momstang rebuild begins.

[ttocs]

I had some space that I needed too move the pg fusebox up so I decided to take advantage of it and give the block a floating look. I started with some aluminum risers/spacers that raised it almost 3/4" and use my router to make a circle in the top that goes down just over 1/16".

The circle on the top that I made is so I can flush/inlay a 7 color 70mm led halo-ring.

The lights will shine down but I will probably put a piece of reflective chrome vinyl on the bottom so that the light will shine out of the 1/16" edge I left around the edge of the block as well as through the edge of the plexi.

With the pg block on top it covers the lights and the risers to give the floating look.

[ttocs]

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii40 ... coball.mp4

The movie shows the edge lighting on the floating plexi. Came out nice I like it. I also drilled the holes for the leds that will light the plexi that is etched.

[ttocs]

didn't realize I had not updated this for a while, if anyone is actually reading it.... Did some filling/sanding/and repeated that process a few times till I got to this point on the drivers side.

also recut the plexi which is covered in blue tape.

Had to shut down working on it while it got so cold. was happy to be able to work on it yesterday and was even happier to put the fenders, headlight panel and the bumper on. Nice to see it looking like a car again to say the least. I did all this so that I could smooth in the shinoda chin spoiler to the stock bumper so it looks like one piece. STarted off by maching the chin up so I could drill holes into the bumper for screws to mount it. Used some panel bonding adhesive and then screwed it with nuts too so that it would be a nice solid joint. This morning I masked off all the areas I didn't want to get messy and then filled the seam with a fiberglass reinforced bondo. I also filled a small seam between the side exhaust and body a well as a small area where I welded in some metal to cover the antenna hole so everything will be smooth.

[joerg]

Coming along quite nice! Good to see u´re making some good progress.

[ttocs]

thanks man its slowly but surely its moving forward. Probably would go a lot faster if I would quit adding stuff too it. Contemplating a supercharger now as well as changing the door handles. The stock ones are not that bad and on the other hand they just seem like a wart on the side of the car too me....

How is the hemi commin?

[joerg]

How is the hemi commin?

Not a Hemi but i´ve been working on it the first time since September this weekend. I redid the carbs you got for me.

[ttocs]

after a lot of loving and rubbin...

antenna gone!

was never happy with the transition from the sideskirts to the rockers so I smoothed those out.

Thought this looked cool just too show all the dust I have been making. Also a hint of the next project. Had this one in my head for a while now. Never actually seen it done but should be cool if it works like I hope.

[stipud]

That's quite the fat lip. Excellent work blending it in!

[ttocs]

Thanks. It looks bigger with the air ride aired all the way up I think once its down in the weeds it will not stick out so bad.

BUT I discovered today that happiness is a tght fight...

A real tight fit....

Will need to clearance a small section of the panel I welded in too smooth everything out but not a big deal. In other good news this kit relocates the alternator a little higher and its held in place by a bracket that I think if I modify I can fit the big 200 amp PG/wangler alt that I didn't think I was going to be able to use Will need to find space for the off-board balmar voltage regulator now.

[LowandLoud]

Great news being able to use your PG alternator. This car will be twice what it was before the accident.
I found an ad local to me selling an original PG alternator, the guy wants $750! Plus it looks as if it has been in use for 10 years and never cleaned. A little rich i think.

LL

[ttocs]

thanks yes it will hit the road at least 2x as good as it was before if all goes the way I have planned. I too was excited to realize that the kit relocated the alt so I could use it at the stock bracket was too small and would have needed some heavy modification if there was a chance it would fit. On this kit the alt is on top and there is another small bracket that holds it so I will just get that bracket recut and it looks like it might stick up a little more then an inch from the old one.

$750 good god that is a bit rich. I think I got mine for just a little more then $200 and it look like if it was used that it was not used much. Going to take it apart and get it powder coated so I will refresh the brushes or bearing that are needed while its apart. Anyone ever taken apart an alt before?

[ttocs]

since I decided too smooth out the body on the car the door handles have been bugging me. Seems like since that day I look at them as though they are a wart or something. I was going to shave the handles completely but I like to go too the track from time/time and you will not pass tech with out them there, not too mention the general safety problems that could come with not having door handles.


I found the kindigit design smooth door handles a while back and knew I would have too have them but didn't want too write the check.

You push on one end to unlatch the door and then pull on the other end too open it. I had already budged the money for a new supercharger when I found my kit used but NIB for $1500 less then I was going too get it for. So I blew some of the money saved there on the door handles. started off today and took out the window and cut the hole for them. Measure once cut, something....


Go figure now that I need to cut a patch panel from the parts car it started snowing....

[LowandLoud]

Ooohh, those are slick. I just recently (this weekend) seen these handles installed on a Toyota P/U. Definitely a nice upgrade from the stock warts.

LL

[ttocs]

I have been anxious as hell to finish the install too see them but its been artic cold down here and I have been iced in let alone get into the cold garage. The dog is even pissed at me that I have not been walking her but I demand its above 20 degrees to do that. In the meantime though I was happy too see another cool custom touch I have been dreaming of come to life. Custom fender badges.


The GT logo in 94-97 was a unique cursive logo that I always liked, but wanted to modify just a tad. Not sure why other then its more then just a GT and wanted another unique touch on the car. I flipped the "T" both on the X and Y axis and put it next to the original one and now its the GT2! Only reason I went through with these was because I had the money for the supercharger put aside to buy a new one and got the door handles and these with plenty left over from what was saved new/used. These were laser cut by a local place to me and I had them make 5 of them. The fender badges are going to be painted and then mounted too a piece of plexi in front of a chromed plate. The plexi will be mounted to the back of the fender and the logo will go through a hole cut in the fender and then be flush with the fender so the area aound the logo will show the chrome. I will have another set chromed to install on the valve covers.

[ttocs]

Cut the hole for the fender badge to go through.


This way the fender badge will sit flush with the fender and you will see the chrome in the area around it. Can't wait to see how that works out but tired of waiting for it too warm up for the handles. Threw on 4 layers, put a small space heater in the garage and got too work.

I filled the hole the old handle was in as I wanted to move the handles up/back a little bit too a slightly flatter area of the door, and just under the body line. Cut the hole, drilled some holes around it for plug welds and clamped it in place.

went out today and burned it in place, grinded down the high points and put a layer of bondo on for the low points. While it was drying I started on the pushrod that actuates the stock latch which had always kinda scared me as I just wasn't sure what too expect. Turnes out moving it like I did moved the striker plate on the new handle almost perfectly inline with the old latch. I bought some steel rod from the hardware store and threaded one end and put a nut on it so I can adjust the rod up/down. Then bend the other end 90 degrees and threaded it so 2 nuts and it should not rattle at all. its a super smooth opening right now with out the handle in place by just hitting the striker plate as you only need to push it about a 1/2" and it unlatches.



Little more sanding and the front will be ready to show.

[ttocs]

got the bondo leveled out but still need to touch up a couple of small spots mainly right around the edge of the hole. Was more concerned with getting the old handles spot leveled out and straight the edge will be easy to fix tomorrow. Forgive the mess just threw a quick coat of primer on to make sure it was flat and only installed 2/3's of the screws holding it all in place to do a quick test. I need to adjust the push rod a little so that it will unlatch earler as the idea of moving it up higher and back further was so if the window was open I could just push it and use the window ledge to pull back with. Right now I still need to pull the handle to unlatch it but I didn't try adjusting the nut I put on it yet. I was just too anxious to get it working and take a quick vid. I do most of my work late at night as that is the time my stomach is normally not bothering me and my garage sucks for lighting so I will get some better pics in the daylight. I swear taking the warts off seems to have completely changed the look and style of the door but in the dark with black primer it doesn't show at night. Also waiting for my battery to recharge to test out the led lighting in it will do that tomorrow as well but could not be any happier with it right now.

[ttocs]

I almost finished up the drivers side handle but spared the details on it since they were all the same. And then as usual got sick and went back to the ER....

So been out a week now and about to start my next project, shaving the fuel door. Will be filling it through the trunk behind a hidden panel when its all done. In the mean time I got sick of cardomains new set up and found another site I like. They are new and still in the beta and also just started a monthly online magazine to feature cars on the site and happy to say mine is the 2nd one shown.

http://issuu.com/driiive/docs/driiive-t ... of-03-2k14

Its a cool site if you like to post pics and update them later. A lot better then the old cardomain set up and it also offers some neat ways to edit you pics, add titles, ect.

http://issuu.com/driiive/docs/driiive-t ... of-03-2k14

[ttocs]

so after smoothing the doors and the trunk lid out suddenly the gas door seemed like it wasn't flowing. So I fixed that right up.... First problem was the filler neck. It came out of the gas tank on the side, came up through the floor and then turned to the fender in a letter-S kind of shape. I wanted to be able to fill it through the trunk so I cut the neck where it went through the floor and found a metal pipe protecting a rubber one inside. I cut the two in half where it goes through the floor and inserted a PVC core that I can tighten some hose clamps down on to seal the connection after rotating it 180 degrees.

I used some RTV on the pvc and left a about 1/16" between the hoses and then filled that with RTV. I then covered it with aluminum tape to hopefully protect the hose from when I weld it backtogether.


Finally after welding/grinding and painting it looks like a letter C now instead of an S and should fit the ticket!


Then it was time to fix that horrible hole problem...


Now I just need to figure out if I am brave enough to do a fender flare in back. I would like to try and squeeze a 1/2"-3/4" out and see if I could fit a 19" x 11" back wheel and still slam it with the bags... Never done one before but I also never did a fuel door shave, custom door handles, shaved the decklid or smoothed an engine bay now. Up to this point my parts car has been my fall back for example if I dicked up the handles I could just take the door off of the parts car to fix it... This time I think I am going to practice at least the first cut and then see if it would look the way I imagined it would or no......

[ttocs]

Nothin like havin a parts car your not afraid to cut up to try things out on. Made the first cut of my flare today and laid up some cardboard too see how it might look. I want to get about another 1/8" out(flared), bring the front/back edge down further, and then make the top where it flows back into the fender up another inch or more. I really don't want an obvious flare, just a little more room to hopefully fit a 19"x 11" wheel and still be able to air it out and tuck it a bit.








Wish me luck, I might need it....

[groundpounder]

Good luck Scott. But I don't. Think you will need it. That is going to be one custom Stang.

[LowandLoud]

Great work Scott. I too have fallen into the "snowball effect" of body mods. You think you will just do a little something here. Then something else looks out of place. Then another. Then you figure, "I've done this much, why not one more"? Its a vicious circle, lol.

LL

[ttocs]

thanks fella's started on the real thing today. Used masking tape to make my template with and it worked really well. Happy to say I can take a little of the arch out of the top of it to help it blend in. If I do it right you should really not be able to tell its there short of the wider wheel. This is a 5/8".

[ttocs]

got it welded in place and ground down now. Was able to squeeze a 5/8" flare out of it on the top and happy that with some filler it really should not look any different.




Almost time for the fill/sand/repeat dance to begin....

[ttocs]

Wouldn't you know it my air saw broke just as I finished the pass side. I am dying to do the same to the drivers side and want to keep from finishing the pass side so I can take measurements to match the sides..... I Searched across town and was surprised that no hardware store nor automotive specialty tool store had one. So I broke down and ordered one on Monday and made a list of other crap too do till it arrives. One thing on the list was to finalize what I needed to do to mount the bigger/better old-school PG HO alt so I did that. First I need to make another bracket to mount it too hold the top up. That was not all that hard I made a pattern out of cardboard and now just need to drop by a buddies metal shop to cut it out.

now the only other problem I have is that it sticks up a little bit. Enough that it would hit the stock hood so good thing I was planning on replacing that.... You can see it poking up just about where the door in the back of the garage is in the background.


Did that part of the project as well as the finishing work for the gas door delete till the new saw arrived today. I decided to buy a lightly used blue point/snap on from ebay rather then try another crap shot with eastwood or IR.

[ttocs]

was stuck still waiting for the saw blades so I knocked a few more things off of the list I made just to keep moving.

I started the process of smoothing in the brake vents to the body today. This pic is just from above for reference no change in it otherwise. I took some panel bonding adhesive and filled the gaps between the vent and the body. I am keeping the actual vent that goes through to the tire I just want it too look like all one piece. Hopefully when its done and flows up into the finished flare it will look really cool, never seen another mustang do it yet.

I am also ready to take the front end apart now to get the bumper into primer and work on the wiring in the engine bay. First I put the lights up(neither their lenses nor their lights themselves are mounted yet) just too get an idea of how the front end will look. Another small and subtle mod I did was to delete the license plate spot up front. Always hated that thing and never needed it so it HAD to GO. ya know?





Its up on blocks right now I really can't wait too see that shinoda chin layin in the weeds.

So once the front end was off I was busy trying to organize the wiring. Shortening some, lengthening others, deleting others... Its amazing how you can spend half a day on wiring and when your done for the day, your not sure how much you really accomplished. I started at the drivers door and worked my way up to the bumper and obviously still have some more too go with the spaghetti monster I left for next time.

But all that was for this money shot!

I could not be any happier with how this turned out so far and cant wait to see it lit up. There are some lights going into it, one set is a 7 color led halo that would normally go into a headlight that is now lighting up the plexi the pg fuse box mounts too.

here is a quick test of the lights for that piece - http://s260.photobucket.com/user/ttocsi ... l.mp4.html

In to that I have also made some spots to shine onto the back of the plexi window that will cover it. The window will be tinted on the front face so with no lights on it will nearly look black and when its mounted will be flush with the metal panel around it for hopefully a nice smooth flow from the glass to the metal. With the leds shining onto the back of the tinted plexi if I put a frosted desing/logo ont the back of the plexi it will light up a nice bright blue. I have considered something like a ford or PG logo or possibly just a simple boarder. There will be a black boarder painted around the very outside of it(on the bottom of the plexi) to hide the frame that holds it in place. I thought it would be a nice contrast if I just did a simple frosted boarder about the same depth as the black boarder, maybe with some chrome detailing tape between them or something. Idunno still trying to figure it out, anyone have any suggestions? I even thought about maybe some kind of caution/high power warning but not sure...