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    1. #1
      Join Date
      Jul 2013
      Location
      Gilbert, AZ
      Posts
      934
      Country Flag: United States

      My 66 Mustang Coupe GT393-C

      I figured it was about time for me to post up a build thread. I've had this project since August 2013, but the build progress hasn't been interesting, at least photographically, and took awhile to be interesting at least as much as a build thread is concerned. Quick history is that my dad and I try to build a hot rod every year start to finish. It used to be more casually paced, but we've challenged ourselves more and more, and stepped up our game more with each project. We wanted to find something cool to follow the 71 Chevelle SS we finished last year, and won the Chevy Muscle pick at Goodguy's Del Mar Spring 2013. We build these cars completely by ourselves. The only time the Chevelle left our hands was for alignment. My dad and I do the bodywork, and I do the paintwork and buffing.



      We had a blast at this show and wanted to build something out of our normal range to bring to the 2014 Del Mar show. We are primarily GM people, but I've always wanted to try my work on a Mustang coupe. The search began, and mid-August I found and bought this 66 Mustang. It was a solid car and built by a guy about my age (mid-late 20's) who spent near a decade making the car right mechanically, but 1. Got overwhelmed when he realized the extent of the bodywork needed and 2. Was starting a family. So I got this car with a great head start already with a fresh 393 stroker, and T-5 setup with hydraulic clutch. He had all kinds of goodies in boxes already including a fiberglass cowl style hood, Shelby style rear decklid, front 13" Cobra brakes, and enough other parts to push me to leave a deposit on this car. Some parts were used, and some weren't due to change in build direction, or just pure unusable repop parts, but I'll get to that on a step by step basis.


      FYI- this blue paint was ROLLED ON, and a huge pain to remove.




      The progress is going to go by a lot more rapidly now as Del Mar is 3 months away as I'm typing this. I have the rest of the build set into motion and have it all planned. I'm going to order a set of custom offset American Racing VN427's next week, rears with a deeper offset so I can narrow a 9" I have laying around. Suspension will be simplified for now while I'm focusing on the rest of the car. Stock control arms up front, but I'll add roller lower spring mounts and adjustable strut rods, as well as adding torque boxes and SFC's. I need to research this more and figure out what I can do without breaking the bank since we're not rolling in $$, the most cost effective mods are what I need to figure out. Color has been chosen (for today at least) to be BMW Barbera Red (similar to the Dragon's Blood Red on the Ring Brother's 70 Mustang), with a champagne wide centerstripe in matte, with a red pinstripe. I loved the TMI interior in the 71 Chevelle we did, so I am excited to get a more complete setup for this car. I'm going to talk with them next week, and try and get their complete Sport XR interior they debuted at SEMA last year, as well as their complete modernized door panels and suede 1 piece headliner. All this will be in hopefully a brown bomber jacket type color, with suede inserts, but that will all depend on what colors we can find. The dash will get a Dakota Digital VHX analog setup. I've designed custom one off taillights and am going to learn how to machine them within the next month as well. A Shelby R type valance was planned, but after finding out it will not fit without extensive work, I'm going to modify the stock one to a custom configuration that should look pretty clean and cool I'm hoping.



      Well there it is. I have months of photos I'll keep adding over the weekend as I get time, so this will do for the night. Hopefully this build thread is interesting for you guys.
      Josh Campbell- Pushing the limits of my HOA since 2011
      71 Firebird- 455, Ridetech front suspension. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...04#post1124504
      67 Camaro RS/SS clone, Speedtech front suspension, coilovers, soon to get LT1/T56.
      82 Z28- cheapie beater, soon to get a 406.
      66 Mustang coupe- 393, T-5, sold. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...-Coupe-GT393-C


    2. #2
      Join Date
      Jul 2013
      Location
      Gilbert, AZ
      Posts
      934
      Country Flag: United States
      The first step was just general paint stripping and damage repair and get the body straight, and assess any damage. I'm not really a believer in completely blasting or dipping a car as I've known people who have had difficulty getting materials to stick. What we've done for years that works is we just use a dual action sander to get through any bad or unusable layers, which in this case brought the car mostly down to the original white base. This has worked for us in the past, and leaves a good foundation for bodywork to attach.

      Damage to the rear tail panel. Didn't look terrible till we compared the old bumper to the new one.


      To pull this I simply attached a U-bolt through the tail panel and into a 12" wide heavy steel channel within the trunk to distribute the load. The other end is a come-along attached to... the hitch of a pickup truck. Hey, whatever works!


      There was also this random dent behind the driver's door.

      I was able to pop it out mostly from the inside. After this picture there was more hammer and dolly work and it came out near perfect.


      Another dent next to the lower rear valence.

      I was able to nailhead the dent out pretty well, but whether it was from the damage, production tolerances, or other factors there was a fairly good sized gap next to the valence.
      http://s26.photobucket.com/user/blaz...ml?sort=3&o=38
      I used some 1/8" steel rod and welded this to the 1/4 panel to close the gap. Worked very well, and it fits much better now. 1/8" rod is one of my favorite materials on builds like this.


      Paint is starting to come off and I see this is actually a pretty solid car. The car came with a Shelby style trunklid that I assume was one of the daunting tasks the last owner factored into his decision. The fit was abysmal, and took tens of hours of work just to fit.

      It's hard to see in images, but the side to side gaps were huge. I had to add 1/8" of fiberglass to the edges to remedy this.

      The end caps did not have any mounting provisions, it was just the outer shell. I decided to make my own bosses out of plastic stock I bought from McMaster-Carr. I bolted them up to the car and trial fitted them many times to the contours of the caps until they were close enough to fiberglass onto the caps.

      Once I had the end caps done with mounting bosses I was able to bolt them onto the car and in typical fashion, they fit horribly.

      I built up this thickness with fiberglass sheet/resin, then filled the final coat with plastic filler.
      Here below you can see the trunklid gaps are much more presentable.

      You can see the tan length of fiberglass I added to the edges, as well as the general unevenness of the gap through the length.
      The end caps are now fitted, and the decklid is starting to look like part of the car.


      The front end was fitted at this point. The fenders weren't too bad, but the hood needed a lot more work.
      Josh Campbell- Pushing the limits of my HOA since 2011
      71 Firebird- 455, Ridetech front suspension. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...04#post1124504
      67 Camaro RS/SS clone, Speedtech front suspension, coilovers, soon to get LT1/T56.
      82 Z28- cheapie beater, soon to get a 406.
      66 Mustang coupe- 393, T-5, sold. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...-Coupe-GT393-C

    3. #3
      Join Date
      Mar 2010
      Location
      New Jersey
      Posts
      34
      Country Flag: United States
      Nice work. Definitely following this. Sweet Chevelle too

    4. #4
      Join Date
      Jul 2010
      Location
      OREGON
      Posts
      365
      Country Flag: United States
      Nice work cant wait to see some more...

    5. #5
      Join Date
      Feb 2012
      Location
      compton IL
      Posts
      159
      Country Flag: United States
      nice project. good to see sore mustang projects surface !
      1965 mustang fastback. a pro-touring concoction of oem, race & custom fab...build thread here https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...Racesteed-quot
      1975 harley ironhead custom long chopper. home built dream machine. fast, loud & beautiful

    6. #6
      Join Date
      May 2007
      Posts
      228
      Subscribing

    7. #7
      Join Date
      Jul 2013
      Location
      Gilbert, AZ
      Posts
      934
      Country Flag: United States
      Thanks guys! It's starting to come along nicely, a lot of progress these last few days, but that will have to wait till a later post!

      For now, onto the next segment. One of the things that always bugged me about these 1st gen Mustangs was the flat quarter panels. It just lacked aggression, and actually looked smaller than the forward flares. I decided to make this car look mean, I needed to widen these flares.
      Flat factory flare:

      I decided the best plan of attack was to slice the flare along the length between the curvature adjacent to the 1/4 panel, and the outer wheel lip. I cut a long length so by pulling it out the effect would be gradual and keep the overall shape of the lip intact.

      Slice is made and starting to bend it to where I wanted.

      This is where the flare ended up at. You can see it's fairly substantial, and adds a lot more aggression.

      The next step took the greatest time, but it was tweaking strips of metal with a ball peen and just bending it till it fit the compound curves properly to be welded up. I did a step/sandwich pattern. I'd do a segment on the front face, then do an overlap on the rear, and so forth, so it will be just as strong as original.

      The final product. I'm not a metal working master by any means, but I was able to get this where it needed a final skim coat of filler.

      I coated the flare with All Metal first, an aluminum based filler that will be more durable, and resistant to shrinkdown. I followed this with a coat of plastic filler for a more proper surface, and it was good to go.

      I also took this time to fill the passenger's side lock hole.

      This is with the unusable layers of paint removed, and blocked down. It looks odd and rough, but it has been sanded with a 12" block and is a good flat, strong foundation for my bodywork.

      And finally, the first coat of primer!
      Josh Campbell- Pushing the limits of my HOA since 2011
      71 Firebird- 455, Ridetech front suspension. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...04#post1124504
      67 Camaro RS/SS clone, Speedtech front suspension, coilovers, soon to get LT1/T56.
      82 Z28- cheapie beater, soon to get a 406.
      66 Mustang coupe- 393, T-5, sold. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...-Coupe-GT393-C

    8. #8
      Join Date
      Jul 2013
      Location
      Gilbert, AZ
      Posts
      934
      Country Flag: United States
      Spoiler and decklid finally looks good. Took a lot of work to get it there.

      The aftermarket fenders fit well overall, but the gaps seemed large and inconsistent.

      The top of the fender to door gap was all wrong as well.

      I use 1/8" steel rod and weld it onto the edge of the fender, front and back. I then file/grind it up to the gap that I want. Here it is partially filled.

      Hard to see in the pic, but the gap is nice and tight now.

      The driver's side didn't need as much tightening luckily.

      To finish it off I just used filler to blend the door to the fender to ensure the transition is perfectly flat, and smooth.

      One of the things I didn't like with the Mustang fender is that there was only 1 lower mounting point. This proved to be difficult with getting a precision gap when this one point allowed the fender to pivot and basically was not rigid. I added a forward tab to positively locate this parallel to the body. Now the fender bolts right on and is in perfect alignment every time.
      Josh Campbell- Pushing the limits of my HOA since 2011
      71 Firebird- 455, Ridetech front suspension. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...04#post1124504
      67 Camaro RS/SS clone, Speedtech front suspension, coilovers, soon to get LT1/T56.
      82 Z28- cheapie beater, soon to get a 406.
      66 Mustang coupe- 393, T-5, sold. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...-Coupe-GT393-C

    9. #9
      Join Date
      Feb 2012
      Location
      compton IL
      Posts
      159
      Country Flag: United States
      nice work ! i really like how the rear flares turned out, you can tell they are not stock but so subtle it is not in your face. well done !
      1965 mustang fastback. a pro-touring concoction of oem, race & custom fab...build thread here https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...Racesteed-quot
      1975 harley ironhead custom long chopper. home built dream machine. fast, loud & beautiful

    10. #10
      Join Date
      Feb 2007
      Posts
      318
      Country Flag: United States
      Looking good!

    11. #11
      Join Date
      Jun 2010
      Location
      Houston
      Posts
      97
      Country Flag: United States
      I am also
      working on a '66 coupe. I will be following your build.

    12. #12
      Join Date
      Oct 2011
      Location
      Katy, Tx
      Posts
      309
      Country Flag: United States
      Great project... I too have a 66 that will be a resto-mod pro touring setup...

    13. #13
      Join Date
      Jul 2013
      Location
      Gilbert, AZ
      Posts
      934
      Country Flag: United States
      Thanks for the comments guys! Yeah, on the flares I didn't want something that jumped out as an obvious mod. I think the best mods are the type that you can stare at for 5 minutes and know it looks better, but you can't pinpoint why.

      Now for today's installment... now that the doors were fitted to the body, I had to move onto something I wasn't looking forward to, fitting the hood to the fenders. Aside from mishandling and general chips, broken corner, it also didn't fit (seems to be a trend). The top surface of the fender was not inline with the outer edge of the hood, which were actually curled up about 1/4" above the surface of the fender.

      Initial appearances were decent...

      until you got the the details. It was hard to capture in this image, but the top plane of the fender was actually below the bottom surface of the hood, due to the edges being curled.

      Before I could plane the edges down I had to build up more material on the bottom of the hood so I did not sand through completely.

      It is difficult to see in this next pic, but I'll try anyways. There are multiple layers here. If you look very closely there is a black thin layer at the bottom. This is the original fiberglass of the hood after I sanded it to the fender with 40 grit and a sanding block. Above that is a darker yellow layer which is the fiberglass I added, basically the thickness of the hood once over again.

      It took a little bit of finessing, but I finally was able to get this hood pretty presentable for a fiberglass piece.


      At this point I noticed that the outer 6" of the cowl on the RH side sat about 1/4" below the properly adjusted hood, and fender. It would have taken too much filler for my preference, and I didn't see any evidence of any damage to the cowl, so I decided to bring the cowl up to the rest of the body.

      Just a pie cut through the side, and partially into the front, and some 1/8" welding rod...

      then some weld, and grinding, and it's just like it should be.
      Josh Campbell- Pushing the limits of my HOA since 2011
      71 Firebird- 455, Ridetech front suspension. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...04#post1124504
      67 Camaro RS/SS clone, Speedtech front suspension, coilovers, soon to get LT1/T56.
      82 Z28- cheapie beater, soon to get a 406.
      66 Mustang coupe- 393, T-5, sold. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...-Coupe-GT393-C

    14. #14
      Join Date
      Jul 2013
      Location
      Gilbert, AZ
      Posts
      934
      Country Flag: United States
      Now for some suspension mockup. I needed to figure the stance out somewhat so I could turn the wheels at ride height to verify the offset I needed (the wheels that are on came with the car). I wanted to do the Shelby UCA lowering modification, which I read should get me just under 1" suspension drop. The car sat way too high up front for having dropped springs, so this was step 1. Step 2 entailed cutting 1/3 of a coil to try and dial the stance in a bit more. While I had the spring apart I used this time to remove the rubber lower spring mount pivot, and install roller Dazecars bearings, which just from a static standpoint was well worth it, but more on that later.

      The UCA relocation is simply 1" down, and 1/8" rearward. I had this fixture built at work with a piece of scrap 1/4" steel, which made drilling the new holes a breeze. (keep in mind all these pics are for early mockup. I will tear it apart again in a couple weeks for final detail.

      Here is the LH UCA with the stock position, note how it angled downwards towards the balljoint.

      I realize now I took a bad pic, but you can kind of see how the arm is more parallel with the ground now.

      I also took this time to change to a roller lower spring mount. The previous owner had installed new mounts before, and they were solid with no movement at all at the pivots. I don't see how this can properly allow the suspension to do its job. The Dazecars kit was inexpensive, and easy to follow and assemble, with the hardest part only being removing the molded rubber from the pivot. Afterwards the difference was very noticeable. The suspension was more free moving than before, a great improvement for $46.

      This image is just me playing around. I did the UCA mod, and wanted to check clearance for new wheels, so I left the spring out gave it the right stance through using a jack. I noticed I could move the wheel inwards 1/2" and gain more space outside, with plenty of space inside. I determined a 17x8" wheel with a 4.5" backspace will be just fine for this. I will order my set of American Racing VN427's this week hopefully. I did cut 1/3 of a coil to adjust the stance more to my liking. You'll see how that looks in my next post, it's about 0.75"-1" higher than I want in the end, but I accounted for not having bumper/valance/headlights, and not being settled up front. Hopefully when it's all together it should settle where I want it to.
      Josh Campbell- Pushing the limits of my HOA since 2011
      71 Firebird- 455, Ridetech front suspension. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...04#post1124504
      67 Camaro RS/SS clone, Speedtech front suspension, coilovers, soon to get LT1/T56.
      82 Z28- cheapie beater, soon to get a 406.
      66 Mustang coupe- 393, T-5, sold. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...-Coupe-GT393-C

    15. #15
      Join Date
      Jul 2013
      Location
      Gilbert, AZ
      Posts
      934
      Country Flag: United States
      While I verified the front wheel fitment, I figured I'd make sure a 17x9.5" wheel with a 275/40 will fit out back. Luckily I had a spare set of wheels laying around with just the perfect sizes to check. Too bad they're Corvette wheels, otherwise I like the look! I measured a 17x11" wheel with a 4" backspacing would be the right look for staggered offsets, although I'm building a rearend to match to the wheels.


      Now back to paint prep!
      I spend a good bit of time chipping away at the cowl vents to get the 4-5 layers of paint off! Still don't know how to address inside the cowl.

      Now we're caught up to real time! This is the Mustang as of last night. 2nd coat of primer, which means I'll dry block with an 18" pad once more, then the final coat of primer!


      Pics aren't the best, the lighting in the garage doesn't show things off too well. This car hasn't left my garage since I got it, and won't leave until the day I shoot it in a friend's paint booth, so it's about as garage built as you can get!
      Josh Campbell- Pushing the limits of my HOA since 2011
      71 Firebird- 455, Ridetech front suspension. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...04#post1124504
      67 Camaro RS/SS clone, Speedtech front suspension, coilovers, soon to get LT1/T56.
      82 Z28- cheapie beater, soon to get a 406.
      66 Mustang coupe- 393, T-5, sold. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...-Coupe-GT393-C

    16. #16
      Join Date
      Jul 2013
      Location
      Gilbert, AZ
      Posts
      934
      Country Flag: United States
      Now for the future.

      I'm pretty sure I've settled on BMW Barberarot (Barbera Red) as I think it looks sinister, and classy.

      I'm thinking either a matter gray or champagne wide center stripe, with a red pinstripe running over the hood and trunk. Still need to decide those colors.
      I want to run a complete TMI Sport XR interior in a dark tan/brown combination, using their new full door panels, and suede headliner as well.
      17" VN427's all around.
      Name:  ar-vn427-shelby-cobra-gray-polished-lip.jpg
Views: 5898
Size:  106.1 KB
      I'm an Engineer by day, so I took the time to play around with taillight ideas. I wanted something a little more unique. I created 3 concepts.
      1. I thought after awhile it looked too flat.

      2. I thought it looked too busy and high tech for how the rest of the car was going to be.

      3. This is what I ended up with. I thought was was clean, while adding some detail and a 3rd dimensional look. I will paint the inner area to match the matte painted tail panel. I'm going to learn CNC machining this weekend, and have these machined (I wish I could say I'd do it, but I'm just learning the process and being there when it's done). I'll use a clear plastic lens material, with a sequential LED board.



      Next up: This weekend the engine is coming out for a full repaint to match the body, as well as cleaning and smoothing of the underhood areas and paint to match the outside as well. I'll also R&R the front suspension, add torque boxes and a DSE SFC kit. I'll measure out for my 9", and bolt on the 13/12" Cobra brakes I have all around. Block the car one more time, prime one more time. Blow the doors and fenders off to clean and paint the jambs. Then reassemble, wetsand, and paint! It's been a lot of work, but the end is near!
      Josh Campbell- Pushing the limits of my HOA since 2011
      71 Firebird- 455, Ridetech front suspension. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...04#post1124504
      67 Camaro RS/SS clone, Speedtech front suspension, coilovers, soon to get LT1/T56.
      82 Z28- cheapie beater, soon to get a 406.
      66 Mustang coupe- 393, T-5, sold. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...-Coupe-GT393-C

    17. #17
      Join Date
      Mar 2009
      Location
      overseas
      Posts
      3,433
      Country Flag: United States
      looks great so far! good work!! Barbera Red will looks awesome on there!!
      Kevin S. (overseas in Germany)
      1963 Chevrolet Impala 2d ht Coupe

      www.CruznArt.com
      CRUZN - Automotive Artworks

    18. #18
      Join Date
      Jan 2014
      Posts
      2
      Country Flag: United States
      this is my first post and i'd say its on a worthy build thread! looks awesome man! I have a 68 coupe that i am restomodding and probably going in the protouring direction. keep the up the good work and cant wait to see it done!

    19. #19
      Join Date
      Jul 2013
      Location
      Gilbert, AZ
      Posts
      934
      Country Flag: United States
      Work has been going pretty steady, although I haven't had time to post on here. Countdown to Del Mar is under 2 months!!!!!!

      Last step was 2 of 3 coats of primer. Here's a rear shot that I didn't have before. Starting to look nice.


      I also wanted to fill the license plate recess up front.

      My plan was to use the original unusable valance, and use the flats just outside of the license recess, and basically use them on the new valance.

      Here are the 2 sections as cut from the old valance, just set into place. This is going to be a pretty easy mod.

      One side is done.

      2nd side held up into place.

      2nd side tacked into place.


      At this time I also used a local machine shop my day job uses, and stopped by on a Saturday to learn about CNC machining, and get my bezels completed.


      I'm going to finish this by doing a hand brushed finish on the raised portion, with the center recess painted the color of the tail panel. I'll use clear plastic of some sort for the lens, and adapt the larger 67/68 Mustang LED taillights.
      Josh Campbell- Pushing the limits of my HOA since 2011
      71 Firebird- 455, Ridetech front suspension. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...04#post1124504
      67 Camaro RS/SS clone, Speedtech front suspension, coilovers, soon to get LT1/T56.
      82 Z28- cheapie beater, soon to get a 406.
      66 Mustang coupe- 393, T-5, sold. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...-Coupe-GT393-C

    20. #20
      Join Date
      Jul 2013
      Location
      Gilbert, AZ
      Posts
      934
      Country Flag: United States
      It's late, the next photoset of engine bay detailing will take awhile, so I'm just going to post a few pics of goodies arriving. In addition to the parts below, I have a Detroit Speed subframe connector set, Maier Racing shock tower brace, Griffin radiator, and a few other things.

      Dakota Digital VHX gauges, awesome set. Can't wait to install it!


      ET Wheels ACIII's. 17x7 up front, 17x9.5 out back with BFG Comp II's, 215/45 up front, 275/40 out back. I needed at least the rears mounted so I can set them in the body and measure for axles, so I can narrow a 9" I have laying around. These wheels are gorgeous, I can't wait to install them.



      Color samples from TMI for the Sport XR interior I'm planning. I'm probably going with the vinyl on the right, with the suede in the middle. It looks way red in this pic, but they are much closer in hue in real life.
      Josh Campbell- Pushing the limits of my HOA since 2011
      71 Firebird- 455, Ridetech front suspension. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...04#post1124504
      67 Camaro RS/SS clone, Speedtech front suspension, coilovers, soon to get LT1/T56.
      82 Z28- cheapie beater, soon to get a 406.
      66 Mustang coupe- 393, T-5, sold. https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...-Coupe-GT393-C

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