We are so close to pulling out this ’72 351 Cleveland out of #ProjectSportsRoof.
In this post I continue to prep for the removal and I needed to do a trial run fitting the engine load balancing/leveling unit and if I had a enough room to maneuver.
Here’s why:
First there’s a lip I have to take into consideration.
There is a 2″ lip between the garage and the driveway/car.
The distance between the 2″ lip and the car bumper is a concern.
Not much room
Just about 45″
It’s a tight squeeze.
This is the foot of the hoist.
It’s 48″ long.
So I have to fit all of this under the Mustang – BTW there’s jack stands hold up the car and the transmission. When you lower the arm to reach out over the bumper (damn those safety bumpers) the hoist is pressing on the bumper.
Keep in mind that just past the front tires the drive slopes. I had visions of the getting the engine out and having to roll the hoist out past the car and swing it around to lower it on to the engine stand and it getting it away and rolling done the driveway and dumping its self in to the street…I actually had a nightmare about it.
So a dry run was necessary just so I could sleep.
Here’s the video:
I’m going to finish up the prep in the next post.
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We are moving right along on #ProjectSportsRoof,with the 351 Cleveland rebuilt. Still getting it ready to be pulled from the engine bay In this posting I’m still …
Welcome back to #ProjectSportsRoof. With the floor pans welding, sealing and coating finished the next step was to apply the heat and sound barrier. This is …
We are moving right along on #ProjectSportsRoof,with the 351 Cleveland rebuilt. Still getting it ready to be pulled from the engine bay
In this posting I’m still fussing around with getting what’s left to be removed and being extraordinarily careful about leaking fluid don’t the driveway.
I have a couple more post dealing with prepping engine to be pulled. So far no real stumbles, nothing has broken and that’s HUUUUGGGGEEEE!!!
Welcome back to #ProjectSportsRoof. I’m prepping the engine for removal in the … Classic Mustangs – #ProjectSportsRoof’s Marti Report · Classic Mustangs …
Welcome back to the final few posts of the floor pan replacement for # ProjectSportsRoof. Let’s get right down to it. I realized that I didn’t catch much of the work …
Welcome back to #ProjectSportsRoof. With the floor pans welding, sealing and coating finished the next step was to apply the heat and sound barrier. This is …
Welcome back to #ProjectSportsRoof. I’m prepping the engine for removal in the next few posts.
The video in this post shows some of the labeling I often do to cover any memory gaps.
The Oil Dri is key to keeping the mess to minimum. That’s important – keeps the HOA out of my hair – bad enough I’m working on the car outside and what you can’t see is that my driveway is steep and any fluid spilled in quantity will run a long ways before it gets to the street!!!
Oil Dri Picked it up at Ace Hardware.
More progress coming up.
Thanks for checking on #ProjectSportsRoof. Hey…if you have a project send us some pic or a video we’ll post them up!!!
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As I posted before, after a vigorous (not read ‘desperate’) I finally found my next personal project. The 1973 Mustang Sports Roof Fastback is what I settled on. Now we start the project that has been dubbed #ProjectSportsRoof (yes I find it necessary to use the ‘hash’). 1973 Mustang Color …
Mustang lovers check this out. There is place in El Mirage, AZ called Marti Auto Works. They own the rights to the Ford databases and records prior to 1974 (some models up to 1989). These guys have everything..I mean everything. Give them the VIN number and they’ll pile on the data (it’s not free but very reasonable). They are authorized by Ford to reproduce window stickers and Protector Plates (identification plates that go on the inside door jamb) and more.
If you have a classic Mustang you’ve got to get this report. I thought I’d share mine with the readers. The link below is to the .pdf and here is an image.
Whether you are just interested in the car history or doing an original restore this report comes in very handy. It’s pretty cool to see when it was ordered and build and all the original options are there to match.
The Statistics section – so cool!!! This section lets you know where your car ranks compare to those produce that year. As you can see above #ProjectSportsRoof is o1 of 76 with that paint and trim coat. If nothing else it bragging rights and in some small way this may add to the value of the car, but that’s tough to measure.
The list of items in the Door Data Plate Info, helps you determine how original your might be. For example you can see that my 73 Mustang left the factory with 302 and if you’ve followed my posts on #ProjectSportsRoof you’ll know it now sports a 351C V2 date coded 1972 and a C4 transmission but now it has a date code 1972 C6.
Visit the Marti report site and see what they offer.
Thanks for picking backup with blogging of the work done on the 1973 Mustang Sports Roof (#ProjectSportsRoof).
The floors are done and the heat and sound barrier are completed and it’s time for the carpet.
I’ve seen some pretty awful quality carpet for cars and I’ve had friends that attempted to use the one piece kits with not great success. I chose to go with ACC Carpet 2 piece set. Because my car was ordered special ordered with the Mach I Interior I went with their “Original Style Molded Fastback Mach I for 1971-1973” (CJ’s Part Number MC9-V). It is really well-formed and pre-cut for steering column and even dimmer switch.
The pieces come folded in a box and needs to be laid out flat for a while before installing. Luckily I live in Arizona and the sun makes quick work for that.
Here are the two pieces laid out on the hood of #ProjectSportsRoof.
This image shows the pre-cuts and forming in the front piece. ‘A’ is the cutout for the steering Column, ‘B’ is the quality built-in vinyl floor mat, ‘C’ is the cutout for the dimmer switch and ‘D’ is the very well-formed door jamb and finally ‘E’ is the transmission tunnel formed part.
Here’s a pick of how it just lays there and conforms to the floor.
Now check out the full shot with the front sections in place and the shift bezel in place. Looks pretty good, yes?
At point ‘A’ you can see the contour of the floor mat portions of the carpet piece. ‘B’ is the hole with the seat mounting stud protruding (you have to cut that) and both ‘C’ locations show just a simple X cut to allow the seat bolts to slip through.
This last still shot is with the rear pieces laid out.
You can see the forming in the carpet where the rear mount of the front set lays. The circle is where I had to cut to allow the bolt to slide in.
Here is little video.
I’m very please with this carpet. As of this blogging I haven’t finished trimming it. In real-time it’s been a few months. I had to put the seats back in and get it to a charity car show. Before I had a chance to get back to carpet, the Cleveland developed a bottom end knock and that’s were we are today. I can finish up more interior work while the engine is out.
The 351C rebuild is coming up next for #ProjectSportsRoof.
Welcome back to #ProjectSportsRoof. With the floor pans welding, sealing and coating finished the next step was to apply the heat and sound barrier. This is …
Welcome back to #ProjectSportsRoof. With the floor pans welding, sealing and coating finished the next step was to apply the heat and sound barrier. This is …
Welcome back to #ProjectSportsRoof. With the floor pans welding, sealing and coating finished the next step was to apply the heat and sound barrier. This is really an easy project and the benefits are noticeable.
The tools are pretty simple:
Hard Rubber Roller
A pair of good scissors, marker, a utility knife and a measuring implement (used both a ruler and measuring tape)
You won’t see step by step in this post. It maybe the most straight forward part of restoring the floor. Some may say that adding heat and sound proofing isn’t really part of the restoration. I’d have to disagree. These cars had an underlayment that served as heat and sound barrier. It wasn’t much and no where near the effectiveness as new aftermarket materials. I actually purchase the aftermarket underlayment that mimicked the original and it was close to what I pulled out of the car when I removed the carpeting. If you are going for factory correct/concours restoration it is what you should use but it’s was not going to last as long as the new material. In fact, after fitting it to the floor and see how easily it tore, I tossed it out – not great for the budget but I needed something a little more durable and effective – especially with the heat out here in Arizona.
The process is pretty simple, lay it out, measure, cut, peel off the back and stick it to the floor. No loose dirt or rust, get that all removed before you start. Once it’s down and in place roll it with a hard rubber roller. Keep the wrinkles to a minimum and make sure you get good contact with the surface.
This is the lay out.
You can still see the backing that will be pealed off.
I started off with Eastwood’s X-Mat, which is good material and should work just fine. However, I didn’t order much and switched to Cool It Thermo Tec. It came in larger rolls, less shipping cost, lower over call cost and I could get it quicker with Amazon. Among guys I know that have used various products they recommended it.
Honestly, I did some measuring (mainly to see if the left over pieces would fit with overlap), but not much was required. I laid out the strips, gave some over lap and trimmed most of it with a utility knife. Here are some pics:
Rolled out.
Rolled out.
My son stopped by to help out for a few hours. Ryan removed brace/guides that keep the back of the rear seat from sliding left or right. BTW – ensure you have old clothes on, the tar like substance on the underside is messy!! Thanks Ryan for the help!
I also covered these areas.
There was no barrier between the seat and the trunk ares when I removed the rear seat but I’m sure there must have been at one time. This was not a fold down seat.
Covered area B below the trunk pass through and A the wheel well.
This area is where the rear class would roll down but they don’t in the SportsRoof. So I put a layer of COOL IT behind the support and adhered it to the inside of quarter panel.
Here’s what that looked like when it was done.
Arrows mark the cut outs needed for the clips/tabs that hold the back and bottom of the seat and seat belt mounts. “A” (up in the right hand corner of the right picture) is the brace that keeps the back of the rear seat from sliding left and right. Ryan removed those (rather than cutting around them) and screwed them back down after putting the Cool It on.
Used the utility knife to do the same cut outs for seat and seat belt bolt to pass through and the groves for the seat belt warning wiring – yes they are getting hooked backup and the floor body plugs/drains.
A is the channel for the seat belt warning light (a light on the dash would illuminate – driver’s side was a buzzer) you can see the wire laying here. B is the body/floor drain plug. This is before covering.
Again A is the seat belt warning wire channel and B is the drain plug. It’s easy to just use the utility knife to make those cuts.
Thanks for view the progress on #ProjectSportsRoof. Coming up next is a look at the carpet install.
Other duties happen outside of working on #ProjectSportsRoof…like yard work!!!! ! While attempting to tame the foliage in the backyard on Sunday, my electric …
As I work on getting more restoration work on #ProjectSportsRoof I thought I’d share a couple of Mustang things that popped up. There are a number of reasons I …
In these next two videos, you’ll see just how ‘off’ these fenders are in some areas and surprisingly how well they fit in other areas. If you have an experience or a hit for anyone taking on this part of a restoration – drop a comment here and we’ll share them. https://youtu.be/Ga9EHbDpSfg https://youtu.be/FBKs7EG4kK0 Thanks …
As I work on getting more restoration work on #ProjectSportsRoof I thought I’d share a couple of Mustang things that popped up.
There are a number of reasons I love Ford products, in particular Mustangs. One of those is the fact that it didn’t need the bailout money a few years back, choosing to tough it out and some of the innovative/purposeful special purpose options.
I recently received my Ford Mustang ‘Go Further’ brochure. I’m not including the 310 hp they are dragging out of the 2.3L EcoBoost (I’ve often said “I don’t want anything on my dash that says Eco!!!!” but wow to the 320 lb-ft of torque. Don’t even think bout the 435 hp and 400 lbs-ft of torque from the 5.0L in the GT…come on!!!! I can do with out the heated and cooled seat…meh… However, the Track Apps, MagneRide and launch control are bomb.
The most #awesome purpose built is the Electronic Line-Lock!!!! Come on…that’s what every weekend racing warrior (and spirited every day driving!!) wants a car manufacture to be thinking about!!! The Electronic Line-Lock keeps the front brakes locked while you ‘warm up’ the Mustang’s rear tires….come on I don’t have that in my Corvette!!! But maybe I can figure it out for my 1973 ‘Stang.
It looks something like this…exactly like this:
Here’s a great little destination (after you warmed up the tires). Located at the corner of “No Where” (Hwy 90) and “U’r Lost” (Hwy 82) is this little place called Mustang Crossing.
Great place for a 1973 Mustang photo shoot!!!
Thanks for stopping by. More coming up on #ProjectSportsRoof.
Welcome back to #ProjectSportsRoof. I run my car projects much like I run my IT projects. You always have to know where to start and know the end game. As with any project that isn’t being built from scratch, in other word, you have to work with what you’ve got, …
Every now and then I get to tag along with my wife as she hops around the country working on Interior Design projects for her employer Aviar Design (a commercial design firm).
This trip was to Petaluma, Ca, where beautiful farmland meets redwood forests meets the beautiful Pacific Ocean. It also the home of U.S. Coast Guard TRACEN training center and some awesome cars.
But first a shout out to the often unsung heroes – the men and women of the United States Coast Guard. They keep our coast lines and your families safe!! After nearly 35 years of being assigned to and around military installation all over the world (both Jill – ret. E8 and I -12 years- are USAF veterans) I think the Coast Guards training facility in Petaluma is one of the most beautiful anywhere. The facilities are top of the line, the installation pristine and teeming wild turkeys, deer and a host of woodland animals. We’ve enjoyed our both are trips there. The hospitality was unsurpassed. Thanks warriors!!!!!
SEMPER PARATUS
Let’s talk about cars. Although not as plentiful as you might see in Southern California (we lived there for 4 years) but they are there. We didn’t have the time for stop and photograph all we was but there are some awesome trucks (hey…it’s farm country) and a lot of hidden gems with tons of potential. After all this is where they filmed portions of the awesome car movie – American Graffiti. Just outside of Petaluma, there’s a farm with a 69-70 Mustang tucked under a cover to protect it from the marine layer as it rolls in and out of the farmland and redwoods. The hills are dotted with homes that have 1950-1970 truck parked under over or in full service.
Here are a few I was able to get a few shots of some for the unique motor cars.
Take this 1930’s Ford Hot Rod – straight out of the move American Graffiti!!!
Check out those headers!!!!
I had to get a shot of the vintage tread, redline, red steel and wiiiiiiiiiiiiide white walls!!!!
A little further up North in the Anderson Redwoods we ran into the a 9 hole golf course tucked between redwood trees..what????? Parked in the parking lot was a good example of the 1980’s Firebird TransAm
Crager SS mags, fender scopes!!!
There were a huge number of VW vans – heck it’s California after all. There are the traditional VW buses and the Westfalia van’s every where – still! Check out this drop side van.
Nicely restored!!!
Framework is there for the canvas top.
One of the coolest we notice was this work in progress.
Citroen Van
The owner has plans for the French work horse as it’s clearly under surgery. Think of the possibilities:
This is just a sampling of the car culture in Northern California. I’m hopping to make it back there with a couple of days free to just explore and peak under some of those car covers.
If it seemed to you like I was never going to get to the end of the floor pan part of #ProjectSportsRoof, you weren’t alone, it seemed that way to me as well. With power plant problems (Knock..Knock…Who’s There? It’s the bottom end of your 351 Cleveland!!!), digit maiming (Injury Time Out – 1973 Mustang SportsRoof) and life occurring in between the actually completion of the install and getting to the blogging/sharing part of this project. So here is the final two posts.
After my neighbor Dan Thomas skillfully tacked the panels in place it was time to seal the seams and give the passenger cabin floor a coating.
Here is what I used to carry out the next to last task.
The Eastwood seam sealing putty was warmed up by rolling it around in the palm of my hand and then wedged into the seams like those indicted in this pic:
If you recall we just tack welded the panel so there were a number of seams that need some putty.
I roughly sanded and vacuumed the rest of the floor and then used the truck bed liner from a rattle can and made several pass over the entire floor.
Take a look:
This was just the first coat.
This leaves the application of the heat and sound barrier and replacing the carpet to finish up the this part of the project.
Welcome back to the final few posts of the floor pan replacement for #ProjectSportsRoof.
Let’s get right down to it.
I realized that I didn’t catch much of the work on the floor plan under the right rear seat. That was really a lot of work. They don’t make a panel for that on the 1973 Mustang SportsRoof. So I had to use a foot well panel and “customize” it to fit. See here:
This shot is that pre-welding and it shows the hole above the muffler, under the seat. (Sorry for the short clip)
This image shows the customized foot well floor panel:
A lot of work went into forming that panel.
Yes it was tough to make it, there were a lot of cuts. (The tub there is Irish Spring soap – it keeps pack rats out of the Mustang while it’s parked!)
If you recall the left side of the car wasn’t bad at all and I replaced just the foot well panel. It cut the same as the right side and here it is in place. Here’s a little recap of the work done.
Next up is the welding, coating and heat/sound barrier.
Hey, welcome back to #ProjectSportsRoof (1973 Mustang). We are working through the rusted floor pans and I’m about to make the cut for removing rust from …
