With all the V8 Mustangs, T-birds, and Fairmonts, why would I want an I6 Mustang? Because I have all V8 cars, I wanted something which gets better mileage but is still a vintage Mustang, and my first Mustang was an I6 car. Simple, runs forever, cheap.
The above pic is how I first found the Mustang in December of 2002. I found it on the The Mustang Ranch web site (They're located in Fresno, Calif. if you're wondering). Advertised as a solid body, I6 with a 4 speed transmission project, it looked promising. I went to look at the car, liked the potential, then bought it. It sat at the Mustang Ranch for six months until I had enough room in the driveway.
The over all purpose is to get better fuel mileage without sacrificing the V8 power I've become acustom to. This means a T-5 trans, automotive weight loss program, and a slightly modified engine.
June 2003 and the car is at its new home. Okay, so it's not much to look at and the interior is trashed. The car originally came with a Ford 2.77 Three speed (the paper transmission) but someone adapted in a Falcon Dagenham 4 spd (the Kleenix transmission). Oh well, I sold the Dagenjam (it was jammed) for $140 and I'm not sure it was even repairable...
From one end of the car to another, The engine sans air cleaner, choke, and throttle linkage. The trunk full of - stuff. If you think this looks bad, hold on and you will see some changes.
July 2003, the stripping process begins. The interior actually looks better with the seats and dash cluster removed - or not.
By August 2003 the car was begining to look alittle nekkid. Note the grungy bare engine bay.
Clean up and sanding has commenced! What a pain! Above right is the view of the firewall with factory paint drips before sanding. Ugh.
The last week of August and a view of things to come, New Paint!
September 2003, The engine bay has new paint. Well, the passenger side exterior is still a mess but the rest of the bay is done. Compare the freshly painted fire wall to the picture of the previous mess.
Currently sanding the under body and prepping it (and the passenger side engine bay exterior) for paint. So far on the heavy rust I've been using POR 15 if I can't remove it with PPG Metal Prep (p/n 579, I believe). In other areas, I've been using my last spray can of Corroless, which the Eastwood Company no longer sells. The black paint is PPG black epoxy paint. Supposively tough enough to take a hammer blow without chipping or scratching. I have to admit, it is tough stuff to sand off.
Note, this is the first Mustang I've used air tools. Before this one I've relied on hand tools, an electric drill, sander, grinder, and die grinder. What was I thinking? Harmonic balancer bolt? Fly wheel bolts? Stuck bolt? No problem! Grab the air impact wrench and BAM! bolt's off (or busted).
What's next? More sanding, I've just started painting the fenders and trunk lid with polyester primer. I think I should note here a good friend of mine is showing me how to properly prep and paint a car. He was also repsonsible for bringing me out of the stone age and recommended buying a cheap air compressor from COSTCO. Oh yeah!