First impressions are lasting impressions--make yours count.
Time, weather, and road hazards wreak havoc on your car's finish. Though you may take as many precautions as possible to minimize damage, it still happens. The sun fades, UV rays oxidize, acid rain makes pits, and rocks chip the surface of your Mustang's exterior. When washing, waxing, and touch-up paint just don't do the trick anymore, it's time to resort to more drastic measures.
Over the next few pages, we're going to show you a couple of different ways to rejuvenate the most-seen feature of your muscle Mustang or fast Ford--the paint. One of our subjects is a Laser Red '98 GT that has been neglected over the last few years. Another is Project Shake 'n' Bake, and the last is Editor Smith's '07 GT.
The '98 has suffered many long, hot Central Florida summers. Its previous owner retired to Florida not long after purchasing the car new in New Jersey. Now its ungaraged existence has faded the once-bright hue to a dull, rosy tinge. We can't totally bring back the pigment, but we were able to remove scratches, dings, and oxidation. Thanks to our friend Matt Guida of Preferred Motors in Tampa, Florida, we were able to revitalize the GT's finish.
Sometimes, though, good old-fashioned elbow grease just isn't enough. In the case of our '03 Mach 1, rock chips littered the front fascia. The only way to fix that is to either repair and repaint the front bumper, or replace it. Since we had previously installed brake cooling ducts, the '03-'04 Cobra bumper upgrade made the most sense.
For the boss' GT, a missing lower grille coupled with the normal bug and curb damage convinced us to swap the stock GT fascia for a GT/CS piece. For the parts, we turned to Latemodel Restoration Supply and Mr. Body Kit. Once we had the parts in hand, we headed to Visual FX Paint in Orange Park, Florida. There, Paul Holman, who worked his magic on our '11 AMSOIL GT for SEMA, painted our new bumper covers.
Depending on the damage and your budget, breathing new life into your Mustang's look may be easier than you think.
Our first subject is this...
Our first subject is this Laser Red ’98 GT. We just picked it up from the original owner, who had neglected the car’s finish for a while. At Preferred Motors in Tampa, Florida, proprietor Matt Guida starts by washing the car.
1 We turned to dent master...
1 We turned to dent master and owner/operator Brian Wentworth, who worked his paintless dent removal (PDR) magic on our GT. He used wedges and long rods to access the backside of the dented panels. He then pushed on the dings and dents until they were gone. This is relatively inexpensive (compared to traditional repairs) and greatly adds to your vehicle’s overall appearance.
2 Guida then tackled the...
2 Guida then tackled the scratches. Most were light, so he used 1,500-grit sandpaper to wet-sand them away. Note: Be careful to not burn through the clear—it will look worse when you’re done.
3 Guida then buffed the entire...
3 Guida then buffed the entire car with polishing compound and a high-speed buffer. Though our coupe’s finish was very faded (almost a rosy pink now), we were still able to remove oxidation to bring back the shine.
4 After buffing the car,...
4 After buffing the car, Guida used a micro-fiber cloth to remove excess compound. Finally, he applied a coat of wax.
5a Clearly a few hours of...
5a Clearly a few hours of work and a couple hundred dollars in PDR repair yielded a much more desirable look for our GT. Before
5b After
5c Before
5d After
6 For our other two cars,...
6 For our other two cars, we opted to replace the bumper covers. We loaded the new fascias and headed to Visual FX Custom Paint and Body in Orange Park, Florida. There, Scotty Watson started by prepping the pieces with a piece of Scotch-Bright and water to smooth the substrate.
7 Then he masked off the...
7 Then he masked off the areas that wouldn’t be painted.
8 Painter Phillip Caballero...
8 Painter Phillip Caballero sprayed the pieces with pre-cleaner and wiped dry.
9 He then mixed just enough...
9 He then mixed just enough paint for our bumpers.
10 After mixing the paint,...
10 After mixing the paint, we checked the color against the fuel doors to make sure the variation was correct.
11 After spraying the panels...
11 After spraying the panels white, Caballero sprayed the basecoat.
12 After flashing (the time...
12 After flashing (the time you have to wait for the basecoat to dry), he then sprayed the clearcoat.
13 Back at MM&FF Command...
13 Back at MM&FF Command Central in Tampa, Florida, we began swapping the fascias. For the New Edge bumpers, we started by removing the headlamps.
14 Then we removed the plastic...
14 Then we removed the plastic clips that hold the upper part of the fascia in place.
15 Next we removed the four...
15 Next we removed the four nuts (two on each side), which attach the sides of the bumper cover to the fenders.
16 After disconnecting any...
16 After disconnecting any other wires (fog-lamps) or ducting (in our case, the brake cooling ducts), the cover can be removed.
17 We then installed the...
17 We then installed the foglights and bezels.
18 Included with the bumper...
18 Included with the bumper cover are new mounting brackets, which rivet to the outside edges of the cover.
19 The Mach 1’s original...
19 The Mach 1’s original fascia was riddled with rock damage, not to mention the “custom” brake cooling ducts. Note the zip-ties in the lower grille opening. Before.
20 We acquired the ’03-’04...
20 We acquired the ’03-’04 Cobra bumper from Mr. Body Kit. It retails for $299.99 alone, $359.99 with foglights and bezels, and $575 with fog-lights, bezels, and chin spoiler. We used a set of foglights from Latemodel Restoration Supply, which retail for $49.99 each. After.
21 The fascia of the ’07...
21 The fascia of the ’07 is removed by the same method as the New Edge.
22 Instead of clips up top,...
22 Instead of clips up top, we used a 10mm socket to remove two bolts.
23 We then turned the wheels...
23 We then turned the wheels to full lock to achieve access to the fender liner screws.
24 We used a 5.5mm socket...
24 We used a 5.5mm socket to remove the lower fascia screws.
25 The 10mm socket and ratchet...
25 The 10mm socket and ratchet was then used to remove the four nuts holding the bumper to the fender.
26 We removed the grille...
26 We removed the grille from the original fascia using a pick.
27 The grille and turn-signal...
27 The grille and turn-signal lamps then snap into the new bumper cover.
28 And the cover slides into...
28 And the cover slides into place. Note how the tabs go into the slots below the headlamp.
29a Here is our damaged...
29a Here is our damaged stock bumper and new California Special bumper from Latemodel Restoration Supply (PN LRS-20049A; $389.99). Notice we took the liberty of leaving the outer edges matte black to give it a unique look. Before.
29b After.