1968 looking for input

[J.Bart]

i'm hoping you can see in the pictures, that from the middle of my gt/cs back to the rear, all of the welds have been brazed. i had it blasted and found this interesting development.
i'm looking for explainations for why this would be, i have my own theories about it but i don't know how i would ever be sure.
thoughts????????

 

[franklinair]

I found something similar on my C/S. Look at my thread "Now it begins", my last post there. I found an area on the L rear quarter, blending into the sail panel that had brazed spots also. It was a small area, so I had it cut out and new metal spliced in. Strange.

Neil

 

[J.Bart]

so you would agree that the brazing is later repair work?

 

[Ruppstang]

Most diffidently is repair work Ford used very little brass. Marty

 

[franklinair]

Yep. When I bought mine, the prev owner had done the restoration- complete with photos. One of the photos (taken from the opposite side of the car) showed him working on this area (with welding gear). I was suspicious, so I had the body shop grind the area, and discovered the patchwork. Now it's all squared away, ready for paint.
It looks to me as though rust pinholes were filled by brazing. Is that what yours looks like? In looking @ your photos, It looks to me as though both rear quarters were replaced (brazing along both door jams and joint at sail panel). Also, the brazing on trunk floor panel- do they follow the same line as the rear frame rail? As if the floor panel was spot brazed to the frame rail? Boy, I'd like to see it up close & personal.

Neil

 

[J.Bart]

basically it looks like every factory weld was brazed, floors, quarters, rear panel, frame rails, everything. like the factory welds were rewelded. at that time frame of brazing, what panels were available? and why the panels under the rear seat? it looks as if all of the factory spot welds were popped and then brazed, wouldn't an accident to the rear, big enough to cause that much damage, have totaled the car???
it would have been alot of work to braze all of that. and if it was hit that hard, wouldn't some of thereplacement metal been unavailable back then?

 

[J_Speegle]

basically it looks like every factory weld was brazed, floors, quarters, rear panel, frame rails, everything. like the factory welds were rewelded. at that time frame of brazing, what panels were available? and why the panels under the rear seat?

The reason for brazing rather than welding may be an indicator of when the repair was made (saw more of this in the 70's than now) or the limitations of the tools or skills of the repair person. Often welded are drilled to releave pressure, then rewelded and in a unibody car the forces are translated and carried through out the car. So you can find cars that get hit in the trunk that wrinkle maybe a floorboard

it looks as if all of the factory spot welds were popped and then brazed, wouldn't an accident to the rear, big enough to cause that much damage, have totaled the car???

As offered at the other site - depends on when the damage and repair happened and where since different states handle the assigning (if at all) salvage titles.

it would have been alot of work to braze all of that. and if it was hit that hard, wouldn't some of the replacement metal been unavailable back then?

You can start checking the panel dates to see if they used a donor car rather than replacement sheetmetal. Ford replacement panels were available from the point when these cars were new. There were periods when certain panels were not available from Ford or an aftermaket source so shops turn to donor cars or reusing the original panels

 

[J.Bart]

panel dates?????
every panel has a manufacture date stamped in them???

 

[J_Speegle]

panel dates?????
every panel has a manufacture date stamped in them???

Every Ford one should

Pattern is as follows (example 12 18 D2)

Month = Dec
Day of month = 18th day
Stamping plant - Dearborn
Shift - 2nd

In some panels the stamping plant and shift codes are reversed for some reason.

Each (well at least 99 %) individual stamped panel would have a stamping date on it. We often used these indicators in judging Thoroughbred class cars (part of the match numbers thing) or I use them when evaluating a car for purchase


Hope this helps - a couple of examples

 

[J.Bart]

i'll lok for them , it might make things even more interesting.

 

[robert campbell]

Jbart,
The dates are all over the car in your sheet metal. The quarter panel dates are normally in the well that seals to the trunk lid gasket. With your car blasted, you can see dates all over the framing behind the rear seat. You should see a pattern of when many of the parts were stamped. Ahead of the build date, but I have seen some wild variances on a car where parts are much older than the build date. I have looked at a bunch of Shelby’s that a local restorer has redone. It can help you see if the part is a replacement.

When I replaced the quarter panel on my GNS, I drilled every on of the welds to remove the complete quarter panel from the C pillar to include the door jam and the panel that blends into the taillight panel. They are all now steel welded vice brazed. Most of my date codes were very close to the build date.

Whoever did your work looks like it was done very well. I would not distrust the brazing. It is very strong. It just takes a lot more heat to accomplish and risks warping of surfaces.

Rob

 

[franklinair]

I agree. The brazing is an anomaly from the factory process, but I would have no worries of the structural integrity. Just a curiosity from previous repairs.

Neil

 

[gofastguy]

I am still in the process of learning about my car, and have been wondering about how to decode these stampings. Is there any places on the panels that show a year, or are you just looking for a fairly similar date to your date of manufacture in order to make a good guess as to the originality of panels. I am wondering since the previous owner who did the restoration in the '80's claimed that the car had way more original body parts than most do 41 years later...