By this point the drivetrain and interior had been removed and the car reduced to a bare shell. It was now to start stripping off the paint and get the car down to bare metal. It was decided that it was best to strip the paint by hand. However, since we were also painting and detailing the undercarriage we knew we’d have to blast it.
In the pictures below you can see the paint is being carefully stripped by hand. There were a few stubborn areas which would end up being striped by the blaster when he did the undercarriage.
With most of the paint removed, the car was sent to the media blaster to have the engine compartment and undercarriage blasted clean as well as removing any remaining paint. What came back from the media blaster can only be described by one word….clean!
The front fenders and cowl panel were striped clean and then removed to allow easier access for painting the engine compartment and front wheel wells.
Similarly, as we look at the rear of the car you can see the rear end caps were removed after being cleaned.
The engine compartment was now completely cleaned off all paint. This allowed us a rare opportunity to view the VIN stamping on the front fender aprons. These stampings are normally covered by the front fenders.
It also makes it much easier to see the added bracing around the shock towers. All big-block and Boss Mustangs in 1969 received this bracing which greatly increased the strength of the shock towers and help reduce flexing.
The firewall, like everything else in the compartment, has been stripped clean in preparation for receiving fresh paint.
Next Step: Rebuilt Engine Returns