Complete Your Vehicle's History
Bob Fria
Collector, Restorer, Historian
Los Angeles, CA
I call Bob Fria "Captain Bob" as a result of his distinction as a retired pilot from United Airlines. Aside from his love of flying, Bob has a personal obsession with vintage Fords. His collection includes Thunderbirds, Mustangs (including 5F07U100002, the first production hardtop, and a '94 30th Anniversary Pace Car convertible), and a '63 Galaxie convertible. He just sold his '84 20th Anniversary Turbo convertible to free up some space.
Bob has restoration and research down to a science. He has solved some of the big mysteries surrounding Mustang production start-up in early 1964. Here are some of his valuable restoration tips.
Bead-blast, don't sandblast. For large body parts, plastic mediablasting is best for paint and rust removal.
Use Eastwood's Blackening System on natural metal parts. In less than a minute, you can restore a piece to a factory original finish that will last.
Before you install an engine, fit the block with drain cocks. You can open them for flushing and draining. A radiator petcock is perfect for this purpose because it is the same size.
Stainless exhaust. Install stainless steel exhaust pipes and mufflers where possible because they will not rust out and are easy to keep detailed.
Go with silicone. Use DOT 5 Silicone brake fluid on your new braking system. Silicone fluid will not harm paint if spilled. However, expect a spongy pedal and reduced braking performance.
You can't fix by pouring. Don't use engine additives (such as cooling system stop leak), oil additives, and the like to "fix" a problem. As long as you change oil regularly and take care of the cooling system, you should never have a problem. When there's a problem, such as a radiator leak or an engine that burns oil, correct the problem.
Get rid of those mismatched headlights. There are too many show cars out there with headlights that do not match.
Mediablast exhaust manifolds. Then dress them with a high-temp finish to prevent rust. Jet-Hot coating in a cast-iron finish is another solution.
Your Mustang Is Usually The Best Restoration Guide
Charles Turner
National Show Judge
Apex, North Carolina
Charles Turner has been working with classic Mustangs for over 15 years. His interest dates back to a Seafoam Green '68 six-cylinder hardtop and has grown from there. He is committed to extraordinary restorations and has become a national show judge in close touch with how restorations are done. Charles calls The Heart of Carolina Mustang Club home, just outside of Raleigh. Here are some of his thoughts on how to produce a high-end restoration.
Pictures, pictures, pictures. Charles says to take lots of pictures of everything before disassembly begins. A typical restoration can encompass more than 500 images.
Use your resources. Including Ford documentation, photos of original cars that have never been apart, online and offline resources and forums, show judges, and experienced restorers. The Internet yields a wealth of valuable information as does Mustang Monthly and our online website at www.mustangmonthly.com.
Restore as many original parts as possible. Items such as trim, bumpers, die-cast pieces, and the like can be replated and restored to original condition. It's nice to have a mix of reproduction and original parts because not all original parts, such as rubber and plastic trim parts, can be restored.
Use your Ford Shop Manual. And the Assembly Manual, as reproduced by Jim Osborn Reproductions. Nothing quite like getting your information from the horse's mouth.
Leave jobs you are not comfortable with for the pros. Bodywork, engine and transmission rebuilding, and even upholstery work are sometimes better left to professionals who do them all the time.
Build your classic Mustang to drive and make it as safe as possible. Even if you're building a trailered show car, build it to run as well as it looks so you can drive it anywhere.
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