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      How to: Restoring Marchal Lights 

      Published on 06-26-2013 03:36 PM
      Categories:
      1. Body

      Restoring Marchal Lights

      -Supplies Needed-

      • Lights, of course
      • Masking Tape
      • X-acto Blade or sharp razor blade
      • SEM High Build Primer
      • SEM Trim Black Paint
      • 220/320/400 Grit Sand Paper
      • Glass Bead Blaster Cabinet (optional, but very helpful)

       




      This light that is in need of some restoration.

      This is a single light I was just recently working on. I will also be using pictures of a pair of lights that I just restored. So, you may see some pictures that have a pitted lens and others that have a nice clear lens.








      At this time I do not have a remedy for fixing the pitted glass, but, I am working on it.
      I was hoping to use this glass to experiment with, but I shattered it in the glass bead blaster trying to clean the trim ring.
      NOTE: Do NOT bead blast the trim ring while the glass is still in place. This is the second time I have shattered one and I really thought I had it protected enough this time with masking tape. NOPE!



      First, we start by unscrewing the 2 screws on the front of the light with a flat blade screwdriver



      Gently pry open the casing, the black seal around the light can hold it on pretty well, so you have to use some force but don’t pull to hard as the light bulb holder is still attached to the wires inside and is fragile. The "Made in France" Marchal’s have a white ceramic holder while this "Made In Belgium" one seems to have a holder made of a different material. The Belgian ones are a bit stronger from what I have seen.



      Disconnect the 2 wires to the bulb holder



      Release the bulb holder by unlocking the metal hold down and remove it from the reflector.




      Now you can take out the light bulb/holder and set it aside
      NOTE: Don’t touch the bulb with your fingers, as the oils will harm the bulb and cause it to burn out prematurely.




      Unscrew the 2 screws from the retaining nuts near the reflector from the cover screws. The French ones have metal nuts, the Belgian ones have plastic screw-on washers.




      Now you can remove the reflector and set it aside.
      NOTE: Set it aside face down to keep dust and particles off the reflector. The less you have to touch that surface the better, as it scratches very easily. If you get some dust on it, I would use compressed air to remove particles before using a cleaner on it. Also, if your reflector is shot and peeling, I am going to be experimenting with some other stuff so you can try to reuse them. Some thoughts of mine are the chrome-type tape that is used in the HVAC field for heating ducts, etc. I will report back on that more later.
      Here you can see where it says Made In Belgium.


      Now you will want to slide the wires out from under the metal brackets, then use some needle nose pliers to squeeze the grommet so it will slide the wires out of the rear housing. Just pinch the grommet and gently pull the wires out the back.



      So, you should now have a pile of parts ready to work on.




      The Belgian lights have a painted-on cat on the inside, the French ones have a metal cat on the outside. 9 times out of 10 the metal cat has fallen off and never to be seen again. So I am painting it back on these which were painted anyway.




      At this point if you DO NOT have any rust issues* on the trim ring and will not need to bead blast it, you will not have to remove the glass. I will update this when I remove the glass from my next set. I used a brush and warm water to cleaned all the dirt out. It was enough to remove the cat on the inside. I am sure that some lacquer thinner would wipe the cat off if needed.





      Once clean, dry them out with some compressed air, then get it ready for masking.

      *If you have some rust issues, you will need to cut the gasket out from the glass and remove the lens. (No pics yet)
      Here are the rust issues I have with this one.



      *Ok, if you don’t have rust issues, then mask it up.




      You can now sand down the trim ring with some 320/400 paper and prime it up.
      I have been using SEM High Build Primer in black.



      After the primer has dried, sand it out smooth with some 400 paper. The high build works great as it hides most imperfections, especially if you’re not a good body man

      *If you have rust issues, then after the glass is removed (yes mine was still in here but I broke it this way remember) you will need to bead blast it clean.
      If you have body filler, this is the time to get that on there for the rough spots. If not, well, you can prime and paint over these areas now that the rust is gone but it won’t be as pretty.



      Once the filler has cured you can shape it down smooth with some heavier 220 grit paper then finishing it with the 320 and 400



      You can now paint your trim rings after they have been primed and sanded smooth as described above.

      I used SEM Trim Black.



      This is the single trim ring that had all the rust.



      At this point I was lucky to have a metal cat still around so I used it as a template.
      I laid it down in the cut out and traced over the tape with an X-acto razor blade.



      I used some High Temp Black paint, I had some VHT Black Brake Caliper Paint laying around so that worked for me.
      Spray the cat black on the exposed glass area.
      Then Peel off the masking tape after it has dried.

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      Factory T-Roof Repair Manual 

      Published on 06-26-2013 03:33 PM
      Categories:
      1. Body

      Ford manual for fixing those infamous T-top leaks on Fox Mustangs and Capris. Thanks to member TL86LX for sending these images to FEP for use on this website.
      Click here to see the complete repair ...
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      1 Comment

      1979-1986 Mercury Capri Parts List 

      Published on 06-26-2013 03:27 PM
      Categories:
      1. Body

      Scans showing the various bits and parts of Capris from 1979-1986. Submitted by FEP member caprisvo. List includes both body and mechanical parts.
      Click here to see the parts list.
      ...
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      2 Comments

      How To Restore/Refurbish The Side Molding On Your '79-'84 Mustang Or Capri 

      Published on 06-26-2013 02:47 PM
      Categories:
      1. Body

      How to restore/refurbish the side molding on your 79-84 Mustang or Capri

      *Note: Although the car used in this tech article is a Mustang, Mustangs and Capris shared the same 'soft' moldings from 1979-1984. Because of these shared parts, this article does apply to 1979-1984 Mercury Capris. Also note that 1984 Mustang GT350s and Mustang SVOs did not have this type of side molding, therefore, this article does not apply to those vehicles.

      Restoration performed and documented by Peter "Hissing Cobra" Slaney.

      This article was put together after numerous requests. I hope it helps everyone here in regards to restoring their bodyside molding (which we know is not reproduced for the '79-'84 Mustangs & Capris.) This is meant for the rubber molding only and will not work on the plastic corner pieces of the '85-'93 models (though it may work on their rubber moldings.) NOTE: I have received a few responses from owners of the '85-up cars, stating that their moldings have shrunk from this method. I have not received any responses from the '79-'84 crowd reiterating this. For you '85-up owners, proceed with caution!

      This article is meant to be used as a guide to help you through the restoration process and is by no means the "be all" and "end all" of rubber molding restoration techniques. This method worked for my molding and produced factory fresh results.

      This article can be copied for personal use only and cannot be sold, nor published without first contacting myself (Peter J. Slaney) or Skye (owner of www.foureyedpride.com) and getting written consent. I am not (nor is www.foureyedpride.com) responsible and hold no liability if your molding is damaged during your restoration. Remember, careful execution and perseverence is the key to a good job. Good luck!

      Step#1

      Assemble all of the tools that you will need to remove the molding and its metal backed adhesive strips. These will include the following:

      1 Pair of Vise Grips (or Pliars)
      1 small chisel bladed putty knife (1" wide)
      1 small flathead screwdriver
      1 can of lacquer thinner
      1 torch (with can of Mapp Gas)
      1 vise
      4 cotton cloths


      Step#2

      Take the 1" chisel bladed putty knife and begin to pry the molding away from the body of the car. When enough has been pried away, gently pull the molding away from the car until it's no longer attached. HINT: A little heat from the torch (using Mapp gas) will aid the removal by softening the glue. Be very careful!

      Step#3

      Once the molding is removed, it will be bent and twisted. This is normal and is the direct result of the metal backed adhesive strips that are on the back. Once they bend, they will not be able to be straightened and must be removed. Once removed, the rubber will go back to it's natural state of flatness. Here's a couple of pic's of the bent rubber molding.


      Step#4

      Place two of the cotton cloths on the vise (one on each side, effectively covering the teeth) and insert the molding into the vise, tightening it enough to hold the molding without moving. The cloths will prevent the vise from damaging the molding.

      Step#5

      Take the Torch (equipped with MAPP Gas) and gently wave it over the edge of the molding to soften the glue. Care must be taken so that the rubber does not melt or catch on fire. After a moment of heat, insert the chisel bladed putty knife or the small flathead screwdriver behind the metal backed adhesive and pry up enough so that you can grab it with the Vise Grips or pliars. Attach either and begin to pull (applying heat with the torch as you go.) If you're good and the molding adhesive is not brittle, you'll be able to pull each strip in one shot.



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