Posts by GREXIT

  • HiPo Registry giveaway – 1,000 members!

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    Quick heads-up for the K-code owners here.

    The HiPo Mustang Community group on Facebook just passed 1,000 members, and we're marking it with a small giveaway that rewards the thing the registry actually exists for: getting your car documented.

    How it works
    Anyone who is a member of the Facebook group AND has at least one car registered at hipo-registry.com under the same name by October 15, 2026 is in the draw. Doesn't matter if your car has been listed for years or goes live the day before the deadline – one registered car, one entry. The only thing to check is that the name on your registry account matches your Facebook name, since that's how we match entries.

    The prize
    A HiPo Registry T-shirt plus the full set – keychain, sticker pack and the window sticker if you don't have one yet – shipped worldwide. Winner is drawn at random right after the deadline and announced in the group and on the registry site.

    Links
    Register your car (Standard listing is free, you need the warranty plate and a few photos):
    https://hipo-registry.com

    Facebook group:

    HiPo Mustang Community | Facebook
    Home of K-Code Mustang enthusiasts. Registry at hipo-registry.com · Forum at hipo-mustang.com.
    www.facebook.com

    Happy to answer questions here if anything's unclear.

  • The HiPo Registry is back!

    Hi jwc66k,

    Sorry for the late reply.

    That is great history, and honestly exactly the kind of background we hoped people would bring into this.

    I completely understand the question. A lot of K-cars have been “registered” several times over the decades, in books, private lists, club records, forums, and older registries. Part of the reason we started fresh is that the information is scattered, in different formats, and often very hard to verify today.

    We did look into the previous efforts. I have been in touch with Jim Smart and even bought both Mustang Production Guide books (on eBay and for way too much money). But their registry was not a dedicated K-Code registry, but a broader Mustang registry and production guide effort.

    Regarding Tony Gregory’s old HiPo registry, we would have liked to pick up where it left off if that had been realistically possible. From what I know, Tony Gregory has not been heard from in years, and the old data appears to be with Marv Shaner. I did write to Marv, but unfortunately never received a reply. And even if we had been able to get access, much of that data would now be around 20 years old, so owner information, car condition, locations, photos, and verification status would all need to be checked again anyway.

    That is why we decided the cleanest and most responsible approach was to build a new registry from the ground up, with current submissions, current photos, current owner consent, and a verification process that makes sense today.

    One thing that is important to us: we do not think this kind of information should ultimately belong to one or two individuals forever. If at some point in the future Evan and I can no longer maintain the project or decide to step away from it, our plan is to make sure the registry can continue for the community, potentially by open-sourcing the project or otherwise handing it over in a way that keeps it usable. These cars and their history are bigger than any one person.

    So in short: yes, we are very aware of the earlier work, and we respect it. But rather than importing old, possibly outdated data without fresh consent or verification, we are trying to build something current, transparent, and sustainable.

    Best,
    Niko

  • The HiPo Registry is back!

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    Today's the day.

    For seven years now you've been asking me, and for seven years I've been saying "something is coming."

    Well — today it's actually here. The Registry is back.

    hipo-registry.com

    We also made a Facebook-Group

    I've teamed up with Evantugby on this. He's been doing the careful work of keeping a K-Code registry for years, and a lot of what's going into this is built on his eye for what actually matters when you're looking at a kar.

    Two of us, one registry.

    We did think about reaching out to the keepers of Tony Gregory's old registry and picking up where it left off — but the data there is so far out of date that we decided it's cleaner to start fresh than to graft new records onto old ones.

    What it took to get here: months of evenings, weekends, thousands of Dollars and a few too many late nights. 1,039 changes and additions to the site to get the foundation right — the part where members can register a car, where owner data stays private, where verification actually means something, where photos don't end up on someone else's server.
    It's built from scratch, and nothing about your car gets sold to anyone, ever.

    What you'll find:

    • A public, searchable record of every K-Code we can verify
    • VIN-level detail, engine and trans castings, warranty plate, the things you actually want when you're trying to figure out if a car is real
    • Owner-controlled privacy — VINs are masked publicly, full data unlocks for registered members
    • A verification workflow with a real human looking at real photos, not a checkbox form

    Browsing is free. Registering your car is free. No account required to look around.

    If you want to support it

    The registry pays its own bills through optional memberships — no ads, no data sales.
    If you become a member you're helping keep the lights on, and you also get a few things back:

    • Full VIN, owner contact and verified photo access on every listed car
    • The proper verification done on your own car (1 per year on Silver, up to 4 on Gold)
    • A registry certificate with your unique K-number after verification - printed and signed for the shop wall)
    • Gold also: reserve a K-number, personalised window sticker, keychain, and sticker pack

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    Have a K-Code? Add it. Know one that should be in there? Send the owner a link.

    Find a mistake? Tell us — we'd rather hear it than have it sit there.

    Thanks for waiting seven years. Hope it was worth it.

    Niko & Evan

  • 66 GT350 Peterson Restorations

    Quote from Zed

    Hi, has anyone seen the videos Peterson Restorations has done recently about a 66 GT350 restoration he is undertaking?

    The car is a CJ Pony Parts car and was on display in their showroom.

    They have acquired a 65 K code coupe for the drive train to be used in the GT350.

    The coupe is getting restored as well .

    Cheers Eddie

    Thanks for sharing, will check it out.

  • Looking for Beta Testers for the New HIPO Registry

    Hi everyone,

    I'm currently looking for 5–10 beta testers who would be willing to enter their vehicle data into the new HIPO Registry and provide feedback.

    What I’m looking for:

    • Test the full submission process
    • Share feedback on usability and clarity
    • Check the content for accuracy and completeness

    If you have experience with K-codes, that’s definitely a plus — but it’s absolutely not required.

    Your feedback will help improve both the process and the data quality before the official rollout.

    If you're interested in participating, please reply here or send me a direct message.

    Thanks in advance!

  • HiPo / K-Code Registry – Community Input Wanted

    Hey there,

    Fred and I have been talking about creating a new HiPo registry for a while now.

    Before building anything, I’d like to hear from the community:

    • What functionality would you like a registry like this to have?
    • What purpose should it serve for you?
      (e.g. documentation, research, ownership history, verification, statistics, community value, etc.)

    This is intentionally high-level — no features are set yet.
    Input from owners, former owners, and enthusiasts is equally welcome.

    Thanks in advance for your thoughts and ideas.

  • Looking to create a Concours-Correct Paint Guide

    Hey everyone,

    my ’65 K-code restoration is slowly reaching the next major step: the paint job.
    The car is a February 1965 Dearborn-built HiPo in Prairie Bronze with Palomino interior, and before we start spraying I wanted to give my painter a factory-correct, concours-level guide on how these cars were actually painted at the Dearborn plant in early 1965.

    Over the last few days I’ve been reading up on the original Dearborn paint process and tried to put together a summary for my painter.
    I’m not completely sure if everything I found is correct, so I would really appreciate if you could take a look and let me know what’s right, what’s wrong, and what I might be missing.

    Concours Paint Guide – 1965 Dearborn Mustang (Feb 1965, K-Code)

    1. Red Oxide Primer (Full Body Coverage)

    • The unibody (with doors and trunk lid installed, fenders/hood off) was entirely sprayed in red oxide primer – inside, outside, engine compartment, interior metal, trunk.
    • Only the underside floor pan did not receive red oxide from above.

    2. Underside Floor Pan – Dearborn “Batch Paint”

    • Dearborn cars used a dark epoxy/batch paint on the floor pan underside.
    • This was a mixture of leftover body colors + epoxy sealer.
    • Real cars show very dark gray, nearly black, bluish or greenish tint depending on production period.
    • Texture was inconsistent: runs, uneven coverage, soft gloss – all correct.

    3. Interior Metal (Palomino)

    • All interior metal that would remain visible after assembly was painted before exterior color:
      • Dashboard
      • Upper door frames
      • A-pillars
      • Interior structural panels
    • Color: Palomino (Medium Palomino), semi-gloss/satin, as Ford used a low-gloss lacquer.
    • These freshly painted interior areas were then masked (often roughly).

    4. Gray Primer Sealer (Exterior Areas)

    • Exterior surfaces received a coat of gray primer-surfacer.
    • Light overspray in the engine bay is normal and correct.
    • Seam sealer and deadener were applied before or after this step depending on the line worker.

    5. Prairie Bronze – Exterior & Trunk Color

    • Ford used single-stage acrylic enamel for Prairie Bronze in ’65.
    • Exterior of the shell, trunk interior, door jambs, and edges were all painted Prairie Bronze.
    • No clear coat originally – modern refinishing should match the factory gloss level (not overly wet/high-gloss show finish).
    • Panels painted off the car at Dearborn:
      • Hood
      • Front fenders
      • Front valance
    • Doors and trunk lid were on the car when the body received gray primer and interior color, but Dearborn often painted the removable panels separately for final color.

    Overspray – Extremely Important

    • Underside should show Prairie Bronze fogged 20–30 cm (8–12 inches) inward from the rocker area.
    • Rear wheel wells received heavy body color overspray.
    • Trunk inside received full coverage, but deep pockets often only got mist.

    6. Engine Bay Black-Out (Semi-Gloss Black)

    • After exterior color, the engine bay was sprayed semi-gloss black:
      • Firewall
      • Aprons (both sides)
      • Radiator support (engine side)
    • Transition to body color was soft-edged, not taped.
    • Black “falls off” lower on the firewall – fading into the dark primer or into the floor pan coating.
    • The upper cowl and fender mounting surfaces remained body color.

    7. Rocker Pinch-Weld Black-Out

    • The lower rocker pinch-weld was sprayed semi-gloss black after the exterior color.
    • No masking underneath → black overspray on the outer floor section is correct.
    • Visible from the side, the entire flange should appear black.

    8. Wheel Wells & Sound Deadener

    • Rear wheel wells: sound deadener applied before body color → then mostly covered with Prairie Bronze overspray.
    • Front wheel wells: undercoating applied after fenders were installed → resulting in:
      • Undercoat on inner fender
      • Undercoat overspray on springs, shocks, control arms
      • Uneven texture typical of factory application

    What I'm Asking

    Before I hand this document to my painter, I would love to hear your thoughts:

    • Does this match what you have seen on unrestored February '65 Dearborn cars?
    • Anything missing or incorrect?
    • Any rare Dearborn quirks I should incorporate?

    Thanks in advance – your feedback is greatly appreciated.
    Once the paint is finished, I’ll post photos and the final result.

    Kind regards,
    Niko

  • Interest in Reviving a HIPO Registry?

    I plan to take this on next year and work on building the technical foundation for a registry. I fully agree with the points made regarding verification, and I will also reach out to Marv to discuss the possibilities. After that, we’ll see how things develop.

    Thank you all for your contributions and ideas so far — they’re greatly appreciated. I’ll post here once things are underway so that interested members can join in and help.

  • Interest in Reviving a HIPO Registry?

    Quote from Norcal607

    I would be interested in helping as well. Are we certain that the current rights holder to Tony Gregory’s book isn’t open to us updating what has already been done? Anyone spoken to him lately? I have also been interested in writing an updated Hipo book pooling all the knowledge from this sites participants and others. Better define some of the nuances. Def open to discuss and help any way I could.


    -Paul Charpentier

    I don't mind talking to him and I also don't mind starting a new one in case he doesn't want us to use it.

    Writing a new book sounds like a fantastic idea Paul!

  • Interest in Reviving a HIPO Registry?

    I wanted to ask if there’s still interest in having a HIPO registry. Back in the day, it was a useful resource, but I’m not sure if the demand is still there like it used to be.

    Setting up and maintaining such a registry would take quite a lot of effort, and I’d only want to do it if there’s genuine need and benefit for the community.

    So my question: Would it make sense to bring this back, or has the need faded over time?

    Looking forward to your thoughts!