[Evan W]

So i got my wife her dream car really nice 66 gt having trouble getting a history on the car but it is a factory GT I have a few minor things I want to fix on the car

1) sounds like the throwout bearing is bad. its rattles and is noisy at idle when not in gear. is there a recommended brand of clutch, its got a top load 4 speed someone told me centerforce makes a pressure plate that is a littler easier to depress has anybody out there tried one

2) the radiator is leaking more like sweating from the bottom and there is no overflow tank (i'm going to add one) and it looks like the seal between the waterpump and the engine block is leaking slightly as well , I think there is a spacer between the water pump and the block it pools above it. ill probably change the water pump since i'm in there anyway are there water pump brands i should stay away from?

3) the windows are about 1/4" from the top i've adjusted all the setting as high as the drives and passenger windows will go but to no avail i removed the regulator and the slides on the drivers side and all the slider are in good shape I was thinking id change the regulator out with a new one to start has anyone else had this problem

4) lastly the trans is very difficult to find the gears especially reverse its got a hurst shifter. is there anyone that has a good step by step to set up the linkage i've read some posts and everyone has a different idea how to do it but mostly they talk about neutral and not the rest of the gears

the car is dead stock 289 with 3.0 gears

I think the car was restored and then hardly every driven so most mechanical thing don't like to sit

 

[2nd 66]

Welcome to the (new) VMF,
A diaphragm style pressure plate is sometime easier to push I using an AutoZone kit with good results .
For the Radiator I like Champion Radiators however they don't have a stock looking one if that is what you desire

 

[jfstang]

Get ahold of Bill Healey to have him send you one of his rebuilt 4 speed stock Ford shifters. It will shift slick and tight, actually better than a Hurst, and it will look "right" in your GT, you won't regret it. If the Hurst was as good as all the PR says it is, Shelby would have used it in his SCCA winning GT350's, but his drivers stayed with the stock Ford unit. Healey (or his son now) has an Ebay store, but I cannot remember the new name of it right now. Vintage Ford Shifters or something like that. I had him rebuild my original, and it's great.

 

[Woodchuck]

Welcome aboard.

Nothing wrong with the "Long" style clutch and pressure plate originally installed. The problem typically lies with the bushings on the pedal support and the equalizer bar. Bringing that up to spec will make a huge difference.

Regarding the radiator, a copper/brass "A/C" radiator with 3 rows, the A/C shroud, fan and thermal clutch will keep it plenty cool.

There are 2 "stops" for the window. One is at the rear, adjusted from the end of the door and the other are the 2 stops in the middle. Here's a link: http://thecareandfeedingofponies.blogspot.com/2008/04/door-window-adjustment.html

The Hurst shifter can be rebuilt and adjusted, and the linkage rods "shimmed" to remove play at the arms. Many folks have make their own linkages using rod ends to remove ALL the play from the system.

Good luck and let's see pictures!

 

[myfirstcar66]

Congrats on the car and welcome to the VMF ! We LOVE pics here, whole cars, project, pieces and parts, papers, adventures of all kinds... You're in the right place to find great advice. I know I have.

 

[Evan W]

Thanks everybody ill look into the shifter its winter so no driving for her in that car till spring
I put a lift in the garage to make it easier for me to work on it.
i know about all the window adjustments, ill reset up the vent window and try it again working my way back to the rear glass
autolite clutch is really cheap so might as well give it a try the pedal feel is fine. my wife is just used to a newer style clutch in my BMW e used to have a dually ford 6 speed and the pedal pressure feels about the same.

ill get some pics over this weekend her car is my new toy to play with it should be fun

 

[Caper50]

I recently picked up this ACP aluminum rad from National Parts Depot. It is a very nice looking rad, some folks paint them black but I intended to install as is.

 

[Acooljt]

For the radiator, call Griffin radiators directly. They’ll ask all the specifics on your car and recommend the appropriate aluminum radiator. If you need an electric fan as well, they will have one mounted on the radiator for you so all you have to do is mount the radiator and wire the fan. They are the only place I’ll ever buy radiators from again. Champion radiators are made in China and unless you’ve got a cashflow problem and have to go cheap, I would avoid them like the plague.

 

[69bossnine]

Assuming that your 289 isn't having hot-running issues, and assuming that whoever restored the car did a nice job of keeping her "original" under the hood, I'd stick with a "Super H.E." core copper/brass by U.S. Radiator (American-Made), or.. I must admit that for 65-66 the aluminum max-core ACP units (as pictured above) are nice, and blend right in when painted black.

For water pumps, the all-new (not rebuilt) Cardone units seem to work well, and are very affordable. But if you've got an original casting pump, you might want to consider rebuilding it. We (NPD) now carry slick rebuild kits for original pumps, just search the base # 8530 to see full selection.

Congratulations on your new-to-you GT!

Rick
NPD

 

[Evan W]

thanks for the info, i'm kind of learning as I go after really looking at it it looks like the thermostat housing gasket is leaking
that acp radiator looks awesome car looking pretty stock idk how that affects the value but we bought it to drive it so i my go that way

How would i know if its a old casting

this is it my winter project not that much to do someone did a nice restoration

yup needs to be replaced

 

[Caper50]

Wow that car is a beauty!! There's an A code fastback a couple of minutes from my house same color as yours and it's a beauty as well.

 

[Evan W]

Thank, my wife picked it we looked at like 20 mustangs in a few months all over the east coast we found this one 2 hours away got it and drove it 100 miles without a hitch

 

[69bossnine]

Beautiful GT.. My dad bought one identical to it out of Jacksonville, back around 1977-ish.. It was like a new car, not a scratch, 100% original, perfect pony interior, etc..

Of course, he flipped it for a profit to a local guy, who proceeded to... Absolutely destroy it with abuse and neglect.

It was a long litany of transactions like that (so many nice original cars that we sold, that got wrecked/thrashed/ruined), that eventually caused my father to quit selling anything, and only collect. Of course, it got a bit out of hand.. LOL..

 

[Woodchuck]

View attachment 739381

Hmmmn.... I spy a later model distributor with vacuum retard (not connected) and a thermostat housing with a bung for DVCV. Perhaps you might want to check the block casting number and assembly date, as well as the back of the block for a partial VIN.... it's possible someone dropped a '68+ 289 or 302 in there?

 

[Evan W]

I saw that too it was converted to electronic and runs smooth, so ill leave that alone anything's possible i know the number on the rear make sense Im not sure id be too annoyed if that were the case we are definitely going to drive it regularly I wasn't promised that it was all original but it is pretty clean and rust free so im good wht that

where on the block would i find those numbers just to see hats what that a pretty good eye from a picture

 

[22GT]

The best thing to do for clutch pedal effort is convert the pedal to roller bearing. The Drake kit is quick, easy, and inexpensive. Steve's kit is superior but more costly and much more difficult to install (requires removal and welding, while the Drake kit can be installed in the car).

First time I installed one of these was a 69 428 CobraJet, so stiff I could hardly drive it. By repairing just the pedal shaft, nothing else, the clutch was so easy an 11-year-old girl could clutch it. As it happened, there was an 11-year-old girl handy to test it.

 

[Evan W]

cool that sounds like it will be done

 

[Garth66]

Beautiful car! And it's the right color too!
Mine has developed the same leak from the thermostat housing. I'm inclined to go with one of these CSR Performance O-ring housings.

Ford - CSR

 

[22GT]

Get ahold of Bill Healey to have him send you one of his rebuilt 4 speed stock Ford shifters. It will shift slick and tight, actually better than a Hurst, and it will look "right" in your GT, you won't regret it. If the Hurst was as good as all the PR says it is, Shelby would have used it in his SCCA winning GT350's, but his drivers stayed with the stock Ford unit. Healey (or his son now) has an Ebay store, but I cannot remember the new name of it right now. Vintage Ford Shifters or something like that. I had him rebuild my original, and it's great.

Second on the rebuilding by Bill. Excellent work. Although I rebuilt mine myself, I've seen and driven his work, and it's first-rate. By the time I was done with my Ford shifter, it was tighter and smoother than my Hurst Competition Plus™

 

[RCL23]

Beautiful car and congrats! My thermostat housing is also leaking. Mine is chrome and i have been advised against using chrome at this location. Am planning to replace mine this winter as well.