Menancing Mustang

Posted on March 25, 2018 by Mustang Maniac

This week has been all about tidying up the yard and there is some stuff we have been meaning to do for a long time now. We were recently asked how the new pups were getting on. We can say that Aria and Cleo are happy and have now made themselves more than comfortable in their new home with their mum Shelby in the yard area. They have already got into the pack instinct and patrol the yard very well with that natural guard dog instinct so natural to to them.

Customers Cars

We have been working on a cowl rust project for a little while now and we like to think that we are one of the few people who can do this without ruining the car. The cowl is notorious for holding water and will rust through if not looked after and the drain points kept clear.

The lower cowl has been treated and painted on the inside to match the colour of the car and the underside for the interior of the car.

The upper and lower parts of the cowl are then in effect matched together so there are no unsightly gaps before they are welded together. This process takes time to fit the lower cowl to the car, then the upper cowl has to be matched to both the parts. This is the skill and levels of dedication that you cant even see make the difference. You just know it’s done properly by Mustang Maniac.

The upper cowl is treated on the underside that you don’t see and the edges are prepped ready for the shaping and the welding. Here the parts are clamped and final checks for overall location before the welding.

There are a number of ways to weld this together that we won’t go into by some of our competitors, but we do it properly to replicate the look and feel of the time.

Here is a short video of that process.

The last part of the process is the crucial strengthening brackets for the inner fenders to the cowl. This is a critical area of the car for stability of the chassis.

The last part of the process will be the prep work for the paint and then put it all back together again.

Our Cars

There are few sounds that send shivers down your spine when you hear them, one of those is Yogi’s ’69 427ci menacing Mustang on tick over. We found this old clip and decided to share with you what we mean, a car you hear before you see it. Turn the volume up and tell us what you think, this is seriously awesome.

To complement the video we have this clip of Yogi at one of his favourite haunts; Santa Pod Drag Strip. Although he annihilated the competition, Yogi was not happy as his wheels couldn’t get grip to launch of the line properly. That was confirmed but the data print out, but he decided to trash the tyres and run again, and again just because he could. Listen to the Yogi ride on full chat again awesome.

Have you taken your car down Santa Pod or any other Drag Strip? Send us some pics and we will get them on the blog for you.

Posted in Customers' Cars, Mustang Maniac, Restoration, Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Still Working Hard

Posted on March 18, 2018 by Mustang Maniac

There is a some major tidy up work taking place at the yard to give a cleaner look and some tree branches have been taken down. For that job what better vehicle than a Ford Ranchero. Adam’s much-loved Ranchero is now well over fifty years old and is still working hard without a single problem. So this will be a show car in th summer, but for now it gets used what it was built for then pampered later in the year. Do you have any picks of a classic truck still working hard?

Customers Cars:

we are also working hard on the ’69 Mach1 is now at a point where we are trying out different wheels for the look of the car. Wheel choice is a very personal thing and what you like may not be what somebody else likes. So we obliged with various options on Jacqui’s car with different wheels and tyre combos..

As the car is now a rolling project we starting to put some final touches to the car before we fine tune it.

The inside of the car is getting there as well but with a very popular upgrade with the LED’s dash lights.

We had some good responses to the article on the Crystal Clear headlights we sell; click here for the link.

We were sent a couple of pictures for a variation on the theme. These headlights are the much more modern look with great visibility. The “Halo” or “angel eye” look.

Here we have the concurs FoMoCo logo lenses with halogen bulbs click here,

California Dreamin’ Again;

The California Special returns with a new limited-edition design package for 2019 Mustang GT that commemorates visual cues of the 1968 original while celebrating modern Mustang performance & style.

America’s favorite sports car gets even more style and technology for 2019 thanks to the revival of the legendary Mustang GT California Special, new features including rev-matching on 5.0-liter 6-speed manual-equipped models, the first-ever custom-tuned B&O PLAY premium audio system for Mustang, three new vintage-inspired colors and over-the-top stripes.

“No doubt, 2019 is an exciting year for Mustang enthusiasts, especially fans of our California Special and BULLITT models,” said Corey Holter, Ford car group marketing manager. “This year further targets hardcore enthusiasts who want even more performance from BULLITT, while new technology – including rev-matching on manual transmission-equipped Mustang GT and active valve performance exhaust on the EcoBoost model – means even more thrills.”

The Original California Dreaming

When Mustang first hit the streets in 1964, owners clubs sprang up around the country, with many regional dealers creating their own personalized pony car designs. One – inspired by the 1967 Shelby GT notchback coupe prototype – came to be called the California Special. That original version featured blacked-out grille, fog lamps and a side racing stripe that ended ahead of a new rear fender scoop. It wore a Shelby-inspired spoiler, custom tail lamps and twist-lock hood fasteners. Impressed, Ford put a limited number of California Special cars into production for 1968. Before long, the California Special had joined the ranks of Shelby, Boss and Mach 1 special-edition Mustangs.

Today, the 2019 California Special for Mustang GT is a visual standout, featuring a trademark fading stripe that traces from the 5.0 side badge to the rear fender scoop. A signature Ebony Black and Race Red script California Special badge adorns the trunk lid. At the front, the car follows the blacked-out open grille and picks up the Mustang Performance Pack 1 splitter. The California Special wears unique five-spoke painted machined wheels.

Inside are rich black Miko suede-trimmed seats with embossed GT/CS insignia and contrast red accent stitching, along with custom embroidered GT/CS floor mats. Signature California Special script badging appears on the passenger-side dash panel.  “Few things are more satisfying than dropping the top on a California Special and taking a drive down the majestic Pacific Coast Highway,” said Mark Conforzi, Ford designer. “This signature design takes its cues from the original California Special, while enhancing the personality of today’s Mustang.”

Rev-matching to level the field

Mustang GT’s powerful 5.0-liter V8 engine packs 460 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque and tops out at 155 mph. When that torque gets delivered to the pavement via 6-speed manual and available Performance Package, you better hold on, because that’s where rev-matching gives Mustang drivers a leg – or a heel and a toe – up. Advanced rev-matching helps smooth out shifts by first predicting shifts then quickly matching engine rpm – similar to the heel-and-toe methods the pros use. On downshifts, engine rpm instantly kicks up to smooth out the transition between gears.  California Special returns with a new limited-edition design package for 2019 Mustang GT that commemorates visual cues of the 1968 original while celebrating modern Mustang performance and style

Sensational B&O PLAY audio

Like Ford Mustang, Bang & Olufsen is an innovator in both iconic design and heart-racing performance across its line of audio products. And now, for the first time, the B&O PLAY audio system comes to Mustang with a stunning 10-channel amplifier producing 1,000 watts across 12 high-performance speakers. Customized to the car’s interior environment, sound engineers tuned the B&O PLAY audio system to take both the static and dynamic states of Mustang into account to elevate the senses regardless of driving conditions. B&O PLAY audio connects to the optional SYNC 3 system, which allows Apple CarPlay compatibility.

Active valve performance exhaust now available on EcoBoost models

When the class-exclusive quad-tip fully variable active valve performance exhaust hit the streets for Mustang GT for 2018, critics and customers alike raved over the deep throaty sound of the 5.0-liter V8 engine. What took everyone by surprise was its driver-controlled, fully active exhaust mode and quiet start mode, also known as the “good neighbor” mode. Now, a fully variable active valve performance exhaust brings an aggressive snarl to 2019 Mustang equipped with EcoBoost. This class-exclusive quad-tip exhaust system can be controlled by the drive mode system or via personalized MyMode settings with the 12-inch all-digital LCD instrument panel, as well as through the standard 4.2-inch cluster.

More personalization than ever; new colors

Mustang enthusiasts now have more opportunity to personalize their car than ever before, with exciting new vintage-inspired colors including Velocity Blue, Need for Green and the iconic BULLITT model’s exclusive Dark Highland Green. “These intense new colors trace back to Mustang’s classic colors of the late 1960s and early 1970s,” said Holter. “While colors like Shadow Black and Magnetic Gray will still be popular for those who prefer to go stealth, these new colors pack a brighter, more vibrant punch for 2019.”

Source: https://www.at.ford.com/en/homepage/news-and-clipsheet/news/2018/3/colors.html?cid=BOC-2018-03-15

The 2019 Mustang California edition goes on sale this summer, lets hope the snow has gone from the UK by then!

Posted in Articles, Customers' Cars, Photos, Sales, Webshop | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Four Ready To Go

Posted on March 11, 2018 by Mustang Maniac

The week we were back to mechanics pretty much full-time and only managed a little bit of work on the restoration projects we have on the go. These cars were all lined up waiting for their owners to collect them and we managed to grab a few nice pics before they were taken away.

Park & Pic Special

Ember Glow ’66 Coupe is a genuine GT option and a rare colour option. At the time it was not a popular colour, but now days is quite well sought after as a lot of the interiors were also two-tone.  This car was in for some cold start issues and a new battery.

The ’68 red convertible was in for some of our new Magnum 500 Alloy wheels. This particular style is popular because they are light, not as much upkeep as the chrome, still have the same look but just a little different from the rest. The new wheels warranted a full Geo setup and tune to get the best from the wheels and improve the handling. The raised white letter tyres matches the soft top fabric and our red centres matches the paint.

The ’67 v8 black convertible with deluxe interior was in for a little Mustang Maniac once over and then of for an MOT. This particular car is a real nice example of an untouched original car. 

The White ’66 Coupe was in for a little more work. The heads were to be replaced with our stock reconditioned heads. The pulleys were also cleaned and painted for a new fresh look.

The new ones were fitted after the paint had dried, then the new coated headers completed the clean engine look.

The rocker covers were replaced and the carb with a re-tune and timing just to be sure.

Once the engine was running again we then set about a little more cosmetic and suspension upgrades. The curved chrome Mote Carlo bar was a new edition to the engine bay, and an upgraded export brace to replace the standard shock tower braces. These changes not only look good but also make a big difference to the front end handling.

Another Testimonial:

One of our new customers picked up their car and took her home. We later received an email with lovely comment.

“First of all thank you for your hospitality and the rubber aerial seal and the keyring. The drive home was an absolute pleasure. I enjoyed driving the car before, now I LOVE IT. You and Alan definitely worked your magic on the Stang. You have transformed it from a good car to a great car.

I will be your life long loyal customer.”

Little emails like that makes us proud here at Mustang Maniac to know that the customer is happy with their car, and that they will get to enjoy it even more now. 🙂

Other News:

The 2018 model already being the most customizable Mustang ever, it also breaks new ground in personalization.

Ford is launching a new Personalize Your Pony experience on Facebook that allows Mustang fans to create their own iteration of the iconic emblem. They can then order clothing, mugs, phone cases and decals with their unique pony logo creation, and share the image with friends on social media channels. Enthusiasts can access a series of Mustang style packs – including variants from Shelby, Roush, Bullitt* and RTR Vehicles – and colors.

Ford will plaster the most popular pony designs across billboards in major North American cities this spring. If that is not bragging rights we don’t know what is!

Corey Holter, Ford car group marketing manager, said driving a Mustang has always been about standing apart from the crowd. “This is a chance for Mustang fans everywhere to make their very own personalized pony, then potentially have it shared where millions will be able to see it,” he said. Some fans will even be able to show off their creation with a customized grille badge for their own 2015 model year and newer Mustang.

What are you waiting for? Get over to Facebook and get busy.

Posted in Classic Cars, Customers' Cars, News, Park & Pic | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Sunglasses To Snow Goggles

Posted on March 4, 2018 by Mustang Maniac

The UK has been gripped in the midst of a Siberian storm that lasted a week or so, of course a little snow ground the UK to a standstill, we just can’t cope with snow. But Mustang Maniac ploughs on nevertheless. See what we did there? Anyway, just before the snow landed we had a our friend and customer Lance drop his ’65 coupe down to us that needed some more upgrades, one of which was a special order that had just arrived in for him.

Park & Pic 

Here is the process of those upgrades, all very subtle and make a huge difference.  Except that special order which isn’t subtle by any shape of the imagination!

Although Lance was posing in his sunglasses here, they were soon swapped out for snow goggles a few days later!

The side shot above shows the first set 17″ “Styled Steel” alloy rims in the country and they were fitted to a Mustang. The fronts are 215/50R17 7Jx17 and a larger 225/50R17 8Jx15 at the rears for the staggered look. In the garage we were asked to look at the lights to improve them. This was a simple upgrade with Mustang Maniac’s crystal clear headlight upgrade kit for a more modern look. You can easily see the difference between the old and new when they are next to each other.

comparison new left – old right

The link for these lights can be found on the WebShop here or  cut the this link – https://mustangmaniac.co.uk/part/36/7958/headlamp_conversion_kit   Lance’s response to this upgrade was “it’s like chalk and cheese, I can drive at night.”  The rear end also got a little upgrade with some new lenses to go with his previously installed LED’s.

Keeping on the lights theme and poor visibility we also have various colours of LED’s for the dash. Some may think it’s a gimmick but honestly they make a massive difference compared to the incandescent bulbs and filters originally fitted. Lance asked for the popular blue set to be fitted. this was fine until the blue lights didn’t look right and so the rev counter was also upgraded to match. Lances response to the upgrade – “I can see how fast I am going at night as well now!” These bulbs can be purchased from here or this link – https://mustangmaniac.co.uk/part/36/7115/64-65_instrument_panel_led_set

The next upgrade was a special order also an upgraded special order at that. Lance wanted to hear his music and wanted a sub woofer “upgrade”. This kit contains the mounting board, 2 x 275w speakers, the 250w amp and all the wiring and fittings as standard. However the upgrade to the special order was to swap out the 250w amp with a 500w version. The behind the seat kit can be found here or this link – https://mustangmaniac.co.uk/part/28/84/64-73_speaker_behind_rear_seats_

This was going to be done properly and not just drag the wires under the carpets, so panels and seats were removed, trims and all cable wrapped correctly for that much sought after stock look.

The board is a straight replacement with the speakers already mounted and just needed the wires routed. Paul loves a bit of wiring and made it look easy and stock all linked to the starter solenoid. The last little touch was the bass adjustment that Paul neatly mounted in the glove box out of sight. Lance made a comment about this little addition, “I can turn the bass up on my Frank Sinatra now when I’m driving at night.”

Lance’s response to the upgraded and thumping sounds? “I can hear my music at night now!” There was one last thing, his air filter was upgraded to the Edelbrock hi-flow 3″ pan with a 1.5″ drop. This allows more air into the carb and thus if tuned correctly a little more power.

As we spent a fair bit of time on the car it was “Yogi’ed” as well, a Yogi sticker was stuck under the hood by the bear himself. Lance’s comment on this was sort of predictable, “At least it can’t be seen when I’m driving at night.” 😀

Customers Cars:

’69 Mach1

This has moved along quite quickly with the exhaust being fitted, Yogi does his thing and makes it fit like a glove and made some bespoke joins as a result. What you don’t see makes all the difference as well. We have seen some “one-off, bespoke and hand-made” exhaust systems that have been taken off the car and replaced with our systems within a matter of days. Just because you can’t see it – doesn’t mean it can be given any less attention to detail.

tips
cross over

Witht he exhaust in place we prepped the engine by pumping the oil around the engine, filling the carb bowls with fuel and added a little in the intake ready for the fire up. Default carb settings were made and Yogi’s sixth sense for a timing set up. The result was this a first time fire up of the engine. You will notice Yogi quickly moves in with the screw driver to start adjusting mixtures and settings to hold the idle while the timing was then adjusted. As per usual this will be taken for a road test and then adjusted properly.

The topside of the car got the same attention to details with the hood cables being fitting and closed the hood. Yogi walked away with another smile on his face for a well earned cup of tea.

WebShop

We have had some interest in the very limited run of stickers we had made on a few of our cars, “Born to Perform”. There was only few of them made for us, but the interest has been shown. We are asking if there is enough demand for a special order; should we get a another limited batch made?

Let us know what you think.

Posted in Customers' Cars, Mustang Maniac, Park & Pic, Restoration, Service, Webshop | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Classic Cars Excel London 2018

Posted on February 25, 2018 by Mustang Maniac

It’s a known fact that Adam doesn’t do big car shows, “been there, done that and got the trophies as Adam would say, but on the odd occasion he will. Last weekend was one of those shows, the Classic Car Show at the London Excel Centre. This show is aimed at people wanting to buy classic cars rather than the trade style shows on how to restore them. The cars were all glistening and tip-top looking, in fact some were better than when they came out the factory. Adam took his much-loved KR to the show and was along side a few other great cars at the Mustang Owners Club of GB all weekend.

There was the usual interest in the car and somebody even argued that Carroll Shelby signed the name wrong on the glove box. It was explained that the signature was Cleo’s, unfortunately the little knowledge the gentleman had didn’t extend to Carroll’s wife!

There was a nice collection of Classic and some rare UK Fords:

Some iconic Classic British cars.

There was of course the Classic USA Fords; including a genuine GT350 up for sale with no price tag on show!

There was some Classic Super & Hyper cars, that already have the Classic status.

Check out the price tag for this Ferrari 250, got any spare change?

A section that was created for the show was called the “Getaway Cars” which was to show the most popular and well-known vehicles. We use the term vehicles because the well trusted “Ford Transit” was used in many a “job” at the time along with the legendary Lotus Cortina.

Speaking of Transits there was a specialised coachworks for a beautiful example.

The unusual cars and items for sale were not forgotten.

Mercedes made of wood

Perhaps the most iconic automobile that brought affordable travel independance to the masses was the Ford “Model T” which was also named the most influential car of the 20th Century. This car was also the first to be built on the fully moving production lines, changing the face of manufacturing as we know it. By 1918 over HALF the cars in the USA were Model Ts.

The last day Sunday 18th February 2018

During the show the guest of Honour was the ever popular 1992 Formula 1 world Champion & Indy Car World Champion 1993; Nigel (Red 5) Mansell who appeared on the Sunday to receive an achievement award. He drove a Formula 1 car indoors which made plenty of noise should we say, especially when doing donuts and lighting up the rear tyres. He signed autographs and done a couple of question and answer sessions which proved to be very popular and very informative.

His much loved race cars were on display which had a constant wall of people around them.

There was a stand that catered for the rich children with miniature versions of classic cars with petrol engines, maybe not quite the growling 427ci monsters under the hood, but a more modest single cylinder version.

Customers Cars:

Yogi and Paul got to work on the Classic Mustang rust spot; the lower cowl sections. On cars after ’66 they were a little easier to get to, but still need a lot of skill to replace as this also forms a structural part of the car. The thin and rusted through lower section can clearly be seen.

With the cowl removed the inner workings of the car can be seen. Welding the cowl back needs considerable care in order to not scorch or damage the rest of the car under the cowl.

We could bring more about this week, but we think the blog post is full enough, for now at least. Did anybody else go to the show and what were your thoughts?

Posted in Blog, Cars For Sale, Classic Cars, Customers' Cars, Mustang, Mustang Maniac | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Bubbling Away

Posted on February 17, 2018 by Mustang Maniac

For the last couple of posts we have asked you to send us some pictures of your cars so we can post them for you on our little ol’ blog. We’re pleased to say that you have taken us up on our offer, so please keep them coming. We had an email from Alan Bullock. He sent us a few lines with his pictures:

“I thought I would just tell you that my 1968 302 V8 (4 barrel carburetor) Red RHD Mustang Convertible Is 50 years old today and still looks wonderful. Thank you for you help in the past.”

In fact we like to think that the people who entrust their treasured cars to us have become more than just customers, they’ve also become our friends.

Customers Cars:

At Mustang Maniac we are never afraid to show the quality of our work and how we go about it all. Obviously we don’t show every single one of our little secrets, but we do show a lot of the processes. That way you know exactly what you are paying for. Last week we posted a repair of some rear quarter panels that had started to rust from the inside out. We received an email on what that would look like. We took some photo’s before hand of the metal worm in progress. A little bubble under the paint will often reveal a lot more than you expect.

Golden Convertible.

We showed a number of months ago the work starting on a restoration on a gold convertible, that work has started up again and we are working on the inside now.

Car Shows:

We have a car at “The London Classic Car Show” in the Excel Centre. Adam loaned a car to the Mustang Owners Club stand, his much-loved Shelby KR. This is a picture of the car before the crowds all started to arrive on the Thursday this week. We will bring you some more pictures of the show. Pop along to Mustang Owners Club of GB to say “Hi” and that the Mustang Maniac blog sent you along. The guys will appreciate it.

A Chilly Work Of Art:

We had this link sent to us and we thought that we would share it with you, especially if the weather is snowing where you are:

A Ford employee and Dearborn resident Jacob DiMaria’s creative snow sculpture isn’t your average snowman. 

 His creation – a 1965 Ford Mustang – took about 10 hours to construct Sunday and Monday after a big snowstorm in Metro Detroit. The sculpture is drawing lots of attention from his neighborhood, as well as from the Detroit Free Press and Channel 4 News. Reporters came out to his house to see the creation for themselves, and interview DiMaria and his wife Lizzie.

DiMaria said he and his siblings often made snow creations when they were kids and never really grew out of it. He built a little snow dog a few weeks ago on his back deck, but it was when his brother made a bear that he felt he had to step up his work. And so he turned to the Mustang. “I’ve always liked the ‘65 Mustang, plus the body lines were relatively easy to sculpt in snow,” he said. DiMaria, a technologist who has worked for Ford since July 2014, said his co-workers have gotten in on the fun, too, making many jokes. If it’s any reassurance to the design employees: DiMaria acknowledged that the car’s proportions are a little off – but it’s close. “It’s not perfect but it’s what it is,” he told the Free Press.

Mustang Manaic thinks that it’s pretty amazing, now who was it that said you can’t have fun in the snow?

Not us!

Posted in Car Shows, Classic Cars, Customers' Cars, Mustang, Mustang Maniac, News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A Modern Touch

Posted on February 11, 2018 by Mustang Maniac

We mentioned last week that we had an email for a daily driver and we wanted to know if there were anymore examples out there used for a daily ride basis. It looks like there is more than just one of them out there. An email from Bob Frantzen who tells us; “I have a 1967 Mustang coupe that I have had since 1981. Hope you don’t mind my friend posing for a quick shot.” How could we refuse?

We are liking this section, but we can’t deny that it’s been a slow response so far, perhaps we were right and these beautiful classic Mustangs are only out when the sun shines? We were expecting this to be a sparse section to be honest, so why not prove us wrong and send us your pics!

Customer Cars:

It’s a known fact that our resident man bear likes a little “RestoMod” when he is let loose on a project. Recently we had a customers car in that has the classic rust spots on the rear quarters that needed sorting out, and that means Yogi dusted of his paint gun. He also made a little interior update too which was simple enough, but the care taken makes all the difference.

The old rust was rubbed down to see just how far the metal worm had gotten.

The old rusty metal was cut away and new metal fabricated in its place.

With a little sanding and that little bit of magic that happens in the Yogi cave, we have the repaired sections that will last for a good few years to come.

After the outside was repaired the interior got the modern touch with the USB power supplies. These sockets are now becoming more the norm as the cigarette lighter adaptors are dying away in favour of the much neater USB sockets. The result is subtle and it certainly doesn’t ruin the interior stock look.

The underhood was asked for a little tidy up and we obliged with a re-wrap of some wiring and the difference again is subtle, and if you can see the work – then we have done it properly as it looks stock.

’69 Mach1

Jaqui’s Mach1 has been worked on and the aircon has been fitted to the engine. Not sure it will be used any time soon as it’s the middle of winter here! But the engine is taking shape and ready for the initial stock settings tune up.

The sun visors now are in and the rest of the engine hardware fittings in place.

 

With the basics now done we have a rolling restoration. Not long now for the completion and then its the fine tuning and adjustments before we let Jacqui and Roy have her back.

The Onion Mustang:

We have been waiting for a slot to start on the “Onion” again. The floor pans and the rear chassis legs were mounted on the jig and measured out from the original dimensions we had taken and marked points on the jig. Some tack welds made and more measuring with more parts added to make sure the built up layers will fit together again. Once we were happy then the full neat welds were made so the floor pan and chassis could be removed from the jig and carefully rested on the floor. The underside was worked on to rub down the welds and seam seal the joints and finished with our red lead paint.

Special message:

We finish the post this week with all of us at Mustang Maniac to wish our good friend Jacqui S. a speedy recovery as she has recently been taken poorly.

Get well soon Jacqui. 

Posted in Customers' Cars, daily driver, Restoration | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Keeping In Trim

Posted on February 4, 2018 by Mustang Maniac

Quite often we get emails sending us pics of cars they are thinking of buying and asking if it’s worth the money and should they buy it. There are lots of issues around this sort of thing, we virtually always decline to answer such questions. This is nothing personal of course, but we can’t see the car up close and inspect the things we need to before we pass any comments. If the car turns out to be a bag of rust, we will no doubt will get  the blame. Of course we could offer a valuation service to go and look at a car and advise, provided that all expenses and time are paid. Would people be willing to pay for the service? Let us know. Within the latest batch of emails this week we had a great email and on Facebook from somebody who still runs a classic Mustang as their daily driver. We think this is pretty cool and gave us an idea. Send us your pics of your car that you drive around in on a daily basis, then we can see just how many are on the road everyday out there. Is this a rare case or are there others out there? We will even put your pic on our blog to show the world on our new section; Daily Driver. This may be a one-off, but we hope not.

Daily Driver:

This was sent to us by Michael Joachim of his “Daily Driver”.  Now that is just cool.

Customers Cars:

We are getting on with Roy’s car and starting to put her back together. As soon as the glass goes back in the project looks half way there and a significant milestone has been reached. Once the windscreen was fitted and sealed in place the first of the nice trim parts were fitted in place.

The upper cowl section was refitted and the hood so that the gaps could then be set. Then the hood was taken of again ready for the heart of the car to go in. The engine was previously stripped, rebuilt and painted prior to fitting. Yogi and Paul a great team working together know how each other works and thinks, so this is poetry in motion to see.

The carb was fitted and the correct rocker swapped over leaving only the air pan to be fitted and checked for fit.

The carb needs to be tuned and setup, but not just yet though. The HT leads and distributer are fitted along with the basic wires from the new wiring loom.

Things seem to move very quickly with the large parts being fitted and then it all slows down again for the more detailed parts. The FMX gearbox was treated to a service and the oil was crisp and new as the day it was put in, which is always a good sign.

From there the gearbox was given a coat of red oxide then a coat of the black finish.

The gearbox was fitted to the engine and bolted in place.

The inside of the car was treated to some new carpets and padding.

 

Other News:

We have been asked about how the puppies are doing. We can say that the mum Shelby is now back on guard duty in the yard and the pups are growing up, fast. Warning: Cute puppy pics!

Aria Loves her dad!

They now have names; the white one is now called Cleo and the other rascal is called Aria.

Cleo
Aria

These are the latest taken a couple of days ago and not quite so small.

Next week we will be bringing you some updates on the “Onion” and how that is getting on. Remember to send us pics of your Daily Driver.

Posted in Classic Cars, Customers' Cars, daily driver, dogs, News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Centerfold?

Posted on January 28, 2018 by Mustang Maniac

The response to last weeks post was great, so it’s a big thanks for the comments and emails, so a big thanks from us here at Mustang Maniac. The lead this week is for customer submitted photos to be shown on our Park & Pic section. Simon has brought his clean and tidy looking Fox Convertible to us. She is in for the usual once over by us with attention being made for the fluid checks, brake pads and rotors, various seals and the usual service to get tip-top gain ready for the summer. These Fox body Mustangs are starting to command some good money now, so they could be an investment for the future, if you get the right combination.

Park & Pic

We love to see your cars on our blog, don’t worry about the pictures being world-class, award-winning pics as we can crop them as required. So if you want your pic(s)to appear here just like Simon’s to take the lead on our blog – it’s as simple as sending your pics to us no matter when they were taken.

News:

We thought that we would like to continue on the theme of the Bullitt from last week, with this pretty amazing generosity for good causes, which didn’t get as much publicity as the original Bullitt car did, but we think this is well worth the mention.

DETROIT – Two of the most iconic American performance cars, a current generation Ford GT and the recently unveiled 2019 Mustang BULLITT, raised a total of $2.85 million for charity during the 47th Annual Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction. On Saturday, a 2017 Ford GT that was donated by Arizona businessman Ron Pratte to the Evernham Family-Racing for a Reason Foundation, sold for $2.5 million to benefit Autism Society of North Carolina. One hundred percent of the hammer price from the sale of the Ford GT will benefit the Autism Society of North Carolina’s IGNITE program.

Pratte, an entrepreneur and car collector, donated an additional $50,000 to benefit the Autism Alliance of Michigan, which works to make Michigan a better place to live for people with autism and their families, bringing the total dollars raised to a staggering $2.55 million.

On Friday, Ford and the McQueen estate donated VIN 001 of the limited-edition Mustang BULLITT, with 100 percent of the $300,000 hammer price benefiting Boys Republic.

“We were thrilled with the incredible amount of money raised for charity from the sale of a current generation Ford GT and our all-new 2019 Mustang BULLITT,” said Raj Nair, executive vice president and president, North America, Ford Motor Company. “Over the last several years, we’ve donated some incredible Ford Performance vehicles that have been sold to generate much-needed funds and awareness for deserving charities. It was a privilege to represent the Ford family on the auction block and combine our efforts with Ron Pratte and the McQueen Estate on the sale of these two incredible, rare and iconic Ford cars.” Ford also included a Ford Performance Racing School GT Experience with the auction of the Ford GT. This world-class program gives the winning bidder the chance to improve their driving skills behind the wheel of one of the world’s most celebrated supercars, while also supporting individuals with autism.

Ford and the McQueen estate offered VIN 001 of the 2019 Mustang BULLITT to benefit Boys Republic, a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian school and treatment community for troubled youngsters. One hundred percent of the $300,000 hammer price will go to the organization to help children find the resources and skills to build meaningful lives on their own.

The all new 2019 Mustang BULLITT recently made its debut at the North American International Auto Show. A prototype was shipped to Scottsdale where it was driven on the Barrett-Jackson block by Chad McQueen, the son of Hollywood star Steve McQueen.

“The Mustang BULLITT has been wildly popular since unveiling it in Detroit,” said Mark Schaller, Ford Mustang brand manager. “Both it and the Ford GT represent the pinnacle of Ford engineering, and design. I couldn’t think of a better way to honor the BULLITT’s heritage than donating the car to Boys Republic, which was instrumental in helping Steve McQueen become an iconic, Hollywood legend.”

Source from FordOnline.

Mustang Maniac thinks that this is an amazing achievement and collaboration from all those involved.

Customers Cars:

Roy’s car is coming along very nicely with Yogi fitting the headliner which is a work of art in itself and looks amazing. Who let Yogi loose on the headliner? (In house joke here, don’t ask!)

Wiring has started to be prepped for the dash area and tidied up which again does take care and time to fit it all in without the loom getting in the way of the other parts, such as the wiper motor linkages, gauges, heater controls etc.

The doors now have the rubber seals in place and final adjustments can be made to the door closures.

We have the Mustang Maniac much sort after LED upgrades fitted behind the stock look tail lenses. We have to run extra cables to the main loom in order to make them work, so while we are at this stage it will all look perfect, wrapped up in our own stock look loom tape.

The end result is that coverted stock look combined with the modern high visibility LEDs as standard fitting on a lot of modern cars these days.

We are looking forward to this car being on the road as this will be a cracking looking little lady using as many of the original parts as we can.

Centerfold?

Well, not quite! But it does appear that all the celebs can’t wait to get their picture taken with Adam. Vaughn Gittin Jr a drifting legend discusses RTR Mustangs with Adam at the 2017 SEMA show. The full article can be Found in Classic American magazine.

We would like to finish up with a quick Happy Birthday Wishes to Adam’s wife Lynn for tomorrow.

Happy *^th Birthday Lynn.

Posted in Blog, Park & Pic, Restoration, SEMA, Service | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Bullitt(s) Old & New

Posted on January 21, 2018 by Mustang Maniac

This weeks post is a little longer than normal but we think it deserves it. Unless you have been under a rock for the last couple of weeks there has been an explosion of media around the legendary ’68 Bullitt Mustang and the special edition which Ford have released to commemorate the fifty years since the film. After the Bullitt article we have compiled there is our exciting news about our latest delivery we promised last week.

DETROIT – Celebrating the 50th anniversary of iconic movie “Bullitt” and its fan-favorite San Francisco car chase, Ford introduces the new cool and powerful 2019 Mustang Bullitt.

Third-generation member of the McQueen family, Molly, starred in a special movie of her own introducing the new third-generation Bullitt at the North American International Auto Show. In the film, Molly races a new Mustang Bullitt through a parking structure battling a Dodge Charger for the final free space.

Helping it win that particular spot was the Bullitt’s upgraded 5.0-liter V8 engine that will deliver at least 475 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque, pushing the new Bullitt to a top speed of 163 mph – an 8 mph increase versus the latest Mustang GT.

Special Edition

As a special-edition model due out this summer – the all-new Mustang Bullitt is equipped with a manual transmission, and the gear shifter features a white cue ball shift knob as a nod to the original. The vehicle packages all Mustang GT Premium and Performance Package content into a vehicle that maintains the original Bullitt’s understated persona. An active valve performance exhaust system is standard with new Black NitroPlate™ exhaust tips, and retuned to give the car a signature burble, as well as new Open Air Induction System and Shelby GT350 intake manifold with 87mm throttle bodies and powertrain control module calibration for optimal performance.

Other standard equipment includes a heated leather steering wheel and a 12-inch all-digital LCD instrument cluster, identical in function to the cluster introduced on 2018 Mustang, but with a unique Bullitt welcome screen that starts in green with an image of the car rather than the pony.

“This new Bullitt is, as Steve McQueen was, effortlessly cool,” said Darrell Behmer, Mustang chief designer. “As a designer, it’s my favorite Mustang – devoid of stripes, spoilers and badges. It doesn’t need to scream about anything – it’s just cool.” Exterior paint choices are limited to Shadow Black and the classic Dark Highland Green – as worn in the movie. Other features that pay tribute to the car McQueen drove are subtle chrome accents around the grille and front windows, classic torque thrust 19-inch aluminum wheels, red-painted Brembo™ brakes, and a unique black front grille. Inside and out, the vehicle uses minimal body badging; only the circular faux gas cap Bullitt logo on the rear center is visible on the exterior.  The leather-trimmed interior features unique green accent stitching on the dashboard, door panels, center console and seats.

Aside from the two exterior paint choices, Mustang Bullitt buyers are limited to three factory-installed options:

  • Bullitt Electronics Package includes navigation, driver memory seats and mirrors, upgraded sound system and Blind Spot Information System with Cross-Traffic Alert that can alert customers of vehicles detected in difficult-to-see places
  • MagneRide® semi-active suspension system optimizes driving performance
  • RECARO® black leather-trimmed seats

“When making a Bullitt, there are certain things it absolutely must have,” said Carl Widmann, Mustang chief engineer. “It has to have the right attitude, it has to be unique in some way from a Mustang GT, and more than anything, it has to be bad ass.” That reputation was born after a Mustang GT fastback played a prominent role in the 1968 movie, and most notably in a chase scene that set new standards in filmmaking. The film’s nearly 10-minute-long sequence followed McQueen chasing down two hitmen in his Mustang through the streets of San Francisco.

The Original

Original 1968 Mustang ‘559 from movie Bullitt. Courtesy of HVA, Casey Maxon (PRNewsfoto/Historic Vehicle Association)

Two identical 1968 Mustang GT fastbacks were used in the filming of the classic Warner Bros. movie “Bullitt” that debuted in theaters on Oct. 17, 1968. After filming, the cars went their separate ways: the hero vehicle driven by McQueen in the movie was sold by Warner Bros. to a private buyer, and the other – used in many of the jumps during the famous chase scene – was sent to a salvage yard. That jumper vehicle resurfaced in Baja, California, in early 2017, but the other was lost to history. Until now; Sean Kiernan, owner of the hero vehicle, inherited the car in 2014 from his late father, Robert, who had purchased the vehicle in 1974. To fulfill his family’s lifelong dream, Sean contacted Ford and the two parties worked together to reveal his movie star car alongside the all-new 2019 Mustang Bullitt at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. “You know, it was never our intention to keep this car a secret from everybody,” Sean said. “It just kind of happened with life. I’m just completely buzzing to join with Ford and the new Bullitt and show this car to the world on one of the biggest stages there is.”

Do we want one – Yep, we do!

As is often the case with these things, the reappearance of the Bullitt Mustang was no coincidence. Current owner Sean Kiernan explained to Jay Leno that he and Ford “found each other” and worked together to stage the car’s comeback. Kiernan’s father, Robert Kiernan Jr., bought the car in 1974 after seeing an ad in Road & Track for a “Bullett” Mustang. He was the only one who inquired, and got the car for $6,000. That was actually a lot of money for a used 1968 Mustang in 1974.
movie set gate pass

In 1977, McQueen wrote a letter to Robert Kiernan Jr., asking for the opportunity to “get back my ’68 Mustang.” As documented by classic-car insurer Hagerty, McQueen said he wanted to keep the car unrestored, as it had appeared in Bullitt, which he said was “simply personal.” But McQueen was only willing to go so far in getting the Mustang back. While he did offer to pay for a replacement car (the Kiernans were using the Bullitt Mustang as a daily driver), McQueen noted that he would do so as long as “there is not too much monies involved in it.”

The Bullitt Mustang was eventually retired from daily use and rolled into a garage. Meanwhile, the rest of the world assumed that it was simply lost. Spurred by Ford’s decision to launch special-edition Mustang Bullitts in 2001 and 2008, Sean Kiernan and his father intended to rebuild the car and share it with the public, but life got in the way. The senior Kiernan died in 2014, before the car was finished. Today, the Bullitt Mustang is in drivable condition, but remains unrestored. Note that this is one of two Mustangs used to film the movie. Coincidentally, the other car was found in Mexico last year. That car had been stripped of many parts and had some restoration work done, making it less original than Kiernan’s car. Kiernan has no plans to sell, but his Mustang is nonetheless incredibly valuable. Hagerty CEO McKeel Hagerty estimates the car could fetch around $4 million, noting that two other iconic television and movie cars, the original Batmobile and James Bond Aston Martin DB5, sold for similar amounts. There are also plans for a film on the Bullitt Mustang. This time, the car will probably be handled a bit more gingerly than the last time it was on-screen.

Do we want this car? Yep we need this car.

Sources – Fordonline and many others, Im ages are not our own.

WebShop

We promised last week that we would have an update on the delivery we have been waiting many months for now. It arrived as expected and took the day to move it all around. Adam has FOUR ’68 shells delivered to the yard. Couple full shells and a couple in parts. All of which are now stored in the own special location.

A couple of these have already earmarked for in-house projects and the others Adam bought for “something or other!” Now those that know Adam also know that he never actively sells a car, but if you offer him the right money he might consider it, as he can often be heard to say “It could be yours!” As for these body shells and kits? Who knows, like the second-hand parts – “nope, ‘aint got none of them either!”

Customers Cars:

Roy has his car with us now from the paint shop and Yogi has started the brand new wire loom fitting and putting some glass in. Once the glass is in the project starts to look like a car again.

Glass in the doors.

Headlights and new shiny fuel tank.

On top of that the engine has been worked on, new valves, seats and guides with all new engine internals. The heads have been skimmed and the block decked so this 351Windsor should be factory fresh too.

We finish with Yogi’s new sign:

Perhaps we should name all our storage areas!

Posted in Cars For Sale, Customers' Cars, Our Cars, Parts, Restoration, Webshop | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments