svt 65 stang

[race-rodz]

well i been doing a bunch of measuring between the 2 cars.... and i think this project is a "go". well it will be a "go" just as soon as my "other" personal project is finished. there are a lot of "issues" with the 64 1/2 that could be solved by doing this. my biggest problem with the car is the lack of structural integrity, mainly in the front end. the car had a 416" windsor/5spd, 17x9's, all the trick shebly style suspension.

to give you an idea of how much an early mustang flexes, the first time i auto-xed the car, it twisted up so bad it cracked the windsheild. my fault for attempting to do it before building frame connectors. after the frame connectors... i noticed losts of "flexing" in the shocktowers, no problem, built a strut tower brace, triangulated to the firewall. the car was a million times better to drive. the next weak link, is where the firewall meets the inner fenders..... ripped loose, frame rails tweaked. this is the point where the car got parked and i started on my '34.

so this brings me to this option. yeah i do realize how much labor is involved. but when you compare that to the saftey issues that i would have everytime i bandaid the car back together... i think it is well worthwhile. the car has sentimental attachments... so i cant ever get rid of it. i would just like to be able to enjoy the car.... and i see this as being the best overall way to accomplish the goal.

anyway... thanks for the extra info.... if i run into any major hurdles, i just might give ya a call.

[Steve1968LS2]

Originally Posted by SN65

Hi RR,

Thanks for the kind words and good luck with your project. Drop me a line if you need any help.

Before you start, I should say that this has taken a LOT more time and effort than we originally thought. I was a bit optomistic on the time it would take at the start. I figured 2 guys owrking full time could knock it out in about 3 months. Afterall, how tough could it be???

Well... 12 months and 2,500 man hours later, we are just about complete.

If you do decide to go ahead, I will be happy to help you avoid some of the major issues we had. Also, having access to a fram rack and laser measuring system helps. :-)

If you want to get a feel for all involved, follow the link below.... If you dare.

http://www.svtperformance.com/forums...5&page=1&pp=25

Also, we would be happy to help you build one just like it. We can do all the dirty grunt / structural / body / paint work and you can do all the fun assembly installation work. If you are interested, just give us a call at 630-762-0387. Just for grins I have attached a current photo of our shop. Please note that this an actual working bodyshop, not American Hot Rod. :-)

Bob

Damn nice car!! When do you think it will be done and where are you located?

That is the exact car I am currently look to find for a feature in the mag.. Very well done so far..

It's not American Hot Rod? You mean everyone doesn't go around acting like asses and injecting drama instead of being professionals????

[XcYZ]

Steve, I agree 100%, Wayne and Bob's project would be an awesome magazine feature.

[SN65]

Hi All,

Thank you all for the kind words. It is gratifying for us to here such glowing comments from dedicated, hard core hobbiest as yourselves.

Below is a comment I made in regard to the current restomoding trend. You can read the whole article on the VERY nice project page set up by our host. I am a bit currious to see if you agree or disagree.

...Unlike the typical approach employed there days, we decided that there has to be a better way to achieve our goal than retrofitting today’s technology into a 40 year old chassis. We feel that the results are always a compromise of one kind or another. Also, the 40 year old chassis was constructed with much weaker materials than today’s designs. Add to that the inherent loss of structural material due to corrosion that occurs over the years (much of which is hidden between all the original factory spot welds and lap joints) and the result is a weak chassis. These older chassis (due to their age / design) more often than not deliver less than desirable ride quality. Even joints and panels that look perfectly acceptable after media blasting can hide rather extensive corrosion that will eventually find its way back to the surface, ruining an otherwise pristine classic ride. As they say “rust never sleeps”. You can hide it and slow it down, but you can never stop it....

So... What do you think? Am I right in making the above comment, or not???

Bob

[SN65]

Originally Posted by race-rodz

well i been doing a bunch of measuring between the 2 cars.... and i think this project is a "go". well it will be a "go" just as soon as my "other" personal project is finished. there are a lot of "issues" with the 64 1/2 that could be solved by doing this. my biggest problem with the car is the lack of structural integrity, mainly in the front end. the car had a 416" windsor/5spd, 17x9's, all the trick shebly style suspension.

to give you an idea of how much an early mustang flexes, the first time i auto-xed the car, it twisted up so bad it cracked the windsheild. my fault for attempting to do it before building frame connectors. after the frame connectors... i noticed losts of "flexing" in the shocktowers, no problem, built a strut tower brace, triangulated to the firewall. the car was a million times better to drive. the next weak link, is where the firewall meets the inner fenders..... ripped loose, frame rails tweaked. this is the point where the car got parked and i started on my '34.

so this brings me to this option. yeah i do realize how much labor is involved. but when you compare that to the saftey issues that i would have everytime i bandaid the car back together... i think it is well worthwhile. the car has sentimental attachments... so i cant ever get rid of it. i would just like to be able to enjoy the car.... and i see this as being the best overall way to accomplish the goal.

anyway... thanks for the extra info.... if i run into any major hurdles, i just might give ya a call.

Hi RR,

Tip #1...

To get the cars to mate properly, you are going to have to fabricate a set of tapered "rails" that will fit between the 65 rocker panels and the SN95 chassis. If I remember correctly, we fabricated some 1 1/8" x 6" x 10gage rectangular tubes that tappered down from the 1 1/8" at one end to 15/16" at the other.

Measure and calculate this a few different times before you make any cuts. I say this because the tolerances on the 65 are quite a bit "looser" than that on the SN95. We had to run over these calculations a few times before we were sure we had it right.

Also, when you are ready to make the cuts, I will walk you through the procedure so you will not leave to much or remove to much material. We were so cautious when making these first cuts that we were always cutting and fitting over and over again. And even when we thought we were being extreamly cautious in what material we removed, we went and removed material that we had to add back in later.

So....

Good luck.

Bob

[SN65]

Originally Posted by Steve1969LS1

Damn nice car!! When do you think it will be done and where are you located?

That is the exact car I am currently look to find for a feature in the mag.. Very well done so far..

It's not American Hot Rod? You mean everyone doesn't go around acting like asses and injecting drama instead of being professionals????

Hi S,

Well... As far as being "done"... Is any project ever really finished?

We were shooting for the end of June, but that deadline is quickly slipping away. We were really hopeing to show it at the July Good Guy's show, but that is going to be hit and miss at this point. We wanted to show this car along with other builders projects and see how it stacked up. There is a really fine ride built by the Ring brothers and we were wanting to see how the Julian brothers ranked in comparison. Also, we may be a bit out of our minds, insain, nuts, eytc... but we think we have a shot at street machine of the year.

But that dream is fading fast as we have about 6 weeks worth of hard work and only 3 to the show.

Sigh.....

Our shop is located in St Charles, IL. We have restored classics and also built our share of customs. We recently restored a 69 GT350 that took concorse "gold" at Ford nationals last fall.

Sometimes I think we are the best kept secret in the car business. We do excellent work, we charge fair prices, we take no shortcuts and we only know how to do things the right way. But, there are so many "big" names in the market that it is tough for small shops like ours to get a break.

Anyway, you can reach either Wayne or myself at 630-762-0387.

Catch ya'll l8r.

Bob

[race-rodz]

there are so many "big" names in the market that it is tough for small shops like ours to get a break.

i hear that!!!

btw...thanks for the tips, this project is gonna be on hold for a couple months as i get my tube chassis '34 done, but over the winter i will be neck deep in mustang.

[Ummgawa]

Awesome Car and inspiring Effort! Welcome to the best site on the net.

[SN65]

Hi All,

I noticed that there are a few artists that frequent this site. I dabble a little bit myself.

I have attached a few drawings just for giggles. They are all hand drawn using Prizmacolor colored pencils.

Not to bad for a hack.

Bob

[Hooligan]

Those rock.