A New Cam

As I mentioned in the last post we recently discovered that the cam was ruined in the Mustang.  My dad surprised me by buying a new cam and lifters and having them installed in the Mustang recently.  He also got a set of Mustang branded wheels and newer tires for it as well.  We took it out for a spin and it's sounding and driving much better than before.  He swapped the valve covers with some off of a different motor, but because the baffle in the breather had been removed they were spraying oil out at high RPMs.  We'll be putting the chrome ones back on after they're cleaned up a little bit.  There's still a lot of work to be done, but it does seem doable at this point.  The vibration that I've mentioned in the past is the next item to be tackled.  Here's to a Mustang homecoming sooner rather than later.

Good News and Bad News

It's really hard to believe it's been over two years since I've posted anything.  But that's how it goes.  Project cars get put on the back burner and life happens.  Since the last post there's been some good news and some bad news.  The good news is we've moved and we have a garage now.  Once the Mustang is in a little better shape it can come home to our house.  The bad news is the cam has gone out on the engine causing it to run really poorly.  My uncle recommended we rebuild the whole motor, but that's going to cost a few thousand dollars.  That certainly won't happen anytime soon.  My dad has been pricing cams though and trying to figure out what size and style to get.  I really liked the sound that was caused by the previous cam and we're hoping to get something similar going forward.  In the meantime my dad did let me know that he's installed a new radiator.  It's always good to have proper cooling in place so you don't risk overheating the engine.  Stay tuned for a future update on the cam.  (hopefully it'll be sooner than two years)

What’s that I see??

Why it’s a garage!  No, I didn’t get a garage.  But my dad did.  The antique insurance doesn’t require that it be in a garage on your property, only that it’s garage kept.  So since it now spends it’s time in this garage I can add the antique/classic car insurance.  Hopefully I’ll be able to get that finalized soon and we can get back to work on this thing.  Next steps are pulling out the carpet and trying to figure out what’s causing the vibration.  It’d be nice to get it to work one day before winter comes, but I don’t know how feasible that is at this point.

One Giant Leap

Today is a pretty big day in the life of the Mustang. I finally got to drive it after getting it back out of the shop. I can't begin to tell you how fun it was. There is a huge list of things that were completed on the car.

The biggest hurdle of course was the brakes! All new drums were put on the car along with new wheel cylinders and shoes. (We decided to stick with the drum brakes and do the disc conversion later.) The rubber portions of the brake lines were replaced. The master cylinder was removed, cut, and welded to better fit against the firewall. Lots of components, such as stabilizer and control arms, were replaced.

I also made my first purchase from CJ Pony Parts. I picked up two headlights, a rear view mirror, and a shifter boot. They seem like a great company. They have very reasonable prices and shipping is always free!

Also we're still having some issues with the starter. At the garage they custom fitted a gear reduction starter, but it would always overspin and make a "zing" noise after starting. We ended up having the other starter rebuilt and went back with it. The trouble is after you drive the car and get it up to temperature it has a hard time starting. Hopefully we can just get a bigger battery and not have to continue dealing with this.

The car is really running like a champ. While in the garage the plugs were replaced and the valves were adjusted. The timing was also set. It's running very smooth now compared to some of the previous videos I've posted.

The next steps are eliminating a vibration, a bigger battery and radiator, and upholstery work. There's a slight vibration in the car when driving it. We're thinking it's the drive shaft and are going to try replacing it first. Hopefully that'll take care of it. The current radiator in the car is for a 289 motor, but we're concerned it won't be enough cooling. If you've ever driven a car that has a tendency to run hot, you know it's very nerve racking. It can also be very expensive if you don't realize it's gotten hot. As for the upholstery work, the carpet needs to be replaced and the seats need to be recovered. There could also be some body work to be done to the floor pan. We won't know how serious it is until we get the carpet and seats out. The rear seats look OK, so we'll probably just recover the front ones at this point. The carpet and seats are over $500 in parts, so that might be a while. Oh, and don't forget that it still can't come home until I get some sort of garage built for it. Until then, enjoy the video.

The New Tag

 

I got my new tag in the mail this past Saturday.  Now if we could only get the car finished so I can put it on and drive it.

At this point the car very much reminds me of “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”.  I thought in the beginning that if I got the brakes and carb fixed I’d be golden.  Turns out it needs a lot more work than that.  I recently found out the starter is no good and the radiator is probably too small.  “If you fix the mustangs carb it’s probably going to need a new…”

On the Road Again

Well, after 35 years the Mustang is on the road again (sorta). My Dad and I transferred the title this past week and I went ahead and got the tags for it while we were there. The tags you see in the video are just temporary until the personalized plate arrives. Thankfully because of the age the Mustang doesn't have to pass inspection. As you can see the brake lights and backup lights still need a little work on one side. We tried to take it on a maiden voyage but had a little hiccup. We'll give it another try soon.

Down But Not Out

I borrowed the HD camera from work and was hoping to get some good footage of the mustang running. Unfortunately the battery was dead. I'll try again soon.

The biggest holdup at this point is I found out that in order to insure it with a classic insurance company you have to have it garage kept. I don't currently have a garage so that's going to be an issue. I'm trying to find some old buildings to tear down or some used lumber to throw something together. Any ideas?