Monday, December 29, 2008

Firewall A/C Panel Restoration

I visited my parents for the holiday this past weekend. I spent a little time using the media blasting cabinet to clean up the A/C cover for the firewall. The A/C cover is not original to my Mustang as mine did not come with A/C. However, the piece along with many other A/C parts on my car are all original parts.

The part cleaned up rather well. The years of exposure to moisture resulted in a little pitting. The more rounded of the two pieces is in the best condition. There are not a large number of this part available due to the limited number of Mustangs with A/C. Considering the location of this piece, I don't believe the light pitting will be noticable.

The part is originally dipped in black paint and allowed to hang dry. However, the part is painted with the same paint as the rest of the engine bay. I used the standard Krylon spray paint for this piece.

The screws which hold the piece to the firewall have no real identifing marks. They are normally zinc or phosphate covered. I'm not aware of a way to dupicate this finish for a reasonable price. I'll continue to look into it but may resort to painting the screws black. They are small and would likely not be very noticable.

Once the piece and heater hoses were installed, the firewall sealant was put on the part to avoid leaks.


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