If you picked up your project Mustang and it appears to have the original paint, although faded but in good shape then consider yourself very lucky; you may be able to sand, prime and repaint your Mustang without stripping it down to bare metal. Others may have purchased their classic Mustang with an already outstanding paint job. However, what appears to be a great paint job on the surface may actually be hiding decades of use and abuse and possibly several layers of old paint, rust and damage and there are bound to be other problem areas hidden beneath the paint that you can’t see.
Should you take you Mustang to a body and paint shop or should you do-it-yourself? This is a big decision and will hinge on your budget and you ability to complete the job yourself. There are pros and cons that come with either choice; continue reading this article for some insight to help you make your decision.
Continue reading "How to Paint a Classic Mustang"
The preparation you do to your Mustang prior to body and paint will depend on the level of restoration that you are after. If you just want fresh paint on a daily driver then you can probably drop it off at the paint shop and let them go at it, leaving any disassembly and removal of parts up to the body shop.
Continue reading "Preparing for Body and Paint"
Having all of the parts available for the body shop is important if you don’t want to hold up the progress, but it’s inevitable that you will more than likely have something on backorder that causes a delay or you will have one of those surprises that requires you to order parts that you...
Continue reading "Getting your Sheet Metal Parts Together"
Should you have your Mustang blasted? I would say yes, others will say no; it all depends on your depth of restoration. If you want to expose any possible problems that may be hiding under the old paint job or road grime on the undercarriage media blasting is the way to go, but be prepared for those surprises; what may look like a small rust problem on the floor pan can turn out to be a complete floor pan replacement.
Continue reading "Media Blasting (sand blasting)"
Does it make a difference if you restore your Mustang with imported or U.S. reproduction sheet metal? Should you purchase Ford Licensed or products produced with Ford tooling? I think in some cases yes, but it really depends on your budget, your goal and whether or not you are concerned about receiving a part that's not quite up to spec.
Continue reading "Sheet Metal - New, Used or Reproduction"
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After all of the paint has been removed from the body and all of the undercoating has been stripped a few surprised may appear that weren't apparent prior to media blasting. The panels may not align as well and there may be structural problems like rust and previous repairs that are not up to snuff. All and any of these problems should be identified prior to beginning the body and paint process.
Continue reading "Dry Build - Pre Body Work Inspection"
After I removed my Mustang from Paint Shop Prison II (PSPII) I went to work starting with a Dry-Build to see how the sheet metal would line up and document those issues before I got into the body work and structural issues that remained.
Continue reading "Floor Pans and Undercarriage"
When I took over the job of doing the body work myself I started with a dry build to see how all of the panels lined up then marked and photographed all of the issues. After that I began my progression toward completing the work that had already be performed in the hopes that I would make quick progress and be able to move onto the doors and fenders that hadn't been started yet;
Continue reading "Metal Work - Removing Dent and Rust Repair"
