C0braFan
03-15-07, 02:26 PM
I've owned this car since age 18, back in 1990, which means in one more year it will have been with me for half my lifetime. I've debated selling it over the years, because it's a "run of the mill coupe", but it being my first car, I can't part with it. I bought it for $6,000, which was a high price in 1990, but it was an unrestored low-mileage original in perfect condition. Here's the earliest photo I have of it.
http://www.jharbour.com/68_4.jpg
I started restoring in 2002, but knew absolutely nothing about mechanical work, so I got as far as replacing the fuel tank, lines, intake, carburetor, and fired it up, thinking I would just keep it as-is. But as is usually the case, the more I got into it, the more worn out parts I wanted to replace, until it became a 100% restoration. Here's the Ford 999 report.
http://www.jharbour.com/68_3.jpg
I've tossed around the idea of taking it back to factory stock, then to a restomod, but I settled on something different. At the last CMC show in October, there were at least a dozen stock coupes, and they are nice, but that isn't my style. So, I've finally settled on building it as a resto-racer with a retro Trans-Am theme, reminiscent of the Jerry Titus (http://www.historictransam.com/OriginalDrivers/JerryTitus.htm)and Dean Gregson (http://www.trans-amseries.com/Drivers/NickDeVitis.htm) 68 coupes....but it will be street legal and comfortable. I want to do some NASA racing, but not for points.
Here was the car two years ago, when I finally decided to fully restore it. I yanked all of the new parts off that I'd installed (new suspension, etc), and pulled the engine shortly after taking this photo.
http://www.jharbour.com/68_1.JPG
You can see the high-compression 10:1 factory pistons here, and on the other side the left head is still on, you see the factory pushrods and rockers. This engine, which put out factory-spec 230 hp, had 150k miles on it, with knocking, blow-by... I don't know why I thought I could drive it as is. Now that I've come to grips with reality, I'm going to build it up with a high-lift roller cam, roller rockers, stud girdle, forged internals, and a forged stroker crank, which should take it to 400 hp.
http://www.jharbour.com/68_2.JPG
Toying with the idea of doing a Boss 302 "mechanical prototype" car, the new Ford crate Boss 302 engine intrigued me for a while....but this very engine was the Boss 302 test mule during early development.
http://www.jharbour.com/68_5.jpg
Here's the current progress I've made on the body work. I'm learning as I go, having no mechanical skills to start with, but it's enjoyable work, if frustrating at times. My current dilemma is that my 30-gal air compressor runs out too quickly while powering a sander, so I need to buy an electric sander to continue work. I'm also drilling out the inner fender aprons in the engine compartment to replace them, and this is also a new learning experience.
http://www.jharbour.com/68_6.jpg
This last image shows the condition of the sheet metal...not bad. The drivers side floor needs a small replacement. I believe the cowl is good, but for long term it might be wise to cut it out and replace it...which is a terrible job. But, now is the time to do that sort of thing, not later.
http://www.jharbour.com/68_7.jpg
At this point, I'm 5 years into the restoration, having changed directions a couple times, with about 2 actual years of work on the car (and during that time, two more children!). I sure wish I'd known someone experienced with car restoration to help me do it right, but by taking it slowly and not taking any shortcuts, I hope to get it done this year.
Is there a member of Copperstate Mustang Club who has time to assist me with this project? I would like to get a professional evaluation of whether I'm on the right track, what I could do better, etc, from someone who has already restored a car from the ground up. I can pay a fair price per hour. I live in Avondale, 4 miles from PIR.
http://www.jharbour.com/68_4.jpg
I started restoring in 2002, but knew absolutely nothing about mechanical work, so I got as far as replacing the fuel tank, lines, intake, carburetor, and fired it up, thinking I would just keep it as-is. But as is usually the case, the more I got into it, the more worn out parts I wanted to replace, until it became a 100% restoration. Here's the Ford 999 report.
http://www.jharbour.com/68_3.jpg
I've tossed around the idea of taking it back to factory stock, then to a restomod, but I settled on something different. At the last CMC show in October, there were at least a dozen stock coupes, and they are nice, but that isn't my style. So, I've finally settled on building it as a resto-racer with a retro Trans-Am theme, reminiscent of the Jerry Titus (http://www.historictransam.com/OriginalDrivers/JerryTitus.htm)and Dean Gregson (http://www.trans-amseries.com/Drivers/NickDeVitis.htm) 68 coupes....but it will be street legal and comfortable. I want to do some NASA racing, but not for points.
Here was the car two years ago, when I finally decided to fully restore it. I yanked all of the new parts off that I'd installed (new suspension, etc), and pulled the engine shortly after taking this photo.
http://www.jharbour.com/68_1.JPG
You can see the high-compression 10:1 factory pistons here, and on the other side the left head is still on, you see the factory pushrods and rockers. This engine, which put out factory-spec 230 hp, had 150k miles on it, with knocking, blow-by... I don't know why I thought I could drive it as is. Now that I've come to grips with reality, I'm going to build it up with a high-lift roller cam, roller rockers, stud girdle, forged internals, and a forged stroker crank, which should take it to 400 hp.
http://www.jharbour.com/68_2.JPG
Toying with the idea of doing a Boss 302 "mechanical prototype" car, the new Ford crate Boss 302 engine intrigued me for a while....but this very engine was the Boss 302 test mule during early development.
http://www.jharbour.com/68_5.jpg
Here's the current progress I've made on the body work. I'm learning as I go, having no mechanical skills to start with, but it's enjoyable work, if frustrating at times. My current dilemma is that my 30-gal air compressor runs out too quickly while powering a sander, so I need to buy an electric sander to continue work. I'm also drilling out the inner fender aprons in the engine compartment to replace them, and this is also a new learning experience.
http://www.jharbour.com/68_6.jpg
This last image shows the condition of the sheet metal...not bad. The drivers side floor needs a small replacement. I believe the cowl is good, but for long term it might be wise to cut it out and replace it...which is a terrible job. But, now is the time to do that sort of thing, not later.
http://www.jharbour.com/68_7.jpg
At this point, I'm 5 years into the restoration, having changed directions a couple times, with about 2 actual years of work on the car (and during that time, two more children!). I sure wish I'd known someone experienced with car restoration to help me do it right, but by taking it slowly and not taking any shortcuts, I hope to get it done this year.
Is there a member of Copperstate Mustang Club who has time to assist me with this project? I would like to get a professional evaluation of whether I'm on the right track, what I could do better, etc, from someone who has already restored a car from the ground up. I can pay a fair price per hour. I live in Avondale, 4 miles from PIR.