68 Fastback multi panel replacement

C

cstrom72

Hey everyone-

Im restoring a 1968 Fastback that I pulled out of a barn last week. It has a good amount of surface rust and got bumped in the passenger side rear slightly but The frame rails and rockers are in great shape except for drivers side rear frame rail has a little more than surface rust and I will most likely replace- the floor boards are toast. I will replace the inner cowl as well. Question is which would I start with?
Ill be doing this in my 3 stall garage and I have plenty of room but I want to make sure she stays straight while im replacing all this stuff. Im even looking into a rotisserie
The car was completely disassembled by the P/O so when I got it home I started putting the doors, hood ,front fenders and deck lid back on. I think i will spend the next few days getting these parts aligned perfectly before anything gets cut.
What should I start with? Floor? Cowl? rear quarters? tail light panel? Thanks!
 
I would look at Rusty's posts and study them. He does these mustangs all the time and some of them he literally brings back from the dead.
 
I have gone paged thru his work (more than once), and your correct hes very good at saving these pony's. Ill key some notes off his restos
 
[QUOTE='68 Coronet R/T;32813]I would look at Rusty's posts and study them. He does these mustangs all the time and some of them he literally brings back from the dead.[/QUOTE]

Brian is the miracle worker. I'm good at giving him ideas and then he just does it.

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cstrom72;32804 said:
Hey everyone-

Im restoring a 1968 Fastback that I pulled out of a barn last week. It has a good amount of surface rust and got bumped in the passenger side rear slightly but The frame rails and rockers are in great shape except for drivers side rear frame rail has a little more than surface rust and I will most likely replace- the floor boards are toast. I will replace the inner cowl as well. Question is which would I start with?
Ill be doing this in my 3 stall garage and I have plenty of room but I want to make sure she stays straight while im replacing all this stuff. Im even looking into a rotisserie
The car was completely disassembled by the P/O so when I got it home I started putting the doors, hood ,front fenders and deck lid back on. I think i will spend the next few days getting these parts aligned perfectly before anything gets cut.
What should I start with? Floor? Cowl? rear quarters? tail light panel? Thanks!
Click to expand...

You need to have it on a cart or jig to keep everything straight.
 
Did you make the carts/jigs in your pictures or is there a place that makes them?
 
6t81.jpg

Its been about a month and Ive gotten around to finally disassembling the doors and getting all the parts labeled and sorted. I spent about an hour last night measuring the frame for straightness and everything checked out except the pass side rear was just under 1/2" short. I can see where too, right at the bump stop it crumpled in just a touch and the bump stop was welded back in place. Sort of hard to tell in the picture but you can see the tail light panel and pass rear quarter are in need of replacement.

Would you guys recommend replacing the whole floor with frame rails (Thoroughbred GT ) first or should I do the tail light panel and quarter to make sure everything lines up first? Ill post a pic of the frame rail when I get home.6t82.jpg
 
cstrom72;32846 said:
Did you make the carts/jigs in your pictures or is there a place that makes them?
Click to expand...

We bought the carts from Eastwood but made the jig from a cart a customer made for his Camaro convertible and gave us a long time ago.

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cstrom72;33502 said:
View attachment 3040


Its been about a month and Ive gotten around to finally disassembling the doors and getting all the parts labeled and sorted. I spent about an hour last night measuring the frame for straightness and everything checked out except the pass side rear was just under 1/2" short. I can see where too, right at the bump stop it crumpled in just a touch and the bump stop was welded back in place. Sort of hard to tell in the picture but you can see the tail light panel and pass rear quarter are in need of replacement.

Would you guys recommend replacing the whole floor with frame rails (Thoroughbred GT ) first or should I do the tail light panel and quarter to make sure everything lines up first? Ill post a pic of the frame rail when I get home.
Click to expand...

If you are going to replace the floor with frame rails you will need to make a jig to make sure everything lines up.
 
So in doing my planning...
If I decide to go with a complete floor. How exactly do I go about putting the floor in place with the jig underneath?
I guess im just trying to wrap my head around this in advance so bear with me-
If I build/buy a jig to set the car down on, i would cut the floor out, lift off the shell, put new floor on the jig and set body back in place?
I read a writeup on line of a guy who did it this way with a jig and body lift from Accessible Systems-
Would that be the best route to go? Thanks-
 
One way to stabilize it would be to have you're jig come up the sides and mount to where the door hinges would mount, that will give you a starting point and a place to bolt back down if you have to lift the body to get the floor out. down side is you can't leave it mounted there if you need to test fit the doors for anything.. it would also be helpful to have spots to use as alignment points on the jig to set the new floor back on.. Something like a stud to go through a hole in the floor with a flat pedestal on it that will set height, I don't get this detailed with my jigs usually but it is a good way to start, I do so many different body styles it's hard to have a jig for each one.. Looking up a new system/idea that may change that though.. But will cost about 2k to get started. If you want to spend that much send me a message.
 
I suggest making a table, then put crossbars on the table that will go underneath the control arm mounting location and under the front eye mounting location of the rear leaf springs.

Make risers that attach to the cross bars and weld tubing on one end of each which has a 1" od bar that has been center bored to 1/2" and cut to the same width as the control arm or spring bushings.

Make these 4 risers in equal length pairs - front, and rear.

Make the lengths so that the car is setting properly based on measurement from a datum line.

Make the rear cross bar long enough that it will extend out past the edge of the rocker panels, and place a second upright on each end that fit under the edge of the rockers at the pinch welds.

In the front you need to make a 3rd bar to accomplish the same thing at the front of the rocker panels.

Now you are able to work on it without things moving around.

How I made my table/fixture/assy jig, or whatever you want to call it.lol.


I made my table out of steel tubing, with some welds and a number of movable /removable parts.
This makes it multi fit and can be broke down into easily storable sections.

I made my table so that the top surface of it is the datum plane and made the risers according to the heights in the datum chart.

I spent around $200 on new steel along with a few pieces I already had.

As you can see in a few of Rustys pictures is the use of floor stands under critical supporting points.

This is important to be able and maintain a true datum line.

I picked up 4 rv stabilizer jacks at a yard sale for $15 for this purpose. ( I need to keep an eye open for some more of them)

I have also made additional ones from 1" pipe with running thread cut on one end for 2 " or so.
I welded pads on the opposite ends.

Then I welded a 2"x2" pad on the end of a steel pipe/conduit thread protector. Now you have rotating cap assy's for height adjustment.(those things that come on a piece of threaded pipe that always leak when used because they are straight thread and not tapered)

Now take a 1" conduit lock nut and run down the thread , then run the rotating cap assy onto the pipe.

Place it under the area needing support, adjust as necc. then tighten the lock nut. Cost about $3 a stand.

The chart for the '68 is very very similar to the one for a '65.

I have found that the x measurements are not correct.

The front x location measures 6" but the rear location is not 6 1/2" measured any perceivable way I could find (on my 65).

On my '65 this measurement is 8.14" from center of bolt hole to datum line.

Chances are this diagram originated from George Liske and the measurement he transferred it from one year to another.

If you were to use his measurements the car would look like it had a couple thousand pounds in the trunk, yet with the rear bumper sky high lol.

I got a Ford manual and it contained some of the same numbers and some different. It also contained incorrect numbers too.

Between the two charts and some common sense it all works out.

Have fun :)

EDIT: I always build from the ground up, a true foundation makes for a true product and not a lot of adjustments needed to make something fit something that wasn't correct to start with.
I would start with the floor pan, then the rear frame rail. From there it doesn't make much difference.
From what you describe the damage to be I think you should have no problem straightening out the buckle in the rail. make a couple simple brackets, one to mount in the front spring eye area and a second that mounts to the rail where there are 2 holes which have internal support sleeves on that go thru the frame rail. Put a porta power between these 2 mounts and it should push back to its proper position without much of a fuss.

mustang rear rail detail.jpg
 
Some good info there guys. Thank you-
Old Senile- I had to take a few minutes to read yours thru a couple times and picture it in my head, well then my head started to hurt so I thought I should draw what I think you are describing so I can picture it better in my brain haha. Now this is just a rough idea but tell me if I am getting the picture you drew with that post:)JIG.jpg

EDIT: Just realized the 68 I tried to draw looks more like a 2008 ha
 
I plan on building my own door braces as well to help keep things square. Whats the general consensus on size/type of steel to brace things up with inside the car?
 
You got it figured out. I used the lower control arm pivot point instead of the upper control arm mount, much simpler to do..


I used 1 1/4" x .090 tubing for door spreader braces. Cut some 1 1/2" angle into 3" lengths, drilled 2 holes in each one (4 total) that corresponded to the 2 holes at the door striker and the upper hinge, lower 2 holes. Laid tubing onto angle and welded into 1 pc.
 
SOF, any chance of getting you to post a couple of pics of your table?
 
I'll take a couple pictures and post them tomorrow, along with what is left of my rustang, lol.
 
Senile Old Fart;33939 said:
I'll take a couple pictures and post them tomorrow, along with what is left of my rustang, lol.
Click to expand...

Many thanks!
 
Very nice! I see the light now-
How level is your garage floor? Mine slopes slightly toward the doors did you just build the table level?
 
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