This post will be long and presents some lessons learned on my ongoing assembly along with some pictures and questions that might help me recover from my many mistakes: First, window installation was really ugly. I hired someone to install them and they scratched up my paint putting some real bad trim clips on the windows. See below pictures, the black ones from ebay are no good unless time is spent grinding off all the sharp tips and loosening the fit. I should have used the yellow ones like everyone suggested. Does anyone know where I can get a dozen yellow ones? This leads to my current problem. The rear window trim will not seat on several of the black clips. We have pushed to the point of damaging trim. I will have to destroy the trim to get it off to replace the clips. It won't budge with the tool since the clips are too stiff and sharp. See picture below where trim is loose, only 3 clips not making it. Any ideas on how to seat window trim without using clips? This mistake will have cost me $500+ to redo paint chips and new trim. Next issue with the window install is they got glue all over my front interior glass rubber and I have rubber that bulges (See picture below). Any idea how to clean off the glue as that is my finish around my windows. Also, anyone try cutting the rubber to get rid of the bulge and using contact cement to re-attach the cut area? Next on the list is the headliner. I did this myself using the instructions in this forum along with U-Tube. It turned out pretty good, but I wish I would have been aware of the following 2 issues. First, I used the metal binder clips to attach the headliner to the pinchweld. As seen in the below pictures, I should have been more careful in my glue use or binder placement since the uneven binder clips glue area can be seen above the windlace. This could have been addressed by just using glue closer to the edge of the pinch weld instead of slopping it on like I saw them do on U-tube. See picture below. Sloppy use of headliner glue also showed up in the area above my quarter windows. I could have prevented this again by more careful placement of the glue. See picture below. I think I might be able to clean this up with solvent or black paint. Lastly, I have a few general questions. My scoops don't fit well (See picture below). Can these be bent easily without breaking? Also, is there a gasket that goes between the scoop and hood? And, my B pillar is orange on the outside and shows up between the windows (See picture). Is this supposed to be blacked out so the windows look more continuous? And lastly, the paint guy didn't realize the rain gutters have a trim piece, so he really built it up with paint and did a nice job smoothing it out. Now I am torn between leaving it as is or trying to slide the trim on. Once started, the paint will scratch and I am committed to trim on the rain gutters. Just looking for some mental support here to leave the trim off. That's all for now. I am still happy with assembly, but if I had it to do again, things would be a little different (hopefully better). Overall it could have been much worse. The $$$ wasted would have got me some new rims or tires. Thanks up front for any advice provided.
Sorry and Thank You! Sorry to hear about the challenges, but THANK YOU for the valuable Operating Experience presented in a short, to-the-point manner, all contained in one post. I am halfway done my headliner install and I am using the weatherstrip adhesive and binder clips. I moved to the smaller clips after I noticed that the same type of thing was happening to me with the material being glued too high on the inside. I have been trying to collect enough yellow windshield molding clips for my own installation. I am still about 20 short... I wouldn't cut the rubber. These windshields have enough potential leakage issues without introducing more. The Grabber Hood Scoops won't bend, but your hood likely will. To my knowledge, there is no gasket or sealant used between the hood and scoop. They have a tendency to rattle too. I think the red drip rails will look good! I believe @71Mavrk kept his drip rails AND boomerangs body colour, which is similar to yours and it looks sporty. The B-pillars are painted body colour on the outside from the factory. A satin black may help smooth things out and shouldn't be too hard to do. I cringe when I can see body colour through a front grille too, so I know where you are coming from.
I wud not scratch the paint putting the drip rail trim back on. If u scratch to bare metal, u will invite rust to set up. I think it looks just fine.
SCS, I had a similar problem with getting my trim installed. I lost several of my clips and some of them were damaged. I purchased a box of 100 from eBay for about $20. I made sure they were the correct replacements. From the '69 - '72 parts book: Front: D0DZ-6203174-A Rear: D1AZ-6542413-B I wish I could send you some, but I'm on the road for an extended period. A couple of things that helped me get the trim on: 1. Heat the rubber gasket with a hair dryer. I found the more heat I got the more pliable the rubber became the more I could push down and I could get it to hook. 2. Use a piece of wood to spread the load across the trim. Sometimes I had to use a mallet to pop it in. 3. Look at the underside of the trim to see if where the clip wants to attach is not bent or torn away. i had to use pillars in several spots to straighten them out. 4. Having the trim removal tool sometimes helps to get the clips back on: http://mustangparts.averagejoerestoration.com/mustang-molding-remover-cid1361 5. Tape around the paint to avoid scratches. Getting the trim on was one of the biggest PIA for me. I feel your pain. I had a couple that I could never get on. As long as you get most of them on, you should be good. Micah
Sorry to hear of all the build hardships. My comments on above in no specific order here. Since they aren't prepped and painted yet.. the scoops could surely be recut and glassed cheaper than replacement cost and especially if sheetmetal work is needed. Both scoops have exact same fitment? I've seen others with similar and like the body color drip rail because it makes the windows look slightly smaller/sleeker from the side. Actually really like the drip rails cut and smoothed completely.. but let's not add more to your ever growing short list here. Paint the slivers of body color between the windows to reduce visual distraction. Far too much contrast there, IMO. Be VERY careful with heavy solvents and adhesive removers on fresh paint(even if it was baked). It might not appear to be doing any real damage initially but after heavy and repeated applications it can eventually damage the clear coats integrity and even affect gloss holdout over the long term. Staining or clouding of the basecoat is also not unheard of as well so just go easy and work smaller areas with smaller application tools. I prefer q-tips and Acetone for the initial softening of adhesives. Then I'll move to the gentler citrus based stuff that can be used on painted surfaces. Lots of work and it takes time but can be done with enough patience. As mentioned.. don't cut the rubber. Hairdryer works ok but is slower going. Trust me here, what you really want to use is a heat gun with a "low temp" setting to avoid overheating of adjacent surfaces and 3 hands are beter than 2. As Micah eluded to above, this makes the rubber more pliable allowing you to slightly compress or.. "bunch the rubber".. much more easily as you work the piece around the window while avoiding the tendency of gathering it up too heavily in the corner because it was slightly too long or stretched slightly during the first 3/4 of the install. about all I got right now.. family bugging me during "my Comet time" and took me far too long to even finish these few little sentences. lol
Hi scs: Just curious .. Is that a Stock Grabber Hood ? Or is it a Maverick Man or Dynacorn ? Don't understand why the inserts don't "FIT" like they're supposed to ? I'm considering grabber hoods for two Mavericks soon and I wouldn't want to by one with inherent problems. Any help here would be appreciated. Thanks. Cometized (Chip)
The hood inserts can't be bent, there is no gasket used. I used caulking strips to seal and stop the rattle. The caulk that looks like short pieces of rope. I got my yellow clips from Craig (maverick corral.com)
Chip, This was a disassembled project car when I bought it. The hood is stock as far as I know, it looks identical to my 1973 stock hood except for the scoop holes. But, since it was in pieces when I got it, I don't know if it was matched stock. We have made some progress by performing some high risk flexing of the scoops and I think the rest can be made up with the hood sheet metal.
Thanks for the come-back: Glad to hear you're solving the fit problems. I had a 71 Grabber a few years back and eventually sold it but the inserts on that hood fit "snugly" as I remember. Can't explain why these wouldn't fit as well .?? I'm still considering two of the Dynacorn Hoods . One before the HRPT in June this year . I'll have to paint it naturally and I only have three months before we saddle up for the Power Tour. I'll check the inserts before we start the painting process on the hood since I've read your informative post . Thanks for the input. Cometized (Chip)
