Our Highland Green '69 Mustang...
Our Highland Green '69 Mustang project car has relatively decent paint on it. That said, there are some minor rust issues-the most obvious is at the lower right corner of the driver-side taillight.
There are legions of nice daily-driver Mustangs still around. At the same time, many are far from perfect. An ideal example is the '69 fastback project car we've used for articles for nearly four years. This car is fundamentally solid and its unibody structure is almost devoid of rust, but it's not 100 percent rust-free. The damage is not extensive-it's enough to warrant spot repair work, but not enough to require repainting the entire car.
With that in mind, we took our car to a body shop to have the most visible rust issue examined. Of all the external areas on the car, the taillight panel needed the most attention, a very common problem in '69-'70 Mustangs. There are other areas of minor rust for repair in the future, which may be fixed when we repaint the entire car.
After final color sanding...
After final color sanding and buffing by the crew at Crook Brothers and reinstallation of the taillights, we have a perfect and undetectable repair.
Our repair was done at Crook Brothers Auto Body in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey. We've seen several complete paint jobs done by them, and the cars coming out look great. Look at what was done during the course of three days. You'll have a clearer picture on the best way to have minor rust removed from your vintage Mustang.
After removing the taillight,...
After removing the taillight, it was clear the rust in this area resembled a cancer. The rest of the taillight panel was in good condition, so getting to this immediately was better than later-or never.
When we first discussed the...
When we first discussed the repair with the Crook brothers, one consideration was replacing the entire taillight panel, which was deemed unnecessary due to the minimal amount of rust. The decision was to cut out the rust and replace it with a small piece from a new panel. We began by cutting out the rusty area with a cutoff wheel.
Next we sanded the paint with...
Next we sanded the paint with a sanding wheel to securely weld the new piece. The opening created by cutting out the rusty portion of the panel is clearly visible.
As you can see by the size...
As you can see by the size of a new taillight panel, it would've been overkill to entirely replace it, but we needed a new panel to obtain the patch. As we often do, we called Mustang Country International
Although it sacrifices a new...
Although it sacrifices a new panel to some extent, cutting out the patch piece was the best way to go. The Crooks recommend saving the remainder in case another part is needed in the future. These panels retail for around $100. Panels for earlier Mustangs cost less.
This is the piece we cut out...
This is the piece we cut out for fitting to the car's existing panel.
A test fit of the new piece...
A test fit of the new piece showed how close we are to getting the final fit.
The new piece was traced with...
The new piece was traced with a pencil to match the cut-out opening in the panel.
After the marks were traced,...
After the marks were traced, the piece was cut to size with a pair of metal shears.
The new piece of metal was...
The new piece of metal was held in place with a pair of locking pliers...
...and welded with a series...
...and welded with a series of spot welds along the entire length and width.
Once in place, the process...
Once in place, the process of melding the new piece with the existing panel surface begins by smoothing the two surfaces together with a small grinding bit.
After smoothing with the small...
After smoothing with the small bit, followed by additional work with a metal brush wheel, the area was ready for a small amount of filler material. Also visible is an area between the two right-hand taillights where another piece of new steel from the donor taillight panel was cut out and installed. The same processes for the corner of the taillight area were used in this part of the panel.
A small amount of All-Metal...
A small amount of All-Metal material was applied, shown dried but yet to be smoothed. All-Metal is different than regular body filler. It repairs metal with metal and is more advanced than a typical body-filler material because it's pliable.
Once the All-Metal dried,...
Once the All-Metal dried, it was sanded. The panel was final-shaped and prepared for primer.
With the area taped off, the...
With the area taped off, the panel was treated to a clean and even coat of primer. After the primer was applied, we waited overnight for it to dry and set.
After 18-24 hours, the primer...
After 18-24 hours, the primer was completely dry. The area was wet-sanded with 1,000-grit sandpaper, followed by 1,500-grit, getting it completely smooth and free of surface imperfections.
After wet sanding, the car...
After wet sanding, the car was taped for the paint and clearcoat application process. Robert Matheson was done in about two hours. After allowing the area to bake in the booth for 45 minutes, the surface sat overnight allowing the base/ clear paint job to thoroughly dry and set up before color sanding and buffing.
The next day, the area was...
The next day, the area was color-sanded with 1,000- and 1,500-grit wet sand paper.
Next, the area was buffed...
Next, the area was buffed and polished with rubbing compound and a soft cloth buffing wheel.
With the body and paint work...
With the body and paint work complete, the taillights and quarter-panel extension caps were reinstalled to show how well the project turned out.