1982 CHP #0327

[mac88chp]

Coming along nicely! Restorations in progress are definitely welcomed at the Ripon show.

[Steve]

Good to see the Forum back online. I visited 0327 at the shop the other day. Coming along slow but sure. You never know how much rust there really is or how many parts need sandblasting, straightening, or rust removal/repair until you get it all apart.

From the way this is going I'm confident that when this is all back together it will arguably be better than original. The paint will look better, and the fit and finish will probably be better as well.

[Steve]

Slow going but steady. The doors are getting ready to come off. As each piece or panel is removed, it is cleaned, paint removed, any imperfections or rust dealt with, then primed and readied for paint. All items will be painted separately then reassembled. I have heard some don't like to do that, because separate batches of paint may not look the same, plus reassembly can be tricky.

This Artiste does it that way because he feels that the distance and angle of the paint spray can be held closer to a constant with parts off the car and carefully positioned. He also is comfortable mixing paint batches consistently.

Today when I went by he was taking the doors apart before removing them. Everything comes out; glass, control assembly, latches, locks, glass, all trim and channel. I'll have to find new window channel material. So much work. When I told him I was surprised he was going to that level of detail, he said "You want it to look good, don't you?" There's only one answer to that question...

All rusted portions of the trunk around the license plate have had new metal welded in, and are primed. Fenders and the hood have been straightened, all paint removed, then primed.

Attached are two pics; one of the passenger front fender waiting for paint, then one of the veh as it is now. Doesn't look like a Mustang right now.

[chp1982]

Looks great, Steve. Way to go saving that decklid. That's a lot of work but worth it to have the original sheet metal.

[mac88chp]

Good to see the progress. Gotta strip them all the way back to get the best results. Mine at about that stage:

[Steve]

That's about what it looks like, Michael. I just hope this guy remembers how it all goes back together. I read a book recently by a guy who worked for the Harrah's Collection in Sparks, Nevada for about 20 years and he was saying at their shop they had a procedure on how they would photograph and document their restorations. Every assembly, every part as it was coming off would be photographed. It was almost like a forensic team procedure.
Now putting a Mustang back together might not be as challenging as reassembling a one-of-a-kind 1921 Gilbert Gobstopper 6 months after tearing it down, but I know I wouldn't be able to do it without the photos.
This guy has been doing it his way for 30 years. No pics. I just have to trust his memory is a lot better than mine...lol
I saw a '56 Chevy he recently completed and it looked really good.

[Steve]

Went by the shop on Friday January 5. I'm again amazed at the level of detail. The driver's door is off and is being rebuilt. Everything came out/off, including the glass. All moldings will be replaced (after I order new ones). He actually sandblasted clean the inside of the door besides removing all paint to the bare metal (see pic). The fit and finish will be awesome.

I do believe this vehicle will be better than new when done.