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  1. #1

    Default 1983 GT Build/Restoration

    This is my first 4 eye car and have really grown to like them in recent years. After looking at several nicer ones for what I feel is becoming a bit outrageous on pricing I decided to pursue the restoration route. Along the way I'm sure I will upgrade/restore and refurbish most everything with my own personal touch and style. The overall theme I'm going for is not anything in particular other than a nice driver with some good horsepower and handling.

    Now onto the car... It had rust in all four corners of the floor pan about 6''x2'' in my opinion its not worth a floor pan replacement and or the two halves so I am in the process of cutting out the bad sections and patching in some 16ga pieces, and also reinforcing the seat bracket areas that are starting to crack.
    There was also a great deal of Bondo on the driver quarter that was not disclosed before I drove out to buy the car, so that was a top priority when i got it home. And lastly the car has a bit of damage on the passenger rocker panel. It also had a healthy slathering of Bondo on it all the way down the length of it. Inside the jamb and the pinch weld are both ok so ill have to dig further into that as I make progress. Who makes a good replacement rocker replacement? I see a lot of the parts offered are "slip ons" are you guys cutting and welding them in as more of a permanent repair?

    Overall the car is not bad, good shock towers, good cowl, trunk ext... and the majority of the car was there which was a big factor. Supposedly its got a 302 from the 90's but that's still to be proven. The t5 shifts through all the gears and feels ok. All the interior that would be hard to find or expensive to replace is there. I'm hoping to keep a good record of my progress and keep the pictures coming.
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  3. #3
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    Default

    Nice! Hope to see more pics of your progress!

    Welcome to the site!
    '85 GT

  4. #4

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    Thanks qikgts

    Progress has been slow; I've working 7 days a week lately...

    I am working on a few different things at once on the car. New fenders and I put the 85-86 front and rear bumper covers on, Ive also been piecing in a few floor sections. Here is my latest hurdle. The passenger side rocker was used as a jacking spot at some point and Im finding out that the door, rocker and fender had a ton of bondo to correct the issue. There isnt any damage from an accident I dont believe just a crushed rocker, a straight edge along the pinch weld revealed a 3/4 to 1 inch difference from the start of the rocker aft about 8 inches. I can see where the floor and inner rocker meet is damaged more than anything, and of course these nasty gaps where the door, rocker and fender meet leave something to be desired.Name:  Pass Door11.jpg
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  5. #5
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    Oof! Looks like you have the skills to make it right though! Hopefully you don't find anything worse.
    '85 GT

  6. #6

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    I put some of the body work on hold now that winter has set in. I switched gears to the interior. Recently I pulled the dash to replace both the heater core and a/c evaporator. I wasn't going to pull the dash out completely but Im glad I did. Because I found plenty of extra work to do! I disassembled and cleaned all of the vents/ducting and got the 40 years of dust and grime out. Once that was out of the way it was time to address a few wiring flaws. Luckily the previous owners didn't chop up too much of it. Just some inexperienced work... but I did find the red/green and brown/pink wire were bypassed from behind the cluster to the engine bay. The red/green was completely smoked, and the insulation was gone. All the cruise control stuff was gone from the car so I used the cruise control plunger/switch on the clutch pedal to add a neutral safety to the start circuit. Also replaced both door panel carpets. One interesting thing I hadn't noticed or paid any attention until I pulled the dash was the gauge cluster. More specifically the speedo... Its a "145mph" unit and I cant seem to find any examples online. Its mounted using the factory hardware locations and no alterations were made. I see plenty of references to the SSP and one other mention of a ranchero gt but no pics. Maybe someone will have more info... The cluster back half has the blue bulb covers, the fuel gauge and 7k tach look to be from an 85-86.
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  7. #7
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    Hmm, never seen a 145 mph speedo.
    '86 GT - weekend driver
    '86 Capri 5.0
    '86 Turbo Coupe
    '17 Mustang GT
    '23 BRONCO

  8. #8
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    Very interesting speedo indeed.
    '85 GT

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