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    Results 1 to 18 of 18
    1. #1
      Join Date
      May 2018
      Location
      Denver, CO
      Posts
      10

      66 Mustang Coupe

      Hello everyone and welcome to my build thread.

      In 2006 I purchase a 66 Mustang Coupe with a straight six and more issues than I could comprehend at that time for $1,100. I was a junior in high school armed with my dad's basic hand tools, online forums, and a working-maintenance-at-the-golf-course budget.

      I spent two years "restoring" the car, IE discovering huge rust areas, "learning" to weld using a Harbor Freight flux core welder, breaking things, and generally trying to put them back together. By the time I went to college, the car actually looked pretty good from 10 feet. So I took pictures from 10 feet.

      Then I went to college, and the Mustang sat in front of my parents house with the elements tearing apart my subpar body work. I had plans for the car, but they were always out of reach. Time, money, and space were my limiting factors.

      But not anymore.

      I've spent ten years prepping for this build and now it's underway.

      The goal for the car is entry in optima Ultimate, without sacrificing the ability to drive the car to work. It needs to be streetable, with the ability to dial it up to eleven when needed. So here's what I have for a parts list so far:


      1. 2018 5.0 Coyote Engine (finally released)
      2. T-56 Magnum
      3. C&R Third Member, 3.75 Gears
      4. Mike Maier Inc. Mod 2 Front Suspension with tubular upper and lowers, reengineered shock towers to accommodate the wider engine, JRI Single adjustables
      5. Mike Maier Inc. Mod 2 Rear Suspension with the cantilever setup and panhard bar, JRI single adjustables
      6. Full floating rear housing
      7. Wilwood Superlight 6R for the front, Dynalight 6 in the rear
      8. Maier Racing fiberglass front fenders 2.25" wider
      9. Maier Racing carbon fiber rear bumper
      10. Maier Shelby front valance, bumper delete
      11. Shelby GT350 hood


      I'm pretty much a one-man operation and I still have a TON to learn. So as things progress please chime in with your pointers and suggestions. I'm hoping you all can help me put together one kick-butt car. And I'm hoping I can contribute some pointers for other kids in their garage trying to start their first project.

      Here's one of the earliest photos I can find of the car, still in my parents garage.
      Attached Images Attached Images  

    2. #2
      Join Date
      May 2018
      Location
      Denver, CO
      Posts
      10




      Here's what it looked like after the end of Round 1, circa 2007.


    3. #3
      Join Date
      May 2018
      Location
      Denver, CO
      Posts
      10
      Here's a few shots years later, at the new house, and ready to begin!

      Looks good, but it's hiding a mess of poor work, bondo, and questionable welding. Time to tear it apart and build something better.

      Hosed off and ready to rock












      This was going to take more than two weeks to pull out. Once in, it doesn't want to come out.






      Coming apart now
      Attached Images Attached Images  

    4. #4
      Join Date
      Mar 2018
      Location
      la mesa, CA
      Posts
      237
      Keep up the hard work and the momentum.
      Follow my Instagram
      And my build on here
      check out Opentracker Racing Products

    5. #5
      Join Date
      May 2018
      Location
      Denver, CO
      Posts
      10
      Thanks! I'm going to skip ahead a little bit because the 2018 Coyote Crate arrived over the weekend! This is the updated model with 460 hp along with the 2018 control pack (this motor isn't compatible with the previous one). There's not much info out there yet about this particular setup, but I'm hoping to drop it in soon.

      Arrived as two big boxes.


      There she is!







    6. #6
      Join Date
      Apr 2015
      Location
      Burlington KY
      Posts
      357
      Country Flag: United States
      man wish my budget was there when i started!
      "Racing is life. Everything else is just, waiting"

    7. #7
      Join Date
      May 2018
      Location
      Denver, CO
      Posts
      10
      Me too! That's why it's been 10 years in the works. The hard part about the budget: it seems everything must be ordered all at once to test for fitment. Can't put the puzzle together without all the pieces.

    8. #8
      Join Date
      May 2010
      Location
      British Columbia
      Posts
      508
      Quote Originally Posted by colorado_mustang View Post
      Me too! That's why it's been 10 years in the works. The hard part about the budget: it seems everything must be ordered all at once to test for fitment. Can't put the puzzle together without all the pieces.
      Amen , you manage to spend a grand on parts to find out you need to spend another grand to see if the first purchase will work . Snowball effect .............

    9. #9
      Join Date
      May 2018
      Location
      Denver, CO
      Posts
      10
      Quote Originally Posted by langleylad View Post
      Amen , you manage to spend a grand on parts to find out you need to spend another grand to see if the first purchase will work . Snowball effect .............
      Right! I spent $65 on a single AC adapter nut today, just so I wouldn't have to spend $1,500 on an entire front serpentine setup. I haven't even gotten to the paint and body prices yet.

    10. #10
      Join Date
      May 2010
      Location
      British Columbia
      Posts
      508
      Quote Originally Posted by colorado_mustang View Post
      Right! I spent $65 on a single AC adapter nut today, just so I wouldn't have to spend $1,500 on an entire front serpentine setup. I haven't even gotten to the paint and body prices yet.
      I found that there really were no surprises when it came to paint and body . I did my own paint and body and believe me I'm no paint and body man. In my project I found that one thing always leads to another . Then there is buying the wrong parts , I'm sure every guy on here has done that .

    11. #11
      Join Date
      Apr 2018
      Posts
      7
      Quote Originally Posted by colorado_mustang View Post
      Thanks! I'm going to skip ahead a little bit because the 2018 Coyote Crate arrived over the weekend! This is the updated model with 460 hp along with the 2018 control pack (this motor isn't compatible with the previous one). There's not much info out there yet about this particular setup, but I'm hoping to drop it in soon.

      Arrived as two big boxes.


      There she is!






      Droooooooooooooool

    12. #12
      Join Date
      May 2018
      Location
      Denver, CO
      Posts
      10
      Quote Originally Posted by langleylad View Post
      I found that there really were no surprises when it came to paint and body . I did my own paint and body and believe me I'm no paint and body man. In my project I found that one thing always leads to another . Then there is buying the wrong parts , I'm sure every guy on here has done that .
      How did you go about doing it yourself? I've received a couple quotes from local shops and they are unbelievably high. I'm thinking about at least tackling the interior and floors, possibly the engine compartment as well.

    13. #13
      Join Date
      May 2018
      Location
      Denver, CO
      Posts
      10
      The tear down continued!





      First problem, a big ugly sheet of metal used to cover a hole in the DS floorboard. Looks like it may have been caulked in originally?


      Nothing an even bigger hole can't fix!




      A little paint...


      A little prep...


      And we're back in business! Plus a sneak peek at one of the chassis upgrades I installed. Can you spot it?

    14. #14
      Join Date
      May 2010
      Location
      British Columbia
      Posts
      508
      Quote Originally Posted by colorado_mustang View Post
      How did you go about doing it yourself? I've received a couple quotes from local shops and they are unbelievably high. I'm thinking about at least tackling the interior and floors, possibly the engine compartment as well.
      It is a lot of work !. There is a good reason that shops charge a big $$ . For sure , do the interior , floors and engine bay yourself . YouTube can be your best friend .

    15. #15
      Join Date
      Mar 2009
      Location
      Houston, TX
      Posts
      1,193
      Country Flag: United States
      Looks like you're installing convertible rockers? You may want to installing convertible seat pan as well.

      Re body work, nothing special about it. It's just labor intensive, and generate a lot of dust from sanding. Plus side of it is you can control the pace, your car won't be at the mercy of the body shop, and you'll save tons of money doing it.
      Tu Ho
      Firebird V2-LS swap

    16. #16
      Join Date
      May 2018
      Location
      Denver, CO
      Posts
      10
      Yup, you're spot on. Convertible rockers went in, along with the convertible floor pan (eventually).





      In addition to the rockers I welded in a couple torque boxes:



      Basically following the instructions provided by Shaun at Street or Track.

      All in all this should help to dramatically stiffen an otherwise fairly floppy chassis.

    17. #17
      Join Date
      Mar 2009
      Location
      Houston, TX
      Posts
      1,193
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by colorado_mustang View Post
      Yup, you're spot on. Convertible rockers went in, along with the convertible floor pan (eventually).





      Basically following the instructions provided by Shaun at Street or Track.

      All in all this should help to dramatically stiffen an otherwise fairly floppy chassis.
      I followed Shaun's write up as well when I did my buddy's 65 Fastback, although I didn't do the seat pan. I also added Detroit Speed subframe connectors. All those mods made a huge improvement in chassis rigidity.
      Tu Ho
      Firebird V2-LS swap

    18. #18
      Join Date
      May 2018
      Location
      Denver, CO
      Posts
      10
      Quote Originally Posted by rickpaw View Post
      I followed Shaun's write up as well when I did my buddy's 65 Fastback, although I didn't do the seat pan. I also added Detroit Speed subframe connectors. All those mods made a huge improvement in chassis rigidity.
      Good call on the floor pans. It's been a major pain (pictures are coming) but I ended up basically tearing the entire thing apart and putting it all back together in the name of lower seat pans. The good news it I have plenty of headroom now and the convertible rockers are still connected top side. This combined with Mike's tubular subframe connector and the torque arm cross member should tie everything together really well. The torque boxes are pretty key too. I'm not sure why everyone doesn't install those. They're way too easy and beneficial not too.





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