By Jeff Glucker
Work continues on my 1967 Ford Mustang project car, and it feels good to have some solid progress on this thing. This past weekend, I hooked up all of the steering bits, tightened the front suspension, and set to work fixing a bit of metal in the engine bay.
The passenger-side inner front fender has rusted a bit, leaving the battery tray without a spot for it to bolt to the vehicle. I purchased a replacement inner fender, but didn’t want to replace the entire panel. So, I chopped out a piece from the good panel and the bad metal on the car. I set the new bit of metal in place and welded it.
Yes. These are the grossest welds you’ve ever seen, but I’m confident the new panel isn’t going anywhere. Still, I am going to go back in and grind a bit before re-welding a few spots, especially the area on the lower right side of the new panel. Then I will get the new battery tray where it’s supposed to be.
Next on the to-do list is to install the front brakes, which should arrive later this week. Then I will find a cheap set of wheels and tires off Craigslist so I can set the car down and see how it sits on the new suspension. After that, I am going to tow it to a local shop that will finish the wiring. While it’s there, I may have them run fresh brake lines for me.
I’ve got a line on a rebuilt T5 and also a lightly upgraded 351. If everything comes together at a decent pace, perhaps we won’t be too far off from twisting a key later on in the year.