Hello All - I just got a 65 Mustang - all original. I knew it was rusty when I bought it, has the cowl syndrome. Floor pans are pretty weak , so I will be replacing them. Front frame rails do look good but will know more after I pull the floor off.I am concerned on one part. The car has sat the last 20 years,and the firewall is showing some holes left of the steering wheel . Top of the firewall looks very rusty from water leakage.

My question - what order is the preferred order to do the rust repair? I was planning on first taking up the drivers side floor up to the firewall. (one side at a time) Looks as though I will need to replace the tow boards also. After I get the floor out there, I should be able to determine if the front rail needs replacement. With the cowl obviously gone, and possible firewall issues.

What order would be correct? I need to pull the driver side fender, etc to expose all the damage there , but just looking for some advice on ones who have done it themselves. Also , what are the best reference guides to use to ensure accurate measurements? The bottom of the shock towers have a hole on each side, so I will need to replace those bolt on items also , but the inner apron assembly looks to be very good shape .. Thanks - Matt

 

As long as the frame rails are in good shape, your foundation is good. One side at a time is the best route imo. The less metal cut out the less chance of getting the car off alignment. If you have never done this magnitude of metal replacement before, one side at a time for sure. There is no exact on way to do it, but you can start by replacing the floor pans and work your way up to the toeboards and firewall. May want to check the torque boxes too. Mine had only one-on the drivers side but I added one to the passengers side for a stronger frame. There is a complete firewall with toeboard piece available if that is what you need. The cowl would be the last thing if that needs replaced. You may get away with just patching the hat areas of the cowl instead of replacing the entire thing. As you cut out the old metal and view the newer pieces going in, you'll get a feel for how it all goes together. The new pieces may need to be trimed to fit. It might be a good idea to check out some dvd's or something like that to get an idea what's involved in replacing floorpans, etc.

I used my shop manual for dimensions. If your tackling this new project, a hard copy shop manual is a must. You can check out my pics as I have replaced a ton of metal on this beast.

 

Hey Thanks for the info ! That was the order I had in mind - so I just wanted to confirm it

The frame rails in the front LOOK good, and I hope they are ! The rear frame rails are not good and need replaced, but that is later.

Thanks for the input - I have to pick up a shop manual yet - so that was on my list . I restored a GTO and had to replace the trunk pans, braces and quatrters - so this will be even more fun !

Thanks!