1966 Mustang Coupe from Western Australia

We would like to thank Ernie Bright from Western Australia for sending information and pictures about his 1966 Mustang Coupe. He is only the second owner. Ernie had the car imported from San Diego, California to Melbourne, Australia last Easter. Once it arrived, the engine and transmission were removed in order to modify the dash and firewall and convert the car to right hand drive. Power disc brakes were also added to comply with Australian regulations. He also added a console, aftermarket steering wheel, Kick Panels with Speakers and a set of our 14 x 7 Styled Steel Wheels.

Ernie explained his unique license plate also by telling us that back in the Sixties in Western Australia, the plates all started with the letter "U." His initials are "EB," and the engine size is 289. That is where the "UEB-289" came from. In Western Australia, they call this plate a retro. plate, and he has a certificate that allows him to display it.

Thanks again, Ernie!

If anyone would like to see your Mustang featured here in the Virginia Mustang Blog; please contact us here, and we will tell you how!

High Performance Mustang Convertible Restoration Update

The restoration on our 1965 HiPo Convertible continues. After stripping the trunk lid, we found that it was a bit too rough to use. We came up with a good used one. It was cleaned, stripped and primed. The primer was applied very thoroughly, including inside. It was then taped up and painted body color (Poppy Red) on the inside. This was done so the body color would completely cover the inside on the trunk lid. Before the final painting is done, this inside area will be sanded and blown over again. Yes, this is a lot of trouble and time, but it will make the best job. Here are some pictures of the trunk lid preparation.

Stainless Steel Door Lock Grommets

They are available again! These are the nice, stainless steel door lock grommets. They have not been available for a while now, but they are back! These were always one of our most popular parts. These also feature the felt center ring to prevent the door lock knobs from rattling.

Order Part Number IN5301. They are sold as a pair (two in a set.)

1965 and 1966 Mustang Radio Block Off Plates

If you did not order a radio in your '65 or '66 Mustang, what did the dash look like where the radio was originally mounted? Well, all the dashes were stamped with the holes for the radio, so there was a special "block off" plate installed over these holes on the "radio delete" cars.

The plates were different between the two years. Below are pictures of both of them. When the Mustang was not equipped with a radio, the fender was never drilled for an antenna. The "Heater Delete" was another interesting "option." I'll dig that stuff up and take pictures when I get a chance.

1965 Radio Block Off Plate

1966 Radio Block Off Plate

Mustang Cowl Area Rust

The poor design of the cowl area in a Mustang just did not allow for proper drainage. Consequently, this area is very susceptible to rust. Fortunately, the parts are available to repair this rust. Unfortunately, it is not an easy job.

Here are some pictures of our 1965 HiPo Convertible. It's hard to believe that this area was not taken care of over 25 years ago during the car's first restoration. Anyway, we are doing it now. The pictures you see show the fenders removed and the area under the fender/near the cowl cut out for access to the cowl area. We will be repairing the driver's side with our SM-136L Left Hand Inner Cowl Patch. The passenger's side is okay. The pits will be repaired on this side and re-finished. After the sheet metal is welded in and finished (lots of time and work), it will be impossible to tell that a repair has been made.

Other alternatives to a rusty cowl area are our Cowl Covers for 1965-66 and 1967-68 - not really a repair, but they keep the water out. For a quick and easy patch, we have the IN531 Plastic Repair Collars. We also now have the complete Cowl for the 1965-66, when it is not on backorder from the manufacturer. For other models, there are the 1967-68 Upper and Lower Pieces and the 1969-70 Lower piece.

2008 AACA National Eastern Spring Meet

I attended the 2008 AACA (Antique Automobile Club of America) National Eastern Spring Meet this weekend. It was held near Cumberland, MD at Rocky Gap Resort. This is a beautiful resort, and a great place for a car show. There were over 600 cars registered, but the rainy weather on Friday may have kept some of them at home. Fortunately, Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day. I counted 27 1964½-73 Mustangs registered. When I checked out the pictures that I took, I realized that I did not take near enough pictures of the Mustangs. Anyway, here is what I have. For more information concerning the AACA, please see their web site at http://www.aaca.org/.

Six Cylinder Chrome Air Cleaners

Here's a great part for you six cylinder guys! Over the years, customers have always asked about an open element chrome air cleaner (like the popular V-8 one) that would fit on the six cylinder. Well, it is here and has been a very popular part. As you can see from the pictures, the base is a specially designed part just for the carburetor-no adapators required!

Mustang AM-FM Radios

One of the rarest options for a 1966 Mustang was the AM-FM Radio. I believe that the first one that I purchased about 20 years ago was around $450.00. Recently, they have brought way more than that. Of course, now there is the nice reproduction available at a reasonable price.

This post is more about a very unusual AM-FM Radio that I purchased a long, long time ago. All of the original units that everyone is familiar with had "FORD" engraved on the slide bar. Well, I have a radio that actually has "MUSTANG" on the slide bar. I've shown the pictures to many people, but no one seems to have ever seen one like it or know the story behind it.

It is a very early unit with a March 5, 1965 stamping. It also appears to have originally had a black painted chassis. Here are some pictures of the radio along with some pictures of a "regular" AM-FM with the FORD on the slide bar.


The below pictures show the "MUSTANG" Slide Bar with the more polished or rounded edges.




This picture shows the "sharper" edges of the FORD slide bar.


The FORD Slide Bar also has a deeper engraving than the MUSTANG one.

69 and 70 Mustang Instrument Bezels

We have had these parts now for several months, but thought that they were worth a mention here. We have had customers asking for the 1969 and 1970 Mustang Instrument Bezels for quite some time. They are now in stock. The "chrome" on these original plastic bezels always deterioates over time. A new one can really make a big improvement to your Mustang's interior.

Click here for the 1969 and here for the 1970.

The 1969 Mustang Cobra Jet Engine Reference Manual

This is just a fantastic book by our friend, Joe Sikora. We have handled this book for years, but thought it was worth another mention here on our Blog. Joe is very knowledgeable about these Cobra Jet Mustangs, and enlisted many more experts to help him put this together. If you know Joe, he is very detail oriented and his book shows it. There is a ton of information about every component on the 69 428 Cobra Jet Engine in this book. It does not have any glitzy pictures, just lots of information. If you have one of these cars or just admire the details, you must have this book. Click on the image above to order one or click here for Part Number LT-62.

Rear Axle Vent

FINALLY!

We finally got these things in! They have been extremely popular parts, but the supplier has been out of them for quite some time. They came in today. We have both the short style and the long style. The short style is used on all applications except Mustangs equipped with the BK-111 (65-66 Standard) Rear Brake Hose. Click on the pictures to see more detail about the part.