Suspension

The uni-body is done with paint and is back home.  Next step is to make the car a "roller" again so that we can move it around and install then engine. Once the drive train is installed we'll send it back to the shop for final panel fit and hood install.  We've been stuck a little here while the suspension parts were getting restored.  Falling behind on the getting the engine assembled too, just too many other things going on

.  Should be back on schedule again in a couple of weeks.  Front suspension is done with restoration, and looks amazing. Brake backing plates just got finished an are ready for paint.  The really amazing thing is that all of these parts have matching numbers, more on that in a later post.
Finishing up restoring/plating original hardware. I hung the coil springs and dipped.  Was amazing how this accurately recreated the look of the paint on the springs originally
 The pattern of drips and coverage were true to the first time these were dipped back in 1964.  Some pics of the restored front suspension and steering linkage.

Background History

There are just a dozen or so of these 64 1/2 K code convertibles known to exist.  Of those, this is the only documented example that left the factory with an automatic choke and hand-fitted dual exhaust system, measures taken by Ford in order to get the car into dealer showrooms by the all important July 4th sales weekend in 1964.   High performance mustangs were originally to be available by June 1st 1964, but production delays would keep the K codes from entering regular production until the end of June - too late for arrival at dealers by July 4th, which fell on Saturday.  With this realization in mid June, Ford quickly made plans to assemble a few cars using existing parts from other high performance car lines already in production, namely the Fairlane. This car and perhaps a few others were quickly "show car prepared" and fitted with Cobra engine bay dress-up kits in time for them to arrive at select dealerships by July 1st.  There they would be shared with other dealerships in the sales district to entice buyers to order the new High Performance Mustangs.

I was able to recover some of the original factory documents and was able to interview several of the owners.

I'll be elaborating more on how the original owner acquired this car along with information from the dealership that originally sold the car in the coming weeks.