[68390gt]

While the engine's at the machine I've been thinking - While the engine's out I'll

Clean up and re-paint the engine bay. Based on the search I figure DP-90 is a good choice.

Replace the clutch disc since I didn't like the way it engaged anyway. Hays street/strip clutch but it seemed to slip to much on a hard launch. Any have a recommendation on what to use?

Then I figure maybe I'll cut open the cowl & repair the rust in there - but I really don't want to pull off the front end right now. No room left in the garage for the pieces.

Since the parking brake handle is out to replace the cable I can clean that up and blueprint everything ........ no wait now we're out of control.... *G*
Ahhhh such is the life of a mustanger.

 

[ken_schall]

Yep... thats how it starts.... simple little project.....!!!!!

Ken
99 GTP
97 Yukon
68 GT Convert

 

[janschutz]

yea, 6 months and 2 grand later ...

John L. Anschutz
Allen, TX
68 Diamond Blue Coupe - 302
68 Acapulco Blue Coupe - I6 - 200
http://www.dallas.net/~jjmsansc/parts/Stangs.jpg

 

[66gt350]

I hear ya there. Recently I had to pull the motor out of the fastback, for something stupid that I had done, and several months later and a couple of grand, it was put back together.

It all started off with putting on a set of carb studs when one of the nuts slipped and went down the intake. DOH! I yanked the intake, found which cylinder it went down. And murphy’s law was in full swing: 1. The nut was aluminum, 2. The intake valve was open. I put a bunch of tape on the end of a wire to stick to it and that pushed down into the cylinder. And the nut was bigger than the spark plug hole, so it was sitting on top of the piston.

So, I was faced with yanking the head. With the 351, it’s easier to yank the head out of the car, than it is being in the car. The heads are so close to the shock towers, that it’s a real bitch to torque the head bolts. I yanked the motor. I was about ready to pull the head when SWMBO, says why not just turn it upside down and let it come out the valve. I thought ya right, that isn’t going to work. I had a leaky pan gasket, so I turned the motor upside down and heard the nut rattle. So, what the hell. I started to rock the motor back and forth on the engine stand and lucky me the nut came out. I didn’t have to yank the head after all.

I wanted to yank the motor or tranny sometime this winter to put in a heavy duty clutch and lakewood bellhousing. And after reading daveoxide’s post on retrofitting a hydraulic clutch, that sounding like a good idea. I tried that, but with the lakewood. I ran into problems. So, I broke down and got a McLeod hydraulic throwout bearing to install.

Then I was looking at the engine compartment, and thought man that dirty and grimmy. Now seemed like a good time to clean up some of the 30 years of dirt. I grabbed the oven cleaner and went to town. Took off most of the dirt and oil, but also a lot of paint. Now was as good of time as any to totally clean up the engine bay. I have stripped the entire front end off fenders forward. And I sand blasted the engine compartment and repainted it.

This was also a good time to lower my upper control arms. That was another total adventure, because the template that was made for me was 0.1 inch off.

The "while I at it" doesn't end there. I decided that this was also a good time to get rid of the drum brakes up front. I picked up a set from Stainless Steel.

Since the fenders are off and currently in my living room, it seems like a good time to take the fiberglass fenders, sand 'em down and put them on.

A simple job of putting on a set of carb studs, and not stuffing a rag into the intake, end up taking several months, and alot of money.

Rob
Member: Slightly Modified
66 coupe 302
66 fastback 351W

 

[HoosierBuddy]

A dangerous disease is the "While I'm at its". During project More Power, I've been hit with symptoms several times. I keep hearing that line from the original Star Wars in my head. You know, when they are attacking the Death Star? "Stay on Target!" But, like, I really need to put in an AOD now. "Stay on Target!"

Not a cure, but it works for me. After all, I want to drive my car this summer.

Phil


'65 Convertible (with many mods.)
http://www.blueriver.net/~finite/Pony.htm

 

[Guest]

I hear that!

Last year, in April, I needed to fix the diff on my 73. I got a used one - but it was bogus so I got a new Currie instead. Switched from 2.73 to 3.0:1 gearing (lotsa highway miles). Then ... the test drive with that diff blew out the water pump seal. That is when things got out of hand. Once I had the pump off, I thought "gee - isn't this a good time to replace a cam?" So I figured you gotta have the right heads for the cam (got some 1970 4v clev. heads at carlisle). But that meant I needed a different torque converter. But - if I need a new torque converter I gotta pull the tranny, so why not put a better tranny in (better for my purposes). I'd been planning and saving for the manual trans swap for years, but I still had no intention of doing it ... until all this crossed my mind at about 2 am one day last spring. By 6am (a working day) the trans was out and the heads were off. It took until November before I got it solid. In January I brought it to an exhaust shop and finished the job with a 2.5" exhaust system. So about 8 months after I started and about 4 times the original budget - the job was done.

This was just supposed to be a gear swap!!!
But I'm not complaining.

 

[66emberglow]

That's how I got started. Before I knew it the car was on the rotiserie upside down. You might as well make room in the garage.


Coppertone's current condition:
http://www.knology.net/~dorner/images/coppertone2.jpg

 

[Don65Stang]

I hear ya! To assist from getting out of control, I wrote out a plan and stuck to it. Man that was hard but it helped (not cured) the problem of one thing leading to another. I did jot down the other things I found - for another day.

Don
1965 Convertible, 351W, Tremec, 9", continuous "improvements"
1996 Explorer XLT - daily driver
2000 Taurus - wife's driver
2001 Giant OCR3 - my 2 wheel road warrior for getting in shape