1967 Mustang Fastback Frame — Full Rust Removal & Powder Coat Prep
A classic 1967 Mustang fastback body shell came in for a full restoration blast. Decades of surface rust, old undercoating, and three layers of questionable paint were stripped down to bare metal in two days — ready for sealer, primer, and paint.
Project Photos & Video
Project Details
The Job
This '67 Mustang fastback came in as a genuine barn find from a farm in Yamhill County. The owner — a retired mechanic from Milwaukie — had been tracking it down for fifteen years. The car was structurally solid but covered in surface rust, original undercoating (that black tar-based stuff from the factory), and at least two amateur respray attempts.
The goal: strip it completely down to bare metal, profile the surface to SSPC-SP10 (near-white blast) for maximum powder coat and sealer adhesion, and do it without warping the floor pan or torque boxes.
What We Did
The car came in mounted on a rotisserie for full 360° access. We started with the underside, blasting away the original undercoating with aluminum oxide media — aggressive enough to cut through 57 years of buildup, but controlled enough not to thin the floor pan.
Media used: Aluminum oxide, 80 grit, 60–90 PSI adjusted by section
The topside and interior tubs got the same treatment. All factory seam sealer was removed from the joints and torque boxes. Every pinch weld, every boxed section — nothing was skipped.
Surface Profile Achieved
- Rating: SSPC-SP10 Near-White Blast
- Profile depth: 2.5–3.0 mils (anchor pattern confirmed with testex press-o-film)
- Seam sealer residue: 0% remaining
- Prior coatings: 100% removed
Turnaround
- Day 1: Drop-off and assessment
- Day 2–3: Full blast cycle, two rotisserie passes
- Day 4: Customer pickup, delivered with a brief window to get primer applied before flash rust sets in
What the Customer Said
"I've done four restorations over the years and worked with three different shops. This is the best-prepped shell I've ever seen come out. My painter actually texted me a photo and said 'who did this?' — that's never happened before."
Notes for Your Shop
If you're sending a shell to a coating shop after us, coordinate timing. Bare metal starts flashing in Portland's damp climate within 24–48 hours depending on the season. We can coordinate timing with your coater, or apply a flash rust inhibitor on request.