Street Fighter
We're rebuilding and refinishing this '66 Mustang one piece at a time, and this month, it's the trunk's turn. The most important thing was to make the trunk as functional as possible, while giving it a polished look. We were lucky to start out with a rust-free floor that didn't need a whole lot of prep work to get it ready for paint. Dupli-Color's spray-bomb truck bedliner was designed perfectly to take the beating that a truck bed sees, making it perfect for our trunk application. Simply put: We'd like to throw caution to the wind when throwing parts and track supplies in there. Although the trunk was relatively clean, there was some prep work to be done. The process was quick and simple, so no need to worry.
After the cleanup was complete, we moved on to the fun stuff. Too many times we've seen our fellow hot rodders just one half-inch wrench away from getting back on the road. This is something that won't happen to project Street Fighter. Our goal was to have a fully equipped, rigidly mounted budget toolbox in the trunk at all times. It would need to be removable for quarter-mile passes or hot laps, but put together to live in the car most of the time for emergency repairs.
Choosing the tools is an important task that we will cover at a later date-but let's simply say that we found some really great tools at a price even thrifty hot rodders can afford. They need to be tough, because a broken tool is more frustrating than no tool at all. Since this isn't our primary set of tools, there's no need to go overboard. We picked up an affordable set that covered our needs. Our advice if you do the same thing is to include a set of metric sockets and wrenches to go with the standard sets; more metric hardware is finding its way into our domestic rides.
The toolbox itself can come from many places. The important thing is that it fits your application. You can buy a new or used tool box in metal or plastic, as long as it's sturdy enough. We used a used metal box that a hammer and dolly set originally came in. It came with a pull-out tray to divide the tools. This tool box wasn't in the nicest condition aesthetically, so we sprayed it with Dupli-Color's textured metallic silver paint; it's very sturdy and attractive, plus it's made for a variety of surfaces, including toolboxes.
After finding the toolbox, we needed a way to mount it to the floor that would allow for easy removal. With simple materials purchased at a hardware store, we fabricated a custom frame, bolted it to the floor, and strapped the toolbox in.
Our wide selection of tools was designed to work on many parts of the car, and it's easy to get at, too. Our toolbox location was also designed to balance the car better over the open road-it's in the right rear corner of the trunk on the opposite side from our Optima battery box. It's a great addition to any car that actually gets driven.
WHERE THE MONEY WENT Item description: Part number: Price: Dupli-Color truck bedliner TR250 $8.99 Dupli-Color textured metallic MX102 $9.49 3M body seam sealer 8405 $12.00 Dumpster toolbox n/c Angle iron $10.00 Total $40.48