FORD MUSTANG GT
RUN BY James Mann OWNED SINCE May 2018 PREVIOUS REPORT February
The Mustang is still yet to turn a wheel in anger and, having towed it up to our village fête back in July after an electrical short in the system, it suffered a wiring fire and a seized brake pad all within half a mile of home.
Disillusioned, I transported the dead Pony up to American Auto Parts in Redhill for Darryl Setchell to fix the new problems before starting the restoration proper.
Both sides of the floor have now been cut out and new metal let in, and the old, holed fuel tank binned awaiting replacement. There’s still some welding to complete around the rear spring hanger on one side, and a section on the driver’s-side front chassis leg to fix. Darryl found a used four-barrel Holley carburettor on a recent visit to the US, and replaced the damaged front brake caliper. He plumbed in a new section where the loom had burnt out, plus fitted a replacement regulator – which had likely caused the fault in the first place.
I called Dougal Cawley at Longstone Tyres (longstonetyres.co.uk) for advice on which rubber I should fit to my car’s 14in Styled Steel wheels, and he did me an amazing deal on a set of five Pirelli 175 R14s that he had in stock. I had picked up a spare rim of the same type from South Coast Mustangs in Havant for £20, which cleaned up all right, and with a lick of paint it is now barely distinguishable from the other four wheels.
On my way up to Longstone I dropped in to see Roy at the Mustang Workshop near Hook for a chat, and he gave me some great advice about how to refit the powerful door springs using cableties, which worked a treat. I’ve also added a new steering wheel that I imported from the US to replace the badly cracked original, and bought a pair of new bumpers from Chillimoto Speed Shop. These are yet to be fitted because one of the front supports is missing and will need replacing. But I have added a new pair of chrome doorhandles – just $26 from CJ Pony in the US.
The great thing about Mustangs is that everything is available, and at a reasonable price.