Engine: 351W
Trans: FMX
Miles: 65,656
Orig color: Aztec Aqua

The Beginning...

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Goal (hopefully!)
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tS9DqT2ojIg/TX4qKym4WaI/AAAAAAAAAlo/RMyjdzJh4pA/s250/goal%2Blook.jpg

kenyu73

04-07-2011, 04:28 PM

Completion Goals

I'm hoping to have these areas finished by the 'season' specified! :thumbup:

Rear/Trunk: Fall 2011
Floor pan/Interior metal: Winter 2011
Front end: Summer 2012
Engine Rebuild: Spring 2013
Brakes/misc: Summer 2013
Paint: Fall 2013
Interior/Trim: Spring 2014
Plates and fuzzy dice: Summer 2014

kenyu73

04-07-2011, 05:03 PM

The car was rear ended sometime in its past, so I decided to begin my restore adventure with the worst part... the back end.

I knew the LH frame rail was cracked and the RH rail was bent, but I started removing the panels slowly hoping I could salvage most of the frame.

As you can see, the "body work" to fix the damage was shade tree.. no, really.... they probably used a shade tree and ropes to pull the metal back to some resemblance of normal.

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kenyu73

04-07-2011, 05:11 PM

After some digging around and removing junked metal, I realized this mustang is going to need a whole new rear rebuild.

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kenyu73

04-07-2011, 05:16 PM

Installing the LH frame rail

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kenyu73

04-07-2011, 05:19 PM

RH side frame rail installed... just some minor measurements and a few spot welds and then the next step... which I haven't decided yet.. haha

edit: actually had the rails measured to Linsky, but the car leveled to factory spec... good thing I only had a few welds. Re-leveled and re-welded to Linsky and go-to-go.

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kenyu73

04-19-2011, 03:37 PM

Transition pan tacked in a few spots to hold... and the floor pans dry fitted to see how it all looks. So far, the metal fits pretty good.

I'll let it sit for a few days, then if nothing pops into my head that seems to be wrong, I'll punch some holes and spend the evening cleaning up the metal and spot welding it all together.

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Burn

04-19-2011, 08:14 PM

Lookin' real good! Have you decided on a color yet or are you going back with the original color? Aztec Aqua has to be a rare color. I dont think I've seen a Mustang that color before.

rangerdoc

04-19-2011, 08:27 PM

Please tell me you're going to keep the big foot gas pedal. That is classic 70's!

kenyu73

04-19-2011, 08:34 PM

Lookin' real good! Have you decided on a color yet or are you going back with the original color? Aztec Aqua has to be a rare color. I dont think I've seen a Mustang that color before.

I haven't decided, but I'm leaning more towards a mean looking red with the OEM black hood template. I'm not sure right now, but paints not going to be flowing for at least another 18-24 months.

kenyu73

04-19-2011, 08:37 PM

Please tell me you're going to keep the big foot gas pedal. That is classic 70's!

HAHA.. maybe!

kenyu73

09-19-2011, 11:11 AM

After a summer/house addition, I've just got back into my restore. Just finished welding the rear torque boxes on for good and spot-welded the trunk transition.

I'll keep the better, completed pictures for this thread, but you can check my progress here:

http://1969mustangrestore.blogspot.com

kenyu73

09-20-2011, 10:45 PM

Trunk pans welded in tight, tail panel fitting nicely! Tomorrows goal... weld in the tail panel, then start on the wheel housings!

Fordrevhead

09-21-2011, 11:52 AM

kenyu73

09-21-2011, 12:19 PM

Looking good Eric... glad to see you back at it. I am so glad I am close to being done with the metal fab on my chassis. Whats your time frame goals? I hope to have my tub in sealer then primer before the snow flies but the way the weather changes around here even that's agressive.

Since I have all the trunk metal, wheel housings and quarters, I'm hoping to have the rear completed in 2-3 weeks tops.

Once the trunk is done, I'm ordering a complete floor pan and hope to have that set in place by the end of Oct '11.

As for a complete restore... eh... Summer '13 I think.

snakebite500

09-23-2011, 08:42 AM

Looks great. Looks like we are both restoring the ass end first. I also went with Dynacorn panels. Better quality and fit for a few extra $$.

kenyu73

09-23-2011, 12:07 PM

Trunk floors and tail completed... just got my LH housing screwed in. Once the RH side is done, I'll make sure things are leveled in nicely and weld them in nice in tight! I cant believe how much structural integrity the wheel housing supply!

9608

kenyu73

09-25-2011, 07:28 PM

Fordrevhead

09-25-2011, 08:11 PM

As for a complete restore... eh... Summer '13 I think.

that's ambitious!

Mike65

09-25-2011, 08:48 PM

All the rear sheet metal is now installed. I have about another few hours of grinding then I'm going to wire brush and treat the inside areas with a rust primer/paint.

Once the inside metal is treated, I think I'm ready for the quarter panels. Actually might restore the axle and leaf springs and get that installed soon too.

I have the same work going on now with my 69 Coupe. I have had to replace the tail light panel & the gas tank rear lip that runs from l/s to r/s frame rail, the l/s outer wheel house & l/s trunk floor. It will need a l/s & r/s quarter skin & a r/s wheel assembley. Then it is on to re-skin the r/s door. I already replaced the l/s door shell with a repo assembley.

kenyu73

09-25-2011, 09:54 PM

that's ambitious!
Okay, okay... maybe I'll have the paint flowing by then. I at least plan on getting it painted before I restore the interior. I may shoot for the engine rebuild in the Spring/Summer. Nothing to crazy for the engine, just some standard mods (.30, cam, lifters, values, heads, etc). I'll do a decent manifold and carb too. I dont have much planned out for that yet.

I have the same work going on now with my 69 Coupe. I have had to replace the tail light panel & the gas tank rear lip that runs from l/s to r/s frame rail, the l/s outer wheel house & l/s trunk floor. It will need a l/s & r/s quarter skin & a r/s wheel assembley. Then it is on to re-skin the r/s door. I already replaced the l/s door shell with a repo assembley.
I wish I only had to do a partial trunk. I had to do everything from the torque box/frame rails back. I was scared that nothing would line up, but i measured using linsky charts and it worked out well. I'm doing a full floor too, hopefully have that ordered but the end of next month.

maynard444

09-28-2011, 03:12 PM

kenyu73

09-28-2011, 03:25 PM

Hi Kenyu,
How good of a fit were those after market frame rails. I have recently received one and just looking at it next to a OEM rail, it looks questionable. Did you have trouble getting them to mate up, or was it smooth sailing with the occasional bump.
Thanks,
Heath

I bought the original rails from CJPony and they sucked. They were silver and looked welded together from all the individual frame parts you can buy. I ended up trashing them and bought some Dynacorn ones from Lauren Mountain for just a tad more. These were primed black and have most of the rail hardware already on them.

Anyhow, the Dynacorn rails fit nicely, but you do have to weld the torque box top plates on them for some strange reason... maybe for convertible compatibility?

maynard444

09-29-2011, 12:03 PM

I bought the after market rail I have from CJ's and i agree, it looks like junk. I will look into getting a Dynacorn rail from laurel mountain then. Thanks for the information.

kenyu73

09-29-2011, 12:19 PM

Here is a comparison between CJ Pony's (silver) and Dynacorn (black).

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Knsm3tS6_XM/TbzKUKkTLII/AAAAAAAAAvw/mCDcNVy32GA/s1600/IMAG0108.jpg

maynard444

09-29-2011, 03:14 PM

There is a world of difference between those two. I hate how the CJ rail is spliced together from three separate pieces. As soon as I opened the package I was thoroughly disheartened. That Dynacorn rail looks really sharp compared to the CJ rail. I will definitely go with a Dynacorn rail now.
Thanks for the pic comparison.

BuckeyeDemon

09-29-2011, 08:24 PM

what are you trying to show with the circles?

kenyu73

09-29-2011, 08:40 PM

what are you trying to show with the circles?

Those came with the Dynacorn rails. The silver ones didn't have any of those pieces.

BuckeyeDemon

09-29-2011, 08:42 PM

Those came with the Dynacorn rails. The silver ones didn't have any of those pieces.

ok. thought maybe you were trying to point out something less obvious like horrible looking welds (like on the axle bracket) or something wrong with the shackle mount.

any pictures of the insides? do they contain the long reinforcement plate?

kenyu73

09-29-2011, 08:50 PM

ok. thought maybe you were trying to point out something less obvious like horrible looking welds (like on the axle bracket) or something wrong with the shackle mount.

any pictures of the insides? do they contain the long reinforcement plate?

I don't have pictures on the inside, but I don't recall any type of long reinforcements. The shackle mount is doubled up though.

BuckeyeDemon

09-29-2011, 08:57 PM

I don't have pictures on the inside, but I don't recall any type of long reinforcements. The shackle mount is doubled up though.

it's hard to see in the pic, but what do you mean by doubled up?

on mine there is a long plate on the inside of the frame rail that is spot welded to the rail. my guess is ford found a weak point and had to find a way to increase the strength. maybe someone else can comment.

kenyu73

10-10-2011, 11:55 AM

POR15 LH quarter section, ready for quarter panel install very soon.

Spent a few weeks spraying many coats of OSPHO marina rust converter in the upper/inside cracks and creases. I then applied POR15 over the main lower metal.

9746

kenyu73

10-10-2011, 09:59 PM

I did this repair before putting in the LH wheel-housings... not exactly 5-star auto-body repair quality, but it's solid as can be.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IkYdrHEJYhE/TbMu3aG735I/AAAAAAAAAvE/gDxCFnw0-l8/w417-h314-k/100_1669.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-rQGk1kzPLy0/TbMu5aJwgkI/AAAAAAAAAvI/7b6eeN7S_3E/w416-h312-k/100_1670.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-KLW1OXOhL18/TbMu7eO_ZWI/AAAAAAAAAvM/Co6Og_5_Zyw/w417-h314-k/100_1671.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-3GC5Bif6oBI/TbMu9nWLctI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/hhBTEEpm65c/w416-h312-k/100_1672.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Kuv_1nkUsQ0/TbMu_-zC9sI/AAAAAAAAAvU/V9BJAeshh3o/w416-h312-n-k/100_1674.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-QyAdCzg4pXI/TjBi2XU3cEI/AAAAAAAAGXs/EQdTABOHgH8/w416-h312-n-k/100_1677.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-psMp4tF2kQM/TjBi2ins09I/AAAAAAAAGXw/p4VSu6tw8Gk/w416-h312-n-k/100_1679.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-yfsYQKGjXl0/TjBi2xJOPSI/AAAAAAAAGX0/wYYZCa0B7K8/w416-h312-k/100_1680.JPG

kenyu73

10-10-2011, 10:11 PM

kenyu73

10-10-2011, 10:17 PM

Another out-of-order panel repair... I didn't completely strip out the bronze, but the metal is strong and a bit of seam sealer will blend this together.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QKSAdTY6KJM/ToyQd1qGiUI/AAAAAAAAHnY/d-YocIVQi2U/w417-h314-k/100_1926.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-UU60XtPUn8Y/TpGbknqx31I/AAAAAAAAHnk/VwVJsslwub4/w417-h314-k/100_1930.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-KgHcuhDO3og/TpGbn_QYomI/AAAAAAAAHno/-IJ2DPMFDGQ/w408-h306-k/100_1931.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-cTWKuI85VAc/TpIXbxuASVI/AAAAAAAAHns/ukUmN0BK6IE/w408-h306-k/100_1938.JPG

kenyu73

10-12-2011, 12:30 PM

LH Quarter panel tacked into place... alignment looks good! Later tonight or tomorrow I'll bead up the seams and finish the jam, wheel-housing and tail spotwelds using an air hose to keep the temp down.

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BuckeyeDemon

10-13-2011, 10:15 PM

it's hard to see in the pic, but what do you mean by doubled up?

on mine there is a long plate on the inside of the frame rail that is spot welded to the rail. my guess is ford found a weak point and had to find a way to increase the strength. maybe someone else can comment.

just in case you missed my question. otherwise i'll assume no response was the intent...

Mike65

10-14-2011, 08:11 AM

This rear connection panel was mangled pretty badly, so I had a used one shipped from a PA junkyard (they dont make these new for coupes). I didn't like the quality, but it sandblasted up nicely for the most part.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-x8NJ0CAA9PE/TjB7K76UPvI/AAAAAAAAHCM/q25cgLg9_XE/w417-h314-k/102_1440.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-secJqAJfC0M/Tbc7YAUPh-I/AAAAAAAAAvg/vHIW5xsWNvA/w417-h314-k/100_1697.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-z8Jq85Ezk04/Tbc7V_Jl-qI/AAAAAAAAAvc/L_-92fPg_v0/w417-h314-k-n-k/100_1698.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4x53BBQNYB0/TjBh_rO82hI/AAAAAAAAGWQ/YJyVQAjMrjs/w417-h314-k/100_1645.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-9-Dcw7wabI8/TnlVh8_ZVqI/AAAAAAAAHjw/IbSlvI9YnSQ/w417-h314-k/100_1862.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8Bjh7-MPQAw/Tnoj-fkOt7I/AAAAAAAAHj0/sUE0DkapnXI/w417-h314-k/100_1864.JPG

My 69 Coupe is in about the same spot as far as the sheet metal work. My l/s rear quarter is off now. I have to replace the outer wheel house on the l/s & I replaced the trunk floor. I just had to repair a rot spot in the l/s rear frame rail, & I also replaced the tail light panel & the support panel behind it. Was there any reason you welded the quarter at the top instead of trimming it & welding it on the side? That is my next thing I need to tackle & I am trying to get as much info as possible before I start on it. My car was hit in the l/s rear at some time in its life but not to hard so I just straightened the panel that connects the tail light panel to the quarter panel.

kenyu73

10-14-2011, 09:01 PM

My 69 Coupe is in about the same spot as far as the sheet metal work. My l/s rear quarter is off now. I have to replace the outer wheel house on the l/s & I replaced the trunk floor. I just had to repair a rot spot in the l/s rear frame rail, & I also replaced the tail light panel & the support panel behind it. Was there any reason you welded the quarter at the top instead of trimming it & welding it on the side? That is my next thing I need to tackle & I am trying to get as much info as possible before I start on it. My car was hit in the l/s rear at some time in its life but not to hard so I just straightened the panel that connects the tail light panel to the quarter panel.

I tried to take things off and save as much as possible, but it just got to the point where every part of the rear was damaged. I just went to town and just sawzall'ed the whole damn ass off (=. Not the smartest thing because I lost all frame references...

I decided to weld the top so there wasn't a long straight repair reference along side the quarter. Any slight warpage would show easily. So me being a non-professional body guy, by welding on the top I have some room for mess ups without it "clearly" showing along the side. I am going to have a hell of a time grinding down smooth the area by the window/side though.

kenyu73

10-14-2011, 09:06 PM

just in case you missed my question. otherwise i'll assume no response was the intent...

Hey Buckeye, the only extra double layer is where the leaf spring mounts in the back. It's not really doubled up, its just the leaf eye hole/assembly part was a separate piece welded into the frame. Make sense?

BuckeyeDemon

10-15-2011, 06:05 AM

Hey Buckeye, the only extra double layer is where the leaf spring mounts in the back. It's not really doubled up, its just the leaf eye hole/assembly part was a separate piece welded into the frame. Make sense?

thanks! makes sense. I believe that's similar to the way the factory had it.

Fordrevhead

10-15-2011, 06:45 AM

For semantics, a tube welded through the rail would be called a sleeve, a standoff off on the side is called a bung. I believe this area has a long sleeve which also acts as a bung on both sides.

kenyu73

10-16-2011, 05:00 PM

Front and rear quarter spot welded on as well as the wheel-housing.
97829783

Quarter seem all welded and ground smooth
9784

My son being put to work! Trying to get the rear-end all ready. Once the back metal is finished, I'l like to get the rear (and wheels) back on so I can move the car around if needed.
9785

kenyu73

10-16-2011, 05:02 PM

For semantics, a tube welded through the rail would be called a sleeve, a standoff off on the side is called a bung. I believe this area has a long sleeve which also acts as a bung on both sides.

Yeah, what Chad said....

kenyu73

10-26-2011, 10:38 PM

Rearend all sandblasted and cleaned up with POR15. I'll probably do some rear-end work like new gear juice and such, but not anytime soon. Probably get the brake h/w on sometime this winter.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ogp-b_ShXHA/TqgZ-vR0gUI/AAAAAAAAHqk/IYtOSGA9IUI/s400/100_2001.JPG

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--zMV_-vDM9g/TqgaEVbZBXI/AAAAAAAAHqs/mqWzr_RniA4/s400/100_2002.JPG

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vGfLAcIpKfE/TqgaHtDIWoI/AAAAAAAAHq0/VoGVUJDLK44/s400/100_2003.JPG

kenyu73

10-26-2011, 10:44 PM

Started tacking in the RH quarter. This one isn't lining up as nicely as the other side, but its all workable.

I did the seam on top of the drivers side which was a pain to grind, so I tried the flat side this time. I actually wish I did the top on this side too as the quarter just seems more solid the other way.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jMBVA5jXEmQ/Tqh_ukxyTFI/AAAAAAAAHrQ/hJr-6-3vW1w/s500/100_2020.JPG

I have about a 1/4" gap to fill as well as a small jam overhang. Once I get the seam welded in, I'll heat and tap the edge over into the jam.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qajzfLgAQs0/Tqh_1mZuGUI/AAAAAAAAHrg/j1ERyhalX8M/s500/100_2022.JPG

70mstang

10-27-2011, 08:51 AM

One of these days I am going to learn to weld like this.

I know the new quarters come with a black primer .. but I am liking the two tone with red & black. Have you determined your paint yet??

kenyu73

10-27-2011, 08:57 AM

One of these days I am going to learn to weld like this.

I know the new quarters come with a black primer .. but I am liking the two tone with red & black. Have you determined your paint yet??

Actually, Red and Black. I have a picture in my original/first post of what my goal is to be.

I hope you're joking about my welds, they suck! Well, to give myself credit, I'm learning some good tricks as I go (like making tiny bumps instead of huge weld mountains!). :lol:

kenyu73

10-27-2011, 01:15 PM

The ~1/4" hang over the door jam bothered me, so I cut the 10 or so tacks and re-did the panel starting with the jam side tight and pushed the "extra" metal to the back where I was able to tap the tail out to fill in the space.

Much better now....

Good alignment...
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R0iOYogvnvM/Tqmd0XuKlaI/AAAAAAAAHr4/S5H6EYYXCpA/s600/100_2026_mod.jpg

Bad alignment....
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5vcUMgm0HhA/TqmewDx-Y_I/AAAAAAAAHsA/8lwyvJ3WodE/s600/bad+placement.jpg

70mstang

10-28-2011, 09:13 AM

At least you're giving it a shot =) It'll get better every time. I'll give it a shot on the next project, but that'll be after I get a new garage =)

kenyu73

10-28-2011, 09:50 PM

Finally, the rear is all completed! Well, mostly... I still have a bit of touch up grinding here and there, but the panel welding is all done. :yes:

I need to do the finish bodywork still, but for now just some primer to protect and I'll do the (hopefully minimal) "bondo" cleanup once all all metal repair is completed.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Qrwbe_4Jpao/TX2UDa6_L9I/AAAAAAAAAlA/qMDiPU9FFGo/s600/102_1211.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2u8Q0dJsNOM/TYAfhQfE0iI/AAAAAAAAAo8/B6xmC8qEBXo/s600/102_1440.JPG

(frame rails replaced with Dynacorn)
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ssjj6HPa9yU/TZj-Wab2tBI/AAAAAAAAAsE/8aeLr12TUOg/s600/100_1564.JPG

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uNz0IJgsoXA/TnlVe9ABSGI/AAAAAAAAHjs/Jd6utOOQbOA/s600/100_1860.JPG

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9-Dcw7wabI8/TnlVh8_ZVqI/AAAAAAAAHjw/IbSlvI9YnSQ/s600/100_1862.JPG

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a_s6N7JHj3M/TpMiNYAxeHI/AAAAAAAAHnw/jv3vGjy2x8c/s600/100_1944.JPG

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cd0MfvGDF6Y/TqFu5070YrI/AAAAAAAAHpY/d0TxLwkv7vA/s600/100_1991.JPG

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CkpCNGldBeE/TqtNwQO3T6I/AAAAAAAAHsY/om41LwEsaMs/s600/100_2032.JPG

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CPihYUa1ZpY/TqtN22TPJAI/AAAAAAAAHso/59C9P10oEd8/s600/100_2037.JPG