The project car was originally a 289 V8 with automatic transmission, no power brakes or steering. When finished it will be manual 5 speed transmission, 302 V8, power brakes and steering. I'll get to the adding a clutch after an update on clean, paint & repair.
Above is the passenger side rear fender well ready for underseal & no repair needed.
The driver side rear fender well had been cut back for the rear quarter panel replacement and will be seam sealed before under seal.
This is the inside of rear fender showing the weld for the replacement quarter panel, cleaned & ready for paint.
Bottom of the car cleaned and undersealed. Glad that part is done.
The radiator support was badly bent where the hood latch is attached, and I decided to replace it. this one is the second one replacement as part of the original was still there and it was braised in place not welded.
I tried heat to melt the braise without much luck and ended up using a grinder and cut off disc.
This is the new radiator support from CJ Pony parts. When I set it in place and took measurements to make sure it is square and in alignment it was 1 3/4" out of alignment from the fire wall.
After double checking alignment I found the front fender aprons had been replaced (poorly) and bent, shown above and below. Replacements will be ordered.
The front continues to be cleaned & striped while I wait for parts. I took it off the rotisserie to make sure the front frame did not rack while aligning the new parts.
I purchased a clutch conversion kit from Mustang Steve that will adapt to the T5 transmission & bell housing. It came with a new clutch pedal, cable and brackets. Some of the existing parts had to be modified, the brake pedal was cut down to match the clutch pedal. The pedal support bracket, from under the dash, was cut and welded to provide a slot for the clutch stop bracket (shown by the pencil).
The aluminum block, shown in the above picture at the bottom of the pencil, must be bolted to the firewall flange that was in bad shape. I cut the top lip off, ground it smooth and welded a plate where the block will be mounted on the driver side of the engine bay.
These two pictures show the clutch/brake pedal setup before it went into the car.
You can see the cable at the top of the clutch pedal that goes through the firewall to the support block.
Below is the support block and clutch cable in place.
The new clutch pedal bolted in place under the dash.
More fun next time.
The new clutch pedal bolted in place under the dash.
More fun next time.
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