Catching up 2019 into 2020

Absolutely no excuse or apology for a quiet 2019 into 2020 with little blog update.  Frankly, the blog is a very labor intensive endeavor to cover progress especially when there are numerous things moving at the same time.  My “go-to” update medium is Instagram (and Facebook as a surrogate) and those that follow the project there will have been updated almost weekly on the many things that have progressed on the project.

Secondly, I have been rather sick of the “internet” in general and the B.S. that many of the popular Mustang forums allow from individuals and vendors and the “some are more equal than others” mentality makes me want to puke.  So much so, I plan to spend little time updating my “build” threads on most of the forums and just get on with working.  The Instagram updates seem to be well received and provide positive feedback and that’s pretty well fine with me.  Thank God I don't watch TV......  However, for those that continue to follow this blog, I thank you and will try to get things caught up.

Rear Bumper Scanning – Stuck Between Gears

A lot of folks have inquired on how the rear bumper project was going, so here goes.  First, I was able to produce a composite rear bumper from the molds as originally planned.  A rather nice piece actually and it will work fine as a one-off.  However, as I have mentioned before, the goal is to take this further such that I could reproduce the mold and the part with CNC machinery.  Ultimately, I wanted to produce a billet aluminum copy of the rear bumper that could be finished and chromed like a factory part.

This project has become a much bigger frustration than I counted on.  To date, I have the scanned surface data but no ability to bring it into a “working” format that would allow an “A” surface to be created and modified in something like SolidWorks.  I have asked a number of folks I know in the industry for help, but no one seems be able to help pull this together.  It’s been almost a year and I am pretty much no closer to a solution than I was the day the scanning was complete.  I really don’t have time to teach myself the nuances required to get this done, so it sits in limbo until “something” happens that’s useful.  While I continue to work that problem, I have redirected most of my energy into work that moves the project forward.

And the Rest…….

Honestly, there have been too many things accomplished in the past year to list and detail them all here.  So I am going to rely on the “picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words” mantra and dump a load of pictures here that I ripped from my Instagram feed to visually catch the blog up to where we are today.  If you have any questions on any detail in these images, send me a note!  Otherwise:  Until next time!

Slick Ron Francis light sockets installed in the freshly powder coated turn signal housings.

Gapping doors is very labor intensive and rather iterative, but makes a world of difference!

Take Note:  EVERY Dynacorn 69-70 roof is wrong in the top driver's side corner.  I made this special form tool to correct the contour of the metal for a perfect fit of the windshield trim.

Eliminated the front side marker lights.  Pretty serious pucker factor when modifying original 70 Boss 302 front fenders!

The sad day I was forced to endure the use of the latest SHIT paint strippers.

Just about as nice as an original 70 hood can get!

Cleaning up the inboard details on the LF fender before coating with SEM Rust Shield.

You know you're loved when your family gives you a top-of-the-line DeVilbiss Tekna Pro-Lite spray gun for your birthday!

Truing up the rolled fender edge that came standard on the 70 Boss 302.  They were pretty crude from the factory and needed a little tune-up.

LF fender ready to be fit to the body!

RF fender ready for fitting.

Always enjoy when dents and dings can be floated out with no filler required.

Another metal finishing job requiring no filler.

No license plate warts on this front valence.  No sir!

Underside of the hood slicked up pretty nicely.

As much as I bitch about the cost, a well made billet hinge is light years ahead of even the best replacement hood hinges.  Worth every penny.

Absolutely HATE the repop doors that are available.  Over 200 hours in preparing this pair and probably another 50 left before I'm happy.

PSA:  A lot of people wonder how T5 shifters compare to an original Boss 302 Hurst shifter handle.  There are 3 popular choices:  538-4106 (shown), 538-7436 and the 538-8022.  This is the 4106 and it ain't even close.  The 8022 is the closest available.  More to come.

Best available reproduction grille support installed and NOTHING fits.  However, it's the front latch support (the part the hood release bolts to) that is off and it's the only version available.  What to do?

Section the grille support by 1/2" and watch every part damned near fall into place.  That's what.

Front spoiler installed and looking pretty decent.

Front sheet metal fitted, aligned and indexed.  Several more hours required on the doors and a few on the hood corners to blend them into the fender extensions to cure the notorious hood misalignment that 70 Mustangs were infamous for.  Once that's done, the "conventional" bodywork and priming can begin!