Where to start?

[TitanSnake]

Just got my donor. The engine and trans are out and I was wondering where to go now. What is the quickest and easiest way to strip her down. Does anyone have a list of all the components that have to be removed so that I don't send any off to the scrap yard?

[SStrong]

It depends on what your plan is. Are you going to use the wiring harnesses? Then you will need to pull the dash. Same for gauges, emergency brake, radiator. I've kept my donor for 7 months (got it three months before I got my kit) and am still pulling a few parts, but decided to buy a lot of the parts new (thank you Breeze and all the other vendors). You may want to use the gas tank and some of the fuel and brake lines, plus the bracket for the fuel filter. I pulled the light switch, and mounted the bracket from the donor into the dash from the kit to give the mount a little more stiffness, then bought a light switch from Factory Five. If you can, hang onto the donor until you've put in some of the systems. Go through the build manual. You can use the emergency brake cables, but mine were worn through in places so I bought new. Could have used the radiator, but went with the Breeze Eze Pack instead. If you use the donor wiring harnesses, you have to strip off the wires you won't use, so I bought new wiring harnesses set up for the Roadster. Front spindles, rear axle, brakes, all stuff you need.
Another suggestion - when bending brake and fuel lines, put two sockets about 5/16" apart bolted through a 2"x4". Makes a great bender for that tubing. Put a full loop in at corners for the brake lines, gives a little room for error.
Luckily, I live in the country and my few neighbors are not too worried about the Mustang on blocks by the main Farm to Market behind my house. By the way, I spent a year at Belton Lake while I worked on a project at Fort Hood. Beautiful place.
Buy Rivet Nuts for mounting stuff to the frame. They are set just like rivets, and threaded for common bolt sizes. You can buy a tool for setting them, or use a bolt, washers, and nut to pull them tight. Earlier I was placing some into the frame of my Roadster to mount the fuse box (using the Ron Francis harness, comes with a fuse panel). Took about 10 minutes. A lot easier and nicer than self-tapping screws.
Don't mount any aluminum panels permanently until you have to. Also invest in some 1/8" Clecos and a Cleco tool (you can get a set of 25 and a tool for around $25). 25 is plenty. This makes drilling for rivets a lot easier.
Good luck on your build, it is a fulfilling and enjoyable experience (except for our Texas heat and humidity, which rises as the sun drops, LOL).
Steve

[TitanSnake]

Thanks Steve. I won't be able to keep the donor for long because it and the kit have to share the same space and the city will flip if this thing sits outside for long. I like the idea of riv-nuts and have used them in other projects. The temp today was over 100 and that makes any project that much more fun but I am motivated to drive by fall!! Ambitious I know. With any luck we can meet at any one of the local events in the future. If you have any more tips down the road feel free to let me know.

[frankeeski]

Titan, Tell us what your build plans are for the car and we can give you more specific guidance. I went the full donor route and have not once had any regrets about going this way. My car is still a work in progress, I planned it that way. In my case I just didn't want to spend all of the money at one time. Mine is still in gel-coat but has been registered and on the road for more than 3 years. Your question has inspired me to go ahead and move all of my build threads, I posted during my build, over here from the other forum.

[AC Bill]

What is the quickest and easiest way to strip her down.
Does anyone have a list of all the components that have to be removed so that I don't send any off to the scrap yard?

No real quick and easy method, just plug away at the strip down. Some areas are easier than others, and it really helps if you can get it (safely) off the ground, as high as you can. Makes the job of pulling the fuel tank, rear end, control arms, etc, much better. The front lower control arms bolts can be a bear to undo, so hopefully you have a good breaker bar available.
I have a list of all the needed donor parts, on my home computer, which I could post tomorrow. I also removed and kept, any smaller bolts, nuts washers, etc. They can always come in handy, even if they are not listed.
Don't be surprised if you end up buying some new. or perhaps rebuilt parts, depending on your donor, but you may need the old parts for cores, so pull them off anyway. IE brake calipers..

[Jeff Kleiner]

Since you are asking I am going to assume that you don't have a build manual at this time. Go ahead and pick one up; it details what parts are needed and how to prepare them.

Jeff