[Eric Quarnstrom]

My daughter who's 20 at the time I'm writing this has never really been into any of my car projects but after returning from her Army AIT training (helicopter mechanic) decided she wanted a classic car project. After questioning her repeatedly and getting her to agree to pay for 1/2, I decided she was serious.

After attending the Good Guys show in Puyallup, her car of choice was identified: '66 Mustang.

Having mostly GM or import vehicles for the majority of my life, a Mustang was new to me but I fancy myself a car lover more than a specific manufacturer loyalist. Anyhow, after craigslist searching for a couple of months, one finally popped up near where I work for what I considered a fair price so we checked it out. Turns out it was better than I had expected which also caused me some initial angst.

Originally I was looking for just a shell to throw a modern drivetrain in but when we found an original A code car that had spent the majority of its life in Arizona (translate that into minimal rust for a PNW car), I couldn't bring myself to separate the drivetrain from its original home. The car ran well on its trip home (which is odd for my projects) so that solidified the decision to keep the original engine.

Anyhow, the goal of this build is to spend some quality time with my daughter while getting her a reliable classic Mustang to drive and enjoy. I'll keep the posts that follow more to the technical details.

 

[subpar63]

Sounds like a fun project with a great goal of family time.

Do realize though we all like lots of pictures!

Looking forward to your thread posts.

John

 

[Eric Quarnstrom]

As purchased

Here's a picture on the day we picked it up.

<img src="https://9zjfna.bn.files.1drv.com/y4mBQ3qsWD64WQhzChHjLoWud3i4ZyDPfx3TuxRtV_1ooOGrLwPHYKkSW4lElSh21EnzIultR6VpkNyhSR7AY5ZE-Z80NpyUZ-l9_VlQkqvLT6KL1NvEPADWkrjEHDQyUCJR5e1IUIgZLHdCtuoH3cE3c6G0zCcXPJ8NBp5ew_s-7ut5PPybkA5wpmqnapFKb47FF8pVlezuFN47R1ibO_X1g?width=660&height=495&cropmode=none" width="660" height="495" />

 

[Eric Quarnstrom]

Sounds like a fun project with a great goal of family time.

Do realize though we all like lots of pictures!

Looking forward to your thread posts.

John

Thanks, John.

Yeah, I know pictures are required. I was just figuring out how to get links to my OneDrive to work. I think I've got it so here come a few.

 

[Eric Quarnstrom]

The Wiring Scared Me.

While the car started and ran without issue, the wiring... well... frankly... it scared me.

<img src="https://9zjina.bn.files.1drv.com/y4mt9hcVldX7o19lVvtpak46iI_jmTidg_0cpb81ZK02zW-H2QVteoT8A6TT19vHcFpw4H0T3fB48r4usaSUmIiwYmFE5Y9G63u88CNICYkdKpUZwCFN6LTZ_AynFh_0BtYgmheeQYtC1dW7bQx01rXyG1XO88vATFmD3hsgVufMZY8QYEZ-GnNFmIEQSr4MNlh53_zaOQiEoxgbujaVjEEsg?width=660&height=495&cropmode=none" width="660" height="495" />

It had been hacked on multiple times and there were a number of bare wires that were hot with the key on and the previous owner said he had been trying to track down a parasitic loss that would drain that battery after a few days.

Since we also had plans to upgrade or add electronics to make the ride a bit more modern we decided to completely upgrade the wiring harness and ended up going with the American Autowire Classic Update Kit.

 

[Eric Quarnstrom]

One thing leads to another.

The wiring harness kit is nice but one thing I didn't realize before ordering is that it was designed for a Ford 3G alternator. Looks like an alternator upgrade is on the list as well.

Thanks to the many great threads on this site on this topic, I ordered the following parts:
- Ultima Select 130 Amp Alternator - New Part # N111735A
- BWD 3 Wire Alternator Connector Part # PT754
- 2x MasterPro V-Belt Part # 7405
- Tuff Stuff 7610F Dual Belt Alternator Pulley
- Scott Drake Battery Cable Heavy Duty Set 1965-1966
- Scott Drake Alternator Spacer Aluminum Gold 289/302 1966-1969
- 4 AWG Gauge Red + Black Pure Copper Battery Inverter Cables Solar, RV, Car, Boat 12 in 3/8 + 5/16 in Lugs
- Fastronix 5/16" - 1/4" Stud Terminal Cover 2 Pack (Red)
- Scott Drake Alternator Bracket Black Set 260/289/302 1965-1969

Most of the items above are self-explanatory but I will elaborate on a few of them.

The inverter cables were simply a cheap, off the shelf way for me to get a couple extra 4 ga ground straps. One goes from the back of the alternator to the block and the other goes from the negative battery terminal to the radiator mounting point. I slid some black heat shrink over the red one so as to not have it look like a power cable going to ground... pet peeve of mine.

The alternator bracket and spacer where so I could switch over from the California air pump mounting system cuz the new alternator would hit part of the air pump bracket before dropping low enough to align with the lower mounting/adjusting bolt. I can't tell you how long it took me to figure out why my alternator bracket looked so much different than the majority of those that an image search turns up, lol. Here's a picture of the old mounting bracket.

Eric Q.

 

[Israel]

Welcome, I’ll be following.

 

[2nd 66]

Nice find ,but yeah the wiring looks kinda scary You'll want this
Vintage Mustang Wiring Diagrams

1966 Mustang Wiring Diagrams - Average Joe Restoration
FWIW some of us dig the patina
http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/vintage-mustang-forum/1037513-distressed-look-petina-mustangs.html

 

[BlakeTX]

Welcome!

I hope one day I’m in a similar position. My daughter turns 12 this week, so I’ve got some time. Enjoy the process!

 

[Eric Quarnstrom]

Thanks for the links 2nd 66. It's nice to have them handy in my build thread.

Not sure on the patina thing yet... time & money will probably dictate how much we like that look :wink:. As long as it's safe (stops properly, doesn't catch on fire) and reliable for my daughter, the paint can wait.

The car came Wimbleton White but was painted blue and then white again at different points in its life. You can find all three layers in places.

 

[Caper50]

Very nice find, I like the distressed look as well. Looking forward to following along as well.

 

[Eric Quarnstrom]

Welcome!

I hope one day I’m in a similar position. My daughter turns 12 this week, so I’ve got some time. Enjoy the process!

You can lead a kid to projects but you can't make them interested. :smile2: Be patient and let it be her decision.

It's funny what conversations come up when two people are together in a confined spot for a while w/o electronic devices.

Best of luck.

 

[Eric Quarnstrom]

Alternator Modifications

Here are a couple pictures of the 3G alternator with the dual belt pulley and the wiring connections hooked up.

Yeah, the charge cable is the stock 8 ga with a fusible link that came with the American Autowire harness. The tech support guy from AutoWire said it is good for 120 Amps so I'll eventually be upgrading it to 4 ga as well but as I don't expect to be pulling over ~60 amps for a while, I'm letting it roll.

 

[Eric Quarnstrom]

One thing leads to another, part II

As mentioned earlier, we have plans for more electrical draw so the alternator upgrade wasn't a killer. One of those additions is fuel injection. After a fair amount of research (honestly the one that influenced me the most, BTW was

) we settled on the FiTech Go EFI 4 – 600 HP System. I'll elaborate on it in a future post as it is yet to be installed.

The FiTech unit requires its own temperature sensor but as I still wanted to maintain the gauge in the dash, a second sensor and installation point was needed. Luckily adding a second port is as easy as purchasing this Thermostat Housing With Threaded Port 260/289/302/351W 1965-1973.

As Emily was removing hoses to change out the existing thermostat housing we ran across corroded connections on the water pump.

Since we're pretty much in the 'if it needs replaced, do it' mode, we hit pause until we could get a replacement water pump. After some good input from folks on this forum, we should have our replacement sometime this week. Until then, I think I'm caught up with the progress.

 

[Eitelbj]

Here's a picture on the day we picked it up.

<img src="https://9zjfna.bn.files.1drv.com/y4mBQ3qsWD64WQhzChHjLoWud3i4ZyDPfx3TuxRtV_1ooOGrLwPHYKkSW4lElSh21EnzIultR6VpkNyhSR7AY5ZE-Z80NpyUZ-l9_VlQkqvLT6KL1NvEPADWkrjEHDQyUCJR5e1IUIgZLHdCtuoH3cE3c6G0zCcXPJ8NBp5ew_s-7ut5PPybkA5wpmqnapFKb47FF8pVlezuFN47R1ibO_X1g?width=660&height=495&cropmode=none" width="660" height="495" />

Looks like a great project. Congrats - I hope you both enjoy it. The car reminds me a lot of my 66 when I picked it up last summer - also a California car.

 

[Eric Quarnstrom]

I see the similarity. Post a link to your build thread when you get going.

 

[Rowdy]

Awesome! looking forward to following along.

 

[jerrytotin]

As mentioned earlier, we have plans for more electrical draw so the alternator upgrade wasn't a killer. One of those additions is fuel injection. After a fair amount of research (honestly the one that influenced me the most, BTW was Nashville Early Bronco) we settled on the FiTech Go EFI 4 – 600 HP System. I'll elaborate on it in a future post as it is yet to be installed.



The FiTech unit requires its own temperature sensor but as I still wanted to maintain the gauge in the dash, a second sensor and installation point was needed. Luckily adding a second port is as easy as purchasing this Thermostat Housing With Threaded Port 260/289/302/351W 1965-1973.



As Emily was removing hoses to change out the existing thermostat housing we ran across corroded connections on the water pump.

Since we're pretty much in the 'if it needs replaced, do it' mode, we hit pause until we could get a replacement water pump. After some good input from folks on this forum, we should have our replacement sometime this week. Until then, I think I'm caught up with the progress.

I would look into the MDS atomic EFI kit. I personally like it more than the fiTech. I just installed in on a 72 Duster with a 318. It’s an amazing system. Well as I’m typing this I’ve realized you already purchased the EFI kit haha oops.


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[Eric Quarnstrom]

Well as I’m typing this I’ve realized you already purchased the EFI kit haha oops.

LOL, no worries. Hopefully, I won't regret the FiTech but I'll post results here either way.

 

[jerrytotin]

Visially I like the MSD as well compared to the fiTech. But yeah. Let us know how it goes.

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