Selene/Fred is a San Jose built 1965 Mustang

[abrahamfh]

I did have some time off and got to do a little traveling. It all kind of got kick started when I asked Mel how much he wanted for the T-10 he had laying around from Captain America and he made me a killer deal I could not, not plan a road trip for.

Started off heading south to go see my son first.

A few cool rides I passed along the way

Certain parts of THE 5 going through the central valley had some serious fog.

Not sure what the heck this was

Never a dull moment when getting near to LA

I never thought that I could love someone/anything so much.

opentrackersteve lives around that bend (photograph taken from the pacific wheel at the Santa Monica Pier), I can almost see your house from here Steve. LoL

Lucky man, get to see beautiful sunsets like these every eveining

Off to Utah we go to hang out with Mel

California to Nevada down, now to Arizona, yeesh. LoL

Oh yeah, time to get rich, actually, not really, no time to stop and loose my money

Nevada to Arizona down, now to get to Utah. OMG :hide

I have to say, I had never taken a road trip away from the coast before, I was awe struck with all the beauty that our Country has to offer. I was really glad I made the trip and a big thanks to Mel for convincing me with such a great deal to hit the road and make it happen.

There are a lot more pics but it's a build thread right, only thing building up here were miles. art

Finally :yah

Got to hang out with Mel and Max, gave me a tour of the bad arse garage and his beautiful home. I have a new found respect for Mel and appreciate the fact that he really knows how to have a good time with his cars. If we are going to save them, wrench on them, we better be having fun with them. I would love some footage of you going through all those dirt roads with the 65 Mel. If you ever get a chance to, that is. I must admit, after you mentioned hitting the dirt roads with the 65 I decided to make my drive back to the freeway in the VW a little more interesting. ( A little slipping and sliding :skul)

So I made out of Mel's place with my rear end a little havier. :thu

Well, time to head back home, the same exact way I had come.

I think Mark was on to me and sent out his PT boys to take me out. Seriously! The guy literally used his signal light to tell me he was turning into my lane as I was approaching to pass him.

Total numbers on the ticker for the trip

Thanks again Mel, Fred will be proud to carry Captain Americas tranny with honor.

When I got home I got a call from Tony at RPS. Oh freakin yeah!

Full floor pan, seat platforms, rear upper torque boxes, drain cover kit, LS rocker panel, and LS toe board.

 

[guruatbol]

It was great to have you. You should come again when we both have more time. Sorry, I had to scurry off like that, the wife had to be at the doctor's office for the start of a different thread. Today I should know more.

We have to keep wrenching and helping each other with killer deals, or the hobby isn't worth the powder to blow it up!

Mel

 

[fordrule]

wow awesome abe. sounds like you had a blast. that is awesome

 

[abrahamfh]

wow awesome abe. sounds like you had a blast. that is awesome

Thanks man, it was a real adventure. Can't wait to get you stateside to enjoy that which you boys work so hard for.

Still doing a lot of research in regards to the rocker panel replacement.

While I have been researching the little info that is out there, I figured I would do something to make me feel productive. Cleaned up the steering box and hit it with some zero rust followed by SEM trim black paint. Oh yeah! I like it.

After cleaning off all the road grime.

Paint makes it look so purdy. LoL

 

[abrahamfh]

Currently working on the steering column so I can throw it up onto the new ceiling storage I built.

Removed the wiring from the steering column first. It was simple to do but time consuming when you don't have the appropriate tool. I just used a auto pick that I have and about fifteen minutes. I released one wire at a time, pulled it through and replaced it in the plug right away so I wouldn't mix up the wires.

To release the wire I depressed the barb/tab that keeps it from coming out of the plug and just gently pulled it out.

Hand sanded the column until I got a as smooth as it's going to get surface.

Used my handy dandy drill with a small wire wheel to break loose some rust from the inside of the column where it meets the steering box.

Applied generous amounts of rust converter

Rinsed with water, dried, wiped down real good with lacquer thinner and then shot with primer.

I will take a better photograph of the column tomorrow.

What do you guys use to fill the little pits that are left once shot with primer?

 

[monkeystash]

Nice progress Abe; steering box looks great!

What do you guys use to fill the little pits that are left once shot with primer?

I use Dolphin Glaze to fill in pits. 2 part like filler, but ultra light and smooth.

http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/u-pol-dolphin-glaze-finishing-putty-p-15125.aspx

 

[abrahamfh]

Awesome, thank you for the info Ryan. I'm going to have to place an order for some of that dolphin glaze asap.

 

[Midlife]

An empty ball point pen shell can be used to slip over the pins to depress the barbs.

 

[abrahamfh]

An empty ball point pen shell can be used to slip over the pins to depress the barbs.

Thanks for that bit of info Mid, that is totally going to make life easier when I go to put it back together.

 

[abrahamfh]

After a whole lot of lower back pain and freezin my butt off the floor is gone. :yah :yah :yah :yah :yah :yah

 

[lethal289]

it may be just me, but with the rocker gone too, wouldn't you want some extra bracing in there somewhere?






[mod]Sorry Jake - hit modify in lieu of reply.[/mod]

 

[70_Fastback]

it may be just me, but with the rocker gone too, wouldn't you want some extra bracing in there somewhere?

De-ja-vu...? :shrug


art

 

[abrahamfh]

Door braces are being built as I type. I know I know, should have done this before I removed the floor. :hide :char

 

[abrahamfh]

Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!

I know I know! :stfu

I finally got my compressor and my blast cabinet working together. Whoraw!

 

[AzPete]

I think you missed a spot on the top left corner of the under side.......lol

Looks nice.

 

[abrahamfh]

The long awaited supports. I am almost done fabing them up. I am going to add some tubing exactly where I have made the red highlights. Any input would be great if I am doing this wrong.

I hope this is what you all we're all referring to.

 

[Johnny M]

Abe,
is that box or bar you used? is there much flex in it?

 

[abrahamfh]

Abe,
is that box or bar you used? is there much flex in it?

It is 1/2" tubing with very very minimal flex. That's with my heavy self purposely trying to bend it. I will be adding vertical support tubing throughout the brace as well.

 

[lethal289]

Those look light to me, but should be able to stiffen up the doors if you strengthen them up. But dont forget you removed the floor already. So you should check to see if everything remained square. You also need to put something in to act as a floor and keep the metal from opening up further. check this site out, i know its a vert, but theres some good info there

http://68vert.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html

the problem youll have is the floor was removed after the bracing was installed. Dont forget, your also dealling with serious rocker damage.

 

[lethal289]

Abe, do you have a factory repair manual? If not i reccomend buying one as soon as you can.

I have one for my 67 and have gone to it quite a bit whenever i need info. I commend you for taking on such a project, and i like your updates so i wanted to make sure you take the time to certify everything is correct before you get to putting in new parts. If there is a problem, it needs corrected before you attach any new sheet metal. If you find things are unsquare or far out of wack, it may be worth every penny getting a certified frame specialist to square it up for you. IMO, this isnt something that should be overlooked because with out a strong foundation to build from, it will fight you every step of the way in the future. In the manual i listed above, im certain there are diagrams showing dimensions that you can use to ensure the foundation of your build. Heres one diagram i was able to find online. Good luck, and keep us posted.