[Kawabuggy]

I just inherited a 1969 Mustang Mach 1. I'm posting on multiple classic Ford Mustang web sites hoping someone can give me some guidance.
#1. This car needs a fan shroud. It is a 351C car with NO factory A/C. It has a radiator that measures 24" wide X 16" tall (cooling fin area). What fan shroud should I order?
#2. I also need a mechanical fan to work with whatever shroud I end up buying. Car has a fiberglass bladed flex fan on it right now that needs to go. Let me know what SIZE mechanical fan to order.
#3. Car has an Edelbrock carb on it that is receiving it's fuel supply directly from the pump. Car is running rich and the plugs are fuel fouled. Should I be running a fuel pressure regulator between mechanical pump and carb?
#4. Excessive valve train noise.. Factory cam-NOT a performance cam. Lot's of people posting they have the same/similar issue.. What's the no-nonsense fix?
#5. Carb is a square bore. Intake is a spread bore. Adapter plate in place. Should I swap over to an after market aluminum square bore intake? I'd like to shed the extra weight, and get rid of the adapter plate. Car has 4V heads.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! First time Ford owner, and this is my 1st classic car.

 

[Ironstang]

I would begin my research for a 1970 351c optioned car. The 1969’s are generally 351w cars with only a few 351C coming in the early cars. Or the 351C could have been installed in the last 54 years. In my eyes the 1970 351C cars would be easier to match replacement engine parts. Radiator, fan and clutch fan should or just a mechanical fan should fit perfect for a 1970 351C.
If the fuel pump is a standard replacement part, it shouldn’t need a regulator. If it’s a performance model, maybe it’s higher than normal pressure can cause the needle in the carb to unseat and let excessive fuel in the float area. If it’s unknown and old I’d put that on my order lists since they are cheap for the piece of mind and easy install. I’ve never owned or rebuilt an edelbrock carb but plenty of good reviews about them. So maybe a quality rebuild kit and an afternoon may go a long way into making it run correctly. Another option for me would be the summit brand carbs, they are real nice, easy to install and mine ran perfect right out of the box.
With valve train noise, I’d pull both valve covers, ground coil wire, have an assistant spin the motor over with the key and look for loose rockers. Could just need an adjustment or worse have a wiped cam lobe. Feel and look for loose rockers at different stages of engine rotation. At a minimum get a pair of valve cover gaskets to replace those while you’re at it. If the car has been parked awhile, it may just need a good flush additive poured in and ran, then a fresh oil change. Lifters can get hardened sludge in them that prevents oil getting thru and pumping them up. Another mention while cranking the engine with the covers off, look for oil coming from each rocker arm.
The adapter plate, though not ideal shouldn’t cause flooding. A new aluminum intake would allow the newer carbs to bolt directly up or use a spacer plate instead of the adapter. Just a few thoughts to help get you started.

 

[Maxum96]

I would begin my research for a 1970 351c optioned car. The 1969’s are generally 351w cars with only a few 351C coming in the early cars. Or the 351C could have been installed in the last 54 years. In my eyes the 1970 351C cars would be easier to match replacement engine parts. Radiator, fan and clutch fan should or just a mechanical fan should fit perfect for a 1970 351C.

I'm sure you just typo'd your response, but for the OP's sake let me set the record straight. In 1969 the 351C engine was not available. The only 351 engine was the Windsor. In the early part of the 1970 model year, 2v (2 barrel carburetor) 351 engines could be either a 351w or a 351C. A 4v 351 in 1970 was only a Cleveland. My early model year 1970 Mustang came with a 2v 351W when new. Many people over the years tossed their 302/289/351W engines out of their Mustangs in favor of 351C engines due to Cleveland being designed as a performance engine and the lack of performance cylinder heads for 289/302/351w engines. With 1967-1970 Mustang engine compartments being dimensionally the same as a 1970 Mustang, this was a bolt in no brainer back in the day. In fact, this is exactly why I replaced the factory 302 with a 351C in a Mustang I had back in the 1980's. As Ironstang pointed out, just look for parts for your engine that fit a 1970 Mustang as it's the same car under the skin as a 1969 Mustang.

Welcome to the forum. We always like to see pictures of members cars. You'll find this the best resource for vintage Mustang information. 69stang.com is a good resource too for 69 and 70 Mustangs, although they have less traffic over there.

 

[22GT]

#1. This car needs a fan shroud. It is a 351C car with NO factory A/C. It has a radiator that measures 24" wide X 16" tall (cooling fin area). What fan shroud should I order?
As said, the 351C was not available in 69, but could have been put in later. Since the radiator is very different on the W and C engines, we'll need photos to see what you really have.
#2. I also need a mechanical fan to work with whatever shroud I end up buying. Car has a fiberglass bladed flex fan on it right now that needs to go. Let me know what SIZE mechanical fan to order.
Pretty sure the fan was an 18" on either.
#3. Car has an Edelbrock carb on it that is receiving it's fuel supply directly from the pump. Car is running rich and the plugs are fuel fouled. Should I be running a fuel pressure regulator between mechanical pump and carb?
Should not be needed. Millions of cars had an Edelbrock (Carter AFB) without a regulator. More likely you have an adjustment or jetting problem.
#4. Excessive valve train noise.. Factory cam-NOT a performance cam. Lot's of people posting they have the same/similar issue.. What's the no-nonsense fix?
First, it needs to be checked for proper adjustment. The biggest mistake people make is spinning the pushrods, when they should be moving them up and down, when looking for the zero-lash starting point.
#5. Carb is a square bore. Intake is a spread bore. Adapter plate in place. Should I swap over to an after market aluminum square bore intake? I'd like to shed the extra weight, and get rid of the adapter plate. Car has 4V heads.
If you don't have a vacuum leak, it shouldn't matter.

 

[Hemikiller]

1 - 24" radiator was the Extra Cooling and/or AC size radiator. The outlet on the radiator switched from the passenger side in 1969 to the driver's side in 1970. The shrouds are different, and the 351C only ever had a driver's side water pump. That's something that needs to be looked at before buying a shroud.

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2- The fan for the XC radiator was a 17 1/2" five blade flex fan. It's a very common fan for the 70's Fords. IMO, if you're going to buy a new fan, get a clutched fan setup as it uses less power and is much quieter than a flex fan.

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3 - it depends. It depends on the pump that is being used. Some produce more than the 6.5 psi Edelbrock recommends as the maximum and can over power the needle and seat. You should have 4.5 - 5.0 at idle with a mechanical pump. That said, most "running rich" issues are poor state of tune and improperly adjusted carburetors.

4- valvetrain noise can be tricky on a Cleveland. A true factory cam is dead silent - how do you know it's a factory cam? Is it noisy at idle or at rpm? Factory Cleveland heads (except Boss/HO) will have a non-adjustable bolt down rocker, but engines get modified over the years. You'll need to investigate under the valve covers to see what you have for a setup. It could be an adjustment, or it could be something more involved. No matter what, make sure you're using an oil with sufficient zinc protection for a flat tappet engine. My preference is Valvoline VR1 10W30.

5- what 22GT said, if it's not leaking, leave it alone. Focus on other driveability issues before tearing into things.

As others said, post some pics of the engine bay so we can see what you have going on.

 

[Blues Power]

Welcome aboard vmf

Who told you it was a Cleveland?
Post a picture of either the water outlet. Fuel pump or a valve cover to confirm

 

[kkupec02]

welcome

 

[Klutch]

Welcome.

- With the exception of the Boss 351, factory Cleveland rockers are not adjustable. They are positive stop which means the rocker nuts are simply tightened to spec

- Multiple issues can cause lifter clattering; sludged lifters, low oil pressure or worn cam bearings come to mind

- No fuel pressure regulator required for a simple Edelbrock carb swap. The carb is running way too rich which is pretty common. You must get a calibration kit for that carb. It has multiple jets, metering rods and springs. You can download the carburetor manual which will tell you how to calibrate it. For the primaries, subtract the size of the metering rod from the size of the jet. Reducing that difference leans the mixture. Increasing that difference richens the mixture. The secondary just has jets so you would simply install smaller secondary jets to lean the secondary.

- I would strongly suggest swapping the 24" radiator for a 26". This is what came from the factory on big block and A/C equipped Mustangs. You can buy a complete cooling system kit brand new from West Coast Classic Cougar. It has a 26", 3-row radiator, shroud and 7-blade clutch fan. It's not cheap, but it's a lot better than fighting constant cooling issues and it all bolts right in easy peasy. (It's also much easier than going with a custom aluminum radiator and electric fan.) I installed that cooling system on my 1970 Mach 1 with a Cleveland and I'm glad I did.

- I personally find carburetor adapters to be somewhat janky, but they work fine. I would suggest you resolve all other issues and then decide if you want to swap out the intake manifold or simply buy a spreadbore carburetor.

 

[Mach1 Driver]

West Coast Classic Cougar has some good videos that also relate to Mustangs: