Category Archives: Overhaulit

Come along for the ride in this 100-part series as we take three class cars – a 1965 Ford Mustang, a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette and a 1970 Plymouth – and overhaul them into dream rides!

Overhaulit Part 91
What’s the diff?

Overhaul_PT_91_Mustang.qxdOverview

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Description

There wasn’t really anything wrong with the old rear axle in the 1965 Mustang.
If there were, we wouldn’t have spent all that time and money putting in new springs, a rear anti-roll bar and giving it a fresh coat of paint.
But when we just couldn’t get enough clearance for the exhaust system and the tire width once the car was at the desired ride height, we knew we were going to have to go with a clean-sheet suspension design, which meant a new rear axle.

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Overhaulit Part 92
Paneless

Overhaul_PT_92_Plymouth.qxdOverview

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Description

It has to be the last thing that anyone cares about when it comes to a project car: the glass. Before reproduction glass came along, we had to make do with cleaning up what we had or trying to find a better used part. Recently, we managed to find a new back window on Ebay for $170 plus shipping. Done. A whole eight-piece kit to do the car runs about $1,300.

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Overhaulit Part 93
Avoiding the wrong person for the job

Overhaul_PT_93_Corvette.qxdOverview

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Description

Well, everyone has their specialty . . . Perhaps anyone can install all this stuff, be we would rather have someone who knows what they’re doing complete the task. You’ll need to know all the parts and components necessary so that you can properly converse with your people and know what costs are involved so you can make the tough decisions.

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Overhaulit Part 94
The rubber meets the road

Overhaul_PT_94_Mustang.qxdOverview

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Description

They’re round and black, so how tough can this really be.
Other than the nagging question of whether a tire that costs half as much as another is only half as good. If you can figure that one out without actually trying both, then you’ve solved one of the world’s great mysteries.
As much as you can tell something about a person by their shoes, you can also tell something about a vehicle based on the tires it wears.

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Overhaulit Part 95
Brace yourself!

Overhaul_PT_95_Plymouth.qxdOverview

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Description

It’s the final touch to an extensive list of chassis stiffening procedures. Especially for these atypical projects that meld new and old, and I’m not simply talking about bolting new parts to an old car. It’s important to note that the whole thing was tack-welded together first and then fully welded when the fit was deemed satisfactory.

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Overhaulit Part 96
This old bucket of bolts

Overhaul_PT_96_Corvette.qxdOverview

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Description

The old bolts that come off a car can fill a bucket, but which ones do you save, and how? There are many aspects of restoration and modification that require you to spend money where you never thought you would have to. Ever.
Nuts and bolts seem innocent and generic enough, but that’s not the case. It should go without saying that you can’t replace all the old bolts in a car with stuff from the local hardware store, but people try to do exactly that.

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Overhaulit Part 97
All done

Overhaul_PT_97_Mustang.qxdOverview

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Description

Well, at least it’s close to the car we set out to create . . .
Sitting at my desk contemplating the original goal for the ’65 Mustang, we’ve come full circle. Did all that talk in our early stories about “the theme” and being on budget have any basis in reality after 33 installments and 20,000 words?

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Overhaulit Part 98
Round and round

Overhaul_PT_98_Plymouth.qxdOverview

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Description

Have you seen the movie “The Aviator” from 2004?
There’s a scene where that DiCaprio guy, who plays Howard Hughes, fusses and fumes over what control wheel to put in his “Spruce Goose” airplane.
The first time I saw that scene, I called my doctor to make an appointment to find out if I was having some type of serious compulsion issues. Why? No one fusses over steering wheels like I do. Not even that DiCaprio guy.

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