Kenny & Susan Nunez

1967 XL 2-Door Hardtop

VIN 7E58H144564, BODY 63C, COLOR Y, TRIM RA, DATE 11L, DSO 17, AXLE 8, TRANS U

This 1967 Dark Moss Green XL started life the week of 15 November 1966 at Mahwah, New Jersey as a 390 – C6 PS-PB SelectAire.  It was sold in the Washington, DC area to someone who was apparently involved in Naval Aviation, evidenced by a bumper sticker which indicated “Naval Air Station Dallas.”  It spent most of its life in the Dallas area, which is probably why it was still a solid body and frame.  We bought it from a Mustang salvage yard in Dallas, where it had roosted since 1989.  The 390 was locked up, so my original plan was for a 460-wide-ratio 4-speed with 3:50 axle.  That was 1992.

We could not start on the project in 1992 because our garage was not built yet, so the XL just sat under a car cover on the side of the house for eight years.  Meanwhile, in early ’99 I ran across a water-damaged 4-cam engine with a bent rod from a ’98 MK8-LSC with only 7,000 miles on it… for free!  It had been at a local Lincoln-Mercury dealership.  The owner, a local priest who found out his car could not walk on water, drove his new Mark 8 on a flooded street until the water got into the #8 cylinder and the bottom of the piston was hitting the crankshaft.  The owner’s insurance had to pay for a complete engine… and I was the beneficiary of the carcass.  With my engine plans changed and my garage finally built, I was ready to get serious.  That was 2000.

The first order of business was removing the front cap, pulling the 390 and C6.  In the meantime, I just dummied the engine together with a C-4.  I can tell you this much:  there is no practical way that engine will fit in the stock frame!  The oil pan is rear sump; there was only about ½-inch of clearance between the #8 exhaust port and steering box.  After a few conversations with some of my friends, I made the decision to graft a frame clip from a burned ’93 Lincoln Town Car into the XL chassis.  To keep the wheelbase right, I built a frame jig around the front, locating the center point of the spindles and also marking the location of the front bumper horns.  Local street rod builders Ray Rupert and Dave Reggio who advised me on how to build the jig, came over one day to inspect everything and told me to go ahead and cut the frame at the torque box.  By this time, I already had the Town Car clip cut and prepared.  Ray and Dave came over one night and in a few hours they welded the frame together.  By this time I repaired the engine and acquired a “T-45” 5-speed from a ’98 Mustang GT.   From the flywheel back, I welded in brackets for the rear cross member from the Town Car.  I converted the engine’s format from Lincoln to Mustang Cobra with the help of the service manuals, got a “Diablo” chip to bypass the “anti-theft” in the computer and with a lot of patience, got it started.  That was 2002.

I had been in the powder coating business since 1990, so everything from that car that would fit into my 10’ x 6’ x 6’ powder coat oven was coated in a low gloss black.  I had the body off of the frame and had it sandblasted and coated it with POR-15.  I had to cut my own body mount pads out of a ¾” thick rubber sheet.  I rebuilt all of the suspension links with polygraphite bushings and reinstalled the body.  That was spring 2003.

Two of the problems that had to be overcome were getting both the clutch and the steering to work correctly…and safely.  Since the Mustang uses a cable to pull the clutch fork, I had to mount a hydraulic master cylinder and reinforce the firewall, figure out the stroke and pushrod location on the pedal, then construct a housing so that a pull-slave cylinder could connect to the clutch cable.  Since I do not trust hydraulic throw-out bearings, it had to be adjustable and “bulletproof.”  The steering problem was almost as difficult, since the car was changed from rear-steer to front-steer.  On my lathe, I turned out an aluminum collar for a support bearing at the bottom of the steering column.   Then, with a combination of parts from various 1986 through 2000 Crown Victorias, I was able to connect to the steering box and still have clearance for the headers.  Needless to say, from a safety standpoint, this part has to be made with no compromises.

The electrical system was tedious and time consuming, but not extremely difficult since I had the electrical diagrams of the ’67 XL, MK8, and Mustang Cobra.  Only the ignition and start circuits had to be incorporated into the Cobra harness.  I eliminated all of the wires from the Cobra harness which were not needed, cutting and resolderding some, using heat-shrink tubing on all connections.  Some of the engine’s electrical support systems and controls had to be re-located and re-wired differently.  That was where a lot of time was spent.  I added circuit-breakers for the in-tank fuel pump and engine computer.  I cut the entire fuel pump mounting flange out of a 2000 Crown Victoria fuel tank, and then grafted it into the ’67 tank.  I mounted the supply and return lines and the Crown Victoria in-line filter on the frame.  All stock Ford parts!  I’m real popular at my local junk yard!

I already had the hood, doors, fenders, and deck lid primed.  I then took the body and had it plastic blasted and primed.  By the summer of 2005, I had the body shop lined up to get it painted.  Then Hurricane Katrina struck, putting me back for two years.   That was August 29, 2005.

Late in 2007, after our house was back together, I really got things going…body work and paint … then started fitting everything together.  All new interior from Dearborn Classics, chrome replated, stainless polished, aluminum trim worked over, reanodized, and striped. The car was finished “just enough” to be displayed in the Superdome World of Wheels.  I entered it with the Ford Performance Association club display in “Non-Competition”… mainly because I don’t believe in phony braided hose and cheap-looking chrome… which in my opinion is the only thing judges look for…but I won an award anyway.  That was January 23, 2009.

From the very start of this project, my goal was to give it the “factory look” which took a lot of effort.  I do not think that there is one bolt on this car which I did not turn.  The only running gear that came with the car that remains on the car is the rear axle shafts.  There were times when I was definitely questioning my sanity on this project.  It is definitely not for the faint of heart.  While it may sound like this project went like clockwork, just about everything I did on this car had to be done two or three times before I got it right.  “Murphy” was my constant companion.  Before you start a venture like this, make sure your wife has a lot of patience and is behind you “all the way” with your project; otherwise, this could become a “deal breaker.”

I bought this car when my son Greg was in grammar school.  He has now graduated from college and served for six years in the U.S. Navy.  When he is discharged in May, he will help me with the stereo and the air conditioning and some of the creature comforts.  My wife and I retired two weeks before this car was displayed in the World of Wheels and we have been tooling around the city… enjoying the waves and thumbs-up from people who appreciate restored cars.  We are looking forward to DRIVING the ’67 to car shows in Pensacola, Tulsa, and hopefully some Galaxie Club events.

Left click on the thumbnails below to view the full pictures:

Let's see what the VIN and production data tell us...

The VIN of 7E58H144564 decodes as follows:

7 = model year:  1967

E = build plant:  Mahwah Assembly Plant in Mahwah, New Jersey

58 = Body Serial Code:  XL 2-door hardtop, bucket seats (21,053 produced during the 1967 model year)

H = engine:  390 Thunderbird V-8, 390-2V, 270 hp @ 4400 rpm, 403 lb-ft @ 2600 rpm, 9.5:1 compression  ratio (automatic transmission)

144564 = Consecutive Unit Number (CUN):  44,564th Ford car scheduled to be built at the Mahwah Assembly Plant during the 1967 model year (Job 1 was CUN 100001)

The production data decode as follows:

BODY 63C = Body Style Code:  XL 2-door hardtop, bucket seats (21,053 produced during the 1967 model year)

COLOR Y = exterior paint color:  Dark Moss Green (dark green metallic)

TRIM RA = interior trim color, material and front seat style:  charcoal black "Heath Tricot" pattern vinyl cushions and charcoal black "Crinkle" pattern vinyl bolsters, Luxury Interior Trim, bucket seats

DATE 11L = scheduled build date:  Friday, November 11, 1966

DSO 73 = District Sales Office:  car was ordered through the Washington, DC sales district, which covered mainland Maryland, northern Virginia and eastern West Virginia

AXLE 8 = rear axle ratio, type and ring gear diameter:  2.75:1 non-locking, 9"

TRANS U = transmission type and shift location:  C6 SelectShift Cruise-O-Matic 3-speed automatic, console shift

This car is Registry Number 3913 in the 1967 Ford Full-Size Registry.

Left click on the thumbnails below to read what the Buyer's Digest Of New Car Facts For 1967 had to say about the 1967 XL 2-Door Hardtop:

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