On May 2, 2003, the original 260ci engine in 5F08F100001 came to life for the first time in over 37 years. The event, in conjunction with the first drive on May 6, was the culmination of a three-month refurbishing of the first production Mustang, a Wimbledon White convertible that was mistakenly sold to an airline pilot in Newfoundland, then recovered by Ford in a trade two years later before being tucked away at the Henry Ford Museum in the fall of 1966. For nearly four decades, the historic Mustang either languished in storage or, after meeting the museum's 20-year-old rule in 1984, flip-flopped between storage and display--always pushed and never driven.
Earlier this year, Malcolm Collum, conservator at The Henry Ford (as the museum is now called), received a request from the museum's Collections Committee to investigate the possibility of getting two display cars--Mustang No. 1 and an '05 Ford Model B--into running condition for Ford's Centennial activities at Greenfield Village. Although both cars had not run in years, they were deemed worthy of "refurbishing" because getting them into running condition would not require a lot of time and effort.
That's when George Gunlock entered the picture. A chassis engineer at Ford, Gunlock has served as a volunteer at The Henry Ford for the past 11 years, and he was looking for a museum project to assist with. As Gunlock tells it, "When Malcolm told me they were planning to revamp Mustang No. 1, my eyes lit up!"
As it turns out, Gunlock owns four Mustangs, including a pair of Shelby GT350s. Plus, in 1970, he was a young Firestone tire engineer assigned to Bud Moore's Trans-Am team. Needless to say, Gunlock had a huge interest in Mustang No. 1.
The project started in earnest in early March when Collum and Gunlock inspected the 10,634-mile, 39-year-old Mustang at its display area inside the museum. After locating the original keys, which had been stored in a museum file for years, the team began making notes about the car's condition. Opening the trunk, they found a set of, in Gunlock's words, "obviously used" spinner hubcaps, apparently the originals, as the car had been displayed with nonspinner covers. According to Gunlock, "The trunk was quite clean, and the mat was like new. There was a jack and lug wrench, but no spare tire."
As a tire engineer, Gunlock also checked the 6.50x14 bias tires, most likely the originals because Ford switched to 6.95x14 tires shortly after the Mustang's introduction. "They were not in great condition," Gunlock notes. "They held air but were pretty cracked from age."
The team was relieved to learn the engine turned freely by hand, but the master cylinder was stuck. Thankfully, the radiator remained filled with antifreeze and the fuel tank had been drained. The exhaust system appeared original, although banged up and dinged, apparently by rocks or gravel.
Two major concerns surfaced: When the "diaper" that prevented fluids from dripping onto the museum floor was removed, they found signs of a transmission leak, most likely from the seals, and the oil pan showed evidence of damage from a large object. Further inspection revealed a nonoriginal oil-pan gasket, suggesting the pan had been removed at one point for repair.
Collum cringed at Gunlock's recommendation. "We didn't want to get the engine running, then have transmission fluid leak all over the ground," Gunlock said. "So we decided to disassemble and inspect the C4 and install new seals at the same time. That led to another issue. We couldn't get the transmission out from the bottom without cutting the original exhaust, so we made the decision to remove the engine and transmission from the top as an assembly."
Joe Boulton, a Dearborn Proving Grounds Transmission Garage supervisor, was called in to refurbish the C4. He found modest residue in the pan, the result of mild clutch wear and 37 years of fluid settling. Although the rubber seals were still pliable, he located new seals at a local parts store and installed them in the C4.
With the engine on a stand, the oil pan was removed to make sure there were no internal problems as a result of the pan damage. Thankfully, everything looked sound, so the oil-pickup screen was cleaned and a new oil-pump shaft installed before the pan was put back into place.
At this point, the temptation was to freshen up the engine and engine compartment. However, as Collum pointed out, the museum's mission is "to preserve, not restore," so the engine was simply cleaned as preparation for its reinstallation. The water pump didn't turn smoothly, so it was pulled to reveal heavy corrosion. An exact replacement pump, PN C40E-8505-A, was located and installed.
The generator was in perfect working condition, although the team had to read up on the old practice of "polarizing" the generator because no one was old enough to remember the procedure. The starter failed a routine bench test, so it was torn down and reassembled twice before it mysteriously started working. New points and plugs were installed and the carburetor was rebuilt.
Noting body damage repairs on the right front fender and left rear quarter, the team requested assistance from Ford's Global Paint Engineering engineers, who used an electronic paint-thickness gauge to find the anticipated .006-.008-inch paint thickness. Gunlock explains, "Because cars were not painted by robots in those days, it was expected, and found on Mustang No. 1, that the paint was a little thicker on horizontal surfaces, somewhat thinner on the sides, and thinnest on the lower sides where it was harder to reach with a spray gun." The paint engineers determined that Mustang No. 1 retains 90 percent of its original paint.
"The body fit is marginal by today's standards," Gunlock says. "The hood is high on one rear corner, and clearances to the fenders are not uniform. We agonized over fixing it, but Malcolm studied old pictures and determined it was always that way. Those old pictures even allowed Malcolm to confirm that the now repaired dent in the front fender was there in 1966 when Tucker traded the car back to Ford."
Not wanting to dismount the original tires from their rims, they located another set of rims and fitted them with reproduction 6.95x14 BFGs from Coker Tire. "The car will not drive again on its original tires," Gunlock explains, "but they will be reinstalled when the car goes on permanent display."
During our photo session with Mustang No. 1 at Greenfield Village, we had a chance to closely inspect, and even drive (see Hoofbeats, page 4), the historic convertible. It's not a concours car by any means--especially underneath and under the hood. Two years of driving in the Canadian far east (almost in the Greenland time zone) took its toll on the undercarriage, now exhibited as surface rust and the dinged-up exhaust system. The exterior paint has its share of nicks and chips, but the interior is almost perfect. Remarkably, the plasti-chrome on the instrument panel is like brand new.
As soon as Mustang No. 1's refurbishing was complete, the car was trucked to New York City for a Mustang 39th anniversary press conference at the New York Auto Show. During Ford's 100th anniversary celebration, the convertible was displayed at Greenfield Village, where it also participated in a couple of parades. Mustang No. 1 has also been invited to Nashville for the Mustang Club of America's 40th Anniversary Celebration.
After 37 years of mostly storage, it's great to see the first production Mustang, now on the road again, doing what it was designed to do in 1964--generate publicity for Ford's Mustang.
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On May 6, The Henry Ford conservator, Malcolm Collum, took Mustang No. 1 for its first drive in over 37 years. That's Ford volunteer George Gunlock in the passenger seat. |
Because the refurbishing crew felt the transmission needed to be checked, and because they didn't want to disturb the original exhaust system, the engine and transmission were pulled as an assembly. Dearborn Proving Ground Transmission Garage supervisor, Joe Boulton, on the right, volunteered his time and expertise to the project. |
Ford volunteer George Gunlock kept a log-book to document everything that was done during the refurbishing. |
When Captain Stanley Tucker had the oil changed, the filter was replaced by this "Made in Canada" Rotunda CC1AZ-6731-A filter. It was still on the car. |
In 1984, Mustang No. 1 was rolled out of storage and into a display inside the Henry Ford Museum. The car alternated between storage and display over the next 20 years, always pushed and never driven. |
Since the mid-'80s, 5F08F100001 has been mostly on display at The Henry Ford. |
As soon as Mustang No. 1 reached its 20th year, it was hauled out of storage and used for a Mustang Monthly cover shot, which was also used to promote the '84 20th anniversary Mustang. |