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1968 My gt/cs j code 4 speed restoration begins

gt/csj4

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 8, 2012
Messages
344
Location
Westminster,CO
Hey all!

Name is Joe and am new to the forum, but definitely not new to Mustangs. Grew up with them my whole life and this will be my 2nd restoration to an early one. My other mustang is a 67 gta coupe, silver frost, black interior, air, ps,pb etc etc. Just got my newest pride and joy (handed down from my dad... been waiting and wanting this car for a long time) Anyway, Cal special,non gt,heavy duty sus. j code, 4 speed, standard interior, candy apple red... as it sits right now the car will need to be completely gone thru, altough it is all there. The 302 in it right now (original block) has def. been gone through and is anything but stock (to be honest the thing scares me its ridiculous fast) and has a 9 inch posi in the rear which only thing i can guess since the axel tag is gone, is that it has 4.11's in it....so my guess, this car was purpose built and that was for 1/4 mile excursions. I will be doing a full rotisserie resto on it, and will be brought back to concours driven specs... :grin: Best part is i have a hott brunette that will help aide in this restoration (it is my fiance and she has caught the mustang bug.... BAD) so we will see how far she will be willing to get her hands dirty. I am very familar with the cs, and hcs (thanks in part to being close friends with bob teets since i was in diapers) but every car is a new learning process so im diving in head first, wish me luck !
 
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Ruppstang

Well-known member
Joined
May 22, 2009
Messages
3,032
Best of luck with tha car and the hot brunette! That is how it started with my hot brunette 32 years ago. I still think she is hot. You are in real good hands with Bob Teets. He has been a great help to me and our HCS project. Keep us up dated as to your progress. BTW I am a MCA 67-68 gold card judge so if you are going to go MCA concours trailered I may be able to offer some help.
Marty Rupp
 
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gt/csj4

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 8, 2012
Messages
344
Location
Westminster,CO
Thank you I will def. be picking your brain on several things! And yes Bob is a great guy, he actually helped trailer my first mustang (the 67 gt i mentioned) and recently helped get the cal to my house too (fuel lines were so rotted i was too afraid to drive it even being a short distance) Appreciate the response:smile:
 

robert campbell

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 10, 2007
Messages
4,321
Here is my hot brunettes car! she caught the bug in 1975. We are coming up on 35 years of Mustang bliss!! She hammers the 4 speed and bracket raced her car many times.

Rob



Blackmstgdriveway.jpg


DSCN9575.jpg
 
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gt/csj4

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 8, 2012
Messages
344
Location
Westminster,CO
Thanks guys. I am in Wyoming today for work but I when I get home ill snap pics of the car. In the process of buying another house so don't want to start tearing into it to where it can't be transported easily but hopefully the house I have my sites on pans out so that I can begin to strip the car. As it sits I know Bob teets has found this is a Lucas light car (which are missing) as are the twist locks. The brackets for the pins on the rad support are there and the harness and switch for the fogs are there, but I haven't a clue where to find NOS Lucas lights...I'm sure Bobby has a set...not sure if I have enough nickles and pennies for em tho haha
 
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gt/csj4

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 8, 2012
Messages
344
Location
Westminster,CO
Quick update on the restoration. After a TON of scrapping some crappy undercoating spray in the trunk that someone at one point decided to do, I sanded everything down and primered and shot the trunk with the correct candy apple (car is maroon with gold stripes right now should be candy apple with black stripe) and it looks AMAZING in there now. detailed all the bolts and latch/striker etc too. After the car gets painted in Oct (cant wait) i will install the NOS plaid carpeting i had bought at a swap meet years ago so the trunk will be 100%. Next thing i did was remove the god awful speakers from the package tray and put in the new one as well as took the rear panels out and shot them with the correct charcoal black. Then took the door cards out (in perfect condition which was a bonus) and shot the doors as well as the entire dash. I had to order all new dash pieces because someone decided that the gold theme on the outside of the car needed to continue on the inside too so all the pieces that are supposed to be chrome...were painted gold... ugh. So after restoring the gauge cluster, repainting the needles (the origninal clock actually still works as well as the philco radio haha!) I was up till 1 am finishing up the dash. I had a extra tilt steering column so i decided even though i didnt come with it, i installed it too. (still trying to track down a black 68 steering wheel car currently has a grant) Removed the kick panels and dash pad since i will be taking all the windows out when its painted anyway. I have my seats being recovered with the correct vinyl ( someone put nasty cloth inserts in the old ones) luckily all the frames and springs are in great condition. The issue with the lucas lights has been completely resolved thanks to Neil, and Bob teets (thanks again fellas) Next big project is tearing the motor, trans out for complete restoration ( its a pretty hopped up 302 i would say it has damn near 400 hp at the crank) so im leaving the motor alone since its very strong and healthy but i will take the headers off and high rise intake and junky holley carb off and put it back to concours (at least it will look like it till you start it. Once the motor is out i will then detail the engine comp too and leave the motor out till it gets back from paint next year then the underside will be completely stripped down and painted the correct red oxide (?leaving the 9 inch posi rear end tho haha) so if all goes right this car will make a appearence at the mustang roundup in steamboat 2013 ( up and coming class of course) so im hoping by 2014 she'll be done. Sorry for the rant but the car is an absolute blast and im learning so much about these cals its unreal. I had fun restoring my 67, but this car is sooooo much fun! thanks for the read guys ill post pics today at some point
 
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gt/csj4

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 8, 2012
Messages
344
Location
Westminster,CO
Alright the time has come! The hopped up 302 4bbl is being pulled this weekend (my picker is toast needed to borrow my friends) So the motor and trans will get a revamp and tune and a nice de-grease treatment and will commence the long process of bolting back up all the stock attributes that i have pain-stankingling been buying and tracking down ( c8
intake and c8 exhaust mani's were so hard to find) The exhaust mani's have been heat treated with the correct natural, and i managed to find a very correct autolite dizzy and alt. luckily all the bracketry and pulley's are correct for it, now the last piece is to get rid of the junky aftermarket holley thats on there and try and find an autolite that will keep up with this motor (motor currently has solid lifters in it which i intend to keep and
a decent lumpy cam) so that will be fun. Trans needs to be gone thru as its "gunky thru the gears" but the top loaders are a synch so we will just have to see. Anyway once the motor is out the hotsie will be taken to the engine comp. to take all the years of oil and filth out of it just before the rotisserie comes into play. I have the typical rust spots on the upper aprons near the backside of the shock towers, so i am having new sections welded in by a good friends wife (amazing welder) Have a brand new PS unit with pump going in and my pops found the NOS booster he bought for this car to give to me so it'll be nice having power brakes one day haha. I keep promising pics and folks rest assured they are coming. I have about 50 so far of the resto so you're all in for a treat when i compress them to fit.

cheers
joe
 
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