62 shorty uni street rod build

[JOSHF100]

Thanks for keeping your build thread updated. I’m living vicariously through it until I find a unibody.
Did you consider a aftermarket wiring harness?

Randall

[390fastback]

I did, but the whole intent on this was a low buck hot rod. the truck was cheap, the total loss cop car was WAY cheap. Its just the little things that are adding up and costing more than I wanted. Like the explorer rear axle, the wheel spacers to fit my cragars, the universal for the steering, crappy LMC sheet metal. I've already got one high dollar car, didn't really want two!

Heres the one Mustang thats done. I was working on a 71 Mach before I bought the uni, so its waiting its turn again. Then once thats done, theres a 67 M250 4x4 in the garage to be reassembled. Definitly not a shortage.

Anyway, heres the 68 Mustang I finished about a year and a half ago:



S-code, 390 powered (hense the user name), auto, Acapolco Blue with blue interior. Pretty well stock with a few engine and suspension goodies.

[HawaiiKid]

Love your project, I'll be doing a lot of wire tracing for my crown vic soon too.

What kind of gauge cluster are you thinking about doing?

[390fastback]

I'm going to try and incorporate the vic gauges into the orginal cluster.....i'm going to try!

[HawaiiKid]

I'm going to try and incorporate the vic gauges into the orginal cluster.....i'm going to try!

Same here! Are you going to cut out the original gauge housing and do a custom housing? I'm thinking that might be the easiest way to go, just dont want it to be cheezy.

[390fastback]

Not quite. I'm going to try to get the vic instrumentaion to work in the original cluster. I want to retain the appearance of the original dash.

When I tackle this, I'll be documenting the hell out of it!

[HawaiiKid]

Thats awesome, please do! I'm lookin forward to seeing how you do it

[390fastback]

Got a little more done on the weekend. I started working through the chassis harness again, forgot what a PITA it is to work through and put it to the side again.....I'll get it done eventually, honest! I figured I may as well get some of these parts I had laying around installed. I mocked up the inner fender to see what I had for clearance for the CV booster and to see where I could put the electrical plugs. It didn't take long to realize that it wasn't really up to me to determine where the booster/master was going to go, the column kinda decided that for me. I got the pedal assembly as close to the colum as i could and I should still have clearance from the inner fender to the booster. I still have to fab up some kind of reinforcment for the firewall as there is a ton of flex in it and its just not safe. After that I installed the drive-by-wire gas pedal also.











After looking at how the adjustable pedals work, I think i'll leave that portion of the harness in tackt. Think It'll be a nice luxury in my rusty rattle can.

[390fastback]

I've been hearing two sides to the story of the CV front end install. Some it fits without issue, some say its just to wide and doesn't work. I needed to find out for myself, so I very loosly installed the rad support and front fenders. I think I'll have more than enough room, maybe even enought to take a coil out?







Picked up a fuel tank/pump/sender last week also. Its the rear tank from a 95 F150. Haven't measured anything, crossing my fingers it fits! It was one of those buy it now cheap while you can kinda deals.



and this is where I left my truck last night....

[rickairmedic]

Thats the part I am not looking forward to . I will be pulling the full harness out of my 88 Vic donor and reusing as much as possible myself . You are making progress and thats always good .


Rick

[390fastback]

Forgot one, where I cut the holes in the firewall to run the electrical plugs through.



I removed the stock plug for the engine harness and move the plug for the lights there. I'm going to retain the original wiring for the lights, fan, lighter, etc and try to keep just whats nessesary to run the engine/tranny plus misc other goodies from the vic harness.

Got a couple holes to fill and clean up where I cut it yet.

[HawaiiKid]

Ugh, this is one of the parts I'm really not looking forward to-the wiring! I feel like I'll be beating myself up

[Project66]

I've been hearing two sides to the story of the CV front end install. Some it fits without issue, some say its just to wide and doesn't work. I needed to find out for myself, so I very loosly installed the rad support and front fenders. I think I'll have more than enough room, maybe even enought to take a coil out?

Looks like it should have enough room. I think the problem is where guys do not get the proper offset wheels or the right looking wheel for the vintage, IMO.

[reaper969x]

Any luck finding those pics of the rear lower control arm mounts?

[390fastback]

I've found the pics of the lower control arm mounts, but need to up load them with the pics from last week. Likely do that tommorow.

I've been working on the instrument cluster thing wihout a lot of luck. Everywhere I turn, the cluster is a replacement part and is non servicable. So I guess I'm looking harder!

I did kinda line it up and it could be made to fit as is the way it is with a little work, but I fear that 'he took the easy way out' comment. I'll just keep trying.

in the mean time I think I have a few more grounds to hook up, and the entire fuel system, then it'll be ready for a test fire. Fingers crossed!!

[bcook07]

Some of you guys talk about putting the wire harness on a diet but still use most of the chassis harness. I guess my truck's wiring is anorexic. I cut off just the 3 or 4 plugs that send power/grn/signals to and from the engine/trans harness and combined them into my rebel wire univeral chassis harness. After looking over some of the other builds I am kind of up in the air as to which is more complicated to do.

[390fastback]

Took last week off work to get a little extra done on the uni. Got the wireing sorted out inder the hood, got the brake lines all plumbed in, got the tranny cross member made and installed, and the rad support done to hold the radiator.

First though, the trailing arm mounts:







The rad support:









Tranny cross member:





And fill plate for the floor:

[390fastback]

Brake lines and prop valve, nothing special but probably one of the better routing jobs I've done:



Then I started putting the front end together to make sure everything will fit before I blow it all apart again to clean up and paint. I knoe the rad support needs more work, but the rad and power steering cooler are in there and where I want them.The driver inner fender will also need quite a bit of work when I'm done, just to get the wiring, booster , and air cleaner in.









Still needs some odds and ends for the fuel system that were either wrecked in the vic, or I just let go with the wreck by mistank, then it'll be time to see if it runs! Have a busted stud on the drivers manifold I need to repair also though.

Got a start on the instrument cluster also, cand get the needle out and I'm afraid to force them, so a little change of plans with that. I have an idea, but I need to figure a few more things out before i go to far and can't go back.

[MadMaxetc]

Thats a lot of fab work! Keep after it....and good job!

[thenephilm]

Lookin good sir, all that wiring looks terrible lol.