69 Mustang in my future

[recoil junky]

I have recently become part owner ( I say part because I'll have to help restore it and probably have to help pay for the insurance and it will probably have to be in my name to be insured, due to RJ Jr's driving habits) of a 69 Fastback GT  It's pretty much "done" except it's been sitting in storage under a tarp for the past 8 years. I'm sure qe'll have to tear down the engine and put crank seals in and more than likely a pump seal in the tranny. I might go ahead and rebuild the tranny while I'm at it.

This will get added to the '78 Bronco project that is way behind due to the extreme heat we've been having. It makes it very hard to get up any ambition to get out in the shop and do anything. It's bad enough having to work in near 100 degree heat then come home and want  to  "play" in it.

The only place that's cool enough to do much work is the reloading room in the basement.

RJ

[RatherBHuntin]

In my opinion, there are only two Mustangs worth having, a Fastback and the Mach 1.

[Alboy]

Good luck on that project. I can IDENTIFY with the play in the heat problem.
 
Last similar project where I got to watch a father son team do this was with a "SHELBY"
 
About 6 months after the car was finished so was the kids drivers license and they sold the car. I sincerely wish you better luck.
 
At least nothing was wrapped around a telephone pole or left bleeding in the road.

[recoil junky]

Well, her she is. Not much to look at just yet, but give us a few months. (after we finish the'78 Bronco)

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/recoil_junky/IMG_0133.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/recoil_junky/IMG_0135.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/recoil_junky/IMG_0134.jpg

We got some good looks on the way home from Idaho with the old girl. Seems like there are a few Mustang enthyusiasts out there.

She's got a 351W, 600cfm 1426 Edelbrock 4bbl, Edelbrock 351W performer intake and the cam is anybody's guess. After setting for 12 years we're going to pull the engine and tranny and give them a thorough going over. Probably put a perkier cam in it just 'cause

The Bronco is nearing completion. Just need to finish up a few loose ands, like the exhaust and dialing in the carb, etc.

we were pretty busy yesterday working in the shop. Both boys out there w/ the old man was pretty good day.

The youngest working on his Subaru

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/recoil_junky/IMG_0148.jpg

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/recoil_junky/IMG_0149.jpg

RJ Jr. working on the Bronco exhaust

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/recoil_junky/IMG_0158.jpg

Me putting on some of the finishing touches topside. It runs now, just LOUD w/no pipes

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/recoil_junky/IMG_0150.jpg

The Bronco engine near completion.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/recoil_junky/IMG_0159.jpg

400M, 228int 234 exh cam, 600cfm Edelbrock off road carb, Edelbrock 400 intake, Stock ignition (cause it works) 2 1/2 inch exhaust all the way back going through Thrush turbo mufflers. Should be well over 325 HP with a gob of torque.

RJ

[bowhunter 51]

Sends me back to my teenager years...Man, oh man!...Good luck
with that project, rj......................................................................BH51

[Shotgunhemi]

Nice looking '69 hard top Recoil Junky! Love the colour :) Yeah ive still been looking around for my '70 Mach 1 down here in the land of Oz. Last one i looked at was converted to RHD but was a very suspect job. Thats the problem with buying a stang down here, most of them get butchered by being converted. I've seen a '67 Shelby GT500 down here in RHD. The new owner is contemplating returning it to LHD lol. I would prefer LHD anyway but its kinda awkward driving em on the LHS of the road down here It was also unique in the last one that i had a look at looking at a speedo in MPH. I am only a young fella and have only known KMPH down here heheh. Hope the project goes well

[kombi1976]

That 'Stang is really nice.
It'll be a weapon when it's finished.
Couldn't get the pics of the Subie though.
My brother has a beach buggy he built based on a VW Beetle floorpan that is powered by a EJ25 2.5l Subaru engine.
It has 30" rear tyres and is a complete beast.
And you're right, Chris.
After reading KM/H speedos all the time the MPH ones are just cool.
My 67 VW Bus has a MPH speedo and when we swap all the gear over from the 72 VW Panel into the 74 VW Panel I'm going to switch the speedo dials as the 72 is MPH and the 74 is KMH.

[recoil junky]

Here's pics of the Subie. The old girl is starting to show her age a good bit these days. The oil light comes on at idle but when I checked the oil pressure I get 20 psi. It's starting to  use a bit of oil also, but not anough to bother yet.







The old girl is getting a new jack shaft on the right side. The boot had worn out and the CV joint got full of dirt.

RJ

[kombi1976]

I recognise the model.
Our old landlord has a wagon like it.
Does it have the sdjustable air suspension?
Talking of dirt in CVs, my brother-in-law works up the coast a little and often goes out into the dunes with a workmate in his Prado during lunch hour.
The boss, feeling he had something to prove, took his BMW X5 into the dunes and the CV boots weren't properly sealed.
They filled with sand, unbeknowst to him, and the grit in them wore them out.
All that from a $80,000 car.
Gee, I'm real sad I picked a Nissan over a BMW......... :D

[recoil junky]

Well, PFC RJ Jr and I got to work on the Mustang today. He's off for 2 weeks on leave over Christmas, so we decided to build a fire in the shop and get to work.

We got the engine out today, got the oil pan off to look at the crank and bearings Tomorrow we'll get tranny out so I can get the kit put in. To bad it dat for so long but at least this way we'll know what we have when we fire it up.

I would have taken pictures but with the camera on the fritz I can't post them anyway.

We made a list of things we need to get and we'll go to NAPA in the morning to see what they have and order the rest. I'm sure we won't get it running before RJ Jr has to go back to Ft Bragg on the 3rd but we'll give it one heck of a go. There's a lot to do before it's road worhty again but hopefully RJ Jr can drive it next time he's home on leave. Gives me something to shoot for.

RJ

[noel]

take your time and make it right!it's a classic and you'll be the envy of many.I'd like to have seen it with a 351C.be downright squirrelly! remember the cheap gas and new tires twice in one weekend? OH YA!!!!

[LvrLover]

The Cleaveland was a bit stouter than the Windsor wasn't it? 4 bolt mains I think. Either way there is no substitute for CUBIC INCHES! These little import rods running all over need to get stomped on by some real muscle. Have fun!

[kombi1976]

The Cleveland has a better set of heads from memory but had some oiling problems.
It produces more power but the Windsor was a more solid motor.
Someone once told me that the BOSS motors basically were a Windsor bottom end with the Cleveland top end.
Could be wrong.

[recoil junky]

Winsors and Clevelands are 2 differnt blocks. The 351W is a small block and the 351C is a big block. The 400 and 351 M's are both off the Cleveland block. Both are very solid if, on the C's and M's you change your oil religously at 3k miles.

First you must have your basic manual



Very hard to come by.

Then you have to have a good helper.


It was -10* F that day and it was a good hour before a roaring coal fire got the shop warmed up.


Here's RJ Jr. getting ready to put new bearings in the bottom end
   

The crank miked out great so we just rolled in another set of -.010 rods and -.020 mains and replacer the rear mainseal


The FMX tranny was in fair shape.

I doubt if it has ever been rebuilt. It got all new clutches, seals and bands. I'm still working on getting it back together. When I was installing tha main shaft and the 1st/hi clutch assy. I dropped the whole shebang. :Banghead:I was lucky enough to catch it all before it hit the floor but in the proccess one of the cast iron sealing rings snagged my hoody and broke. I was a week waitning for a replacement set of seals. Not easy to find just the seals anymore, but my guy at the local NAPA came through!!  

I hope to get the tranny and the engine bolted together and back in this weekend.

The radiator will have to be replaced I'm sure. I'll take the old one to the radiator shop te see if it can be salvaged. We are looking at using an electric fan to cut down on watsed horse power. A non-clutched fan draws an extra 20-25 hp.

We've relocated the battery to the trunk and mounted it in a marine ABS plastic battery box. It'll go it the L/R corner. That really tidies up the engine compartment. Cables are 00 welding lead that is good for 400*F and 1500 amps . More than plenty to crank over the 351W.

I'll post more as I get more done.

RJ

[kombi1976]

Great stuff, RJ.
Anyone who doesn't like Mustangs has no taste.
I'm really looking forward to seeing this baby run.
Wish I could teach my kids how to do stuff like this - I have enough trouble with basic stuff!

[recoil junky]

I should feel fortunate I guess. Both of my sons are pretty adept at "mechanics". I convinced them to pursue other vocations though. After 30+ years at the trade my hands are "junk" and my knees are really showing the wear, tear and torture of that many years on concrete and uneven ground.

kombi as I recall your younguns' are still pretty small to be of "much help" at this point, but give them a few year and they will start shoowing their intrest!! Especially when they get to "driving age"

RJ

[kombi1976]

Well, I hope so.
Maybe we can all learn as we go.

[recoil junky]

The little Mrs. volunteered her services the other day. I think I'll have to take her up on the offer.

I got the trnamission reassembled today. FINALLY!! Even got it painted, although it was 10* outside. I had a roaring fire going in the shop but the metal was still actually to cold to paint very well. It will take forever to dry but I won't go back out to work on it untill tomorrow morning again.

The radiator is a the local radiator shop. My mate Dean will let me know if it's salvageable by morning. It will definately get a new heater core. They run about $40, but definately worth the time and money to replace now instead of later.

If the paint is dry I'll put the engine and tranny topgether and install as a unit. I might have to remove the grill first to get them both in at once as my engine hoist is a bit on the short side. I could go in from the side but the wheels only go straight ahead on the front. Another thing to improve when I get a new welder, lockable swivel casters on the front of the engine hoist.

Pictures tomorrow.

RJ

[recoil junky]

Got a call from Dean this morning and he told me the radiator was too far gone to try to salvage, but he said a new one will be here tomorrow. $240!!!

I bagged the idea of puttting hte engine and tranny in as unit. Just not enough crane! It'd pick it up ok, just not enough reach. So, I'm back to one piece at a time. Did a bit of touch up on the engine and the tranny as it was pretty warm today. With a good fire going in the shop I was down to my t-shirt. Here's what the tranmission looks like. I also am repainting the alternator and power steering pump brackets.



I got the tranny setting in the car, just need to pick it up and set it where it's supposed to go. The engine will be a different story as I have to set it over the fender instead of going in the front. (not enough reach on the hoist).

If it doesn't snow to much so I have to run the snowblower I should get the tranny set and get the flex plate put on the crank so I can make a stab at setting it in on Friday. I still have to change valve cover gaskets and pull the intake so I can take it to work. we have a glass bead blaster that works wonders on aluminum. It will amke it look new again. I wish there was some way to keep aluminum from tarnishing or a least easier to polish once it's all covered up with carbuerators and stuff. Thankfully the valve covers are easy enough to get at with some Mother's Magic aluminum polish once they are installed.

Here's the intake on the Bronco engine after it was glass bead blasted.



That reminds me, I need to go fire up the Bronco and let it run for a while. I try to do it about once a month just to keep seals oiled and just to hear it run.

RJ

[gitano]

Very cool.
 
Paul

[recoil junky]

I got the intake bead blasted last night after work and after I had to repair the bead blaster. Some people's kids shouldn't be allowed to touch anything mechanical. It took me 2 hours longer than antisipated to do the job, what  with repairs and all. It did turn out pretty nice though. Now if there was just some way to keep it clean!!

Picked up the new radiator today, so I may make smoke as  soon as next week. PFC RJ Jr will be excited!!! There is still a ton of little stuff to do, like front end work, wiring, new heater core and repairing the passenger window. I have all the stuff, but with things getting backed up at work I think my time will be limited here soon. I hope I dopn't have to put in as much overtime as last year. I was at 19% for the year and that's WAY to much.

RJ

[gitano]

There is still a ton of little stuff to do

[/SIZE]I hear that...
 
Paul

[recoil junky]

Well, here's some pictures of the engine.

valve covers before


after


I got out the Mother's aluminum polish and the buffer wheel. They are not perfect, but after setting for 12 years with no TLC they won't look to bad. They were positively nasty before I started. The first picture does'nt really show the gunk and grime that was on them. I started cleaning them with carb  cleaner to get the %@*& off, then switched to the Mother's.

Here's the power plant after I got the intake put on.



I tried some Mother's in a spot and found I should have done the whole thing. It polished it up some and made it look better than just glass bead blasting. I may get out the toothbrush and go at it somemore. Or maybe not. There are so many nooks and crannies that it would take forever, plus Mother's is a pain ti get off without water or lots of clean rags. Water at this time of year is a bad thing. It would soon be ice.

I'm going to have to get a new insulator for the carb. It appears that the old one got lost in the shuffle. It will raise the carb up another inch so it will have better draft as well. We put one on the Bronco engine and it made a lot of difference. No more boiling the gas out of the carb AND it made it run a good bit better having that extra bit of length to the plenum.

I'm toying with the idea of not going snowmobiling this Saturday and working on the Mustang instead. Hmm, quite a dilema.

RJ

[kombi1976]

RJ, what's that sensor in the front of the manifold?

[recoil junky]

It's the water temp sensor. It will need replaced as well, I was just to lazy to take it out yet. :o  Bein's as how this is a GT it has gauges instead of idiot lights like most  of them had.  

I just dug the dash out of the trunk and it is rather nast looking. It's been patched with what looks like Bondo. Another item to loook at from LMC.

Well I'd best git after it.Lot's to do, so little time.

RJ

[recoil junky]

Well for those of you who were wondering if I'd ever get it running here's some proof and comentary. :D Take a listen!
 

 
On the first attempt I had gas squirting out of the top of the carbuerator so I had to take it back off and find out what the problem was. Come to find out someone had taken it apart and had put the floats in upside down   and the needle valves were not seating. I had a Holley (ptooey) 750 setting on the shelf so I robbed the needle valves out of it to replace the one in the Edlebrock. Perfect fit, no more leaks.
 
There is still much more to do. PFC RJ Jr and I have talked and we've decided it needs a "bigger" cam, so now the seach will start for a Comp cam to replace the otherwise wimpy stock cam. This will be easier to do now than later. We had thought about doing this when we had the engine out and on the stand but figgered we'd better see what it ran like first.
 
RJ

[canadabob]

**** that's sweet! :D  Love the sound of that engine!
I'm a Chevy fan, but there is only one Ford that I will drop all that for....a 'Stang. My dad had a '68 Fastback with a 351 Windsor in it. All stock back in the day and could kick everyone's butt drag racing. So I hear anyway. LOL!
Keep it up! Those beauties need to be kept alive, and for future reference, try Inimatator (yes, just like Big E!)polish. Works better, faster, and easier! than Mothers. After enough tanks, heat shields, rims, and stacks, I won't use much else. :undecided:

Take care and have fun with them all,
Bob  

[kombi1976]

You're right about installing that cam now.
Last thing you want to mess with when the motor is back in is dropping the bottom end of the motor out!
So will it be a "b@lls to the wall" affair or a moderately lumpy cam?

[recoil junky]

Moderately lumpy. I want something that I don't have to change the rest of the drive train, but improves torque and power. I'm looking at Comp Cam's #264H

http://www.compcams.com/Cam_Specs/CamDetails.aspx?csid=841&sb=2

I think it will fit the bill. If I went with anything bigger I'd be changing tourque converters, bigger driveline yadda yadda yadda. Plus Fords are very expensive to make more power with. Everybody and their wallaby has parts for small and big block GM engines and parts are cheep.

Now if it was  428 instead of a 351 we'd be going b@lls to the wall!!!!!!!!!

RJ

[LvrLover]

Not a holley fan? May I ask why? Do they leak too easy for you too?

[recoil junky]

Yup, Holleys (ptooey) leak more gas than they put into the engine.
 
When I was still on the ranch we had a NewHolland bale wagon with a 460 and a Holley 750 on it. Durn thing backfired one morning on startup, blew the air cleaner off and caught the top of the engine on fire. I was throwing dirt as fast as I could to get the fire out. Musta been 200 pounds of dirt on the engine before Dad came along with a fire extinguisher. Good thing too, because I hated bucking bales by hand. The Holley (ptooey) was a melted mass of aluminum when it was all said and done. Put an Edlebrock on it and never looked back.
 
I've got 2 Holleys (ptoey) on the shelf. They will become targets unless I can give them to someone.
 
RJ

[RatherBHuntin]

So let me get this right RJ....are you saying you don't like Holley's?

[recoil junky]

I love Holleys (ptooey) almost as much as gitano loves loves gun writers (ptooey) :D

I think I will post some before and after pictures of what a .357, .44 AND a 45-70 can do to a Holley (ptooey) 750 double pumper.

RJ

[kombi1976]

Geez!!
I wonder if Paul has some pics of what a .357, .44 and a 45-70 can do to a gun writer? :D

[recoil junky]

LMAO Kombi, that is purty darn funny!!!!!!!!!!:D:D:D:D:D:D

RJ

[RatherBHuntin]

Geez!!
I wonder if Paul has some pics of what a .357, .44 and a 45-70 can do to a gun writer? :D

 
Nah I dont think he has any pictures of "holy" gun writers, Paul would have sense enough not to take pictures.

[noel]

RJ;i don't know if that service manual was printed before they split off the EVTM but if the wiring etc is not in it check alldata. you can buy a vehicle specific subscription for about 17bucks and it has everthing(alldata.com) as for the comment earlier about wearing out from years in the trade,I sympathize there. if you count the time I spent working as a kid I've got almost 40 years in the trade and I notice now it's starting to hurt a bit to work.these big truck parts aren't getting any lighter and they're jamming them into the most akward places they can! must have hired the engineers from the car side! arghhhh!

[kombi1976]

Well, they've probably hired engineers from British cars.
I was at a wreckers once in search of a part for a VW Bus and one guy was there searching for parts for a Triumph 2500.
He asked "How many bolts do you have to undo to remove a VW motor?"
"Easy," I replied, "4 mains bolts once the electric wires, accelerator and fuel lines are removed. How many on a Triumph?"
"Twenty seven," he said with a long suffering look,"and I reckon when they designed it if any of them were easy to get to they simply started again and redesigned it so they were impossible to get to."

[recoil junky]

Sounds like Caterpillar engineers for certain. Ones under 6' tall and under 200#'s, able to contort into positions unfathomable by mortal men.

Back in the day, you used to be able to yank a head off and change it out in a day. Now you can hardly get to the headbolts in under 8 hours let alone do a clean job of gettting a new head back on. We've started pulling the engines on D10R's when we change heads. With Caterpillars quality control of late, chances are we find more wrong than just a bad valve. Saves time, money and mechanics in the long run.

I'll have to get get some pictures of work so you guys can see what I work on there.

RJ

[recoil junky]

Here's what my killer dog thinks of Holley carbuerators



Gotta watch him, he'll tear your leg off. :D

RJ

[gitano]

VERY cool!
 
Paul

[kombi1976]

Here's what my killer dog thinks of Holley carbuerators Gotta watch him, he'll tear your leg off. :D

RJ

Fair dinkum, RJ, you're a mad bugger. :D

[recoil junky]

He only "attacks" when provoked, playing or when me and the lil' missus are having a row. He's a tuff lil' blighter. It's all in good fun.

Well here's the latest up-date. Give a listen. There's some bad news as well.:angry:

[kombi1976]

RJ, that exhaust is SUBLIME!!
I'm very jealous.
That will go like stink when you get it all back together.
Pity about the wiring but better now than when you're motoring along.

[recoil junky]

Yeah, it'll be a corker all right!! On "paper" it'll be in the neighborhood of 325-350 hp. More than enough I would think. It won't be very miserly on petrol, but that is not why one has a Mustang :D

Here's some pictures of the wiring. It won't be too bad of a fix. I picked up wire today for the repair. I got sizes and colors to match, so ut won't look repaired when I'm done.
just a little burnt

the cause

the mess


This will be easy compared to some of the messes I get into at work.

RJ

[kombi1976]

The 'ole "screw in the fuse holder" trick.
It works for a little while......just until the circuitry overloads and causes a fire somewhere!

[recoil junky]

Yeah, there was also another fuse that was wrapped in tin foil, but there was no damage there. Every wire in the part of the loom from the fuse panel to the junction where the trouble ended (about 3 ft) was damaged. I have quite a soldering job ahead of me. I'll have to bring the micro torch home from work and spend a good 4-5 hours cutting, soldering and heat shrinking wires. It's enough to make a sow eat her pigs. :hanged:Then, I'll have to find out the cause and reason for the screw. I'll get a 5 amp auto-reset breaker to throw in that circuit until I find the cause of the short. Hopefully it will be in an easy place to get to and repair. I'm really glad I put in a battery disconect switch!!!

RJ

[recoil junky]

The wiring is all done, finally!!!!!!!!!!!!! All I have to do now is mount the new fuse panel and put new bulbs in the dash. I'm going to replace them all so I don't have to take it put again for a long long long time. I spent $650 at Mustangs Unlimited. today. I bit the bullet and got a new dash pad. I was going to recover the old one but decided it would look tacky. Also picked up some door panel clips AND a new 240 watt AM/FM radio that is ipod compatible. Should go really well with the Rockford Fosgate 6X9's that I already have

 I tried to get tires today at the local tire shop and Tim said the sizes I was looking for were very hard to come by and my best bet would be to go online and do some shopping. He could have ordered some, but beings as how he's are not a BF Goodrich dealer it would have ended up costing me another $100 for him to get them in for me. I was very lucky and did manage to find some that are the same size as what's on it now and they are both BF Goodrich. The tread pattern isn't the same but it's so close it's scary. Finding 14" tires for a muscle car is not easy let me tell ya!!! Tim said what ever I came up with he'd be happy to mount for me. He was a big help in giving me ideas on where to find tires and after a bit of shopping I found a smokin' deal at tirerack.com. All four tires came to $380 with shipping.

I'm going to "use up" the old rear tires before I get the new rears put on, if'n you know what I mean. The fronts I'll get put on right away. Now I'll have to get another can of Mother's aluminum polish for the wheels.

There's still a lot of things I want to do to the car but right now it's about getting it ready so PFC RJ Jr can drive it when he gets home in 2-3 weeks. :D

RJ

[kombi1976]

I saw some here in town for that sort of car.
Oh, wait......the postage would kill you!
R14 tyres in general are difficult to get.
My '77 VW Bus had R14s and all we could get was light truck tyres a lot of the time.
They don't allow for great handling, I can tell you.

[recoil junky]

Yeah, there's always a catch. Freight is going to be $60 as it is. Getting them from OZ might be bit more than that :D.

RJ

[JaDub]

Gotta love the screw!!!!!!!    That takes the cake.       Be very afraid of the previous mentality.....  er, gene pool.  8-)

[recoil junky]

Well, I've not had a chance to work on the old girl all week. Twelve hour days at work replacing the engine in one of our field lube trucks has put a damper on a lot of projects, mostly the Mustang.

As for being a mechanic for a living and then coming home to work on the Mustang? All I can say is it's good therapy and a lot cleaner.

RJ

[recoil junky]

Well after an eight hour day that was a typical Monday, I managed to sneak out of work at 15:00 and got home in time to do a bit of work to the old girl. Here's a pic of the old nasty burt up wiring.



Here's the "new" loom installed after repairs.



Here's the new fuse panel.



It's not OEM but it was way cheaper doing it this way than buying a whole new wiring harness that may or amy not have been right anyway. It seems there are three serial number breaks and I didn't want to take a chance on getting the wrong one and not be able to return it. I even left a couple extra holes to put fuses in for something else later down the raod. way I won't have to splice into a wire and make another connection. One is hot all the time and the other comes is hot when the key is on.

Looking at these pictures now, it looks like I should have painted behind the dash a bit. Might have looked a bit neater.. Oh well.

The new dash, radio antenna and other parts from Mustangs Unlimited should get here this week as they were shipped today. Hopefully Tirerack has shipped the tires as well. So far there is no tracking number available to see where they are. :undecided:

RJ

[gitano]

it'll be in the neighborhood of 325-350 hp

[/SIZE]
 

I'm going to "use up" the old rear tires before I get the new rears put on, if'n you know what I mean.

I'm pretty sure I do...

Paul

[recoil junky]

I got the much awaited package from Mustangs Unlimited today. The new radio is already installed (no electrical yet) That will come tomorrow. I found some "old" Pioneer 5 1/4 " speekers in my collection to put in the front under the dash. They are good for 150 watts so the 240 watt system (40 per channel) shouldn't overload them. I'll replace teh existing speeker wire with new and reroute the wiring to the rears. Hopefully PFC RJ Jr. won't need a subwoofer.

The new dash pad is almost too pretty to put in but the old one is hidious to say the least.

I was talking to RJ Jr. today and he was looking at some Mustangs online and there is a good chance ours could be a Shelby GT. Ours seems to match all the desrciptions, even the side louvres and hood scoop. Wouldn't that be something if it was!!! The 351W had two different factory HP ratings. One with 250 and the other 285.  Either could have been in the Shelby depending on the serial number break.

Looks like I'll be doing some more research to find out for sure.

RJ

[kombi1976]

Wow, sounds amazing, especially about the Shelby GT stuff.
I expect to see some stuff on this.

[recoil junky]

So far no news on whether it's a Shelby on not. I haven't delved too deaply into that yet.

I've been busy getting the sound system installed and the speakers hooked up. The bad news is the Rockford Fosgates I was hoping to use are junk. The suspension is ripped in both of them, so I'll have to invest in some new Pioneer 6X9's to match the 5" Pioneers in the front. ZZ Top sounded pretty good even with the bad speakers in the rear. The little Mrs. said she could hear it in the house!!! At only 60 watts per channel it can really crank out the tunes!!

Took the new tyres in to get mounted today. Got a phone call informing me that they were having a devil of a time balancing the cast aluminum wheels. I'll have to stop in and see what is going on there. I thought eveybody had stick on wheel weights these days along with the old pound on kind.

RJ

[kombi1976]

How come you're going those rims?
Are they OG?

[recoil junky]

As a rule cast aluminum American Racing brand wheels are the best there is when it comes to ease of balance as they are usually balanced at the factory to within a gram. These are the wheels my brother-in-law put on the car before he got killed so we're kinda keepin' them on there for him.

As for the tyre shop having trouble balancing them, Tim will be back today, so he'll get them on the right track. When most of the employees speak mostly Spanish with a bit of English thrown in, conflicts will arise.

RJ

[kombi1976]

I'm sorry to hear about your brother-in-law's passing.
What happened there? Car accident?

[recoil junky]

My brother-in-law Justin, was killed in 1997 in a freak motorcycle accident just 2 blocks from home. He left behind a 2 year old son and a lovely soon to be bride. It was very hard on all of us. His son Dylan (now 16) is very interested in the progress on the Mustang as are  most other members of the immediate family. It's been an honor to be the "caretaker" of this car. In working on the Mustang I still find things he left behind. Picutres, receipts that sort of thing. Sometimes it's a bit freaky. Justin is still sorely missed :angel:

I've been thinking of personalized plates: 4JUSTIN. I think it would be a good way to honor him even after all the time that has passed.

After I got the tyres/wheels back from the shop I noticed that they are not American Racing wheels as I first thought, but thay are Ford wheels!! So maybe they were original euipment? I'll have to quiz Kurt and see if he knows if Justin put them or if he knows where they came from. In all the pictures I've seen of '69 Mustangs I haven't seen another one with these wheels on it. Just another piece of the puzzle.

All of the information I've been able to find about Shelbys doesn't seem to point to anything conclusive, but it doesn't rule out the possibility that this is not a Shelby either. There were so many different packages that year it's not even funny. The only thing I can rule out for sure that it is not a Grande, no A.C. :D It is for sure a GT, because of some of the "extras" it has, like bucket seats with head rests, the hood scoop and the location of the louvers in front of the rear wheels. I'll have to do some more investigating.

RJ

[recoil junky]

Well, it's not a Shelby, but that's ok. I guess all I could do was hope. After I checked the serial number it did turn out to be a GT, but that's all. Here's just a few more pictures.

Real Ford Wheels :D



They still need some polishing, but after an hour working on this one I figured PFC RJ Jr could do some work on them when he gets home on leave.



Here's the stereo installed. I still have to get some more trim pieces, but it does sound pretty good.



It moved under it's own power. I had to turn it around so I can work on the passenger door and window regulator.




And best of all VRRRRRROOOOOOOMM!!!!!!!   BOOGITY BOOGITY BOOGITY!!! Crank it up!!!!!!!!




If you listen real close, it shifted into 2nd gear and still kept on spinning
There's still a ton of work to do I have to get ti back up on the stands so I sdon't have to bend over all the time.

1. Most importantly find out why the brakes don't work very well. I think I may need a new master cylinder and or power booster. The pedal is really hard and only the fronts work, sorta.

2. Get the transmission kickdown linkage hooked up. Just need the rigth size 'C' clips.

3. Give the interior a good cleaning. I pulled out the back seat and there's all kinds of treasures in there. You don't want to know :o

4. Detail under the hood. I'll get a scotchbrite pad and go after all the gunk so I can repaint the firewall and fenders. Now that it's warmed up out side a bit, I can do this in the driveway.

5. Fabricate some new power steering lines. The old ones weep a bit. No bad leaks, just accumulation that looks bad.

And the list goes on, but for now I'm pretty pleased with the power the old girl has!!!

RJ

[gitano]

Lookin' good!
 
And soundin' good too!
 
Paul

[Alboy]

Ditto

[kombi1976]

That rocks, RJ.
I'm still coughing from the tyre smoke! :D

[LvrLover]

Sounds nice and smooth! Dont forget to clearcoat the rims after they're polished. It will hold back the oxidation for a bit anyway. Looks wonderful so far.

[recoil junky]

Thanks fellas. PFC RJ Jr. is pretty stoked too. I can't wait for him to get home so we can go for a ride

It looks like it will be on the back burner again for another week or so. I'll be on 12 hr days for the rest of the week and probably Saturday as well.  Plus I'll have to be "boss" Thurs, Fri, Mon and Tues, so that means I'll have to be at work earlier than usual.
 
I had to move it it again today so I could clean up the winter's collection of mud, hay, floordry etc. Sure looks better in there. Now I have  get after the workbenches and put tools away so I can find stuff again. I've been trying to pick up after myself, but I don't do a very good job of it.

RJ the younger's Subie is in need of brakes all the way around too, so I'll have that to look forward too this weekend, what there'll be of it.

I did stop at NAPA on the way home and picked up a few things, just to be ready if I get time to work on it somewhere in all the other stuff.

RJ

[recoil junky]

Well, with some help from the missus, I found out why the brakes didn't work. the rear wheel cylinders were both froze up. Stuck tighter than a dime in a Scotsman's coin purse. NAPA had them in stock so yesterday after work I picked them up and got them instaled and the brakes bled. The pedal feels much better now.

Now I'm working on the R/S window. I picked up a tube of . . . . . . my mind went blank. . . . .. . . you know that black gooey stuff that winshields are glued in with. Anyway I've got everything lined up, so on Thursday after work I can get the window reglued and then adjust it on Friday.

I took some brake cleaner to the powersteering hoses and cleaned them up really well and they are not leaking so I won't have to replace then at this point.

Got the kickdown linkage hoked up and the park brake fixed so the pedal ratchets like it's supposed to. Seems like everything on this car is in need of some sort of TLC and lubrication. The L/S window and the two rear windows need to have the sliders lubed before some thing rins amuck with them as well.

Steady by jerks!!

RJ

[recoil junky]

Well, yesterday I took the old girl to town to "get some gas". I stopped at NAPA where I've been geting most of my parts so the guys (and gals) could see what I've been spending all that money on. It was well received to say the least. The I went over to the Ford dealer to show it off to my friend who is the sales manager there. It was gone over with a fine toothed there because they had to check out my handi work.

I got lots of looks as cruised the drag, being very careful to observe all traffic rules. Got a big stare from one Craigs finest as I was setting at a stop light idling lumpily :D. I'm sure he was waiting for me to get under way in a quick manner, but I was a good boy and putted away very calmly. He even beat me away from the light.

All in all the maiden voyage went well with no mishaps. The two things I found out were:
1. I need to do some tuning on the carb. Need to change metering rods/springs and/or jets
2. I need to replace the front shocks

I started sanding the hood off this morning so I can prep it for a bit of repair work before it gets repainted. I'll swing it by my friends body shop so he can give me an idea how much it will cost to repaint it and reinstall the hood scoop.

RJ

[gitano]

Very cool!
 
Paul

[kombi1976]

Brilliant stuff, RJ.
Are you going a bare metal respray or are you just tidying up the cosmetic problems?

[recoil junky]

I'm taking it down to bare metal. There are  some rust pits where the hood scoop was that need filled in. Now I know why all the bondo and fibger glass was coming off. Then put some self etching primer on it, fill in a few dings, then paint it flat black for now. Roland says flat black is pretty easy to rough up then paint over. He'll do the final finish on my poor attempt at body work. The hood looks pretty straight so far, but it takes a real artist to get a hood to look good and I'm no artist by any means.

Also found a small rusty place in front of the R/R tyre. I'll get that taken care of as well.

RJ

[kombi1976]

So you're just repainting the hood then.
For a moment there I thought you meant the whole car!!

[recoil junky]

Eventually the whole car will get repainted the same color as it is now. I just want to get the hood looking halfway decent before the Mustang show in Steamboat Springs in June.

The show is the largest collection of Mustangs in the country. The city closes off Lincoln Ave. on both sides for 4 blocks and all there is is Mustangs. Last year there were over 600, with some from Canada AND Mexico.

http://www.resortqueststeamboat.com/rocky-mountain-mustang-roundup.htm


RJ

[kombi1976]

Sweet!
This looks like being a great car, RJ.

[recoil junky]

I spent the afternoon getting to Mustang ready for PFC "Doc" RJ J's first ride. I took it out and did some testing and adjusting on the carb, trying to get it set for this altitude. I think I got it set pretty well. It's still a bit rich coming off the line, but there are no stumbles in acceleration. It refuses to do a burout on asphalt unless it's got a bit of dirt on it.  The front wheels don't come off the ground or anything like that, it just GOES!!!!!! I might have to lean it out a bit more to get real good power off the line. WOT is pretty impressive when the secondaries kick in. 0-60 is probably in the 4-5 second range. It's kinda hard to shift, watch the road, speedo and the stop watch all at the same time.

Then I took it to town for more gas. Milage seems to be about 14-16 mpg, but then a Mustang isn't qabout milage, it's about how you get there. :D. On the way home I had to pass a couple "slower" cars. I only had it up to 85. I really don't need a speeding ticket in it. It'd would be interesting to see what it'll do in the quarter mile. I'd guess in the 12-13 second range.


After I got back home, I washed AND waxed, washed the windows, AGAIN, Armor Alled the seats, AGAIN, vacumed the floors etc. I'd forgotten how much work it is to make one shine. I need to get some rubbing compound to take out some light scratches and see if I can get rid of what looks like water marks, but is probably some sort of stain from setting under a pine tree for 10 years.

Now I'm just waiting for 19:30 and the look on Doc's face

RJ

[kombi1976]

That Mustang sounds like an amazing car.
I suspect you might have to go a long way to find something equally nice.
Has it cost you a lot so far to put back on the road?
We've seen the progress but sometimes things are more expensive in parts than they seem in pictures.

[recoil junky]

Luckily, most of the acutal "needed" parts were already on/in the car. Just a lot of elow grease to redo things that were already done. The engine, as near as we can guess, had less than 15,000 miles on it, so there was no need to rering the pistons or rebuild the heads. Mostly we redid things that were probably the worse for wear after the car just setting for 14 years. Time take it's toll on things that are neglected as you know.

I haven't really kept track of the actual dollar amount of the parts, or the time I've put in it so far. It'd probably scare me if I did. If I were to guess, I'd say somewhere in the neighborhood of $3-4K, probably a bit more. Time spent? At least 500 hours. Probably a good thing I don't "clock in and out" on this job.

With "Doc" here  for a couple weeks to help, we'll be able to get some more done. Mostly trying to get the carb set up for this altitude. It really takes two sets of eyes and ears to really get the carb tuned right. That part is very time consuming. Quite a bit of trial and error, pulling plugs to check color, changing power rods and jets, that sort of thing.
kombi, you know as well as I that you never do get all the little things added in to the final cost of a project like this. The satisfaction of having the final product is worth a way more than the dollar amount you've got tied up in it.
 
And yes, I'd have to go a long way to find a car as nice as this one started out being. I've been looking for another one so that Doc and I will each have our own. I've got my eye on a '72 Mach 1 :o

RJ
 

[recoil junky]

I was out "messing" around the other day and shot this video out the back window. Enjoy



I fergot to start in low and was in drive. Shocked me a bit when it shifted into second and just kept spinning until the torque band went away.

I calmed things down and was "putsing" along about 60 when I met a sherriff coming the other way. I looked in the mirror and the smoke cloud was  just drifting across the hiway. I'm pretty sure he knew who the culprit was.

RJ

[noel]

yep,and he was to busy remeniscing to bother you!time to "pony up"there cowboy,have fun with it!

[recoil junky]

The Mustang got "new life" today. I finished the installation of the 3000 rpm stall torque converter and it was like WOW!!! No need to power brake to do burn outs in the shop!!! It's like it has 4:11 gears or something. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. Now I'll have to go back and reset the carburetor to richen things up a good bit because now there's a dead spot at about 3/4 throttle when the secondaries open. The engine starts to get too lean at that point and power drops off and the shift points are messed up.

I'll have to post another burnout video!!!

RJ

[kombi1976]

Sounding good, RJ.
My automotive projects either went to another home or are sitting gather spider webs!

[recoil junky]

Sorry to hear that kombi. Mine spent a good deal of the winter gathering dust as well. I have a bunch more sanding on the hood today before I go to work. I think this will be the last of the Bondo, then I get to paint!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While I was working on the Mustang I thought I could smell cat whiz. The car cover was just laying over the boot and as I got closer, sure 'nuf, the odor of tom cat wafted from it.

Did I mention I love feral cats? They are about the size of a prairie dog. :grin: and they are easily baited. :grin:  

RJ

[JaDub]

"and they are easily baited"    :grin: :grin: :grin:

[recoil junky]

Here kitty kitty kitty.

Cats don't like this next part, but kombi and jadub will!!!



Can't wait for Doc to get home and play. But if I find ANY MORE SCRATCHES IN THE OIL PAN/S I'll wring 'is neck!!! Too fast going through dips. He gets that from 'is 'mum.

RJ

[kombi1976]

Yeah, ya got me.
That is very cool.

[Alboy]

"...But if I find ANY MORE SCRATCHES IN THE OIL PAN/S I'll wring 'is neck!!! Too fast going through dips. He gets that from 'is 'mum..."
 
1. Bet she does not read this site often.:lipsrsealed:
2. Put in a skid plate, Mustang good probably use the extra weight anyhow.
3. LOOKING GOOD:jumpingsmiley:

[recoil junky]

Doc will listen, 'is mum won't. All I have to do is show him the scratches and that's all it takes.

 'is mum on the other hand is a stubborn Irish lass who drove what the sign said, rain or shine, dry or ice, bumps ruts, pothloes and gravel be hanged. UNTIL, I showed her the PLASTIC oil pan on her new Buick with the oil plug smack in the bottom.

RJ