Adventures in Kansas/Mustang Blog
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April 21, 2010
I got a bit of sanding done last night with the in-line sander to seek out my highs and lows. Looks like I have a bit more bondo to apply to the quarter panels to make everything straight.
April 20, 2010
I picked up my new hood and front and rear valances. After pounding on dents and filling with bondo, nothing is as nice as smooth straight sheet metal. I just hope it fits. I'll have to see when I'm bolting everything in after it's all painted.
April 19, 2010
I picked up my primer and more sandpaper Friday afternoon. I got some hi-build grey and some sandable red. When I got home I went to work priming my bondo areas.
Saturday morning I picked up my welding gas regulator, some .023" wire and a bottle of C25 (argon/carbon dioxide mix).
Sunday morning I tried welding my headlight buckets. It took three attempts followed by lots of grinding, but I eventually did it. I then removed the rear window and started putting in the brackets for my rear seatbelt shoulder harnesses. I'll have to pick up some bolts to finish that up. I did some block sanding on my primered bondo areas to see how smooth they are, but rean out of time to finish that up.
April 16, 2010
I applied more bondo which I rasped and sanded away. Then I filled some of the pits and holes with spot putty. I'll have to pick up some high build sandable grey primer and some red primer this afternoon and start on that. I figure I have my bondo areas as far as I can take them now. I'm ready for some color sanding to search out the highs and lows. Hopefully next week I'll be ready to call buddy up to do the painting.
April 15, 2010
I did a bit of Mustang work last night. I got the front fender done to my satisfaction. It's not perfect, but it's as good as it's going to get. I ended up putting the old and new fenders beside each other to figure out the best way to handle the headlight bucket. I ended up opening up an alignment hold and drilling out only a couple spotwelds. My rear quarter panels are still a complete mess. One side has a nice curve front to back, while the other side is straight. I'm not about to start cutting metal re-installing things. I'll have to carve what I can out of bondo.
April 14, 2010
Other than sanding off some of the paint and bondo from the night before, all I did was compare my old and new front fenders too see what I need to do to align the headlight door/fender extension. Maybe I can get the spotwelds drilled out tonight and get that reshaped.
April 13, 2010
I sanded more bondo carefully marking all the areas that need more fill. I marked everything with tape and drew arrows for areas than needed bondo. The areas that I wasn't sure about or looked finished, I spray painted. I was hoping only to need a thin layer of paint to make things shiny enough to see, but the cheap paint I was using seemed to soak into the bondo areas making it dull in appearance. I guess I need to prime the bondo first before I paint, but I didn't want to put that much effort into something I was just going to sand off. After that, I applied another layer of bondo to the areas that still needed work and tried out my spot putty/glazing compound. I was hoping I could just apply the spot putty right out of the tube, but it was seperated into pasty and runny like a bottle of ketchup that's been sitting in the fridge too long. Next time I'll have to stir it up with a toothpick before I squeeze it out. I won't know how well it really works until I sand it.
April 9, 2010
I did a bit more sanding last night. I got the trunk lid looking pretty good. Wasn't I thinking of replacing that?
April 8, 2010
I didn't get much done last night other than apply more bondo. I'm considering replacing my trunk lid. The lid that came with the car is a used one and not the original. It is dented and doesn't sit right one one side. It's not as bad as the hood though, so I might keep it.
April 5, 2010
My weekend blew by pretty quick. I applied more bondo to the Mustang, but that was pretty much it. It was quite warm, about 25C, so the bondo was getting lumpy pretty quick. I've got a couple spots on the trunk lid where I have rust spots underneath the old bondo. I removed all that and sprayed it with rust converter. Now I just have to apply more bondo and smooth it all out. I should just make things easy and replace the trunk lid since it's not terribly straight to begin with.
April 1, 2010
I did some more sanding, but that was about it. I've gotten my front fender and some other areas pretty much finished. I'll have to clean them up and hit them up with a mist coat of paint to see how smooth things really look. Tonight I'll have to pick up a wood rasp to aid in bondo sanding along with a new shop vac and halogen lamp (they both crapped out last week). I figure I'm about two weeks away from being ready to paint, so I might go ahead and order my body parts.
March 31, 2010
I did a bit more bondo work last night. I wiped the dust off the fenders, mixed up some bondo and applied it. I was scraping off my tools when I noticed that the bondo was cured just enough not to be sticky, but not enough to be really hard. I took a small carving file I stole out of my wife's art supplies and removed all the high points from the bondo I had just applied. That should make the sanding go a lot faster. I'll have to get a decent wood rasp and try that again. I've never been able to catch my bondo mid-cure like that before.
March 30, 2010
After an early supper I went to work on the Mustang. I did a bit of welding to realign my passenger side rear fender and sanded some more bondo. The back end is pretty close to being done. I might finish it up with a bit of glazing compound and then spray a mist coat over it to see how flat I am. Later last night, I did a bit more welding and managed to set my pants on fire in the process. It was only some frayed ends around the hole in the knee that burnt, but it was funny as hell considering that all I had actually gone outside for was to get the mail. How do you set yourself on fire getting the mail? Must be a full moon or something. I'll have to get some thinner welding wire and gas before I tackle the front fender. My weld was all splattery from jumping all over the place to keep from burning through.
March 29, 2010
I found my other welding mask, so my second attempt at welding worked better. Once I could see what I was doing, I was able to crank up the wire speed again. I now have the driver side rear fender all re-aligned. Now I just have to do the passenger side.
I also got more bondo work done. The rear panel and passenger door are almost finished. I'll have to sand down the last stuff I put on and finish it up with some glazing compound to fill in the remaining holes. After that, I'll have to sand down the bondo I put on the roof and I can start working on the fenders and trunk lid. I swear it feels sometimes like I'm trying to carve a Mustang out of bondo.
March 26, 2010
I got my welder set up and gave that a try on the Mustang rear fender. I couldn't find my face mask, so I had to use the welding goggles I have. They weren't dark enough, so I kept getting blind spots and couldn't see what I was doing. I was also using the flux core wire that came with the welder instead of using the sheilding gas. (I figure I'll use the gas and better wire once I've had some practice). It seemed a bit tricky to use at first. I'm too used to the old stick welder and wasn't prepared for that wire coming out on me as fast as it does. I tried turning down the wire speed, but that only causes other problems. Needless to say, I'll probably have to grind off my mess and try again.
March 22, 2010
Saturday morning I picked up a wire-feed welder. I did a bit of work on the Mustang in the afternoon. I ground down/drilled out a couple spotwelds to adjust the rear fenders to match the extensions. It was too cold to be doing bondo and I ran out of time to try out the welder.
March 16, 2010
I did a bit more sanding last night on the Mustang and pulled off the right front fender. I had to get to the backside to fix a dent. Tonight I'll grind of the emblem rivets and maybe some rear quarter panel spotwelds.
March 15, 2010
My new orbital sander worked pretty good. Now I just need to buy more sanding disks for it. The best thing is that the pads for it match my grinder, so if the new sander craps out, I can use the grinder as a sander. I started in on the rear quarter panels and tailgate panel removing all the paint and old bondo.
After all the sanding, I started bumping the dents. I had a bit of success. The dents aren't quite as deep now. The shrinking disk didn't work as well as expected either. More practice maybe. I have a few smaller dents to work on elsewhere on the car and I should be ready to start applying bondo.
March 12, 2010
I stopped on the way home last night and picked up spray paint for the bumper brackets, a gas can and siphon so I can drain and remove the gas tank (for some reason I don't want to be laying on a gas tank while I'm welding) and a new can of bondo.
Last night I started unbolting the front fender (I'll have to ask the painter whether it will easier to paint with the fenders on or off), started stripping the sealant I had smeared into the roof edge drip rails and tried to figure out the best way to get access to the backside of the door dent. I also tried to straighten a dent on the trunk lid. Mostly I just stood around trying to figure out what to do next. I need my sander to arrive so I can start doing some real work. I did manage to remove the mirror from the driver's door and the windsheild wipers.
March 10, 2010
I puttered on the Mustang for a bit last night. I took out for sill covers and the rear interior panels. I should take out the rear window soon so I can get the rear seat belt shoulder brackets in. Mostly I'm waiting for my sander to arrive so I can really get working.
March 8, 2010
After getting the daily driver fixed Friday afternoon I went to work on the Mustang. I got it washed and marked off all the dents. I think I might need a new starter for it too. When I went to put it back in the shop, the starter was sticking keeping the gear from disengaging. It shut off when I turned the key off, so I don't thing it's the solenoid on the fender that's sticking. It's acted up before. Often the starter comes on, but the gear doesn't engage.
Saturday was spent doing more Mustang work. I got the tail lights, fender extensions, rear bumper, rear valance and headlights out. It was tough for me to tear apart a car that's been running good. On Sunday, I got the grill, front bumper and front valance off. I tried my metal bumping techniques on the front valance with little success. It's been bashed up and straightened a few times, so it's pretty much a lost cause. I just figured it would be good to practice on. After that I turned my attention to the fender and managed to get a couple small dents relatively straightened. The less body filler I need to use the better. I also ordered and rotary sander. I already have a pneumatic dual action, but it uses more air than my aircompressor puts out. It's either an electric sander or a much bigger air compressor.
March 5, 2010
I found another thing to fix on the Mustang yesterday. When I got home I noticed that one headlight was dimmer than the other. When I tried the highbeam, the dim light pretty much went entirely out. I reached in behind the light and wiggled the wires and it came back on. I figure I must have a loose connection on the ground wire. I'll have to consider replacing the headlight harness when I have it apart. Ouch, those aren't cheap.
March 1, 2010
Saturday morning after breakfast I ran the Mustang over to the neighbor for an estimate to paint it. He wants $2000 to do it. He will seal it, paint it and give it three coats of clear coat. He also wants to reinstall the rear window to clean up all the sealant I put on it trying to keep it from leaking. It will probably end up being more once he touches up my bodywork to make the black look good. I'll have to hurry because he gets busy once hail season starts.
February 24, 2010
I finally got a hold of my neighbor. I'll bring the Mustang over Saturday afternoon to get an estimate. I'd just paint it myself, but my work area is just too dusty for painting. I'm not looking for a perfect job. I still want to be able to drive fast down gravel roads. I just want something good enough that I don't get laughed out of a car show.
February 15, 2010
I did a bit of work on the Mustang Saturday afternoon, but didn't get to try out my new body work tools. I re-routed the fuel line from the pump to the carb to move it away from the water pump a bit and I removed the oil pressure gauge I had rigged up under the hood. I was hoping to go for a test drive to make sure the nothing would leak, but ran out of time. Once it gets warmer I'll see if the rerouted fuel line helps my carb boiling problem. After that I started removing some interior parts. I got the rear seat out, but couldn't find my allen wrenches to get the rear window crank handles off and side panels out.
February 12, 2010
My box of body working tools arrived last night along with a book on metal bumping so I can figure out the right way to use them. So far my body work technique was to fill the dent with bondo, so we'll see how this works. I'll start on the back panel of the Mustang where I used the most bondo.
February 2, 2010
Yesterday I ordered some tools from Eastwood for doing the Mustang body work. I got a starter kit with some body hammers and an instructional book along with a metal shrinking disk that you use with a grinder.
I'll have to get started on the Mustang body work pretty quick. I wanted to have it painted by this April. I'd start taking things apart now, but I wanted to be able to drive it to take it in for an estimate for the painting. I could start by taking the back seat and interior panels out. I could still drive it without a back seat. I would have done that last weekend, but it's a pain crawling in and out of a car with winter boots on.
January 19, 2010
I had a nice long weekend. It was nice enough to drive the Mustang. I figured I'd take it out for a few trips before I take it apart again to do the bodywork.
January 4, 2010
Despite the cold, I changed the oil in the truck and Mazda and took the father-in-law for a ride in the Mustang. He didn't say much other than everything worked and it had impressive acceleration.
December 4
I was going to drive the Mustang today, but with the temperature below freezing, I didn't want to take it out without first putting some gas line anti-freeze in the tank. Or I could just fill up with some of the 10% ethenol gas.
November 30
I did take the Mustang out for a drive to pick up groceries yesterday. It had been warm all weekend, but suddenly became colder yesterday. The Mustang ran really good in the cold. Nice smooth idle and everything. I reached underneath the car to see where the fuel line gets hot, but it didn't seem very warm where it was close to the the exhaust. I might have to wait until it's warm out again. The fuel line might be getting hot just where it tucks in near the water pump. I'll have to look at some engine pictures online and see if the fuel line is routed the same by the engine as mine.
November 20
I drove the Mustang in today. I took a look at the carburator last night and could find nothing wrong with it. It had some brown gunk at the bottom of the bowl, but no particles big enough to cause the float valve not to close. I tightened up the clip holding the valve pin to the float arm to keep that from coming off. I also checked out my fast idle cam to see why that doesn't work. I figure I need to open the throttle all the way before I crank for the fast idle to set. So this morning I had fast idle and no stalling. The fast idle did seem to stay on longer that I would have expected, but at this point I'm not about to be too fussy.
November 16
The Mustang had a problem making it home on Friday. For some reason the float in the carburator was stuck again. I had just pulled onto the interstate when the car started to lose power and sputter and I could smell gas. The gas gauge was also reading empty, so I pulled off at the next exit. When I got to the bottom, the car was running a bit better and the tank was reading 1/4 full, so I got back on the highway. It was still acting up pretty bad, so I drove a few miles until the first gas station and pulled off. I took the air cleaner off and saw pools of gas boiling away on the intake manifold. I started the engine and saw gas pouring out the carb bowl vent. I didn't have a flat head screw driver with me to take the carburator apart so I ended up buying a corkscrew with a jack knife blade and used that. (You'd think a gas station would sell flat head screw drivers with their small shelf of auto stuff instead of cork screws. I guess alot of people who buy wine to drink on the way home accidently buy that snotty fancy stuff with the cork). I got the carburator apart couldn't see anything wrong with the float and float valve other than gas was still coming out when I cranked the engine over. Figuring it must have had some debris plugging the valve, I took the pin out and still didn't see anything. I put the valve back in and cranked it over again and it seemed to work, so I put the carburator back together and drove home with no issues (other than a tire screeching launch from a stop sign). I'll have to make sure I always travel with enough tools to take the carburator apart.
November 3
Since we didn't have the kids with us, we were able to take the Mustang out. It ran alright, no issues. I still have to try to get it to idle better and track down that air/water leak on the passenger side.
October 12
It was pretty cold this weekend, just above freezing, but the Mustang started up and ran good. I guess it has to be cold for the fast idle cam to work properly. I did crawl underneath and check my fuel line to figure out my carb boiling problem. Sure enough there is a spot near the tank where it comes within about an inch of the exhaust pipe. I'll have to see about raising it up a bit with another clamp or something or rig up some sort of heat sheild or exhaust wrap. The fuel line on that car runs right down the middle of the driver side just above the dual exhaust. The single exhaust would have run only on the passenger side. I'll have to see if there is a different fuel line routing for dual exhaust cars. While I'm working with the fuel line, I'll have to try moving a brake hose away from the exhaust as well.
October 9
I was going to drive the Mustang today, but wimped out. It's been raining for the last couple days, so the road is muddy. I'm also concerned about the carburator boiling/flooding problem. I've been told that Mustangs aren't know for that, at least not like the old Corvettes. I don't remember having that problem last year or even right after I got the engine rebuilt. It seemed to have started in July. I'll have to crawl underneath and check the routing of the fuel line in proximity of the exhaust. Something might have come loose. Other than that, I could check the float level and bowl vent adjustment.
October 5
I drove the Mustang again on Friday and learned the hard way that those old vinyl seats don't absorb flatulence like today's modern upholstery materials.
September 25
Drove the Mustang in this morning. I have to get the fast idle cam working on the carburator again. The screw must be working itself out. I would like to get the interior finished sometime, but before that I need to get the body work done and get it painted. I'm not sure what temperature bondo has to set at, but I might have to wait until next spring for that. In the meantime, I'll continue to catch my sleeve on the sharp bracket for the arm rest.
September 16
I didn't do much last night other than crawl under the back of the Mustang to make sure nothing was loose. I tried adding some air to the tires, but my air gun can't reach the valve stem with the hubcaps on.
September 11
The Mustang made it home alright yesterday other than losing a hubcap. Those metal hubcaps make a nice rattle when they roll across the sidewalk. I had to turn around and pull an escaped hubcap out of the shrubs. The car also has a funny wiggle. I thought maybe something was loose in the front end, but I think the tire pressure is too low all around allowing the tires to flex. The Crown Vic did that a bit after we first got it. Now that it's cooler out, I'm noticing it more.
September 8
I did a bit of work on the Mustang over the weekend. I made brackets to mount the rear seatbelt shoulder straps to the rear window tray. I used material from the lid of an old washing machine that was left in the loft of the barn. The odd thing was that this old washing machine is newer than the one I'm using in the house. I can see why this one is junked though, it is impossible to fix. While mine has a removable panel in the front, this one has a continuous panel right around it. I'm not sure how I'll install the bracket in that car though. I should have put the rear seatbelts in before the rear window. Now I have no way to get in there with a drill. I think I remember seeing a 90 degree drill extension somewhere that might work.
September 1
I took the Mustang out for a little drive last night just to make sure the coolant wasn't leaking and the new thermostat worked. The coolant temperature was a bit cooler than last time, but that's mostly because the weather was cooler. I should probably get a proper temperature gauge and install that along with my oil pressure gauge under the dash.
I was considering putting a clutch fan on the Mustang so I trial fit the one from the truck. I had a few problems with that. The truck fan is bigger so it would hit my lower rad hose and the bolt pattern going into the water pump is slightly bigger. Although the clutch itself is at the same distance from the engine as the Mustang fan, the fan part is set back slightly to match the edge of the shroud. The truck fan is also reversed to match the reverse flow pump. I'll have to see what the Crown Vic has. Maybe I can get a Crown Vic clutch fan if I still have temperature problems.
August 31
The Mustang is back together, but I ran out of day before I could test drive it.
August 27
I actually got home early enough yesterday to do some car work. I drained the radiator and took off the upper rad hose and bypass hose. I would like to have the new thermostat in and radiator cleaned and in by Saturday so I can see how well it's working. If I can get it running cooler, I can try tuning the carburator better otherwise I'm back to the drawing board so to say.
August 24
After a late breakfast and other stuff I took the Mustang out for a drive. I stopped along the highway and measured the coolant temperature using a meat thermometer. It was reading 190F. I figure it was hotter than that considering that I could hear it bubbling a bit and the thermometer read only 200F when I checked the calibration in boiling water on the stove a couple weeks ago. I tried to check if there was a temperature difference between the upper and lower rad hoses by seeing how long I could touching them, but I couldn't tell much. I'll put a new 180F thermostat into it and flush out the radiator while I'm at it. I might try some water wetter stuff too and see if that helps. If I need more cooling, I'll look into a clutch fan and a fan shroud.
July 13
I managed to get one jet out on Friday, but that was it. The other one was too stuck and was worn from a previous attempt (by whom, I don't know since it is a remanufactured carburator and should have had new jets). Fortunately, the jet I got out was on the right side which wasn't working right. I sprayed carb cleaner through everything and blew it out with the aircompressor. Nothing looked broken, leaky or plugged. The only thing I did notice was that my floot was too low. I had overly adjusted it previously when the bowl was overflowing before I changed the float valve. I also adjusted the accelerator pump over travel arm to give the pump a longer stroke and adjusted the vent arm to keep it from interfering with the aircleaner. Basically, I righted all my previous wrongs. I still don't know if I have it working right because I ran out of time for a test drive. Maybe tonight.
July 10
I pulled the carburator off the Mustang and tore it apart. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. No smoking gun. I'll take the jets out, clean out all the passages and blow some air through it. Maybe one of the plugs in the carburator is leaking. I'm thinking I must have a vacuum leak somewhere affecting the one side. I'll have to take my carb spacer and sand it down using sandpaper taped to a piece of glass to make sure the leak isn't there.
July 9
I got outside for a bit to work on the Mustang. The idle is very rough and it sputters and dies sometimes when you step on it from idle. I took it for a test drive to get it warmed up and then started messing with the idle mixture screws. It died right away when I turned the left (car's left not mine) side down. The right side seemed to take a bit longer. When I removed the idle screws I noticed the left side smelled more gassy. The bowl started to boil over a bit at that point and I noticed the gas was only coming out on the left side venturi. I knew my problem was beyond just a plugged idle circuit. I blew some air through the right side and put it back together. Sure enough it made no difference. I did notice that when I rolled the throttle open, it seemed to take much longer for the gas to reach the right hand venturi than the left. When I open the throttle, gas from the accelerator pump hits both venturis and it takes off, then it dies while it waits for the right side venturi to get gas in it. The longer it idles the worse it is when I open the throttle. Figuring I had air leaking into the right side while it's in the idle circuit, I took the horn cover off and tightened the screw on the venturi assembly, but that didn't seem to make much of a difference. The only thing I can do now is to take the carburator off, remove the venturi assembly and see why the right and left sides are behaving differently. If I can't find anything that fixes it, I'll put the carburator back on and turn the idle speed screw down to keep it out of the idle circuit at idle.
July 3
Since traffic was light, I drove the Mustang in. I adjusted the accelerator pump actuator again last night to reduce the amount of gas shot it gets (according to the manual I may have to do that for summer wheather), but it still sputters when I step on the gas. It also idles like crap. Considering how well the engine pulls against the torque converter and responds to the throttle, something must be plugged in my idle circuit. I'll try blowing air into the idle screw holes and see how that helps. If not, I'll have to take the carburator off and clean it out. It's run before with that carburator and it was idling better, so something must have happened since then. It's probably gummed up from sitting while I was rebuilding the engine.
June 22
I took the Mustang out to run some errands Sunday afternoon. It still needs some tuning, but I'm not sure when I will get around to it.
June 15
On Friday I got the distributor in and the base timing set. Saturday afternoon, I started the mustang up and rechecked the timing managing to whack my fingers on the fan while taking the hose for the vacuum advance off. I had a hard time starting the engine, but it seemed to idle pretty good so I drove it into town. On the way in it stalled on me every time I stepped on the gas. I figured it was the accelerator pump since I had readjusted that linkage to keep it from interfering with the aircleaner. In the grocery store parking lot I reset the linkage to reduce the gas shot. That seemed to help and it drove home pretty good. I'll have to see where the manual says to have it adjusted and try setting it there. It squawks the tires pretty easily now and I don't want to change that.
June 11
I stopped on the way home to pick up my new distributor. The guys at the parts place were surprised by how much wear my old distributor had and were wondering how many miles I had on car. I told them my mileage forgetting that my engine is out of a Falcon. There was cute chick at the next cashier who seemed interested in what we were talking about. Either she likes old Mustangs or was pissed that I had two guys looking at my worn out part while she was waiting to buy something.
I did a bit of work on my new distributor. I took the points off and replaced them with my pertronix ignition and tried to figure out which stroke my #1 cylinder is on. The TDC mark is 180 degrees off, so I figure the rotor must have been turned 90 degrees past #1 when I took it off. I'll have to remember to do one complete reveloution before going to TDC.
June 10
My new (remanufactured) distributor should be in today. I took the old distributor out last night forgetting to roll the engine to #1 TDC. The rotor was pointing somewhere towards #1 either a few degreed before or a few degrees after. Hopefully that is enough to figure it out. I could remove a valve cover and watch for the intake valve to close or just put it to TDC and see if it will start. I have a 50/50 chance. I didn't see anything obvious with the mechanical advance when I pulled things apart that would cause my timing to be 10 degrees out, but a tight new distributor should help things out.
June 9
Not much time for anything when I work until 6:30. I did manage to look at the aircleaner and figure out why it's interfering with the throttle. It's interfering with the arm for the bowl vent plug. The arm is actuated by the accelerator pump linkage, so I adjusted that to keep the plug arm from contacting the aircleaner. I mentioned my base timing to the engine guy here and he figures my mechanical advance might be sticking. That would explain why my idle is suddenly higher. I would have replaced my distributor before, but the shaft had only a little play in it. Remanufactured distributors are only about $50, so I might just order one and be done with it.
June 8
I managed to take the Mustang out for a drive. I checked the timing before I started it and the base timing is now close to 20 degrees BTDC. I should perhaps back that off a bit. I drove it down the highway to get it warmed up before further adjusting the carburator and had a hubcap fly off (damn I hate those things). After I got it warmed up, I went to lower the idle to something more reasonable than 1800 and noticed that it dropped the moment I loosened the aircleaner. It dropped further and idled a bit rought when I took the cover off. I figure my aircleaner is partially interfering with the linkage because when I drove it through town later on I could get the idle to settle down by pulling up on the throttle with my tow. I might have to replace the stock aircleaner with a smaller round one so I can tune the carburator with the aircleaner on. Maybe then I could sell the old stock aircleaner. From what I saw in the catalogs, replacement stock aircleaners are more than $200.
June 4
I put the hubcaps on the Mustang and started messing with the transmission bits. I need to assemble everything to see what I'm missing or need to replace. I might even try bolting it to the 302 block and crank. but I'd have to build a bench of some sort to do that.
June 2
I sprayed the last coat of rattle can gloss black on the Mustang hood and passenger fender. I definitely prefer the Krylon paint over the Rustoleum. The Rustoleum nozzle has a lousy spray pattern. I was thinking of adding a layer of clear coat, but the only reason I'm doing this is for the dents to stand out so I can fix them before going with a real paint job. I should try some wet sanding or buffing to see just how shiny I can get a rattle can paint job to be.
June 1
There was a guy in Oklahoma City selling a 3-spd transmission with a bell housing and all the clutch bits out of a '65 Mustang with a 289. The transmission looked pretty good, so I bought all his parts.
May 26
The Mustang got driven around a couple times. I drove it into town on Saturday and the wife took it on Sunday to get groceries. For some reason the idle speed is way up. I had it down to about 800 when I was trying to tune it, but it was up to 2000 RPM on Saturday. It seems to be running smoother, so maybe the carburator was gunked up from sitting and has now cleared itself out. The fast idle isn't sticking and none of the screws seems to have come loose. I'll have to double check the timing, lower the RPM and readjust the idle mixture screws.
May 19
I messed around a bit with the choke on the Mustang last night. I blew out the lines for the choke stove, so hopefully the choke pull-off piston won't get plugged up again. I have a bit more adjusting too do, but it's getting closer.
May 18
I did a bit more work on the Mustang. I finished putting the plug wires on and adjusted the accelerator pump linkage to give a big shot of gas up front before the power valve opens. After that, I started it up and backed out of the shop to wash it. My windshield still leaks on the passenger side and the rear window leaks on the driver side. Atleast it doesn't look like it's been in a barn for ten years. I went for a short drive to get it warmed up so I could tune the carburator. On the way back, I stopped on a bridge and punched it. Not only did the tire peel, but it gave a healthy chirp when I let off the gas and the tranny shifted into second. I opened the mixure screws back up to 2.5 turns and lowered the idle speed to 600 RPM. Now that the idle is properly in the idle circuit, it seems to surge and sputter a bit, but not as bad as before. The vacuum is jumping around a bit. I'll have to figure out what's going on there. I might have a vacuum leak, who knows. In the meantime, I'll check my base timing again to make sure it's between 6 and 10 degrees BTDC and try to get the choke working better.
May 15
I've got all the spark plug wires on the Mustang now, so I can try them out. I should have replaced my spark plugs too. Maybe I cracked an insulator taking them in and out.
May 12
I picked up some Mustang bits on the way home last night. I got some spark plug wire separators, the plastic clips for securing the underhood wiring, a new instrument panel bezel and a gas cap. The mustang on the old gas cap had a broken tail, but the mustang on the new gas cap is upside down, so I'll have to get that exchanged.
May 11
I drove the Mustang into Wichita to run in a 10k race Saturday morning. After the race I picked up new plug wires for the Mustang and sandpaper for my birthday airtools. For plug wires, I got the do-it-yourself Accel ones that you trim to size and install the distributor ends on. The first one was a complete pain, but the second one went easier. I'll pick up some wire separators that clip to the valve covers tonight to make the plug wires nice and neat (as neat as bright yellow wires on a blue engine can be). Last night I tried out the line sander and orbital sander that I got for my birthday on some of the bondo at the back of the car. They work pretty good. I'm looking forward to doing a bit of bodywork now.
May 5
I took the Mustang for a short drive. Considering my recent luck with chainsaws, trucks and computers I was a bit afraid to start it, but it did fire up. It stalled a few times and ran rather crappy until it got warmed up. It still bogged down a bit when I gave it just a bit of throttle. When I got back I tried adjusting my idle mixture screws, but got zapped by a leaky plug wire. I'll have to get those fixed before I try too much else. I advanced the timing a bit as well.
May 1
I primed and painted the rain gutters last night. Now I just have to pick up some sealant and fill them.
April 30
I even got a bit of Mustang work done. I masked off around the side windows and windshield so I can prime, paint and seal the rain gutters. That's pretty much where I left off last fall when the timing chain sprocket failed. Once the rain gutters are sealed up, I'll be able to wash the car without the interior getting wet. Once I can wash it, I can spray bomb the primer areas gloss black so I can see what body work I need to do.
April 27
I took the Mustang for a drive on Saturday. I went to Newton and filled up with gas. The last time I got gas the car didn't want to start. That was the beginning of my timing sprocket and eventual camshaft problems. I was at the same station and very same pump as last time, so I was scared shitless the car wouldn't start, but it did, so I went to the parts place and got some tranny fluid and spray paint. The parts place was getting rid of their Krylon brand gloss black, so I picked up three cans for a cent each. On the way home the engine stalled, so I messed around with that a bit. It stumbles alot when I step on the gas quick, so I reduced the accelarator pump shot. That helped a bit, but it still wants to stall if I just slightly open the throttle. The idle seem pretty good, but I still should properly set the idle mixture screws. The last time I adjusted them was when my camshaft was disintegrating. My ignition timing is right on spec, but with the different cam it might run better if I advance it a bit. I'll try advancing that a bit too as long as it doesn't knock or ping.
April 24
No interesting car stuff. I crawled under the Mustang to see if my rear end vibration was in the driveshaft. No looseness there. I'll have to get the wheels balanced and see if it goes away.
April 21
I got the Mustang out on the road again last night. It took a bit of cranking to get it to fire up. I suspect after sitting over a week the carburator bowl must have been dry. I'll have to take the carburator apart again and see if I can raise the fuel level up a bit. It ran pretty crappy until the engine got hot, then it went pretty good. I'll have to adjust the throttle pump mechanism. It tends to bog the engine down when I flog it.
April 16
Nothing new for me. I put the new oil in the Mustang, but that is about it. I'll see if I can drive it this weekend. Although it is supposed to be rainy for the next few days. I'd like to get about 1000 miles on the engine before I park it to do body work. I could start on a bit of the body work where I don't have to remove lights and the bumpers. I'll pick up some spray cans to paint any bare metal I uncover as I sand off the existing bondo. I should get a hold of the guy I was going to get to do the painting and at least get an estimate from him.
April 13
Saturday I was back on the Mustang. I tried advancing the timing a bit until it fired up and ran. I should just set the base timing properly by disconnecting the plug wires other than No. 1 and be done with it, but I'm too nervous to trying turning the key, so I use adjusting the timing as an excuse to start it. Once it was running the carburator started overflowing. I shut it down, took the top of the carburator and disconnected the plug wire to the coil. I cranked it over and watched the carb bowl overfill and some air bubbles come out of the float valve. I replaced the float valve with one in my carb overhaul kit and readjusted the float for a lower fuel level. Then I tightened the clamps on my fuel line leading to the pump and checked the whole line for leaks and any contact spots with the exhaust. I figure the rubber line to the fuel pump must have loosened when I pushed the pump to the side when I pulled the motor out. I disconnected power to the coil (I had some pretty impressive arcing when I cranked it over the the plug wire off) and tried it again. The adjusted float and new float valve worked. I let it run for awhile as I put the aircleaner on and did some last minute inspections. After that I backed it down the ramp and took it for a couple tentative test drives. Everything looked good, so I took it on a nice 50 mile drive. The rear end has a howl to it that I'll have to keep listening to, but the bearing noise is gone. The engine also bogs down when I tromp on the gas, but it makes nice power and doesn't stall. I'll have to balance my wheels as well. But other than that it went pretty good. Saturday night I drained the oil. I'll pick up new oil and a filter and hopefully I can get the last of the timing and carburator tuning done this week.
April 6
I put the hood on the Mustang Friday night and started getting things ready to try starting it. Saturday afternoon I pre-oiled the engine and put the distributer in. I eyed it up the best I could and then put the timing light on it. It seemed to light only when I turned the distributer ccw which would mean the rotor is turning backwards. I got my dad to crank the engine over and I couldn't see any timing marks. After a second attempt, I saw that it was about 45 degrees ATDC. I advanced it as much as I could until the vacuum advance was pressing against the fuel line. I cranked it over a third time and it was about 20 degrees ATDC. I didn't get a very good look at it because the engine was trying run. I pulled the distributer back out, turned the rotor one tooth ccw and put it back in. Then it was lighting in the right direction. I turned it over and it was a few degreed ATDC. The engine really wanted to start then. I put the throttle return spring on and increased the idle speed screw as much as it would go. Then I turned the distributer a bit more and cranked it over again. It was right on TDC and the engine ran. I loosened the radiator cap and let it run. It had revving for about 15 minutes when I noticed gas coming out of the carburator vent. I shut it off and the pressure in the coolant shot the loosened cap off. Thinking my carburator float was stuck, I took the top of the carburator, but the float was fine. I put the carb back together, topped up the coolant and started it back up. It ran for about 10 minutes before I had gas coming out the carburator again. I watched it for a bit before shutting it down and noticed that it looked like the gas was boiling. The engine was hot, but not boiling over. I let some of the pressure off and heard a bit of bubbling in the engine, but not much. Both the upper and lower rad hoses felt the same temperature to the touch, so I know the thermostat was opening. The carburator, fuel line and fuel pump all felt hot, but not excessively. After letting things cool off for awhile, I started it back up again. I checked the exhaust and it looked nice and clear, no blue smoke from unseated rings. The valves weren't ticking either. I checked the timing and with the vacuum advance off it was at about 6 degrees before TDC at 1400 rpm. The manual says with a base timing of 0, the centrifugal advance should be at 8.75 to 10 degrees, so with the correct base timing of 6 degrees, it should have been 16 degrees BTDC. I advanced the ignition and the RPM picked up nicely, but before I could put the timing light on it, the carburator was boiling. By then I was hungry, so I went in for a snack and that was the end of my afternoon.
April 2
More pulling on the Mustang hood dent. Where the hinge bolts up is reinforced on the inside with a welded nutplate strap that I need to bend to get the buckle out. Using a cylinder head and horse feed as weights didn't work, so I took the hood out and held it between two fence posts and used the slide hammer on it there. That worked a bit better, but not quite enough. I have something else to try and if that doesn't work, I'll put it on with a shim under the hinge.
April 1
I banged on my hood a bit more, but that was about it. A bag of horse feed and an old cylinder head make good weights. I'll have to do some more banging tonight. Considering I need to use a pipewrench to push the hood hinge down against the spring, the hood is pretty strong where the hinge bolts up. It will probably take a whole lot of banging to get that dent out. Maybe I'll just put some effort into detailing the engine, so if my car is ever in a show, I can just leave the hood open and nobody will know that it doesn't close right.
Mar 31
I did a bit of work on the Mustang hood. The driver side is slightly bent so it doesn't close completely. Somebody in the past tried to close it when the hinge was seized causing a bend in the hood and a buckle in the inner reinforcement. There is a newer looking hinge on the driver side now. I put a bolt in the forward nut and tried pulling it with little success. I'll have to get some sandbags to hold the hood down and try pulling harder.
Mar 26
I got the dust cover for the bell housing put on along with the wheels, but that was about it. Tonight I'll jack it down and get ready to put the hood on. I'll have to try straightening it first.
Mar 25
I got out to the shop briefly last night. I packed the driver side front wheel bearings with grease and put the drum back on. The manual says to tighten the nut to 17-20 ft-lbs and turn it back to install the cotter pin, but I just tighten it by hand so the bearings aren't loaded too much. The wheels aren't loose, so it should be okay. I did some up and down looseness in the driver side upper ball joint, but that was gone after I put some grease into the joint. I'll have to get a wheel alignment done on it. If any ball joints get picked up during an alignment, I deal with them then.
Mar 23
I got a bit of work done on the Mustang, but I'm not ready to start it yet. I got the fan and pulleys on and the upper rad hose in. I filled it with coolant and tightened up the hoses. I added the oil too. I was worried about the timing being 180 degrees out, so I stuck my finger in #1 cylinder and turned it over. I did have it right, but I thought it was wrong when I felt some compression on the top of the exhaust stroke. I figure the empty valve lifter is just letting the exhaust valve close before TDC. After that I put in the diagonal braces on the shock towers, put the spark plugs in and repacked the passenger side front wheel bearings. All I have left before I start it is to repack the driver side front wheel bearings, put the front tires on, put the hood and bell housing dust cover on. Then I can pre-oil the engine and set the timing.
Mar 19
I found a guy selling a used vintange Mustang clutch and brake pedal set-up. I'll buy that off him tonight for $75 and start collecting all the bits to eventually install a manual transmission. If I can find the rest of the parts in fairly good condition for cheap, I'll get it otherwise I'll look at putting in a transmission and clutch from a '80s Mustang.
Last night I got the radiator and lower rad hose in, but that was about it.
Mar 18
I got the alternator and oil pressure sending unit installed last night. I was about to start on the radiator when I ran out of time.
Mar 17
I got a bit of time in last night on the Mustang. On the way home I stopped and picked up the nuts for the torque converter studs and the tiny c-clip for installing the vacuum advance. I got the torque converter nuts installed and the tiny c-clip along with my fuel pump and water pump. The alternator, radiator, fan and pulleys should be going in soon along with the shock tower braces and hood and it should be ready to run this weekend.
Mar 16
Friday afternoon, I made a pair of transmission alignment pins and put the engine in. That was a bit more difficult than expected. It would have helped if I could have had the engine tilted to match the transmission. It's a good thing 289s are relatively light and there's lots of standing room in a Mustang engine bay for the necessary lifting. I guess that what the load levelers are for. Saturday was less productive. All I got done was torque up the transmission bolts and engine mount bolts and paint the inside of the aircleaner. Sunday was good. I started putting stuff on working from the bottom back to the front top. I got the starter in and the exhaust manifolts on followed by the carburator and fuel pump. I couldn't get the fuel pump bolted in with the lobe pushing down on the lever, so I'll have to turn the engine over to move the cam. I'll have to do that when I put the rest of the torque converter nuts on which hopefully I can pick up tonight. I also painted the outside of the aircleaner, the waterpump and the carb spacer. Everything is nice and shiny blue. I got carried away by the shiny part and actually tried buffing my old distributer.
Mar 9
I got a bit of progress on the Mustang. On Friday, I torqued up the bolts on the rear axles and put the rear drums and wheels back on. On the engine, I removed the thermostat housing to drill a small hole in the thermostat so any trapped air in the engine could escape. When I was putting it back together I noticed that the thermostat had been installed backwards. That might have been the cause of my occasional overheat issues.
On Sunday, I got my engine painted and started priming my air cleaner.
Mar 6
I got my engine all cleaned up, taped over the stuff I didn't want painted and got it primed. On Sunday it will be ready to paint. Maybe tonight or tomorrow, I will put the drums and wheels back on and all the other piddly stuff I need to do like buy oil and zinc additive.
Mar 2
It was too cold this weekend, so I got nothing done. I put the intake manifold on the 289, but that was it, no painting, no brakes.
Feb 26
I didn't do much last night other than bolting the oil pan onto the 289. I didn't think it would take long, but by the time I cleaned all the surfaces, put on sealant and then torqued up all the bolts it was almost 45 minutes. I didn't torque the bolts as tight as their supposed to be either. I tightened them until the cork gasket began to squish out. If it leaks, I'll crawl underneat and torque them up the rest of the way.
Feb 25
Now that I no longer think my camshaft is wonky, I put my oil pump and oil pump pickup on. I wanted to have some oil in the pump to prime it, so I tried pouring some oil into the block where the pump bolts up then when I turn the engine over the oil will run back down into the pump. All that did is run out by the filter attachment. Funny how I forgot about that. Those oil passages are short. I might try it again by turning the engine on its side and pouring a bit of oil in the hole by the filter. I'll do that after the pan is on, naturally.
Feb 24
I turned the 289 upside down to see if I could tell where the lifters are contacting on the lobes, but I couldn't see much. The grease smears and the contact rub area at the top of the lobes seem to show that it contacts in the center, but I can't be sure. I'll have to check for something on lobe taper on the internet.
There, now I feel better. Much better. That is pretty much the exact pattern I saw in my moly lube.
Page of Car Book on Google
Feb 23
Friday afternoon was nice and warm, so I set up a heat lamp and heater around the engine and finished tightening the last of my rocker arms before priming and painting the block. As I got the last of the cylinders done, I started noticing that the engine didn't turn smoothly like it was before. It seemed to feel like something was scraping. I marked the top of each valve lifter with a bit of white grease and turned the engine over to see if the lifters would spin. None of them did. It was worse than when I was taking the Summit cam out. I turned the heaters off and covered the engine with my plastic garbage bag.
I returned to the Mustang Sunday afternoon. I put the new rear axle seal with lots of sealant. I had some extra time, so I put the axle shaft in too. Good thing I did, because once it was in, I found that I hadn't put the seal in far enough an it was rubbing on the bearing retainer.
Feb 18
I made a bit of progress too. I put all my valve lifters and push rods in along with my rocker arms and nuts. I used as much lubricant as I could. I put everything on there but KY and Vaseline. I put red assembly lube in the lifter holes, rocker studs and ends of the push rods. Before putting the lifters in I dipped the camshaft ends into my moly lube followed by a dip in engine oil. I also put moly lube on the rocker fulcrums and the top of the valves. Once everthing was put in, I turned the engine to No. 1 TDC and tightened down the No. 1 rocker nuts. I'll do the rest tonight, make sure that all the lifters are spinning right when the cam rotates and then I can bolt on my intake manifold. Maybe this weekend I can be painting the engine and drop it back into the car. I still need to build some guide pins to help align the engine with the transmission.
Feb 13
My rear axle seal wasn't in, so all I could do was bolt the other head on.
Feb 12
I ordered new rocker arms and an oil pickup tube for the engine and a new seal for the rear axle. The seal should be in this afternoon. The engine parts will be in next Monday. As for actual work, I did get one head put on the engine, but that was it.
Feb 11
My new slide hammer arrived from Northern Tool last night. Worked pretty slick at getting that rear axle seal out. After trying that out, I gave my dial indicator a try. That worked pretty good too. The TDC indication between the balancer and timing cover is right on TDC. I would have put the heads on too, but it was getting late. Tonight I have rocker arms, and oil pump pickup and maybe and rear axle seal to pick up.
Feb 10
Last night I double checked my timing and even took a picture of it so I'll always know I double checked it. I didn't want any nagging doubt about my valve timing being off. Then I put the timing cover on and harmonic balancer. I had the engine covered up and was on my way in when I remembered the oil slinger. Fortunately, I didn't see an oil slinger on the work bench and when I pushed up on the plastic under the engine, I could feel the sharp edge of the slinger beside the timing chain sprocket.
Feb 9
I had a fairly productive weekend. I put all the rings on all the pistons, got them all into the engine and put the timing chain on. The oil control rings were a bit of a pain. On the first piston, I didn't put the spacer in right and it overlapped a bit which pushed the rings out too far on one side. It took a while to figure out what was going on. Then when I was putting the pisons into the block, the lower ring would pop out from underneath the ring compressor. By cylinder #8 I had that figured out as well. The timing chain went smoothly except for having to push the lower sprocket onto the camshaft with the harmonic balancer and then realizing that the camshaft alignment pin was too short to engage the fuel pump sprocket. In the end the pin was not too short, instead the camshaft had slid into the engine a bit.
The next task is to put the timing cover on and then the harmonic balancer. Then I can check the harmonic balancer to make sure the TDC mark is indeed TDC and the heads can go on. I'd put the oil pan on as well, but I still need to get a new oil pump pick-up tube. I'd reuse the old one, but considering all the plastic crap that came off my old timing sprocket and the metal bits from my cam, I don't want to risk wrecking my engine over a $15 part.
Feb 5
My dial indicator arrived last night, so there's nothing else to hold me up from putting my motor together, other than time. I pulled my torque converter off last night to check the condition of the front seal. The seal looks new. That transmission must of had some work done to it in the last few years. Who knows, maybe it will last me awhile. It was a pain putting the torque converter back on. I had to monkey around with it awhile to get it to slide all the way in. From what I've been told the torque converters often get pulled out a bit while removing the engine and then don't slide back in right when the engine is put back in causing damage to the transmission.
Feb 2
I picked up my engine block and parts from the machinist Friday afternoon. The gaskets, camshaft and bearings are all the EngineTech professional brand they use, so nothing had any instructions or moly lube provided with it. The machinists did provide a thick oil to use on the bearings and some special moly for the ARP connecting rod studs along with some hand written instructions on torquing the studs, but that was about it. Friday night I cleaned out my oil pan with some diesel to get rid of the metal bits from the last camshaft.
Saturday morning I ordered a dial indicator from Summit for checking my TDC on the balancer and a slide hammer from Northern Tool for attempt #3 at pulling my axle oil seal. The dial indicator should be in this week, but the slide hammer won't be in until the end of February. That means whatever I do, I won't be back on the road until March.
Saturday I managed to get the block onto the engine stand and took my oil pan to a car was to wash out the last of the camshaft bits.
Sunday I got the camshaft and crankshaft in. The machinist suggested I put the camshaft in first, so I could make sure cam lobes stay lubricated after going in the block. I think they were worried I'd wreck this one after the last one came apart. The crankshaft went in well with a clearance of just under 0.002". I was about to start on the piston rings when I noticed that it was getting late.
Jan 22
I picked up a slide hammer from Harbour Freight last night and the damn thing doesn't work. The end is too small to grab onto my seal. It's only good for pilot bearings. O'Reilly's doesn't carry them except as dent pullers. I'll have to see if I can order one online. I just got a call regarding my engine. I guess the 289 is all done and ready to pick up.
Jan 20
I tried pulling the rear axle seal using my new seal tool only to break the tool. I'll have to get a slide hammer after all.
Jan 16
I was thinking of tattoos last night and have decided that if I don't have the Mustang done by my 40th birthday, I'm going to have a chrome horse tattood onto my arm. That's a year from this May. I'm deathly afraid of needles and pain, so I'm considering it motivation. I just have to figure out what is "done". Maybe if it's not ready for a car show by May 2010, I get the tattoo.
Jan 14
I dropped off my 289 parts and picked up my 302 parts from the machinist. While I was there I got to see my cleaned up block and heads. It's easier to see the new valve guides and seats once the heads are cleaned up.
Jan 13
I got a call yesterday about my engine. The heads are good, they just need spring shims and new valves with a bit of grinding. The heads already had new valve guides and hardened valve seats. The cylinders cleaned up at 0.030" and the crank bores were good and lined up. The block decks need to be worked to remove a low spot where they had been sanding too vigorously when the heads were installed. My 302 crank won't clean up though, so I have to take my 289 crank and rods in instead. The machinist can also order my parts for me for $276 which would include a new oil pump and all my gaskets. All told I'm looking at $1479.
Jan 9
I dropped off my engine stuff last night. The mechanic figured my 289 had quite a few miles on it from looking at the sludge build up and the condition of the camshaft bearings. From what he saw on the valves, he figured the heads might have already been redone once. He also said I'd need to use the 302 harmonic balancer and flywheel with the 302 crankshaft. Unfortunately the 302 harmonic balancer won't fit my pulley and the flywheel I have is probably for the bigger C6 transmission starter location. I should buy a new balancer and flywheel anyways since the 289 balancer is pretty old and the fly wheel has a few chipped teeth.
Jan 8
I got all my engine parts loaded on the truck last night to take to the machinist today.
Jan 5
I didn't get much done over Christmas, but the Mustang got floor mats, an owner's manual and a fender cover. I got a new bearing put on the Mustang axle. I'll have to get a hydraulic press sometime so I can do that stuff myself. Now I just have to replace the seal and put the axle back in. I was hoping to get that done over Christmas, but I couldn't get the seal or a bearing puller.
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