MY 1968 GT RESTORATION

[59meteor]

That crossmember under the engine on the Fairlanes often gets damaged, from people jacking the front of the car with it, Mustangs and Cougars do not have a welded in crossmember like that, the entire front chassis, although similar looking with the shock towers, and very different between the 66-69 Fairlane/Torino/Comet and the 67-70 Mustang/Cougar, including the firewall, motor mount design, transmission crossmember, even how the shock towers, inner fender panels and firewall are connected together. The 67-70 Mustangs and Cougars use bolted in braces to tie the top of the shock tower to the firewall, while the 66-69 Fairlane platform has reinforcements from the top of the inner fenders (below the front fenders), that tie into the firewall, so no braces like the Mustang.  And the earlier (62 thru 65 Fairlane and 62-63 Mercury Meteor), are totally different in design. 60 thru 65 Falcon, Comets, and 65-66 Mustangs are different again.
Concerning the clutch linkage systems, I currently have 4 stickshift Fords, my 59 has the factory style mechanical clutch linkage, both my trucks have hydraulic, 1 with a slave cylinder, the other has a hydraulic throwout bearing, and my 78 Fairmont drag car has the factory style FOX body clutch cable setup. Of them all, I prefer the operation and "feel" of the mechanical linkage, plus no chances of leaks, having to bleed the system, or damaging it due to heat from headers or exhaust. If it was my car, and since you already have all the factory mechanical clutch linkage, that is what I would be using. I know quite a few guys that had troubles with the aftermarket hydraulic setups, from getting the geometry correct, the bearing to pressure plate finger spacing right, routing the hydraulic line to avoid heat and contact with the various engine compartment obstructions. Not to mention leaks. A buddy used the McLeod hydraulic throw out bearing his his 429 powered Cobra replica, with a Toploader 4 speed, and he had it apart several times because the bearing assembly leaked the fluid out, and the clutch wouldn`t disengage. When possible, I like to use the system that the Ford engineers designed, and has a 50 + year history of working well. IF the pedal is stiff, there is usually a reason, like the upper clutch pedal pivot bushings binding or egg shaped from decades of use, or other sources of binding or lack of lubrication.

[gasman826]

I always found it curious the interchangeability of so many Ford parts but how different the Mustang and Fairlane chassis.

[57chero]

You sure don't waste any time getting things done that's for sure!

[lalessi1]

You sure don't waste any time getting things done that's for sure!

You sure you didn't start this 5 years ago??? (That's how long it would take me to get this far...)                                 Great job!

[KYBlueOval]

Lynn........He does not sleep!

[mustang6984]

We can sleep when we are dead! 
I have been working on my SVO Mustang too. Until I get some more green in my jeans I can't do things I need/want to do on the Fairlane, so I busy myself with the SVO. Cold as it is.

[CobraJoe]

Thanks guys; I definitely want to use the factory linkage if I can.
As far as getting stuff done, been that way my whole life, I guess it comes from being self employed and a good work ethic instilled in me from my dad.
Progress will slow down now, as it is out of my hands and I have been gone for almost a week with some friends, including the shop owner. We all went to Mecum in Kissimmee, great time, but it was a little cold. Either way, we all had a great time!

[Ford Blue blood]

No new "toy" on your signature list?  Couple of good deals from the small parts I've watched....

[CobraJoe]

No, those are a little "Too Rich" for my blood, although I saw a beautifully restored 1968 Mustang Fastback w/a 428 in Highland Green that I wouldn't have minded owning. It was a paid trip to look at a '55 Corvette for a friend.

[CobraJoe]

Well it got moved over to the other side of the shop. They got some rust converter on the roof and the decklid to get into some of the pits. After they will DA and start bodyworking it. Looks like they picked out some of the small dents too.

[mustang6984]

Looks good. Moving along at warp speed 5!

[CobraJoe]

Getting the panels and the body DA'd so they can epoxy coat everything:

[59meteor]

Making great progress! My hats off to bodyman, all those hours of sanding and blocking must be sooo tedious. The sheet metal looks very nice, so nice not having to be dealing with rusted out parts. Curious how your hood is, reason that I am asking, is that both my 69 Cobra fastbacks, had cracks/splits, in the center of the hood peak, near the front. Both mine were Ram Air R code cars, so maybe the large holes under the hood scoops in the hoods was a contributing factor with mine.Please keep us posted, seeing a big project going forward at such a good pace is inspiring.

[CobraJoe]

Will do, and thanks!
As far as the hood, it's very good with the exception of some pitting from the sun baked surface rust.
Looking forward to getting the body done!

[RICH MUISE]

It's very nice to see a body shop getting on it right away. Too many stories of "body shop jail" Thanks for keeping us posted. Everything is looking first class.