Build Thread Finally! 89 Notch 2v Swap Progress Thread Project: 89mach1

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Got back to work on the front end today.
I spent the first hour bodyworkin' the already installed passenger side bucket. There is a small high spot (you'll see it in the close up) but I think the lines will work out good.
 
Awesome work. Do you have any more pics of how the rear is coming along?

The tail lights have......stagnated. The problem is/was the rear quarter had the body side molding sticking out past the curve of the bumper when looked at from behind. It required that I completely cut the panel behind the rear tire off, from the body side molding down to 1/2" from the bottom, beat the hell out of that piece to flatten the panel and get rid of the raised detail, fabricate an extension of the curved radius for the wheel lip, and then weld it back on. It is a real P.I.T.A!!!!. The driver side is on, but I don't like how it looks bare. I'm concerned that I'll never be able to get it straight regardless of how much bondo I slather on there. AND even if that IS the solution, I don't want to put a bunch of filler on there anyway.

So I needed a break from it.

Believe it or not, The front end is way easier.
 
madmike1157, I just joined this web site and you have totally impressed me with this project ! Great work, great imagination !

Thank you.
AND I like your fairmont. I also like that black Zephyr. I have had 4. I just got tired of not being able to get stuff like taillights, moldings and trim replaced if the car I was working on had something that I wanted to replace.
 
Cut, Grind, fit, Grind some more.......

I gotta tell you, I'll be glad when this ***** is finished! The Garage looks like it was hit by an earthquake. There is grinding dust EVERYWHERE! Little shards of sharp-assed metal is all over the place,
( I usually find one after I kneel on it). My Tools are strung out from hell to eternity, I come in at 9PM, after working on it for about 12 hours, lifeless and filthy as two pigs. I got black dust so far up my sinuses I betcha my brain is black. Blah-blah-blah; Rant-Rant-Rant; Bitch-Bitch-Bitch.

Wait,....you don't want to hear me piss and moan, you want to see what I've done.....Ohhhh,,that's quite different........................Nevermind!


Today I started on the other side of the front end. You can see the piece sitting on top that I cut from 16 ga sheetmetal.
mustangengineswap078.jpg


After the one piece is screwed down, I fit another piece and tacked it to that. This is the cutline I traced from behind the bumper.
mustangengineswap079.jpg

I then welded the piss out of the joint. I grind a radius in at the top, so you need alot of weld underneath to keep from grinding through on top.
mustangengineswap080.jpg


After that, put it back in place, tack it weld it grind it, and it ends up looking something like this:
mustangengineswap081.jpg


mustangengineswap082.jpg

mustangengineswap083.jpg

mustangengineswap084.jpg


I also piddled around w/ the rear quarter. This is what I had to do to get rid of the line that was molded in for the body side molding;
You can see the real problem at the back where that body side molding stuck out beyond the bumpers' curve.

mustangengineswap086.jpg


I had to beat the hell out of the cut piece to flatten it.

mustangengineswap087.jpg


Then I'll have to reweld it back in place Like the finished Drivers side.
mustangengineswap085.jpg


I know that there are several guys using the nickname "Frankenstang" for their cars,.....But if they didn't cut it up like this one, substitute other parts from long dead body styles, and try to bring the whole thing back to life when it was all "sewed" back together,....maybe they should re-think their nickname.
 
Keep the pics coming!!!!!! This is an awesome build! I would love to do that to my car if I had the skills.

You can only get the skills two ways, going to school, or just doing it. I just bought a Lincoln 110v welder back when I was getting whacked in the head w/ 2 x 4's, and have been "learning the hard way ever since.
That $300.00 was the best money I've ever spent on ANY tool. I use it for everything (including my neighbors broke-assed riding mower)

Welding w/ a mig is as easy as it gets, and only takes a little practice to lay down a decent looking bead. Time and practice w/ different thickness' of metals will make you good enough to tackle anything. The good part is that the welder still can be had for under 400.00. As a footnote, make sure you upgrade to gas. Welding w/ flux-cored wire works on the thick stuff, but It make a spattery mess all over the surrounding metal and leaves behind a flux coating that has to be chipped off the weld.

a tard could weld 1/8" plate. start there and learn how to make it look
great.

From there you'll be confident to start taking on weird-assed projects like this one.
 
Mike, I've done some minor sheetmetal work before, filled in door handles, frenched taillights, etc. What are you using to cut your new metal? nibblers? snips? both? Cuts look really clean and smooth. That's always what gave me hell. Looks really good, man. Look forward to next post.