Franklin VA Cruise In August 2017

Today, we just have some cool pictures from our buddy, Dave. These are from a Franklin, VA Cruise In.

Enjoy!

1969-70 Mustang Fastback Interior Trim Panel Under Rear Window

The plastic interior trim panel that mounts under the rear window and above the trap door in a 1969 and 1970 Mustang Sportsroof has not been available for years. It's now in stock and ready to ship.

This panel is only used on '69-70 Mustangs with the folding rear seat. If you are adding a rear seat, you definitely need this trim panel. It comes with the attaching clips. These clips are not available separately.

The panel is made from ABS plastic with the grain pattern.

Our part number is IN-4285. Click here to order.

Mustang Windshield Installation for 65-68

The surrounding areas on the Mustang are covered and taped to prevent the sealer from getting on those areas.  The windshield molding clips are also installed.

Over the years, one of the most common questions that we receive concerns the installation of a windshield in a 1965-68 Mustang.  Often it is thought that the Windshield Weatherstrip actually seals the glass and prevents any water leaks.  Well, it sort of does, but without the proper sealer and correct installation, it is going to leak.

Jeremy at Maple Hill Restoration (www.MapleHillResto.com) recently installed the windshield in his beautiful Twilight Turquoise '65 Mustang Convertible and supplied us with these great pictures along with his expertise   concerning the installation.

Jeremy also applies sealer around the windshield clip installation hole on the Mustang.  You will note that this is a '65 with the earlier style screw on type clip.

The view from the inside of the Mustang prepared for the windshield installation.

About three tubes of #8509 3M Bedding and Glazing Compound are used to seal the windshield weatherstrip.

One of the key elements needed in the Mustang windshield installation in about 3 tubes of 3M Bedding and Glazing Compound (#8509).  As you can see in the images, this is applied both between the glass and the weatherstrip, but also between the weatherstrip and the body.  This is what really seals the glass from water leaks, not the weatherstrip itself.

Windshield Weatherstrip placed on the Mustang windshield for installation with a string in the groove which will allow the weatherstrip lip to be "pulled" around the windshield frame.  This is done from the interior area of the Mustang.

Rope (String) installed in groove of weatherstrip.  This allows the weatherstrip lip edge to be "pulled" from the inside.

A rope is placed in the "groove" of the weatherstrip and then the weatherstrip is "pulled" in the Mustang.

A bead of sealer is applied around the Mustang windshield frame area.

Another image showing the sealer applied before installation.

The Mustang windshield is placed in the frame of the car, and Jeremy prepares to pull the rope.

As the rope is pulled the Mustang weatherstrip inside lip is pulled towards the inside over the metal edge.

As the rope is pulled the Mustang weatherstrip inside lip is pulled towards the inside over the metal edge.

As the rope is pulled the Mustang weatherstrip inside lip is pulled towards the inside over the metal edge.

As the rope is pulled the Mustang weatherstrip inside lip is pulled towards the inside over the metal edge.

As the rope is pulled the Mustang weatherstrip inside lip is pulled towards the inside over the metal edge.

As the rope is pulled the Mustang weatherstrip inside lip is pulled towards the inside over the metal edge.

As the rope is pulled the Mustang weatherstrip inside lip is pulled towards the inside over the metal edge.

This particular Mustang originally had a clear windshield with a December 1964 (4M) date.  The windshield shown here as an accurately reproduced Carlite logo with the proper markings.  These are available from various suppliers.

After installation, sealer is applied between the glass and the weatherstripping on the Mustang.

Even more sealer (3M Bedding and Glazing Compound) will be applied around the Mustang windshield before the molding is installed.  After the Mustang is fully assembled, it will be water tested, and if a leak is found, more sealer will have to be applied.

That sealer is messy.  Jeremy kind of makes it look easy. :)  If you've never done this, your "messiness" level may be a bit greater!

Excess sealer will be cleaned off.

Excess sealer will be cleaned off.

Applying sealer to the inside lip of the Mustang windshield weatherstrip.

Excess sealer will be cleaned off.

The Bedding and Glazing Compound Sealer is also applied between the Mustang windshield weatherstrip on the body (windshield frame).

The excess 3M Bedding and Glazing Compound Sealer is cleaned from the Mustang windshield weatherstripping.

The Mustang windshield installation is complete.

View of the Mustang windshield installation from the inside of the Mustang.

Monday August 14, 2017 Celebration

We will be closed Monday, August 14, 2017 from approximately 10:30 am to 2:00 pm to celebrate the life of our founder, Robert “Bob” Halterman.

Bob was a true pioneer in the Mustang hobby by starting Virginia Classic Mustang in the basement of his home in the late 1970s.

Our company was built on a true passion for these cars, an incredibly strong work ethic, honesty, integrity, and personal service.

We are so very proud that almost 40 years later, we still practice those same principles that he instilled each and every day.

We will open back up around 2:00 pm, just like he would have wanted us to.

New Shelby Mustang GT350 Book

We have been waiting for this book for a long time!

We have it now, and it was worth the wait!!

Lots has been written about the legendary Shelby Mustang GT350, but this book is quite different. It contains perspective, information, and pictures that have never before been published.

In fact, we were quite honored to contribute some vintage images from our personal collection for use in this book. The entire book is full of fantastic, never before published, vintage images.

The story is told by Chuck Cantwell. Chuck was the engineer and project manager behind the Mustang GT350. If you have ever met Chuck at one of the many car events that he attends, you know that he is a great guy and still shares our passion for these very cool cars. Honestly, this makes the book just that much better.

Greg Kolasa, a Shelby American Automobile Club Registrar, also put this book together with Chuck. Greg has written other great Shelby related publications such as The Definitive Shelby Mustang Guide: 1965-1970.

Simply put, if you are a fan of the Shelby Mustang GT350, you need this book on your shelf.

It is now in stock, and you can order it by clicking here.

Below is the publisher's description:

When the Ford Motor Company needed a new car aimed at the youth market of the 1960s, it created the instantly-popular Mustang. When it decided to turn the Mustang into a true sports car it turned to Carroll Shelby. And when Shelby needed an engineer to develop what would become the classic Mustang GT350 he hired Chuck Cantwell.

In Shelby Mustang GT350: My Years Designing, Testing And Racing Carroll’s Legendary Mustangs Cantwell delivers a unique first-hand account of his years at the Shelby American company. Working alongside Shelby and a dedicated team, he succeeded in producing a car that was an immediate success on the race track and an iconic muscle car whose reputation remains unmatched after more than half a century.

When Shelby hired Chuck from General Motors, he got more than an experienced project engineer. He also got an accomplished driver, a three-time SCCA Division class champion in cars that he prepared himself. That background helped Chuck engineer solutions for the Mustang and accurately evaluate them, even in competition. The Shelby GT350 won the SCCA’s B- Production National Championship three years in a row, and Ford won two consecutive Trans-Am Manufacturers Championships in Mustangs prepared and campaigned by Shelby American.

On a subject as popular as the Shelby Mustang GT350 fresh, definitive information is hard to come by, but that is exactly what Chuck provides. He shares fresh technical details, never-before-heard anecdotes, and corrects popular misconceptions about the GT350's origins and development. Chuck also covers his work on later cars like the GT500, as well as his critical role with the Shelby racing team in the Trans-Am series. And his month-by-month narrative is supported by scores of photographs (including many rare images from his own collection and those of other Shelby insiders) as well as technical drawings and company memos. Additional background information, data, and details are provided by co-author Greg Kolasa, an automotive historian who has spent decades researching and writing about Carroll Shelby's cars.

Shelby Mustang GT350 is a vivid, fact-filled account of how the man Carroll Shelby dubbed "Mr. GT350" led the effort to create an American automotive legend. It's precisely the book that Shelby Mustang owners and other enthusiasts have been waiting for. 

Book Details

Author: Chuck Cantwell with Greg Kolasa

Format: Hardcover, 9” by 11”, 224 pages

Photos: 125 black-and-white and 71 color

Vintage Mustang Pictures

www.VirginiaClassicMustang.com

 We were recently going through some of our own old photo albums and found these cool pictures.

The first one was taken at an indoor car show, probably in Washington, DC. It appears to be a '65 Mustang HiPo Convertible.

Then we have a really cool shot of a '65 Mustang Drag coupe campaigned by Bob Ford Inc from Dearborn, MI. There's another shot from a dragstrip, but it's a bit too far away to tell anything other than it's a '65 Mustang fastback.

The last one is super cool...it's the "prototype shorty" two seater Mustang. If you want to read more about this car, check out this blog post from a few years ago:

http://blog.virginiaclassicmustang.com/2014/07/1964-two-seat-prototype-shorty-mustang.html

www.VirginiaClassicMustang.com

www.VirginiaClassicMustang.com

www.VirginiaClassicMustang.com

Mustang Front Bumper to Fender Bracket Mounting Hardware

1965-68 Mustang Front Bumper End to Fender Bracket Mounting Hardware.
www.VirginiaClassicMustang.com

1965-70 Mustangs have brackets that attach to the corners of the front bumper. These brackets also attach to the front fenders. The 65-68 models used a u-nut clip with an attached rubber padding that fits against the painted fender.

We love the details, so we have made the effort to put together the exact, correct hardware kit for this application. The kit contains two of these special "padded" u-nuts and two correct bolts. Both, of course, also feature the correct finishes. The bolts are available with a star washer or disc washer, as both were originally used. This kit will also work on 69-70 Mustangs.

Here are the links to these kits:

ER-4641  65-68 Front Bumper to Fender Bracket Mounting Kit (Show Quality - Star Washer Bolts)
ER-4642  65-68 Front Bumper to Fender Bracket Mounting Kit (Show Quality - Disc Washer Bolts)

There is also a generic kit available. It does not include the special padded u-nuts, but you can purchase our separate rubber insulator pads.


ER-464  65-70 Front Bumper to Fender Bracket Mounting Kit
PE-261  65-70 Front Bumper to Fender Bracket Rubber Pad Kit

1965-68 Mustang Front Bumper End to Fender Bracket Mounting Hardware.
www.VirginiaClassicMustang.com

1965-70 Mustang Front Bumper End to Fender Bracket Mounting Hardware.
www.VirginiaClassicMustang.com