66 Mustang coupe

[Low Horatio gearbox]

Car continues to car .

[Asimo]

I think some thick flat washers between the bolt head and those slots in the shock absorber mount would be a good idea.

[Matty]

On 7/19/2022 at 11:28 PM, danthecapriman said:

Certainly looks ‘vintage’! Probably for the best it’s been changed!

You've reminded me, changing the diff oil is a job I need to get done on my Mercury. 

Sincere apologies for the thread drift but do you have a thread on the Mercury Dan? Can't find it. Back on topic, the Mustang is looking awesome and I'm still sulking that I couldn't buy the VX

[Low Horatio gearbox]

@Asimo  I've centered  it better now but thats "as std" 🤷‍♂️ it only has too deal with the- damping forces not suspension forces

 

 

@Matty  I'd have loved for it to stay in the shitefold. Next time, tho I suspect it'll turn up witha  5 digit price  sadly.

[Matty]

Just now, Low Horatio gearbox said:

@Asimo  I've centered  it better now but thats "as std" 🤷‍♂️ it only has too deal with the- damping forces not suspension forces

 

 

@Matty  I'd have loved for it to stay in the shitefold. Next time, tho I suspect it'll turn up witha  5 digit price  sadly.

Long as it turns up looking roughly the same. It'd worry me someone will pineapple it. Still though, their car now

[danthecapriman]

1 hour ago, Matty said:

Sincere apologies for the thread drift but do you have a thread on the Mercury Dan? Can't find it. Back on topic, the Mustang is looking awesome and I'm still sulking that I couldn't buy the VX

I’ve not really updated it for some time tbh. Various updates etc have gone in other threads too but: 

It was from around the time Photobucket started arsing around so I’m not sure all the photos are there anymore either.

I should probably start another thread or combined thread for all my stuff? Might be a better plan?

 

Sorry for the hijack LHg. 
Mustangs looking fab! Still love the colour👍

 

[Low Horatio gearbox]

35 minutes ago, Matty said:

Long as it turns up looking roughly the same. It'd worry me someone will pineapple it. Still though, their car now

He knew his 60s and 70s vx stuff well -he spent an hour going over it before making any buying noises. I guess a good extensive renovation if not a full  restoration is on the cards. (I hope not a quick washa nd a flip  tho he didnt seem that kind)

 

 

Hijack away Dan  - I need to read that now I'm back up to speed with your let's be honest rather lovely Capri - in fact I thought if you yesterday when I saw an ad for a Mercury like yours for just £2k -condition consummate with asking price.

[Low Horatio gearbox]

Car continues to car.

Though in the last 2 weeks it has felt somewhat hesitant at times slightly rough running but only momentarily. The usual visual inspection of opening the bonnet and sucking teeth while vaguely poking  like I knew what I was doing yielded little obvious culprits.

Till yesterday when I opened the bonnet to show a friend  and petrol was liberally dripping out of the carb from the  accelerator  diaphragm.  Opening it up and the rubber had given up  where it meets the metal disc.  9 quid and one was on it's way and arrived today. Not quite the right fit - my screw holes are slightly closer, but making it fit was about 5 minutes work with a punch and the leak is gone, performance restored and improved and no puddles of petrol.

[mercedade]

Love this car. That's all.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I'm not sure how I'd missed some of the more recent updates on your Mustang. Brilliant to see it up and running and looking hawt wherever you park it. They're such good looking cars. I guess it's tucked away for winter now? 

[Low Horatio gearbox]

1Partially yes!   

Life, decorating a d the GFs uni placement  meant my dicking around improving* this and the others has been limited till err  2  weeks from now.   Tho I've run it  out to make sure everything is circulating once or twice a week  - I'm not a believer in tucking them up for 6 months of a year and  then being surprised it won't start/stop/move.

The heater is -for a car of its age -pretty decent  and I thought  the dash lights were totally kaput but pulling and twisting the switch a bit and it came back to life and can sort of be dimmed'ish as well.  The lack of interior light is  a pain though when your trying to shove and belt  2 kids and shopping in/out  in the twilight/winter evenings.

I fiddle  with the carb  slightly on the weekend and it starts a bit easier  - new carb and inlet manifold in the next 8 weeks allegedly 😒

Other stuff : the carpet in the front footwells has started to disintegrate unsurprisingly given it's near total crispness. I plan to  replace it when the new carb is  on as the seats need to come out and the footwell kick panels ar a bit fragile  - that will have to wait as my daily modernish xc90  threw a hissy  fit immobiliser wise the day before Christmas eve.

 

 

[Low Horatio gearbox]

 Today's faffage,  Rear lights😩

The LED kit is semi drop in -you dont have to modify the housing or body, just  faff with the wiring.

In a fit of parenting /cheap  I enlisted mine and the Gfs  offspring  to help* with some if it.

 

The bezels are held in with 4 screws and hold the lens  on  and then you push  the bulb holder out of the back of the lamp  housing  using hammer and block of wood  . Easy bit over it's to the fun of wiring and soldering , tho to be fair the kit came with connectors with long wires and  wired buttons (to switch indicator mode) for each side and all I had to do was push the connectors in and  connect 1 ground wire per side and feed the pig tails thro the now vacant bulb holder, er... hole.

That done the  and its wiring time , the lights need  2 more wires running in to give the correct signal/voltage for each function as it's going from 2 wires and ground  per lamp  to 4 wires and a ground - the original set up  used the same wire for brake and indicator and just one red lense (much cheapness obvs) to get all 3 functions. 

 

First up was a ground connector on either side - start off with the easy stuff before progression to fire/crying in the corner of the garage.   And slowly  pairing up each of the  running, brake and indicator signal wires.  Partially made easier as  the original wiring had  been cut and reconnected about 4-5" from the lamp connector and had crimp fittings - bizarre as the connectors comes off the back of the lamp units easy and there is no need to remove them 🤷‍♂️    while not super  tidy I took my time and  managed to sort the boot wiring out without burning myself or the car.

This just leaves running the 2  new wires forward out of the boot over the wheel tub   and  to the front.  Usual faff and  having to remove the rear drivers side trim panel and have the new wires follow the original loom route. I ran out of time  today so  tommorow morning its run the wires from the  base of the B pillar to the dash, 1 to replace the  brake wire and a 12v power,  that shouldn't take more than 2 hours or so, tho I'm not looking  forward to removing the drivers  footwell kick panels  as it  has a few crack and looks nicely fragile. Oh and get something to make up for the job existant real lense seals/gaskets.

 

 I did a quick check and the rear lights are working as they should be so, sucess*🤷‍♂️

[Low Horatio gearbox]

Needless to say. The lights are appreciably brighter and more even in appearance  despite  57 year old lenses

[danthecapriman]

Great to see updates on this! The lights look brilliant.👍

[High Jetter]

Why have I missed this? Stunning!

[Low Horatio gearbox]

 And  job done.

 

 Wiring or more soldering is my least favorite, though  I do appear to be improving  i think I'll  make up/redo the wiring   as it's not as tidy as I'd like and I can do better to  clean up the routing and have it look neater.   The fragile looking drivers footwell kick panel was  nowhere  near as crispy and fragile as I thought I just need to strengthen  and repair cracks around one of the screw mounts holes where  it's been over tightened.  I need to investigate a glue as it's  that slippery waxy feeling plastic that no glue seems to want to grip/adhere too.

 I  found the live for the cigarette  lighter/12 v  - powering the shonky non working stereo so returned it to the lighter but  the ground needs redoing -i presumed it was groundd on the metal dash

 

I have a video of the indicators working but I'm having a senior moment and can't figure out how to upload  it 🤷‍♂️

[Low Horatio gearbox]

So as  the chiddlers are home  today they have been roped into shite fettling, tho to be fair the youngest at 6  just zipped in and out asking if we were done yet.  Today's list is replace the battery tray and  try and reduce the dent on the OS front wing.

 

The battery tray is  rusted but  although not ideal not actually rotted out  or about to let the battery drop out. The bodywork underneath is solid so the plan is to get the old one out clean it up, rust treat and paint  what's underneath and put a new one in.  

 

Progress is happening.  Of the 2 bolts on top   the reaone has no usable head left at all  and the other unsurprising rounded.   The 2 small  ones underneath  wouldnt take a imperial  spanner or socket , I tried metric but no go unless I had an 8.5 mm socket.  Access is  pants so  its grinder time for all.

[Low Horatio gearbox]

So naturally  we switched to something less strenuous. 

The OSF  wing had a large dent long before I got it and I'd wanted to  have a go at  making it less big maybe. I'm not expecting miracles as long as the dent is 4" deep I'll be happy

A bottle Jack pushed up the inside of the wing and braced against the  body/inner  wing structure and a few  goes had it looking less deep but marginally more lumpy (because I forgot to use a block of wood between the Jack and wing first go) a few tweaks with a  rubber mallet had it looking  ehh about the same  ish.  The dent is way less deep now and  thanks to  the general patina it doesnt stand out. ( and  I cant find a decent "before " picture)

 

[Low Horatio gearbox]

And partial sucess on the battery tray.

 Even with an inspection lamp ligting it all up  access and  just being able to see  the lower bolts was tricky.. so some surgery

The lower 2 bolts actually screw into a threaded  peice of spring steel that slides over the battery  tray. Not nuts so obvs I couldn't get anything on them to undo them. No probs just take them off via the bolt on the outside edge of the frame.  Ahh except the front bumper support is  bolted onto of the frame and while I could undo one bolt  and just about get a spanner on the 2nd forward bolt,  I couldn't actually turn it and  there was near zero space for the bolt to back out. 

 

Ok no probs we'll just undo them and get some wiggle room and  finesse*  it out from there. Which failed as the bumper support  bolts just go into loose nuts  inside the frame rail, the rear on had nomacces hole rails undid easily.  But the front one had an access hole which  is barely  big enough for the right spanner and also means  your putting the spanner on the nut at a 30 degree angle. I managed to wind it off about 3 turns before it went all spiny spiny and  decided that removing half the front bumper to get 1 small bolt out was  not in my plans.  

  So naturally  I got the grinder back out and zipped it off and  hammered what was left out and resolved to bolt it on with plain old nuts on the outside. Even then it was properly jammed in with rust grime that and undercoat and had to be prised and hammered out.  However its almost and I managed with much faff to tighten up thr bumper bracket  which let's me put the new battery tray in tommorrow .

Battery tray and improved access.

 

[Low Horatio gearbox]

And superb access from the outside.

At best I'd need to pull the braket away and loosen off the near/drivers side bolts too to get enough wiggle space. If not take the bumper off completely.   You can  see the front hole in the 2nd pic with the  bolt in it touches the bumper mount.

[Low Horatio gearbox]

I gave the inner wing a lick of Vactan, it didnt really need it but it was  a matter of 30 secinds. The battery tray had borne the brunt of the leaked battery acid

New battery tray finagled in- I had to zip a lumpy corner off where it  was contacting the inner wheel well and  the  support braket needed a twist and thump with  mallet to  get all 4 holes lined up with the corresponding holes on the car.  A quick rummage and some random but appropriate sized fastners and snuggled down , battery back in and a job I'd wanted  to tick off the list for ages done.  

[Low Horatio gearbox]

The last 2 times I used this the brake pedal has   after a minute or so of sitting in traffic slowly sunk down (an upside to lots of local road works , I guess). Normal braking has been unaffected  and there is still more than enough stop to lock the front wheels up. I checked the level in the reservoir and it hasn't dropped and there  do not appear to be any leaks or damp patches around the wheels so  all the finger pointing is at the master cylinder seals failing.

I debated rebuilding it as it's  fine if just scruffy, but no one in the UK stocks a rebuild kit for it and  while its not a pricy kit  - £25 or so shipping from the US is  steep - I had quotes from £25 up to a hundred. Plus  some form of wait for it to get here and maybe a hit of duty.

A new replacemnt single circuit master cylinder is £155 or so, plus  a new Line to brake bias valve/block as the fittings on mine are seized as solid and it will sheer no doubt.   I'm finally remembering to check any adjacent or knock on fittings/parts beforehand!  Some new fittings and 1/4" brake pipe and hardware  a few quid.

OR a dual circuit is about  £190 with fittings, and "drops right in"*

A bit of pain  and I'm  not super chuffed to need a new one, but  for an extra £30 to go to dual circuits is a worthy enough upgrade and improvement. Plus its sunny  outside and I want to drive it - no doubt if if had been pissing it down as usuall  I'd have been able to sack it off till next month and save some pennies. 

[Low Horatio gearbox]

"Drop in" fabled last words.

 2 and a half hours in and it's mostly done, I need to put the pedal linkage and rod  back in and bleed it.  Faff came from the pedal shaft  being held nto the ol mpiston by a captive spring I couldn't compress I tried, not very hard but I did give it a go.   But mostly it was  the pipework,  one of the fittings being  the wrong size to fit the distribution block for the front brakes and the other pre made pipe being  hopelessly to long and the wrong shape for the rear brake  For now I've made up some scruffy but functional line so and may , may have go at tidying them up, maybe.

 

The old master had been rebuilt as it had a shiny red anodized alloy piston  but also tons of murky brown goop and a tired and worn seal. It had leaked a but out the back  a small amount but nothing major.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[danthecapriman]

I hate poncing around with brake lines! It was one of my most hated jobs on my Capri. The kit I used on that said it was designed for the car… but still didn’t fit. Horrible job. 
Definitely a worthwhile upgrade for your Mustang though and it looks a tidy job too.

[PhilA]

Looking good though. You picked the right car for parts availability. 

Glad you've been able to enjoy and improve it.

[Low Horatio gearbox]

 

15 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

I hate poncing around with brake lines! It was one of my most hated jobs on my Capri. The kit I used on that said it was designed for the car… but still didn’t fit. Horrible job. 
Definitely a worthwhile upgrade for your Mustang though and it looks a tidy job too.

 I find making it look tidy the pain, tho having sen a few youtubers  and pros do it equally less great as long as it doesn leak I'm happy.  The SAE 45 degree flare on the cheap silverline flaring tool I bought for the fronts does a decent job and has paid for itself twice over already.

 

 

14 hours ago, PhilA said:

Looking good though. You picked the right car for parts availability. 

Glad you've been able to enjoy and improve it.

Aye, even here in the old country  I can get parts to fix it next day pretty much.   It has been used and enjoyed , I've put over a 1000 miles on it since last summer.  

[Low Horatio gearbox]

Anyway,  to finish last nights job.

 

No  leaks overnight so straight under the dash to put the pedal linkage back together, mildly fiddly as an inverted "U" shaped spar runs from the bulkhead to the dash just to one side of the  column and gets in the way,  a lot.   Pedal rod and its fiendish spring locator put back in,  and everything  back as it should be. Tho I carefully managed to pull the spade connector off the brake switch. 

 

A quick run out of get brake cleaner as I'd made a good mess and a check -a small but noticeable  leak from the rear brake to master line  join. I cranked it down snug  and checked it after another run -  and still a slight weep, fucksticks. 

  Access is  a pain, it's pretty tight in the corner  of the engine bay with the firewall, master cylinder and bonnet hinge all vying to get in the way and the  female  to female brake line connector free floating, waiting for an chance to be inadvertently twisted.   So with jiggling and awkward leaning over  into the engine bay I held the connector with an adjustable and  snugged both ends down another 1/4 to half turn,  s l o w l y  watching the lines and avoiding bending them or kinking them.

No leaks since and brake pedal feels.. about the same - a touch softer maybe, but more modulated/linear- less off/on the the old master. The old one went from " some braking" to  90% braking in about 1/4" of travel.  There was however no sinking feel  in stationary traffic , so sucess.  Tho I think they need another bleed,  thats not for today. It was cold and I didnt fancy more rolling around on the floor bleeding it solo, and tommorrow is Saturday and I can get the boy to help and share in the suffering.

 

 

 

[Low Horatio gearbox]

Manky old, reaaaaaaly heavy cast iron master cylinder must weigh a good 2.5kg /5 lb or so. 

[2flags]

It is really satisfying doing brakes. The confidence that it gives you when you press the brake pedal, knowing that you are actually going to stop is such a good feeling. Well done with this. Converting it to a dual circuit is a very worthwhile upgrade.

[Low Horatio gearbox]

Wel... due to a change in circumstances this is very sadly going to have to go. I expected to sell it but not for another good 12-18 months but life.. 🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️

 

Not sure It's a suitable car to sell on here as while it looks and plays the part it's a bit... spendy really.

On 2/11/2023 at 2:59 PM, 2flags said:

It is really satisfying doing brakes. The confidence that it gives you when you press the brake pedal, knowing that you are actually going to stop is such a good feeling. Well done with this. Converting it to a dual circuit is a very worthwhile upgrade.

To be fair the brakes before the upgrade didn't lack power but the sudden onset of the peadle sinking while holding the car in traffic was quite puckering. Going dual circuit for almost the same money was a no brainer.