Bodywork in Progress

I am currently working on the body panels of the Mustang with a helper. We are fixing the fender flares, installing Shelby brake scoops, building a custom rear integral spoiler and straightening the panels of the car.

Pictures to follow soon.

Painting the engine compartment and undercarriage

I painted the entire engine compartment (including the new fender apron) with POR-15.

You can see I bolted in the starter relay also.

Replacing the Right Front Fender Apron

After drilling out all of the spotwelds, I used a chisel, hammer and grinder to remove the old rusted out apron. I put the new reproduction apron in place and checked out the fit. Then I measured with a tape diagnally to make sure the front end was square and clamped it up and welded it in place. I used the plug weld method to weld in the apron. I'll grind down the welds and paint the new apron with POR-15 like the rest of the engine compartment.

I'm not going to put the battery tray in because the battery will be relocated to the trunk.

Pictured below is the new "repro" fender apron.

The two holes you can see are were used as line up holes to make sure the apron was in the right place.


You can see the old apron that was comprimised by the battery box. This is a very common problem in older Mustangs.

Unique Features of the Car

351C V-8 engine
FMX automatic transmission
3.91:1 traction lock rear end
Staggered rear shocks
Rear sway bar
Traction bars
Trunk mounted battery
Racing seats w racing seat belts
Custom drag racing dash and gauges
Fender flares
Rear integrated spoiler
Shelby side scoops (functional)
Fire extinguisher
PIAA front lighting
Mach 1 gas cap
Stabilizing bars in engine compartment
Slotted and cross drilled front disc brakes
New front suspension
Manual steering

Eleanor Engine Details

351C 4-bolt main
Standard Ford pistons
Standard Ford rods
TRW piston rings
ARP rod bolts
Ford 4MA crankshaft
Ford 4V heads
Compression = 10.5:1
Iskendarian 280 degree cam
Hydraulic lifters
Standard Ford push rods
Speed Pro dual roller timing chain
Melling high vol oil pump
Boss 351 baffled oil pan
Ford harmonic balancer
Edelbrock Torker 351 intake
Edelbrock Performer 750 cfm 4-barrel carb
MSD ignition

Chrome valve covers and air cleaner

Flow Tech headers

The 351 Cleveland V-8

The block is a 4-bolt main, standard bore 351C with a 4MA crank. Both are pretty rusty. I had the block hot-tanked and magna-fluxed a few years back and I wish I would have coated it in WD-40 and put it in a plastic bag (but I didn't so back we go to the hot tank). The block code is Ford DZAE-CA 2D14.

The heads are the 4V "quench" style. These have been retro-fitted with Crane roller rockers, Manley push rod guides and new valve springs. These heads have HUGE valves! The heads are coded Ford D1AE-GA.

The pistons and rods sit in a box along with other engine parts that need to be cleaned. I hope I can reuse the pistons and rods. Rods are D0AE.

Other "goodies" include and Isky hydraulic cam (280 degree), TRW piston rings, TRW rod bearings, a Speed Pro performance timing chain (dual roller), Melling hi vol oil pump and a Boss 351 oil pan.

In the beginning............

This car began as a 1972 Ford Mach 1 Mustang. It originally came with a 302 ci 2-barrel. Unclear about the transmission. The car was modified with fender flares at some point. This was part of the inspiration to build the "Eleanor Clone" since the flares were already existing.

The quarter panels appear original. Unfortunately, they were ruined when the flares were installed. Same with the front fenders. From the factory, the car was painted silver with red interior. I think it should go back to silver or maybe a Pepper Grey Metallic? With Black Metallic racing stripes. This car may have been a drag car at some point. It has a 3.91 traction lock rear end with a staggered shock mount welded into place. Add in the existing rear sway bar and you have Ford's version of a competition suspension in the back of the car. It also has traction bars.

Picture below shows the fender flares. Someone took some time putting these on. They actually did a pretty decent job.

The car has a good deal of surface rust on it. The right front fender apron needs to be replaced from the battery corrosion. I ordered the apron from Mustangs Unlimited and will install it soon. I will pressure wash and sandblast the engine compartment and the front suspension, then apply black POR-15 to the front of the car.