Body Reassembling

Sorry but...


After completing this section you could watch the most common exterior restoration tasks starting from the suspension up to the installation of the windows and more...

Here you see a preview pic from my fender attachments including the rare T5 badge and the ultra rare T5 side marker. I will upload a T5 special section and a picture album later on...
seat frame

Bodywork


Christines Restoration Pages
Christine's Bodywork

   

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When I learned a little bit about Mustangs (unfortunately after buying Christine) I started with the search for the cars history. The only document I had at the beginning, was a german title from 68. While checking the paperwork I realized that Christine has been a long time sitting in a garage, because the car didn't receive a license plate since the so called "Stillegung" 24.01.1974! This maybe the reason that the engine still have the old spark plugs and that the german road salt didn't eat everything from the body. In this title I found six names of former owners, from which two of them were still living at the same adress!
After contacting one of the first owners Werner Frese, I received a letter from him and the pictures shown below. Also the letter was written in German I try to translate it for you! Dear Mr. Schaefer (that's me!), When I received your call I was totally astonished because I never exspect that an over 30 years old mustang is following me. I'm sorry for you, that the car is actually in a desolate condition, but I hope you know "the way is the goal". I was every time very satisfied with the car and I hope that you will manage the reconstruction and that you will have a lot of fun with this "Schätzchen" (something like little treasure!). I promised to send him a picture when it's finished...
Unfortunately I didn't found out what happened in the first four years of Christine's live. It's seems that a GI at a german military base ordered this car and after finishing his time in germany he sold it to a german buyer, but that's not proofed. Maybe someone will read this story and found out that this was his/her father's car...
On the following pages you can watch the progress of the body restoration of Christine. It turns out to be a nightmare, because for every section we started to make our rust-repair two new rusty sections were discovered! So finally after the bodywork was finished nearly every bodypart was replaced or repaired. I hope you will enjoy the pictures...

 


  1 - History & Arrival of Christine...  
  2 - Starting Disassemble & Engine Test...
  3 - First Cutting & Door repair...  
  4 - Rocker Panel & Wheelhouse Repair...
  5 - Handmade Bodystiffening & Rusty Views...  
  6 - Shell only going to the Blaster...
  7 - Primering after the Sandblasting...  
  8 - Great handmade Workbench & first Panels going in ...
  9 - Torque Box exchange & more...  
  10 - Driver Side Floor & Torque Box Repair...
  11 - Left Side & Firewall Repair  
  12 - Left Side Front Floor
  13 - Cowl Cover Vent Repair  
  14 - Working at the left inner rocker...
  15 - Dash & Tunnel Repair  
  16 - Convertible Top bow & Quarter Repair...
  17 - Trunk Reconstruction...  
  18 - Replacing Convertible Topframe...
  19 - Skrewed together - Final Check...  
  20 - Final welding of trunk area...
  21 - Painting under the quarter panels...  
  22 - Last Stage of Bodywork...

 

Chuck's Restoration 1st week production Mustang

Hello Mustangers!
I have several Mustangs actually in my posession. I have owned about 26 Mustangs in my life and still have seven of them...
From those seven ther are three particular mustangs that are very interesting. I'm talking about the production numbers 5F08F100280 and 5F08U100465, which are two convertibles made on the 9th of march 1964. Also I recently purchased a 1964 1/2 Indy Pace car coupe from it's original Owner, garaged for 30 years! That car has the VIN 5F07F112948 and is still original and very solid. At this webpage I want to show the restoration of the first week production mustang with the #280. This car was found in really rusty condition....

The other cars are:

  • 1964.5 D CODE CONVERTIBLE
  • 1965 A CODE COUPE
  • 1965 C CODE CONV
  • 1965 A CODE FASTBACK

You could see pictures of them at WWW.1964MUSTANGS.COM which is professionally mantained by my sister. If you have questions concerning one of my cars don't hesitate to mail me at chuck@early-mustang.com

Click on Thumbs to start Restoration Tour

  1 - The floors - Before & After pictures...  
  2 - Firewall & Wheelhouses...
  3 - Frame Repairs at the Rearend  
  4 - Cowls & Backpanel.
  5 - Rear Fender & Door fitting        

 

Christines Production Tables

These are the production details of Christine. This will answer you some questions about the totals if you decode your car.
For an example I didn't understand why my car has the trim code "86" until I saw that this was only available for 64 1/2 mustangs. Also interesting is the DSO "Newark" because there are some rumors around that not only the export code "90-95" is possible for a german "T5" mustang, but also code 13 and 15. I believe that too, because there are also some "T5" signs on the car. If I found more of them I will show them here. Maybe you will ask yourself: "Why should I differ between 64 and 65 when Ford didn't do that?". The answer is quit simple. There are more than 130 differences known up to now, which is quit more than between 65 and 66 mustangs. The makes this cars unique and worth to differ. If you want me to give you totals of your car, just send me the data plate information. The second plant which produced 64 1/2 mustangs from July 13 through July 31 was San Jose. I found a few of this cars with the plant code "R" (San Jose) which I will show in my VIN & Picture Gallery until it is finished...

Model Year 5 1964 121538 Total
Assembly Plant F Dearborn (Michigan) 95%
Body Serial Code 08 Convertible 28833 / 29.7%
Engine Code U 170 CID - 1V 17.1%
Consecutive Unit # 135813 35813 Production car Plant Dearborn  
Body Style 76A Convertible - standard-trim bucket seats 76A
Build Date 15E May 15, 1964 15E
Exterior Color H Caspian Blue 7.4%
Interior Trim 86 Black with Black Appointments 18%
District Sales Office (DSO) 15 Newark 2.9%
Axle Ratio 3 3.20:1 "conventional"  
Transmission 6 "C-4" automatic  
Options PT,MC,BK,AM Power Top, Console, Backup Lights, AM-Radio  

  

Convertible Top bow & Quarter Repair


Christines Restoration Pages
Convertible Top bow & Quarter Repair

   

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Another hard part of the body restoration is waiting here for you! The inner rocker and also the lower part of the a-pillar has to come out. To make it looking better I show how christine is looking with one original and one NOS fender again. If you have questions about that don't hesitate to ask me. After finishing the body section there will be five more sections you could follow in the future. There will be a Paint , Body and Interior reassembling, Electric and a Power train section.

Mustang Logo line

Christines Body Page 16 of 22

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cutout
repro panel
final measure
Old front floor LH already out
Sometimes those repro panels are fitting fine
Final measuring before welding
fix before
inner rocker
a-pillar out
What ever it is???
Inner rocker completly out
A-pillar taken out
cowl panel
firewall
left box
Cowl panel clamped back again to check
Firewall extension going in
Left torque box mostly out
primered again
easy work
spotwelds
Inside view everything primered again
Easy working without the inner rocker panel
Just see the numerous factory spotwelds to the torque box

 


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