October 2nd, 2005 - Not a lot of work done recently...today I removed the brake and gas lines under the rear of the car so that I can complete the removal of undercoating in that area. I've already uncovered one small bit of surface rust hidden by the undercoating, and I'll probably find more.
The neat thing is that where the brake and gas lines were coated in undercoating they are bright and shiney when cleaned. I'll probably removed the entire lines all the way to the engine compartment for cleaning, rust removal, and painting. The lines seem to be in pretty good shape, unlike the ones on my CBII that are crushed and pinched in several places due to impacts. I'll take pics as I work...has anybody ever restored brake and gas lines on a Mustang II before? ;-)
Another bit of work done was to remove the leaf spring end bushings in preparation for sandblasting and painting. The rear bushings were easy to remove...just work a pair of medium-sized screwdrivers down between the bushing and the spring and pop them out. Use some lubricant if they arestuck with rust.
The front bushings are being a pain. They have a metal tube running down the center for the bolt to ride in, and they are wrapped in a metal tube where they are inserted in the spring eye. Plus they are "swaged" into the spring eye in 4 places on both sides by denting the outer tube in an outwards direction. Removing the swages, soaking everything in rust penetrant, and hammering on the bushing with a block of wood and a hammer didn't budge them a bit. Maybe I need a bigger hammer! These guys may be staying where they are during their time at the sandblaster...
October 4th, 2005 - I've been considering my options in regard to the direction I'm going with this car lately. My original though was to do a pretty faithful restoration with a handful of mild upgrades such as would have been available "back in the day". But with the CBII project so far away, and with my performance desires clashing more and more with the Ghia look, I may be ditching my previous plans. The Ghia may be converted to a standard Coupe, which would allow me a bit more leeway in doing engine, suspension, and body mods.
Some of the steps would be:
-Convert Ghia quarter windows and interior trim to standard Coupe parts.
-Remove vinyl roof trim and mounting pins.
-Finish the roof/rear quarter panel seam that is left uncompleted by the factory on vinyl roof cars.
Afterwards I could lower the car, run a small trunk-mounted spoiler, use larger wheels, and add a front airdam without clashing with the vinyl top and trim. I'll keep my Chamois interior and Sport Group dash applique as they are pretty rare, but add white faced gauges and an instrument pod on the dash. How about some old Mustang GT sport seats recovered in Chamois?
In addition, some of my performance plans call for a header and low restriction exhaust (read that as loud) which would also be out of place on a Ghia.
Decisions, decisions...