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1966 Ford Mustang - Project '66 - How To: Project '66 Dash RestorationWe Continue the Interior by Freshening the Dash Assembly From the October, 2001 issue of Mustang Monthly By Mark Houlahan Photography by Mark Houlahan
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The interior of a Mustang is where everyone spends his or her hard-earned money. And why not? When you're sitting at a stoplight, what else do you see besides the hood and a chunk of decklid through the rearview mirror? You have to stare at the interior every time you climb aboard your Steed. No one wants to look at the peeling chrome of a dash bezel or the cloudy lens covering your instruments. No, you want the interior to look as nice as the day it came off the showroom floor, no exceptions. Right? We feel the same way, even though we're covering a complete restoration. When it came time to refinish the interior of our '66 hardtop, we pulled the drain plug on the budget and replaced everything we could get our hands on. Remember, we were also dealing with an interior color change and an upgrade to the Interior Decor Group offerings, thus many items would need replacing with the correct color or mechanical differences. We looked in the Virginia Classic Mustang catalog for most of our interior items with a few select specialty pieces coming straight from its manufacturers. This month, we'll focus strictly on the dash area and what it took to get it looking like "day one" for us. In the next few issues, we'll also cover the rest of the interior as well as the trunk and exterior detailing, which will lead us into the final phase of the restoration-the drivetrain. Check it out.  Our completed dash dressed...  Our completed dash dressed in black lacquer, sparkling chrome, and fresh woodgrain makes for a pleasing look. We can't wait to wrap our hands around our restored Deluxe steering wheel and point our hardtop toward its first show.  1-a Since our hardtop had...  1-a Since our hardtop had been stripped to a bare shell for bodywork and painting, the first order of business was to reinstall the main dash-wiring harness.  1-b We were lucky because...  1-b We were lucky because the harness was uncut and in excellent condition, though the original Courtesy-light brackets were beyond refinishing. A new pair of brackets snapped over the bulb sockets and mounted to the base of the dash did the trick.  2 New Courtesy-light doorjamb...  2 New Courtesy-light doorjamb switches were a must as well. The originals were long since broken and discolored. While we're showing the main dash harness here, these switches come out later for installation of our door-harness pigtails.  3 Our original toe board...  3 Our original toe board was in good shape when we replaced our floors, thus the high- beam indicator mounting holes were still there. If your replacement metal doesn't have the holes predrilled, measure another complete car to locate the placement of the switch. You'll also notice our firewall insulation (from Ssnake-Oyl Products) was already in place.  4 Though our accelerator...  4 Though our accelerator pedal was mounted when we detailed the engine compartment (July '01, Mustang Monthly), we hung our brake pedal from the pedal support after giving it a fresh coat of black and a new pedal pad and stainless trim.  5 When you go this far into...  5 When you go this far into restoring a Mustang, you don't skimp on the little things to save a few dollars. We installed all-new reproduction switches (except for the two-speed wiper) for safety. Here, our headlight switch was getting plugged in and routed to the back of the dashpanel. You'll have to depress the little button next to my thumb to remove your stock headlight control shaft.  6 You must have new chrome...  6 You must have new chrome when everything else is fresh with paint and upholstery. These chrome control ID rings and replacement shafts were a must to bring the interior to full beauty.  7 The two-speed wiper control...  7 The two-speed wiper control is still available as a Ford part in some catalogs, but they're disappearing fast. Luckily, everything electrical on this car worked before we took it apart, so we simply cleaned and reused the wiper switch. If a reasonable reproduction was available, we might have replaced it.  8 The wiper control is secured...  8 The wiper control is secured by a small set screw on the side of the knob. We recommend turning the wipers to "on" and tightening the screw in the position shown, thus it will be out of sight when the switch is in the "off" position.  9 Next is the ignition switch....  9 Next is the ignition switch. Again, we opted for a repop ignition switch because our original was sloppier than a 13-year-old's room. To install your ignition tumbler, you'll have to rotate the tumbler counterclockwise from ACC with a paper clip inserted into the access hole first. Then insert the tumbler into the switch and turn clockwise to lock it in place.  10 In this modern age, you're...  10 In this modern age, you're nothing without a power port in your vehicle. Even though we never plan on lighting up, a new cigar lighter will help us keep our cell phone charged or offer a spot for a map light.  11-a Our heater controls...  11-a Our heater controls will be installed later when we install our restored heater case (Aug. '01, Mustang Monthly), so we'll move on to the ashtray.  11-b After refinishing the...  11-b After refinishing the ashtray slide mechanism, it's reinstalled with the proper hardware from the Virginia Classic Mustang concourse bolt kit. Don't forget the bumpers too!  12 Speaking of bumpers, the...  12 Speaking of bumpers, the two bumpers for the glovebox door are snapped into place now. If you're having trouble getting the bumpers to seat all the way, use a small dab of liquid soap to get them to seat completely.  13 Because we were converting...  13 Because we were converting to the Interior Decor Group, our standard glovebox door wouldn't do. We had to obtain a new woodgrain glovebox door for our interior resto. After refinishing the glovebox door hinge, it was installed to the new door, along with the door-stop cable, using new correct hardware.  14 We hit our first real...  14 We hit our first real snag when we tried to order a replacement hazard switch for our '66. The models, which include a wiring pigtail, are no longer available, so Virginia Classic Mustang sent us the only style still available with terminals on it. Before cutting the wires off of our old switch, we wrote where the colored wires will go on the new one.  15 As much as we hate to...  15 As much as we hate to cut a factory harness that's in perfect condition, we had no choice (short of scouring for a new old stock or good used switch) in order to repair the bad switch. We crimped female spade terminals onto the original wires and slid them into place on the new switch and everything worked perfectly.  16 Here's another good reason...  16 Here's another good reason to wait on installing the heater case: You can install the new glovebox liner from the backside of the dash without creasing the cardboard. Once in place, new hardware secured the liner to the dash.  17 Our completed glovebox...  17 Our completed glovebox is ready for its first show or trip to the park. Besides an original owner's manual and a full complement of replacement fuses, we have a Mustang-logo first aid kit from Stitch-N-Time for roadside hazards.  18 Our new woodgrain glovebox...  18 Our new woodgrain glovebox looks as it did the day it left Metuchen. You'll notice we slipped the heater case into place now that the glovebox area is completed. The day we'll drive this baby is getting closer and closer!  19 Just last month we showed...  19 Just last month we showed you the restoration of our Mustang's five-dial instrument cluster. Now we're going to install it into our dash--its final destination. Maybe we can locate a Rally-Pac someday to complement it.  20 Our new reproduction dashpad...  20 Our new reproduction dashpad is from Dashes Direct and is one of the many new parts being reproduced by the aftermarket using Ford's original tooling! We feel the details on this pad match nothing out there but N.O.S. The original screw-hole detents, the sharpness of the mold, and more, are just like the Ford original. These are now available from Virginia Classic Mustang as well.  21 After slipping the dashpad...  21 After slipping the dashpad in place (imagine that, no fighting with it!), we easily found the screw holes in the steel dash with the screw-hole detents as our guide.  22 Lastly, to secure the...  22 Lastly, to secure the pad, we installed the four retaining nuts from the backside and the windshield trim to complete the job.  23 Our steering column was...  23 Our steering column was the last piece of the interior puzzle. We needed to replace the turn-signal switch and refinish the column in the proper black. Here, we've noted the wiring colors and location and have begun to pull them free of the connector, which requires the use of a wiring terminal tool.  24 The turn-signal cam and...  24 The turn-signal cam and plate assembly is removed from the column and the wiring pulled from the column tube. Usually, you would want a string or something taped to the end as an installation aid, but that isn't necessary when you're completely stripping the column tube bare.  25 After refinishing the...  25 After refinishing the column tube, a replacement ignition switch is installed and the wiring routed down the column tube. Make sure your upper column bearing and retainer are in good shape and free of noise and restriction.  26 Again, chrome makes a...  26 Again, chrome makes a statement. Save the steel wool for your household projects and order up a new turn-signal lever. You're going to touch it every time you drive and it's one of the first things people see when they look in your driver window; don't disappoint them.  27 Carefully install the...  27 Carefully install the new turn-signal wiring into your original connector (you did put it in a safe place, right?). Don't forget to slip the black plastic wiring protector sleeve on first; otherwise, you'll end up pulling all of the wires out of the connector again.  28 The steering column tube...  28 The steering column tube was slid into place over the steering shaft and secured with the factory retainer. You'll notice in this shot that we already have our carpet in place. We'll try not to get ahead of ourselves too much, so we'll cover the carpet and seat installation in an upcoming issue.  29 Somewhere along the long...  29 Somewhere along the long road to restoration completion, the steering-wheel tension spring was misplaced or tossed in the trash. We scrounged one up at the local auto-recycling center from a Fairlane, cleaned it up, and slid it into place. It's always the little things that stop the progress isn't it?  30 Lastly, the piece de resistance-our...  30 Lastly, the piece de resistance-our fully restored (June 2000, Mustang Monthly) Deluxe woodgrain steering wheel is bolted into place. We can almost hear that 289 idling now! In the coming months, look for continuing Project '66 articles on the rest of the interior (including a separate Custom Autosound installation), trunk detailing, exterior chrome installation, power steering conversion, and drivetrain buildup.
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 | We take a glimpse inside the how, what, why, and where of restoring a vintage Mustang |
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