1965-1968 Ford Mustang Core Support Replacement

19 That third section of metal we mentioned earlier is actually a plate with two nuts swaged in place for the bumper mounting brackets. Since most of this plate was lying inside the framerail as rusted particles, Gaydos held the mounting nut to the outer rail with this bolt-and-locknut affair to weld the nut to the rail.

20 Here Gaydos worked his magic with the MIG welder by welding the bumper bracket mounting nut to the inside of the framerail. After the welding was completed, Gaydos cut and formed a patch to repair the inside edge and bottom sections of the framerail.

21 The completed repair looks like factory work. The seams are ground smooth, and the sway bar bracket has been reattached. Also, you will notice that Gaydos drilled a new alignment hole through the sway bar mounting bracket (arrow). Beautiful work takes time and knowledge, and this is beautiful work.

22 Now, we can continue with the remainder of our front-end sheetmetal repairs. Gaydos checked the fit of the inner fender apron again, and clamped it in place using a multitude of locking pliers.

23 Next, the core support was lowered into place and checked one final time. Gaydos used locking pliers here as well.

24 Using the original measurements taken in the beginning before any metal was cut off, Gaydos checked the alignment of all-new panels, and adjusted them as needed to get the new measurements to match. When everything was the way he liked it, more locking pliers were added to secure the parts and prevent any error by parts shifting.

25 Using his trusty MIG welder, Gaydos went about his business welding all the new front-end panels to our '66 hardtop. The buzz and crackle of the welder filled the air for about 20 minutes, and then the work was finally completed.

26 New holes will have to be drilled for the spring cover mounting bolts, but that is a minor job compared to what we just witnessed.

27 Our core support and inner fender apron are now secured and ready for us to begin stripping the engine compartment of all the old paint, rust, and grease 30-plus years of road use can do to an old Mustang. Next up are new quarter-panels and the hanging of our reproduction door shells--we hope!