1968 Mustang California Special

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Rusto to Resto
Behind the Scenes in the Restoration of a Classic
1968 Mustang California Special
Owned by Paul, Brian and Zach Stevenson of Kansas
City, MO
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Of the 3,867 California Specials that were made
in 1968, approximately 100 were shipped to
dealerships in the Midwest. Two of those cars had
manual steering and were identical twins. This is
one of those two. It originally sold for
3,473.51 in 1968 at Mission Motor Sales, Inc.
(Mission, KS) and has remained a Midwesterner
ever since. It has been returned to showroom
condition after Paul, Brian and Zach gave it a
meticulous restoration starting in November of
2003. After completion in February of 2005, it
has won many top awards at area shows. The
pictures that follow will give you a good idea of
what is involved in the restoration process and
why this car is a trophy winner.
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The Restoration Begins...
The first step in any quality restoration is to
remove as many of the existing parts as possible.
This allows the parts to be properly cleaned,
repainted, rebuilt or replaced. Here, the car is
shown after most of the major disassembly had
been completed. Many more pieces will be removed
and/or replaced after it is unloaded and rolled
into the garage.
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The California Special was a limited edition and,
as such, is a rare find. Only 3,867 were
manufactured. If this car had been any other 68
in this condition it would have probably ended up
being used as a parts car or in a scrap heap
somewhere. Rust is a common problem in the
Midwest due to the salt and chemicals that are
used to treat the roads during the winter. The
most notable damage here can be seen in the
floorboards. The front fenders, hood, rear
quarter panels and one side scoop will be
replaced with new metal.
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The damage that the elements have caused to the
sheet metal over the years is even more evident
in these close ups. It is common practice to
replace the damaged metal with new,
prefabricated, panels rather than trying to
repair the damaged areas and it makes for a
better finished product. Replacement panels are
readily available for most makes and models.
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More rust! The sheet metal in earlier cars was
prone to decay because the metal was not treated
with the rust inhibitors used on today's cars.
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A borrowed rotisserie was invaluable with this
restoration. After the disassembled vehicle is
mounted to the frame of one of these devices, it
can be rotated a full 360 degrees allowing full
access to all areas. Complete restorations are
possible without this equipment but they involve
much more time.
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After mounting the car on the rotisserie it was
media blasted to remove all of the rust and
reveal what metal would need to be replaced.
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After the preliminary stage of sanding and prep
work is completed on the shell of the car, a coat
of tinted primer is applied. The rusted areas
will be dealt with after the engine bay is
painted. At that time, some of the metal will be
replaced with used parts and others with new
panels. The body and paint on this car is the
work of Shawn Unrein of Fineline Restoration,
L.L.C.
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Painting the engine bay is the next step before
fitting the front clip and other body panels back
into place.
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The rear frame rails were not salvageable and had
to be replaced along with the rear quarter
panels, torque boxes, rocker panels and floor
pans.
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Remember those rusted out floor pans? They will
be replaced with new metal. This is another time
that the rotisserie serves its purpose.
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After the new floorboards are in place the
undercarriage is painted. The next step is to
replace the rest of the rusted metal and fit the
body panels in place.
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This GT/CS is starting to look familiar after the
new quarter panels and good used parts are
installed. Many more hours of sanding, priming
and filling will be necessary before the car is
ready for the paint booth.
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Here you can see various stages of the sanding
process. Replacing panels isnt as simple as
welding a panel in or bolting a fender on.
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Other parts are restored as the bodywork
progresses. The rear axle is pictured from start
to finish here. It is a 9 Ford with 3.25 gears.
Before the paint was applied, all mechanical
issues were addressed (not pictured).
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Before heading to the paint booth for primer, the
front and rear suspensions are installed. Notice
the amount of detailed work in the suspension.
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After many hours of labor and TLC its off to the
paint booth for a coat of primer. The paint will
follow shortly.
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After the original Acapulco Blue paint is applied
and buffed out, the car really starts to look
like it should.
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Friend and engine builder Wayne Rasmussen built
the GT/CSs 302 power plant. It is being loaded
for transport and transplant in this picture.
This engine is bored .30 over and sports flat top
pistons, an RV cam, a Ford aluminum intake
manifold, a Holley 600 4V carb, and heads that
have been polished and ported. Long tube headers
will be bolted on to it later.
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After all of the accessories are installed in the
engine bay, the motor is carefully dropped into
place and the front clip is reassembled.
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Then the wiring harness connectors are hooked up
the lights are tested. Note that the parking
lamps are not illuminated when the headlights are
turned on as they are on todays production
models.
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With most of the exterior completed, the interior
becomes the focal point of the restoration at the
hands of Johnny Valez, friend and interior guy.
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One rule to keep in mind during a restoration
project is EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. This used to be
an original console before it was damaged in
shipping. Reproductions are not available which
made it necessary to repair this one. In many
other cases, months or years are spent tracking
down a specific part.
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The car is really starting to look like it did in
the showroom back in 68 after the drivers seat,
repaired console, headliner, dome light and sun
visors are installed.
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Johnny fits the door panel in place as Zach looks
on.
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After the interior is installed the windshield
and back window are installed by a local glass
shop. The headliner could not be properly
installed if either of them were in place.
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These pictures of the undercarriage clearly show
the level of attention to detail in this
restoration.
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The decals are now the only thing thats left to
complete the restoration before hitting the road!
Note the tape in the upper right hand picture. It
is used to align the decals to original
specifications.
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The finished product was well worth the wait!
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This picture and the ones that follow are of Mr.
Stevensons GT/CS and an (almost) identical one
that belongs to Brian Beatty of the Vintage
Mustang club of Kansas City.
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• Credits
• Paul and Brian for their knuckle busting efforts
  and doing their best
• Shawn Unrein of Fineline Restoration, L.L.C. for
  the bodywork and paint
• Wayne Rasmussen for his work on the power plant
• Johnny Valez for the interior work
• Zach for his countless hours of polishing on the
  bright work