Floors rust, right? And properly...
Floors rust, right? And properly patching floor structures can be a monumentally time consuming process. The solution? Dynacorn now sells complete, pre-welded floor structures-not just floorpan panels-that span all the way from the bottom edge of the firewall to the rear fascia, as seen here from this trunk view. Oh, and ignore the stitch welding you see in all these shots; Legendary Motorcar is doing these seam welds as a means of stiffening the coupe to prepare it for upcoming duty as a road-race/open-track car.
The availability of more and more new replacement sheetmetal stampings is helping to reduce restoration labor costs-and maybe even saving a few badly corroded Mustangs from the crusher. The white portions of this early hardtop are what remains (for now) of the factory metal. Everything else consists of new aftermarket stampings.
As chronologically unsettling as it may seem to those of use who were around to witness its life-altering debut, the Mustang is now more than 45 years old, and finding early examples that have survived the decades with little or no corrosion is getting more difficult all the time. Rust is a car killer, and we all know it can also slaughter restoration budgets. No one knows this better than Peter Klutt, who is perhaps best known for TV's Dream Car Garage series, but who also operates Legendary Motorcar-one of the most respected restoration shops in North America. Peter knows first-hand the number of skilled man-hours traditionally needed to repair rust's ravages. Until now, the result has been that many Mustangs were considered too far gone and expensive to fix, unless they had overwhelming historical-and therefore financial-significance. That meant many classic Mustangs would just rot away or face the likelihood of a crusher and the humiliating future of being recycled into a new Camaro or some other such appliance.
But if you have just such a corroded hulk lying around, there's new hope in the form of the growing assortment of body panels and subassemblies now being stamped by such firms as Dynacorn International and others. An example is one-piece, full-length-firewall to taillight panel-floor assemblies. Peter tells us this ever-increasing supply of essential sheetmetal can drastically reduce the costs of restoring a rusty pony. How drastically? By as much as two-thirds or more of labor costs, according to Peter, and he should know as he's been restoring Mustangs for more years than he likely cares to remember.
Floors rust, right? And properly...
Floors rust, right? And properly patching floor structures can be a monumentally time consuming process. The solution? Dynacorn now sells complete, pre-welded floor structures-not just floorpan panels-that span all the way from the bottom edge of the firewall to the rear fascia, as seen here from this trunk view. Oh, and ignore the stitch welding you see in all these shots; Legendary Motorcar is doing these seam welds as a means of stiffening the coupe to prepare it for upcoming duty as a road-race/open-track car.
It used to be that Legendary's metal craftsmen often had to resort to hand-fabricating repair patches or panels that were previously unavailable. And you can rightfully assume that such labor-intensive efforts didn't come cheap. Alternatively, they might have had to seek out and purchase a rust-free "donor" car from which to scavenge the necessary sheetmetal. This was not only expensive but also meant that one Mustang would effectively die to preserve another. That kind of cannibalism was hardly good for the long-term survival of the species.
But the proliferation of new sheetmetal stampings means many "regular" rusty Mustangs that used to be too expensive to restore can possibly live again. The early hardtop shown in our photos is a good example. Badly corroded and with no rarity to increase its worth, this is exactly the type of Mustang that, even a few years ago, no sane person could justify fixing. But thanks to the easily-installed fresh sheetmetal now flooding the aftermarket, Legendary is able to give it new life without driving its owner into bankruptcy.
Well okay, we're not here to suggest that properly restoring any Mustang could ever be considered "cheap," but the aftermarket's recent flurry of sheetmetal efforts just might help tilt the financial tables in favor of saving a few more ponies from death by oxidation. And that's good news to all of us who love the breed.
Looking back the other way,...
Looking back the other way, you can see the complexity of shapes and structure in this new floor, which, we say again, is shipped as a single piece, therefore being a massive labor saver. Obviously, one doesn't rip the complete bottom out of a Mustang without taking some precautions-things could get pretty wobbly. Legendary has fastened the coupe to a jig mounted on a surface plate to keep everything completely square.
Here's another time saver....
Here's another time saver. Some of the pieces that used to be available only separately can now be bought as complete subassemblies. An example is this left-side shock tower and apron assembly which comprises the tower, apron, and subframe welded together as a unit (again, the stitch welding is Legendary's). Another part visible here is the convertible-style torque box at the junction of subframe and firewall, again being used for rigidity. From the A-pillars forward, this coupe is all new.
The dashboard structure is...
The dashboard structure is factory, but the hardtop's complete firewall is again a Dynacorn part (as is most everything else that appears black in our shots). Yes, you still have to buy the new sheetmetal, but savings in labor costs will far outweigh the material price.
Another complicated stamping...
Another complicated stamping is the complete cowl panel. You can imagine how much more labor-efficient it is to simply weld in a new one rather than trying to patch or repair a rusted factory original.
It's not only the big pieces...
It's not only the big pieces that are time savers. Imagine how much quicker it will be to weld in this new panel at the junction of the taillight panel and right rear fender rather than trying to fix the rusty, misshapen original.
Our final example is this...
Our final example is this filler panel that will replace the rather puny factory metal at the trunk and rear window openings. In fact, Legendary Motorcar boss, Peter Klutt, says with only slight exaggeration that by the time this hardtop is finished, its roof panel will be about the only factory metal left. That's how much aftermarket metal is available these days. Of course, for those doing '67 through '70 fastback projects, another option is Dynacorn's complete unibody assemblies.