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Dave C 5

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One of six according to Marti report( 1968 )- not a numbers matching engine though - been in a garage since 1989- 390 4 speed- I’ll try to keep you all posted on progress - I forget to take pictures though
 

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That's going to be a real looker when completed. The 390 is a killer power plant, and a four speed is icing on the cake. Will be following the restoration.

Enjoy,
 
I remember being disappointed back in 1966 when a HiPo Mustang beat my 409 off the red light. Later that evening I figured out the weight to HP of the two cars and felt much better over it. The 289 HiPo was 271 HP, and if memory serves me right I think the 390 was 335HP. A lot of performance engines didn't survive those times. Crusing the streets hoping to catch a red light.
 
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New floor boards in . My welding skills aren’t the best but that’s what grinders are for . Really exited about the lack of rust - starting complete quarter panels next week- if they get here with all these trucking delivery problems
 

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Back window tray - zero rust and factory paint
 

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The plan right now is to get the metal work done then put it on a rotisserie and have the under side and inside blasted- kinda backwards I know but cash flow right now dictates that . I will dress the underside welds then SPI epoxy on underside and inside. After that it will get Lizard Skin both inside and under the car …. Hopefully in the next few months
 
The plan right now is to get the metal work done then put it on a rotisserie and have the under side and inside blasted- kinda backwards I know but cash flow right now dictates that . I will dress the underside welds then SPI epoxy on underside and inside. After that it will get Lizard Skin both inside and under the car …. Hopefully in the next few months
Rotisserie is SO nice! Was glad I got one for my project.
Barry actually talked me out of spraying Raptor (similar to Lizard Skin I believe) on the underside. The main point was resell down the road and raising the question "what are you hiding?" Will get all the sound deadening needed with Dynamat inside.

I went with 3 coats of SPI Black Epoxy with 4+ hours of induction.
Really like how it came out and I believe it when Barry says it will hold up as good or better than any other product. Many others have posted here and given testimony to that.

New underside epoxy.jpg
 
So I’m trying to decide on whether to go full quarters or just replace from the top edge down. Maybe someone can make up my mind for me. My thoughts are : waaay less welding . I have done skins before and I weld “ok”, but the distortion that is left will be not easily tackled due to poor access with hammer and dolly. I like the idea of keeping as much original metal as possible but a full quarter only requires spot welding. I know it won’t fit perfect and some “adjustments “ will be needed but is that better than welding a 3 foot seam ? I have a tig welder and a mig welder- my tig skills are not where they should be for attempting a weld like that - any thoughts or advice ? I went ahead and ordered the full fastback quarters because the “C cove “ in front of the back wheel is different on a 68 vs a 67 and NO ONE makes a coup panel ( interchangeably with a fastback) that has the correct 68 “C cove” - they’re all for a 67- so I have the full - could just cut off what I need- thoughts ??
 
If you have doubts about your welding ability obviously the full quarter is a better choice.
It is very do-able to take say a full replacement quarter and cut it down to what you need and weld it in as a partial. You would want to have the seam very close to the body line on the quarter in order to minimize warpage.

One way that works well with a MIG is to cut the replacement a little long so that it overlaps the old quarter. This assumes you have removed all of the old quarter but left it a little long in the seam area. Fit the partial to the car and the two panels will overlap in the planned seam area. Use some self tappers to hold the two together and then start in the center with a cut-off tool and a 1/32 wheel. Cut about 8-12 inches peeling the cut back, inside and out. Align the panels with a small flat screwdriver and tack with the MIG. You always want to have a gap of about the width of the cutoff wheel when doing this. If your gap shrinks, run the cutoff wheel through to get it back.

Continue working out from the center cutting and tacking taking care to align the panels with the screwdriver. Once you have it all cut and the initial tacks done, start tacking halfway between each previous tacks. Meaning if you have 2 tacks 12 inches apart you would put one in the middle of those. Skip around, take your time, don't force cool the tacks.

As you progress grind your tacks a little. Keep the seam clean. Continue tacking/spotting until you have the seam welded. You only tack/spot when doing this. Never more than that. That is the key. When you start to get close to each precious tack/spot, spot the next weld so it slightly overlaps the previous tack. This helps keep the pinholes to a minimum, although if this is your first time doing this you will get a few, Just grind you seam close hold a light to the backside and then spot/tack each pinhole until you do not see any light.

Done this way you will have very little distortion. It's darn near impossible to planish MIG welds due to the carbon in the shielding gas, so this method works very nicely. Key is to have the right gap, take your time, and skip around never doing more than spotting/tacking.
 
If you have doubts about your welding ability obviously the full quarter is a better choice.
It is very do-able to take say a full replacement quarter and cut it down to what you need and weld it in as a partial. You would want to have the seam very close to the body line on the quarter in order to minimize warpage.

One way that works well with a MIG is to cut the replacement a little long so that it overlaps the old quarter. This assumes you have removed all of the old quarter but left it a little long in the seam area. Fit the partial to the car and the two panels will overlap in the planned seam area. Use some self tappers to hold the two together and then start in the center with a cut-off tool and a 1/32 wheel. Cut about 8-12 inches peeling the cut back, inside and out. Align the panels with a small flat screwdriver and tack with the MIG. You always want to have a gap of about the width of the cutoff wheel when doing this. If your gap shrinks, run the cutoff wheel through to get it back.

Continue working out from the center cutting and tacking taking care to align the panels with the screwdriver. Once you have it all cut and the initial tacks done, start tacking halfway between each previous tacks. Meaning if you have 2 tacks 12 inches apart you would put one in the middle of those. Skip around, take your time, don't force cool the tacks.

As you progress grind your tacks a little. Keep the seam clean. Continue tacking/spotting until you have the seam welded. You only tack/spot when doing this. Never more than that. That is the key. When you start to get close to each precious tack/spot, spot the next weld so it slightly overlaps the previous tack. This helps keep the pinholes to a minimum, although if this is your first time doing this you will get a few, Just grind you seam close hold a light to the backside and then spot/tack each pinhole until you do not see any light.

Done this way you will have very little distortion. It's darn near impossible to planish MIG welds due to the carbon in the shielding gas, so this method works very nicely. Key is to have the right gap, take your time, and skip around never doing more than spotting/tacking.
Here is a YouTube video if Fitzee demonstrating pretty much what Chris is talking about.
 
Hmmm ….. I’ve done this tack welding plenty - put skins on before . I appreciate your instructions- I really do ! Issues that I have had in the past is welding new metal to old metal - the inevitable blow through when hitting less than clean metal . I might be in the same camp as Texasking - gonna have to give this some thought - I cut most off giving myself some room if I decide to use a partial
 

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Preliminary fit . I’m impressed with the fit ! A little tweaking needed but not much- still have to replace the trunk drop offs that attach to the back/bottom quarter panels then fit the outer wheel wells but it’s fitting up nicely so far
 

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Marti Report lists all sorts of stuff - 317,423 mustangs built in 68 - only 3700 fastbacks with 390 and 4 speed- Gulf Stream aqua (198)plus all Gulf Stream aqua interior was a very low production number - only 71. Then there were fewer AM radios ( most were AM/FM)- then something about the type of tires it was optioned with
 
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