Frank Middleweek knew he was looking at something a bit special as soon as he opened the bonnet on his

friend’s Ford Mustang. ‘He’d asked me to translate the VIN for him,’ remembers Frank, ‘but when I saw a March 5 build date I realised it was a pre-production car.’

March 5, 1964 was a date assigned only to pre-production Mustangs - formal production only began on the 9 of that month. Frank was further intrigued when research revealed the

car was fi rst registered in the UK and on April 8, nine days before the Mustang was launched. Ford built around 200 pre-production Mustangs. Some were to test tooling and assembly methods, others got sent worldwide for promotional purposes including three that went to Dagenham. And Frank was looking at one of those three. ‘My friend’s attitude was ‘so what? It’s just an old Mustang.’ Despite my o� ers to buy the car he sold it to

AFTER

WORDS MIKE RENAUT PHOTOS MATT RICHARDSON

➽

UK Mustangnumber one

This 1964 Ford Mustang is number 35, a fact that made

Frank Middleweek’s major restoration a real headache

BEFOREThe Mustang looked generally sound, but had 90,000 UK miles on it plus plenty of rust.

The restorerFrank Middleweek (‘my mates call me Wednesday’) is 69 and lives in Woodford Green, Essex. With a background in motor vehicle repairs, he is a serial restorer, qualifi ed MOT tester and previously helped British Telecom’s fl eet of vehicles stay in prime condition. Now semi-retired he keeps his hand in by helping service his friend’s cars, as well as o� ering a spanner or welding torch on their classic car restorations.

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Reader’s Restoration

1

Here’s how Frank did it

2

3 4 6

‘My goal was to only buy unused parts still in their original Ford boxes

or wrapping’

The original 260ci V8 engine was tracked

down and rebuilt.

Power steering makes parking more manageable.

1964 Ford Mustang ‘Pre-production’ENGINE 4267cc/V8/OHVPOWER 164bhp@4400rpmTORQUE 258lb ft@2200rpmGEARBOX 3-spd auto0-60MPH 10.8secTOP SPEED 108mphFUEL ECONOMY 17mpgWEIGHT 2899lb (1315kg)PRICE WHEN NEW £2600AGREED VALUE £100,000

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someone else for £1500.’ Frank kept track of the Mustang as it changed hands a couple of times. ‘I fi nally bought it in 1986 for £900, drove it for a year – the brakes were horrendous – then parked it and begun collecting parts for the restoration.’

An early Mustang is much like an MGB; a 1960s classic with a strong following, for which new parts are readily available. Except Frank didn’t want to use reproduction bits. ‘It had to be as original as possible,’ he explains. ‘So, in those pre-internet days, I spent a lot of time answering adverts in American magazines and making useful contacts. It’s amazing how many car dealerships had closed but retained their stocks of parts. My goal was to only buy unused parts still in their original Ford boxes or wrapping.’ The restoration started with the fl oorpans and sills. ‘There were some rust holes previously repaired by plating them over – I’ve seen enough of

those in my MoT testing days. The repairs were fi ne but, obviously, they weren’t original, so I ground out each spot weld and put in new sections of fl oor, butt-welded like the factory did it with the spot welds in exactly the same places. I joined them above the chassis rails wherever possible to disguise the welded join.’

Frank then stripped the external panels o� the Mustang. ‘I got two new old stock rear wings from America to replace mine, which were rusted through along their

edges. Reproduction wings have a slightly di� erent fl are on the arches. After working in the motor trade I notice the di� erences with pattern parts. The price variation between genuine and pattern parts was enormous and shipping costs were a nightmare, but once I’d started I had to keep going.’ Of course, along the way Frank had to ensure he didn’t alter any of the details unique to the pre-production car, such as the di� erent tie-down brackets, door button surrounds, wiring harness or drainage louvres under the car. The o� side inner wing

needed work due to corrosion from a leaking battery and the nearside one was dented from an accident. ‘It was vital I repaired, not replaced, the nearside one because that’s where the VIN is stamped.’ Fortunately, the radiator surround was because that has air vents for battery cooling – something else that only appeared on early cars. The doors were sourced in California then suitably modifi ed while the front wings were a lucky fi nd on a car bought locally in Chingford. ‘It was an April 1964 Mustang that I swapped the wings over on and then sold at a profi t.’

When Frank acquired the Mustang the engine had been replaced with a later 289ci V8, ‘He’d sold the original 260ci to someone else so I tracked it down and swapped him the 260 for a nice 289. It was vital my car had the engine it left the factory with.’ Frank spent two days thoroughly cleaning it before sending it to Ray at Baskerville Engineering for a rebuild and a 0.30 overbore. ‘It’s one of very few things not completely original,’ laughs Frank, ‘but if I can’t see it that’s okay.’ A case in point is addition of the electronic ignition. Frank felt

August 2004 Shiny redFrank painted the Mustang in

his garage using cellulose paint and a professional gun bought cheap from a friend. Once the paint was dry Frank left the restoration for almost eight years, partially due to health issues.

5

September 1996 Floor planAfter gathering original, unused parts Frank began by skillfully replacing the sills, and fl oorpan, removing several previous rust repairs in the process. He gas-welded wherever possible.

June 1997 Giving it wingsWith acid corrosion on one side and accident damage on the other, Frank had his hands full repairing the inner wings. However, he felt it was essential to retain original dates stamped in the metal. The oldest he found on the car was December 1963.

March 1998 Body beautifulWith replacement doors and front wings fi tted, Frank began on the rear, welding in new metal to the boot fl oor and fi tting new rear wings. The work was slow to avoid destroying any rare aspects of the Mustang.

July 2000 I have the powerAfter buying back the original V8 from a previous owner, Frank had it rebuilt and installed along with rebuilt gearbox. Gold-painted rockers are the correct colour, but Frank was told they should be blue.

April 2012 Ahead over his roofFitting the roof, which had to be installed at the same time as the interior, turned out to be a hugely complicated task. Once it was in place Frank made fast progress, and managed to fi nish the Mustang o� by the end of 2012.

HOOD HELL! After being let down by pros, Frank resorted to DIY for the hood.

REVEALED! With the outer wings o� , the rust on the

inner wings became clear.

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Reader’s Restoration

‘People think a restoration is just shiny paint; I restored everything’

When you see how good the trim is, it’s amazing to think that Frank steered clear of new replica items.

Frank’s love of detail even extends to a heater instruction card tag.

The Ford cost Frank £900 to buy. It’s now valued at £100,000.

Dashboard is less fl amboyant than on many contemporary US cars.

Mustang badge was new for 1964.

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it a worthwhile upgrade, ‘although I wrapped two wires together to make them look the original single one.’

Next Frank stripped the carburettor and soaked it in thinners, then drying and soaking again over several weeks of painstakingly cleaning. He then rebuilt it, cadmium-plating its linkages in the process.

‘I kept every piece I took o� , however worn it was. I took photos and stencils of every factory wax or chalk mark I found as I stripped the paint o� so I could replicate

them. I even kept every original 1960s Ford box that the parts came in.’

If you think Frank is somewhat fanatical, there were some limits, as he points out. ‘I found someone selling the correct 1964 battery, unused, never fi lled with acid or water. He wanted $3000 – I told him he could keep it for that. It’s not like I could then use it, anyway a brand-new battery performs far better.’ However, there wasn’t always have a choice. ‘I needed the original style sun visor brackets. It took a seven-

year search and the seller then said: ‘They’re $350 if you want them and $350 if you don’t.’ I did.’

Stripping the Mustang methodically led to discoveries such as the ‘Pre-Production Material’ labels in the boot. ‘They’d been painted over for some reason,’ remembers Frank. ‘I carefully removed the ones I could save, made copies for the ones I couldn’t and later reapplied them.’

As a result of the restoration – which in some ways was more akin to careful archaeology – Frank has become an authority on early Mustangs. However, there were still things that nearly caught him out. ‘No two remaining pre-production cars appear exactly the same. Mine has extra strengthening around the rear shock absorbers but I’ve never seen another with it.’ Frank was working from several di� erent

reference sources including the Mustang Club of America’s concours judging guide - which lists the colours for components, ‘I painted the air cleaner and valve covers gold then I was told they should be blue so I repainted them. Turns out they should be gold. I’ll redo them soon.’

All the brackets, originally bare steel, got repainted with steel wheel paint. ‘It looks the same but prevents surface rust,’ explains Frank. When it came to painting the body Frank simply set up a sheet and sprayed the Rangoon Red cellulose in his garage. ‘I was lucky to fi nd a decent spray gun and equipment being sold cheap by a friend.’ It was a di� erent story replicating the sound deadening material in the boot though. ‘I found the closest-matched material I could and sprayed it on heavily and a bit unevenly, just as Ford did.’

2005 1957 Plymouth This Belvedere was bought

from near Le Mans in France and then driven back to the UK, where Frank ended up selling it back to its previous British owner.

2007 1958 BuickAuctioned o� to benefi t

a local orphan at the River City Rod Run in Couer d’Alene, Idaho, this 1958 Buick Century had been fully restored with help from local businesses. Frank bought it online when the winner found he didn’t want it after all.

2014 1959 Edsel A recent purchase that

neither Frank nor wife Terry have yet driven. Frank sold a 1997 Mustang GT convertible he found was ‘too modern’ in order to buy it. It’s all original with a 292ci V8 and just 62,000 miles covered.

Mustangs frequently rot under the air vents in front of the windscreen. Ask the seller if you can pour some water in to verify it doesn’t drain straight into the footwells. Other rotspots include the sills andboot fl oor.Familiarise yourself with VIN codes soyou know what you buying.

Frank’s classic CV

Buying tipsWhat Frank says to watch for...

verify it doesn’t drain straight into the footwells. Other rotspots include Make sure the sill

drains are clear.

READER’S RESTO TIP

Take your time cleaning parts when they come o� . I

ran a tap and die through every bolthole on the car – it

makes re-assembly so much easier and helps

prevent threading parts.

Reader’s Restoration

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■

World Fair plate is a nice touch. Pre-production warnings in boot.

Spinners are one of the few new replica items.

There were some very lucky breaks too, as Frank explains. ‘I’d previously restored a 1967 Mustang for my wife Terry and a mate knew a Swedish guy with original 1967 bumpers for sale; mint, still in their wrapping. I didn’t need them but he kept dropping his price until I agreed to take them for £125. When I unwrapped them they were actually perfect 1964 bumpers. A misspelled eBay listing got me two complete tailights in their original boxes. They’re normally $450; I got them for $54 the pair. Investing in new old stock parts is money in the bank.’

The worst aspect of the restoration was the power roof. ‘It had to be installed at the same time as the interior. Every upholsterer I spoke to let me down, so in the end I did it all myself. It was a nightmare to fi t – just a

interior kit had been bought as far back as 1987, although at the time only one seat had surface cracks in the vinyl. ‘But if you just do one, the rest won’t match,’ stresses Frank. ‘Too many people think a restoration is just shiny paint. I restored everything on this car, even stripped the heater and painted all the fl aps inside. That said, some parts were not worth restoring – a brand new radiator cost me £35.’

And what of the fi ve-decade old rubber trim? Rubber deteriorates over time so

door rubbers that were still in their packaging and hidden away from UV light in old storerooms. ‘I did have to buy a new windscreen though,’ he admits. ‘The original one was damaged when a previous owner’s wife scratched it with her diamond ring during their divorce.’

‘There’s thought to be around 20 to 25 pre-production Mustangs left – of course people don’t always realise they have one. My car is number 173 but they might have stored the cars in a shed and simply numbered them as they left for all I know.’ Perhaps what’s most surprising is that Frank isn’t overly precious about his car. It goes to shows and it gets driven. ‘I’d say its four per cent reproduction parts; so the wiper arms might be new stainless ones but the rubbers are new old stock. Of course it really drove up the cost using original parts. Perhaps it sounds crazy, but once I got into it I felt I had to continue and do it right.’ ■

What’s it like to drive?This Mustang is a joy to drive with fast, very light steering and a decent burst of power. The brakes, which are drums all round, are Citroën-sharp and it’s easy to get thrown forward – in fact Frank is going to investigate since he feels this makes it awkward

spite that long, wide bonnet the Mustang doesn’t feel large and all-round visibility

is excellent, even with the top up. Yet it’s not terrifi cally fast; that 260ci V8 with an auto’ gearbox is far more suited to relaxed A-road cruising than wheel-spinning starts, but it easily keeps up

ing is no problem either, with some lean on tight bends but nothing dramatic. It certainly doesn’t wallow. Mike Renaut

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Reader’s Restoration

This restoration storyoriginally featured inPractical Classicsmagazine. For the very best restoration storiessubscribe to Practical Classics todayby going to www.greatmagazines.co.uk