Classic Car Flipper Mustang - Bumper To Bumper Butchery And Rot, Held Together With Luck 

It would appear that in this case, the owner has deep pockets, but for a lot of people this would be devastating. In some cases the most valuable part of the car is the VIN number.

I love hearing Kiwi talk about the original construction and proper safe repairs on these old rusty cars. A wealth of knowledge.

A very long time ago, my sister bought a clapped out 1st gen Mazda RX7. She asked our uncle, a body and paint man at the time, what she could do to make the car better. He told her to remove the drivers side rear view mirror (only exterior piece that was in good condition), move the car, drive another RX7 in its place and reinstall the mirror😆

I've always chuckled at the whole "Ford Pinto dangerous" thing after I saw inside the trunk of a Falcon/Mustang. I'd rather take a rear hit in the Pinto. At least the Pinto only dumps gas under the car, not straight into the back seat! That was a serious improvement that deserves more credit.

If you haven't heard of it, look up Mustang Tank Armor. Invented by a friend of mine who is no longer with us, this is a thick metal plate that bolts to the top of the gas tank and uses all of the tank mounting bolts to secure it in place. It stiffens the back of the car, separates the tank from the passenger compartment, and makes the car a whole lot safer.

That "repair" was probably done in the 70's when it was almost considered acceptable. In a time when nobody had a mig welder and arc welders were considered too hot

Thank goodness for modern technology, when I started doing bodywork back in the 70's having a mig welder was unheard of, we welded frames with a stick welder and brazed in everything else, it was the norm back then, I wonder how long ago someone fixed this car, may be a old restoration from back then. Makes me sick to remember how things had to be done back then, I'm thankful to have been around long enough to see all the modern improvements!

I watch all Kiwi's cushions and curtains videos. Haven't learned much about interior decorating, tho. But that's okay 👍

I worked at a Napa auto parts in the late 80’s. One of my coworkers had a friend Crazy Dave who started repairing a first generation Mustang. They replaced one body panel and the more they worked on the car the more rust they found. “I’m in Minnesota”. When they finally finished the car the only original body panels was the firewall, A pillars and the metal in front of the base of the windshield. A Dynacorn body makes a lot of sense.

Back in the day brazing was an acceptable method to attach quarter panels for those DIY'ers who couldn't afford a welder. A friend of mine brazed both quarters on my '69 Chevelle in 1987. They're still holding up after all these years with no problems. You can't even tell they were replaced.

Great information, guys. We all need to be aware of the scumbags that are doing these things to cars and then selling them to people who just see the shiny. You both rock, keep up the knowledge sharing, guys.

That braze work seems like 1980 high school repair work!! I've seen quarters, floor sections, and more bad patches brazed on. In the days before a "Fluxie" folks working at home didn't have much for electric welders, a buzz box? Torch welding to some time to learn brazing was easy...

Back in the late 1970's when I first got started in the car hobby. My first welder was a sears craftsman stick welder that had a carbon arc torch attachment and I brazed and stick welded my car. Nothing like the unsafe frame rail on kiwi's mustang but back in the day we weren't rich. And I saw a lot of brazing and ugly stick welding evidence at the junkyards that i used to visit. And I look at it this way. At least someone tried to fix them and some were saved. I used to hammer in rust spots and fill it with bondo and used pop rivets and bondo over it as well. And I saved cars that would have been crushed by now. So I look at these cars with questionable repairs as a car saved. Otherwise there wouldn't be any cars to fix nowadays. And like me. Can't afford to buy cars at $ 20- 100k but we can buy questionable cars and afford to fix them slowly when we can afford to. Plus i love you youtube and all the cool projects that everyone is working on. This is great stuff. That mustang was saved by a flipper that couldn't braze.

I've brazed fender flares to a Plymouth Duster where the original skin was rotted out, but it was only the outer 2 inches of metal, and it was only just the hoop part, about 18 inches on each side. And even then, it was crisp, clean metal to crisp clean metal. I did not braze over tattered rust. I cut the original part out ONLY AFTER I made an exact copy of it ['templated'] in the new sheet metal so that I knew FOR A FACT it would be DEAD NUTS spec on the spot. How I got this on there was I first drilled and pop riveted the new steel in place to ensure it would not 'walk' on me while I was working, and then I used the tiniest flame I could melt the brass with to ensure a bare minimum of heat. When I was done, I counter-compared the form and fit with the original [rusty, yes, but still in the proper shape as they were carefully cut with a scrolling air nibbler] pieces to ensure there was no warping. Even then, after I flush sanded the brass and metal into the joint, my cousin still feathered it a little with some bondo. We took the front clip from an 82 Volare and it bolted right up to it, but the Volare's grille was FAR BETTER looking then the 67 Duster. We wet sanded the car, literally shot it with a case of flat BBQ grille paint and it literally sold the same day by a kid scooting by in a 68 Mercury Bobcat with a blown 460 that was clearly set up for drag racing. He said he would be doing the same with the Duster, and I hope the car had a long and happy life.

I am pretty sure that brazing can be as strong as a weld when done properly. When it is done properly, the brazing filler will actually fill the space between the two pieces of metal. I think it is due to capillary action, like with soldering pipes. Though for that to work, the metal has to be cleaned, prepared, and fitted properly. A lot of bicycles, like Bromptons, use brazing to put the frames together.

I Bet that brazing work was done in the 70's before a mig welder was in every shop and considered a mainstream tool

Thanks Tony for bringing this stuff forward and informing. Also thank God for guys like Kiwi who have the knowhow and integrity to actually rebuild cars. Keep on smiling, both of you.

Kiwi, we made a living repairing/restoring cars like this one for nearly forty years. We called them Paper Tigers. Others were (believe it or not) in even worse condition. A couple of cars we literally had to entirely build around the original v.i.n. Keep up the great work!

Ralph Nader wrote Unsafe at Any Speed..That was this Mustang. Glad to have people like Kiwi repair and rebuild to excellent specs❤..

When I first restored my Mopar in 90s I had to replace a b pillar and rocker sill because someone thought bronzing was a cool idea aswell they only had 4 points attaching the centre b pillar to roof and rocker at at that time I'd been driving the car ten years as a teenager scary stuff you find when you start digging around your car

I really feel sorry for whoever bought this car. I hope they are able to recover from their loss, not purely from a financial standpoint. Thankfully it was such an undriveable pile that they never put it to use before someone died. Looks too good to be true means it ain't true

Until the mig became popular in the late 70's early 80's brazing is what the body shop used, In fact I would guess that most shops didn't have a MIG until the 80's

Mr. Kiwi, the other night I didn't tell you. I have pictures of when I was 18 years old I had a cross-rammed 428 Super Cobra Jet in my upstairs bedroom with 2 different factory medium riser dual quad manifolds. And by the time I was 20, had a bagged-up Jegs built 427 side oiler in my basement. They were to go in my 70' Torino Cobra GT I'd already put a 390 in. The 70s never came with FEs only Windsors, Clevelands, and Limas. The FE's fit perfectly even the "Shaker" worked.

Years ago I had a 1966 mustang when I redid all the sheet metal, I made a sheet metal panel to separate the trunk from the passenger compartment The person I bought it was initially kind of put off by it but I told him what it was for because of what I have seen in other mustangs in the past in a rear end collision three years later he come by my house dropped off some high-grade whiskey, and says I owe you dinner he was at a car show and someone rear ended him setting the rear of the car on fire, and the car that hit him was also on fire but because of the sheet-metal, partition behind the rear seat his family had with no burns, but did have broken bones and other stuff but nothing from the fire. he had me do the same thing to his 1965 mustang actually, I think there’s a couple people on the Internet that sell a kit just for that

It's cool that he is saving that car but the owner probably would of been further ahead if they found another car and use that one as a parts car!

Looks like when we used to put a 351 C in a 1971 Pinto .

This reminds me of my 78 Camaro. I was about 20 or so. No money. Car was completely rusted out everywhere. So I used silicone to seal the windshield. Riveted thin sheet metal to make lower quarters. Used house spray foam to fill holes. Then I used about a gallon of cheap fiberglass filler and Bondo to make it look like a car. Mixed some old black basecoat in with some gray primer and shot it in the sinister looking dark gray primer mix. It was not safe at all. Looked okay from across the parking lot. But it was bad. That being said. I did it for me. I drove it. I didn't sell it. When I was done with it, it went to the Junkyard. And amazingly, the 250 straight 6 still ran strong 😅

Good work Kiwi, as you would know the early Ford Falcons sold in Australia almost sent Ford Australia broke due to their unsuitable construction for our roads. This was fixed by installing torque boxes on all cars plus the addition of compact Fairlane ball joints.

Thanks for letting know about Kiwi ! Been a subscriber for quite awhile now and I really love what Chris does and his explanations are awesome ! Definitely a true craftsman and so fun to watch !

OLD BICYCLE FRAMES WERE BRAZED, VERY STRONG.

I don't know about brazing, but soldering has penetration. Solder will penetrate certain metals. That's why it is used. It's why both surfaces must be heated.

I absolutely love your videos you officially earned my subscription. Keep up the great work we all need an Uncle like you.

Just a reminder that the Mustang was equal to the Pinto when it comes to rear end collision...

I believe that the work done in this area was probably a repair when the car was fairly new, befor body shops had mig welders!?

Kiwi's Krispy Crusteceans do amazing work

In some situations brazing can be stronger than welding. If its something that flexes, the weld will crack and fail. The same thing brazed will hold because the brazing can flex with it.

Brazing can be plenty strong, if the joint is properly designed and made, this is not that.

Thank you for letting everyone know about this! Without your knowledge Tony and Kiwi these criminals would continue to get away with literal manslaughter!

Speaking of gas tanks, not only Ford. Chevrolet pickups were behind the seat in the 60s! Tony, shout out to you for being one of the first to start putting out videos on scam artists 5 years ago!

The "Imagine you and your kids are in the car" That is exactly the scenario I used with my wife. When I was telling her about that Mercury Cougar XR-7, You did the video on.

I bet that brazing was done a long time ago. And sorry tony, but you are a bit mistaken. It's plenty strong, when done correctly, to good metal. This was neither. People braze racing motorcycle frames. Pretty rare the last 3 decades tho. It's a great skill. I've brazed engine blocks before. Will hold anywhere but the combustion chamber and first few inches of exhaust on a hot engine.

I remember the 60s Ford pick-ups with the gas tank under the seat.

That bumper bracket is nearly as sketchy as my workmanship. Not quite as bad, but nearly.

kiwi is the man.... there's a lot of great american classic cars in new zealand... they have a great community

I guess, when you cant weld it because its to rusted or thin, the best way is to "brasse" it. The owner must like...OMG?? Nice work Kiwi and thanks Tony for showing the reality of flippers. Thats a kick in the teeth!

That's how i ended up with mine, a Mustang 69 FB , knowingly. To fully restore and preserve.

Kiwi, you and Tony make a good team. 13:33

A brazed lap joint with good contact is actually pretty damned strong, that’s why it didn’t fail on the chassis leg itself where it was slotted in nicely, only the areas where there wasn’t enough flat contact between the rails/brackets and the rear valance, where they’ve basically tried to tack/spot weld with braze.

Good report! It's refreshing to know that this Mustang is now in good hands.

You have to understand that most body shops didn't get MIG welders until the mid 70's if not the early 80's... If this car was wrecked early in it's life this may have been the only method they had to do their repairs.

Love seeing Kiwi save these cars and kudos to the owners that agree to save them and pay for it. I'm not a Ford guy by any stretch but I love seeing American car history and culture being preserved.

When I retired at age 65 in a comfortable financial position, had a couple of choices to get back to where I left off at 18 years old: add a third garage bay to my suburban empty nest house and start a frame off restoration of a late 60s muscle car; or buy a 40 acre farm and start working it. Videos like this make me think buying the farm was the good choice. 😁

Anyone who buys cars from a flipper , to quote my father " has more dollars than sense" 😂

fun fact, much of the newer autobody is done with silicon bronze brazing with a MIG machine using 100% argon. This is mandated by many of the auto manufacturers even in structural areas. Its mostly due to alot of the metal is zinc coated and this effects it less. When done right the brazing will hold around 50,000 PSI so not as strong as welding but alot of times it does not need to be........JMHO I would have welded the critical & subframe portions on this and silicon bronzed the rest.

Put a 427 FE in a 65 mustang with trimmed shock towers 40 years ago.

Love when you have Kikis custards and clapped out hudsons on the channel!! Great shop

Another dressed up dead man. Uncle Tony, thanks for bringing these cars to light.

Sometimes a butcher throws away a fine cut of meat and it turns into a filet mignon under the supervision of a fine chef ( the analogy being Kiwi is The Fine Chef)! 😎

I think that this pony spent a few days in a industrial rock tumbler... wow!!!

These are my favorite of ALL videos on youtube😊

Hey it's that Advice Guy .. the KIWI..

Damn, I have less rot on my 75 C-20 and Dad ordered it new with the square body double rust option.

Very informative and fun to watch. Thanks for posting this.

So 🤔 Maybe THIS IS/WAS a good reason why my big brother said stay away from UNIBODY cars with NO frame...FULL FRAMES man! Way ta GO...Lol.

That New Zealander 'Kiwi is the Typical Genius.

It's terrifying that the gas tank was only held together with braising. Any rear-end impact could have resulting in the car exploding and becoming a blazing fireball with the driver and occupants inside. Reckless endangerment would be an appropriate criminal charge for the seller even if nobody was hurt. Criminally negligent homicide would be appropriate if anybody was killed. Thank God that Kiwi found the problems and is fixing them!

Kiwi is so good at what he does

What is sad is the bastards who flipped this are probably laughing as they watch the video. "Dude, that idiot was so gullible! We made soo much money on that one!"

That’s so crazy. Glad Kiwi has the skills to make it right and save another oldie.

noice Ford FE (side oiler??) v8 stuffed into in the mustang 1st gen... cheers "Kiwi"!

Such absolute words of wisdom.

Kiwi knows how to fi things right. He's a great fabricator.👍👍

You two are quite the pair. Keep it up.

Hey Uncle Tony, when the leaf springs tear through the frame on a hard launch, the gas tank goes through the trunk lid and lands 100 feet behind! Real life experience twice, with pretty looking mustangs

Back in the day before everyone had mig welders brazing panels was acceptable.But only with plug “welds” not lap joints.Regarding the trunk floor ford made a cold calculation that the gas tank would be an acceptable floor and has probably paid out less in lawsuits tha they’d have spent on a proper trunk floor

Kiwi is a great guy. Honest, skilled.

I tell my customers to call me before they buy a classic car. So far none of them have until after they buy the car. I have done some repairs to cars that are like that. I did a 40 Ford convertible that had been welded to a 4 door sedan floor pan. When the body was unbolted the cowl fell back on the front seat. I saved the cowl, door posts and above the trim line to the front of the trunk. $125,000 later and the car looked great but the interior was not done yet. Highway 101 Rod and Custom

When you see another rotted out rusted hulk being pulled down the road on a flat tandem trailer - you can bet that one more video just like this one is an eventual surety.

Bahahaha, thanks for the laugh T. I know of a guy who bought a 1970 Camaro for over 30k, the paint was really good, but, the power windows would not roll up properly, neither door would close properly (bad hinges and door strikers), the Holly EFI (Throttle body) could not be tuned to the cam and intake combination, and the list went on, oh yes there was rust popping through in the door frames. So as he told me about these problems, I said, wow, well I am sure you can find someone to fix it for you 😁 In reality, it would have to be stripped, blasted and started all over, wow 30k. Oh and of course the seller was nowhere to be found. On to the Fastback. Kiwi briefly mentioned it, but on any vehicle that is "unibody" everything is structural, including exterior body panels, it all has to be properly clamped and then spot welded, if not, well as Tony said, bad things will happen. I feel bad for the owner, he will put in more money than the car is worth, but at least it will now be done right. Unibodies are tough to get right, since there is no frame, there is no point of reference except for the floor, if it is not put together properly you end up with a twisted car, hard and tedious work for sure. Blue Mule

I own a 1966 Mustang 2+2. I have owned the car since 1975. The car has always been rust free with only two small pin holes behind the rear wheel lips. In 2016 we did a complete restore. The first shop we used was a hack, so we became the 'contractor' and farmed out small jobs to shops we trusted and did a lot of work ourselves. STILL we spent way to much money on our Mustang....but it is part of our family history. How can anyone spend the money this car will take to fix??? I love Mustangs, we have 5 in the family, but this build will reach exotic car level. Thanks for sharing.

I remember back in 1973 at the chrysler dealership I worked the owners son in law was a salesman and had a 1973 chrysler newport to drive with the rubber bumper guards on the front. one day he was following a new mustang II and it stopped quick and he bumped it in the rear and it shattered the rear glass the ford was totaled by the insurance company and we looked the chrysler over good and there was a small scuff on one of the bumper guards no other damage

"this is whats hiding under the pretty paint" Who said ANYTHING about pretty paint LOL. My poor Ranchero project stalled because floor boards. I cant afford a restor, nor is it worth it, but its a great car to learn welding on, and Ill just make something solid enough to drive and have fun with.

Kiwi is the best. Lots of good info on this video.

Dude!! Coat hangers are cheeper!!! Torch welding is how I started!!! Exhaust, cracked frames, body work!!! How I miss the 60s!!! Mig and tig are for girls!!! Lol!!! Now a days they glue 2 halfs together!!!✌️

😂🤌🏻 Here we go again

Tony saying brazing isn't strong not entirely true, yes it's basically a type of solder but depending on type of filler rod it can be strong as I mean it's strong enough to make a cube out of sheet metal square's then fill with water n pressurized enough to become a ball, that was one of tests for gas welding certificate has to hold min 4500psi n that's with basic bronze rod

They advanced the era of the Mustang to that of the PINTO!

and whats crazy is as rotted as this car is its still more solid than 99% of these plastic junks being imported today

Go Kiwi go!

I’ve seen a lot of sceychy stuff done some alsketchy stuff but nothing to this level 😂 you’ve reached greatness lol

The butcher busters strike again!

Super video. 😁

Wow... That Mustang was a Pinto situation just waiting to happen.

good quality steel framed bicycles are brazed together, brazing done correctly is very strong, what they did is not brazing it is gluing rust together with a torch

It looks like a restoration that was made long ago. It's how the body panels were put back together back then.

This is why when I buy and when I flip I only worry about the structure and the mechanics somebody else can do the cosmetics and make it their baby I don't try to hide anything and I try to make a list of things that need to be addressed right away I'm more introverted in my cars being mechanically strong than looking good I only deal in antique and muscle cars so they should look rough but should be good candidates for frame off restos

Kiwis Classics and 'wat ya call it'.... lmao!! The only guy that makes an BP engine swap look tiny, way tucked up in the firewall like that!!

Aw Lawd! Feel bad for the owner. Give that man a t-shirt Tony...

When I was a teen I worked at a small corner car dealer and the mechanic who was from Jamaica ( he worked at indy 500 previously )and a customer just bought a 68 mustang coupe and got rear ended same day, brought the car back and th 13:26 e Jamaican mechanic cut off the whole rear sheet metal and showed me how to do it and I was in all of that man !! It was perfection . I hate the new cars today. Nothing special. Guess I'm old school now 😅

Growing up one of my friends picked up a 69 Mustang, and on that car we learned how to weld, since pretty much everything was rotted. Luckily one of the friends had a dad who owned a body shop, so he taught us how to put in the panels properly.