These are the two Mustangs I had for a very short time.  The blue one was my existing restored 65 that I sold to purchase the yellow 66 convertible

I started with the fenders.  These were relatively easy to remove once you knew were all the "hidden" bolts were.  These fenders, I came to find out, were from a 1964 1/2 Mustang as well as the front grille opening for the lights and the hood.  I guess when the car was in a slight fender bender early in its life they replaced the parts with what was easily available.

I decided that the restoration was going to need more space than my one and a half car garage.  My parents lived a hour away and my father had a farm shop that I could use for a while.  I drove the car this way to its new home for the next year or so.   I assumed this was legal as long as I used my hand signals,  was passed by a sheriff deputy and he did not stop me.

One the car was in its new home I removed virtually everything that was bolted on (picture was taken after some of the work was complete on the car).  This is where space and organizational skills are very helpful as well as some good reference books.

A gel-type chemical stripper was used on all body panels, with a final stripping done with a 3M Scotchbrite pad on a drill motor. I tried to strip, metal etch, a base prime coat a panel every day.

POINT #1 - DO NOT EXPECT THE PRIMER TO STOP RUST ALONE WITHOUT A FINAL COAT OF PAINT!!!!

I left the passenger seat in the car to make it easy to move.

Since the font area had slight sheet-metal damage from an accident now was the time to replace the panels.  These were wire welded in (this is not the way the original panels were installed).  Also note the engine has been repainted and detailed

Some area, such as the lower parts of the front fenders, required the installation of some partial panel replacements.  These were carefully fitted, the metal was offset lapped and pop-riveted.  To date I have not had a problem with this method.

The doors were in good shape, but here is were I made a mistake that I did not find out about until about 5 years latter.  Rust was in the typical spot in the front and rear of the door.  When I brazed in some filler metal (as can be seen in the photo) I did not remove enough of the rusted material.  Rust has bubbled out at these points now.

The floor pans were cleaned and the metal painted with a rust-inhibiting primer and paint.   This car had the power top so I also made sure the lines were in the proper location so they would not be damaged.

Hidden areas of the car , that could be visible, were painted with the final coat color (Springtime Yellow).  Other area, such as where the drip rail is for the top, were primed and painted with a cold galvanizing compound.

The underside of the fenders were cold galvanized and undercoated.

POINT #3 - DON"T USE A CHEAP UNDERCOATING AND MAKE SURE THE SURFACE IS CLEAN!!!

A paint shop in the town near my parents had done work for me before on my other Mustang so I gave them a try again.  I partially reassembled the car an drove it to them to "point-up" my body work and get a good base coat of primer.  The shop recommended that the top be installed between the final prime coat and the final coat.   This would keep the paint from being damaged from the top installation.  I am still not sure this was necessary but it sounded good at the time.

Since the windshield appeared to be in good condition but the rubber was possibly original to the car I decided now was the time to do this too.  Windshield remove is not something that is difficult, but it is also easy to make a mistake on.   The rubber is cut out with a knife and the windshield is slowly lifted out of place.  All of the old grubber gasket is removed and the area cleaned.

I did not have any heavy rust in the window channel, but I did coat the area with rust-inhibitor paint and some rubberized compound that is used for grips on pliers.   The rubber gasket is now replaced on the windshield.  A small rope is placed in the inside grove of the gasket. The windshield/gasket is place in the proper location and slight pressure (this is the tricky part) is placed on the outside of the windshield while someone inside takes the rope out, setting the gasket around the frame.

Convertible parts are now easily available that were not around when I was working on this project.  Therefore I restored some items, such as the tack strips and painted them with cold-galvanizing.   One area that is of concern is the front lead weight on the top which is difficult to restore and replace.  This item typically oxidizes and has a white powder on it as well as pits.  I coated mine with the same rubber compound I used on the windshield frame.  This seem to have worked well, except you can still see some of the pits in the surface.

Dimension on the top frame are critical.  Make sure you have the frame correct before you start to install the top.

Once the top is installed it is stapled in place.  I used stainless steel staples and I highly recommend this.

Sound/heat absorbing mats were installed under the carpet, and the interior reinstalled (after it was repainted).

POINT#5 - ENAMEL AND LACQUER PAINTS SOMETIMES DO NOT MIX WELL (BUBBLE UP) AND SOMETIME THE INTERIOR PAINT IS NOT THE SAME AS THE EXTERIOR.

The engine compartment was detailed, air cleaner re-chromed, and brought up to nearly the same as original.  The decal in the shock tower (as seen in the photo above right) was actually at an angle on the original when I stripped the engine compartment, but I thought the horizontal installation was better.  Unfortunately the engine compartment doesn't look this good anymore (see POINT #6).

POINT #6 - READ ALL DEGREASER LABELS COMPLETELY BEFORE USING THEY CAN DISCOLOR YOU ENGINE WHEN NOT USED PROPERLY!!!