The next step in jacking up a car is to compensate for overhang once the car is on the jack stands. Overhang is a body shop term used to describe a condition caused when a vehicle is supported by means other than the suspension, which leaves the engine to basically overhang the front of the unibody structure. This overhang causes undue stress on the body and can result in twisting the body out of alignment. A telltale sign of this overhang effect is to mount the car on the jack stands and open the doors. With the engine still in the car, the doors may not shut. They are suddenly out of alignment due to the weight of the engine straining against the unibody structure.
PHOTO 9: Project Mustang positioned in the shop and placed on jack stands. Notice the wooden platforms under the jack stands to prevent the stands from slipping on the hard concrete. The height measures approximately 18 inches from the floor to the rocker panel.
To compensate for this strain, I place a hydraulic jack under the front cross member and apply just enough upward pressure with the jack to relieve the stress on the unibody structure. The stress has been compensated for when the doors once again open and close without binding. At this point, all four wheels can be removed from the car to allow for better access under the car.
TIP
A little duct tape wrapped around the wheel studs will help protect the threads from damage once the drums are removed from the car.
DRAIN THE FLUIDS
The next step is to drain all the fluids from the vehicle. In this case, that means draining the radiator of antifreeze, the engine of oil, and the transmission of fluid. The Freon has already been drained from the air conditioner.
Radiators are drained via a petcock found near the bottom radiator hose. Be sure to remove the radiator cap to prevent a vacuum within the system. Engines are drained of oil via a drain plug found at the lowest point on the oil pan. Don’t forget to remove the oil filter while under the car. The automatic transmission is drained by carefully removing the square pan on the bottom of the unit. Begin by loosening all 13 of the pan bolts by at least two full turns. Gently pry the pan loose from the case housing. Fluid should begin to flow from around the edges of the pan. Slowly remove the pan bolts one at a time, allowing the pan to tip and begin to drain. Once drained of fluid, the pan must be reinstalled on the transmission to prevent contamination. Properly dispose of all of the old fluids at a local recycling center. Check the Yellow Pages for the center nearest you.
THE TEARDOWN BEGINS
If it is bright and shiny, soft and spongy, or clear and hard, it needs to come off. I want this car stripped of everything but the drivetrain and sheet metal. The drivetrain stays for now because it is easier to remove its items once everything else has been removed. The sheet metal stays because there are too many body lines on this car that don’t line up. Once everything else has been removed from the car, I’ll spend a little quality time with a body hammer and pry bar getting the panels aligned. I’ll concentrate first on tearing down the front of the car then move to the back of the car. I’ll save the interior and glass removal for chapter 3.
PHOTO 10: To compensate for overhang caused by stress on the unibody structure from the weight of the engine, a hydraulic jack is placed under the front cross member with just enough upward bias to support the weight of the engine.
As I disassemble this unit, I note the condition of each molding on the master list for use later when I’m ready to start placing orders for new parts. I also take the time to lay out each part in the order it was removed from the car in an exploded view (much like the illustrations in parts catalogs) and take photographs. These photographs will become extremely valuable a year from now when I’ll be trying to determine what goes where. Don’t forget to number and date all of the photographs once they are developed. This not only gives you an exploded view but also gives you a chronological sequence of events that can be reversed once assembly begins.
TEARING DOWN THE FRONT
I’m working from the front of the car to the rear. I start with the shiny parts on the front of the car. With the exception of the valance panel, everything up here mounts behind the bumper. That means the valance panel has to be removed before the bumper can be removed, and the bumper has to be removed before most of the bolts holding the grille assembly can be accessed for removal.
PHOTO 11: The front bumper is bolted directly to the unibody frame rails and can be removed only after the valance panel has been removed.
PHOTO 12: An exploded view of the grille parts removed from the front of the car. Everything is laid out as it would be found on the car to make assembly easier later on.
To remove the valance, I need to remove several bolts that hold it in place: two on each end, four across the width. I also need to unplug two parking lamps.
To remove the bumper, I remove the two mounting bolts on either side of the front frame rails plus an additional bolt behind each fender near the outermost corners of the bumper. I’m removing the bumper as a unit and will disassemble it later.
Before removing the grille, I had a question about the authenticity of the fog lamps that were mounted on the grille. Ford used several different fog lamps, most of which were round, whereas Shelby had a tendency to use rectangular Lucas brand fog lamps. At first, these Lucas brand lamps appear to be too large for this car, but upon closer inspection, I found the appropriate Ford number, C8WZ-15L 203 A, taken from a 1968 Ford parts book to verify that these are indeed the correct fog lamps for this vehicle.
The grille assembly goes next. This includes all of the moldings surrounding the grille as well as the front molding on the hood. This molding is considered part of the grille and should be stored along with those parts.
Although the headlamp housings could be considered part of the grille assembly, I’m going to leave both of them on the car for now because they will be used to align the front sheet metal panels. Since they bolt directly to the front of the fenders, they will affect the way the fenders align with the hood. They not only have a direct bearing on the gaps between the hood and the fenders but also help determine how far forward the hood can be adjusted, as the leading edge of the hood must align with the leading edge of each headlamp housing once everything has been properly adjusted.
TEARING DOWN THE REAR
After disassembling the front of the car, I move to the rear. The rear bumper mounts with four bolts found inside the trunk compartment above the floor pan on the right and left sides. Once removed, the rear bumper is stored with the front bumper.
The taillamps are mounted in a rear body finish panel with the entire unit being mounted to the rear body panel. I unbolt this unit from the inside of the trunk and remove it as one piece.
Behind the taillamps are the original lamp openings for the Mustang-style taillamps, and these openings have been filled with specially made enclosures. I remove these enclosures and store them with other parts that will require refinishing.
Under the bumper is the rear valance panel. I leave the backup lamp assemblies in the panel for now and remove the valence panel as a complete assembly.
The first model year for factory installed side marker lamps was 1968. Ford’s better idea was to opt for reflectors instead of lamps. I remove these along with the name plates and store them with the taillamp assemblies.
PHOTO 13: An exploded view of the rear body panel components.