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Back together. Oh yeah!

So today I finished up the paint on my front bumper. Here it is in the paint booth after sanding down the primer, final wipe with wax remover and tack cloth. I also vacuumed the paint booth and sprayed down some dust treatment on the floor. A sealer coat was applied next. It helped to gain a little confidence with the paint gun before applying actual paint. One more tack and it was time to lay down paint. Four coats: And then finally four coats of high durability clear: The finished product looks pretty good for my first attempt with a paint gun. It will be baked overnight. Frankly the whole process was not as difficult as I had imagined. Using a paint gun was much easier than a rattle can! Paint work has always been black magic to me. It was actually pretty fun to give it a go. I'm a little worried the bumper is going to look too nice up against the 45 year old paint on the rest of the car...ha! I have decided I am going to tackle painting the Mach 1 hood blackout myself next week. I need to get a buddy over to help me lift off the hood this weekend as I am going to paint it off the car.

Couple shots from this past weekend. Got a chance to really push the new suspension components and they performed exceptionally well.

From the factory steel with sports caps. To some Australian made, early 1970's ROH Pro Sprint wheels. 235 / 60 / 14 on the front and 245 / 60 / 14 on the back. Next job, to replace the front drum brakes with disk.

I decided to repaint my front bumper to get rid of 45 years of stone chips and blemishes, and a really bad paint chip repair I did back in '79 or '80 with a mismatched bottle of touch up paint and a brush. I removed the bumper and cleaned things up. I took down to a local body shop where they let me do the repairs myself. I shot the primer today and hope to lay down color tomorrow. This is my first time painting using something other than a rattle can. I figure if I can get the bumper right I can go on to bigger things. I hoping to get enough confidence to do the hood Mach 1 blackout paint myself.

I found this pic searching around on Google. I think white and silver look great.

@tony-muscle Thx Tony, but you know, I can't save these parts half! Once you actually do all this routinely, the shine comes almost for free. And that it's underneath or in plain sight doesn't really matters. Plus, once they are under a nice coat, they are so smooth to the touch, it's much more easy to clean than that raw rough steel. @timachone Nothing goes above a Mustang read for breakfast! I was planning to focus only on my new patient, the saginaw steering gear, but as this weekend was looking like the last dry not too cold weekend of the year, I went plan b and use that weather to spray a few things, so I could be able to finish a few things I've started before the misery comes back.. Here's my last weekend, as usual, not perse in chronological order. After some taping and good degreasing, primed, painted and coated my booster. It popped in my mind that a a booster needs a master cylinder to actually do something and as it was in a box for a long time, I totally forgot it (almost). So sprayed it in its own grey and as the clear coat I'm using gave me pretty results on other zinc protected parts, I also took the chinese chrome cover with it. While the booster was drying, made some rubber gasket to fit in between firewall and the unit as I did on my 73. There was nothing left of the original plastic thingy and as its sole purpose is to isolate air to enter the cabine, this should be even better as it eventually takes out vibs too. All hard on Sunday, I've installed the one way valve grommet/valve and I was pretty pleased to see the combo now in a pretty descent state! I'm sure purists will file a complain about the finish... but in my jurisdiction, I'm dang happy about the way they look considering how all this was just a week ago and they match my greys theme ! :D In between spray & heat gun sessions for my parts. I went back to the gear dismantelling, and on one side, you need a special tool to unlock it. A visit to my local shop revealed that the right tool, was just $110... yeah right. Soooo as I have a couple of similar tools that came with past axe tools to change/secure disks, I've cut one, and welded in the missing space. Few minutes later, after first marking the position of the assembly to ease reassembly later on, I used my frankenstein tool and it did great. Tho, after the locking ring is loose, it's not really necessary. I think having it will be handy later on. Oh well, I have it now and saved some money :D The unit had no play, no leaks and I could have just cleaned it up and mount it back, but I'm glad I did not cut corners, as while bushings and pretty much everything is looking good, after 50 years, it was really in need of a good clean up! New o-rings, gaskets etc.. should give it a few decades more! Btw, If you ever service one of these. Keep in mind there is a hole on the side of the casing to get that snap ring out. Don't loose precious time as I did to try get it out the way snap rings are supposed to be taken out, this is GM, they make holes in casings vs use good snap rings! :D The weather still perfect, I also changed my plan that was to first put the gear back together and then paint, because 2 weeks of misery are coming this way and would end up with casing that only wants to rust on me. So after some love, got that casing grease, rust free and after some tedious masking, I've sprayed that baby. Because I know I will have the challenge to not damage the finish on the way back, I sprayed 6 thin layers of coat with 5 minutes in between with heat gun, and ended up with a real thick long lasting surface that should be solid rock next weekend. Installing back faded alumnium parts on a bling bling unit being kinda silly when you own a polishing machine, I gave the top and end cap some love, corrected the many casting flaws with files and sanding paper and got them whoooo sssssssshhhiny! :D My pitman arm and its hardware already done, I realised the sector shaft would be out of tone, but this thingy being really heavy, I would need build some complex thingy to hold it while it took a bath... nah, plan B too there! Went freehand plating :D and before I got some cramp, I ended up with the exposed part looking as my pitman arm. Ater a good rinse, cleaning it went in a freezing bag under a good layer of assembly goo so it doesn't rust on me or collects any debris. Btw, this stuff, is fantastic. made for transmission repair, where it really made a big difference for the 2 trans I did in past 2 years acting often as a third hand. Most of all, it ensures all stays lube, no matter how long it will take before you actually use the parts. Once it warms up a bit it desolves. My forgotten tie rod end also plated and painted, I could also place back the other side. Which gave me a weird alignment where both wheels were going opposite directions. Turning the sleeves on both side corrected that, tho I will only be able to make a "not too shabby" adjustment only after the pitman/gears are back in. Install and adjustments where done with great ease now that all is restored/new. Big contrast with removing them! Turning the wheels is now smooth as butter. With one or 2 hours of sun left, I decided I did enough for the weekend and that it was time to take the lady 73 for a spin... awesome! To be continued....

I painted my hood today. After gaining confidence with the paint gun on the front bumper I figured what the hell, give it a go. Here it is with stencil in place, masked, sanded and tacked ready for paint: Well, moment of truth. After two coasts of single stage and thirty minutes to flash, I removed all the tape. Ta da! I'm pretty happy with the result. Not too shabby for "amateur hour". Going to let it bake overnight and then reinstall tomorrow. I'll wait a few days before putting on the Argent 351 RAM AIR decals.

Hello,I'm still at it.I'm currently working on the outer wheel house filler panels. I have the drivers side fit tight to the quarter and tacked in. Now to do the passenger side then to weld them in. I also made the front and rear flares even larger to better fit the larger wheels.The fronts are done and just have to be edged and I'm working on the rear.The rears also need to be edged.

I bought my Mach a new friend

I put the console where it fit the shifter well , with painters tape under the screw holes in the console and marked each one with a sharpie. from there I removed the console and heated a piece of 3/16'' brake tubing with no flare red hot and simply melted thru the carpet. Stinky and hard on the eyes, but very effective, just drilled my holes from there, I could actually see where the screws needed to go. That's all I am willing to confess to today.

Found this vintage gem of a book and had to share.

I did some Autocross today. Today was the last race of this year. This is my second year and it was a huge improvement. When I started last year I was at the bottom 5% of the group. The group is of about 100 cars. I started this year at the bottom 25% after the new suspension. Today I was in the top 33%. This is the second race in a row that I beat all the other Mustangs. There are about 5-6 Mustangs from 2000+ and I am running better than them. The Maier suspension with the Michelin PS4 tires are amazing! It is very cool to have a car that can handle all those Gs.

Hi, All... I have a 72' not a 73 and it's time to get these out there. Full set of 73 Forged Aluminum wheels. Not so easy to find today. 14x6 Each one has one or all of the center cap screws snapped off. Some light curb rash on 2 but with some buffing, it will come out. Pick up or ship 250.00 for the set. Located in Cleveland, OH PM me for details

Put the top down and took the pooch for a ride

Also here a few pics of the original 71 I painted a few years ago. I copied exactly where the factory blackout went to in the doors jambs. I’m pretty sure they changed them slightly in 72. Yours will go a little higher on the body since this car has the decor trim and yours does not. You car is looking great!! Keep up the good work.

Hood stencil is looking great. Don't forget when you shoot the rest of the black, to paint the inside edge of the tail lights where the honeycomb goes.

Did it come with one of these?

"Let's go Brandon!"

I appreciate all the input. Justinc1973 thanks for that pic, made the choice easier. My mind is made up. shouldn't be long and i'll be able to put some pics up

There's a voltage regulator for the gauges (instrument voltage regulator) that works by contacts opening and closing and reducing the power to an average of around 6 volts, hence pulsing. The purpose is so the gauges don't fluctuate as the alternator voltage increases and decreases with engine RPM.

Very simple -- go to my youuut000b the red one has long headers -- the green one has original manifolds I like both -- but feel the plumbier sound of the green sportyroof is more exciting

They are mounted in the center of the car, buttonside up.

Is this your wedding ring on the fender?

LSD rear end!!!!!!!!!! I know I tend to admire womens rear ends after a few beers, but a psychodelic butt....Groovy

It’s back together, needs some seam sealer, paint and rubberized coating….I am excited! It passed the initial leak test, more to come after final sealing….

I dropped my motor trans and headers in as 1 assembly.

It's more about the time you want to put in it than money. There is tons to do on this one tho (seen the vid). As I always say to myself, no matter if okish, bad or worse, they all need the same amount of paint in the end :D Good luck!

After 48 years, my '73 sat slightly low on the driver's side. I didn't measure it, but it could certainly be noticed looking straight on from the rear. I replaced the rear leaf springs with Eaton springs and new stock length Eaton shackles. Now the car sits even side to side. Eaton makes three different springs for our cars; Standard, Competition and Boss. I installed the Competition springs and I am happy with the selection. As far as the typical rear squat our cars have, I corrected that at the same time by cutting 1/2 coil out of the stock original front springs. Photos show stance now.

Now we need a reminder app added to the forum.

Hello! I recently bought a 1972 Mach 1 and absolutely love it. I have always been partial to 1971-73 Mustang, so it feels great to finally own one of my dream cars. Until now I have been in the Foxbody world, having owned 2 mid-80s Mustangs and a 1981 Capri. My 72 was restored before I bought it, and is in very good driving condition but I don't have a lot of details about its history. I will be ordering a Marti Report. It is an H-code car but currently has 4V heads, Edelbrock Performer-4V intake and Holley 750 carb. Looking forward to learning more about tuning carburetors. I will be doing little things like restoring the engine bay to a more stock appearance (getting the ram air plenum/air cleaner assembly; relocating all the aftermarket MSD ignition stuff somewhere else so I can put the window washer reservoir back where it goes, etc). The interior is in really good shape, but the former owner cut the radio bezel to put in a modern din stereo. I ordered a replica bezel and am looking for an oem radio, preferably the 8-track stereo. I will probably hide a newer stereo in the glove box or somewhere to plug in an iPod. Not a big fan of the Custom Sound replica radios. They look pretty good, but I would prefer the original. I'm looking forward to learning and sharing information about these cars and participating in the discussions on the forum!

Huge thanks to @Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs for the detailed info of his blackout write up. Hopefully i didn’t butcher your name. Contact him directly for the write up! The stencil I had wasn’t too horrible but having references and measurements were helpful especially on how far forward to place it. will post another video soon! Be sure to subscribe if you wanna follow the build!

According to Bob Mannel's book, the 68 302 had the Power By Ford covers with a side mounted plug wire bracket. https://fordsmallblock.com/

Excellent patience. Car looks great as is. Make sure you thank wife in tow who supports your silliness. Congrats on that new baby and hopefully he grows to love the car.! Ron

I use the same heater hose Autometer water line fitting and it seems to work really nicely. If your car has AC you probably cant use it since water isnt constantly flowing thru the heater hoses.

Fuse #4, 14 amps, is the one for the idiot lights, seat belt buzzer, and throttle position solenoid.

Sold ...gone .!! ...........in the hands of a real enthusiast though. ...once again - I'm a 7173 tramp.

I too, ordered from Amazon: a chicken and an egg. I'll let you know.

I missed out on similar car with a 351c for 500 bucks a few years back. I'm still mad at my self for not knocking on the door.

Last week, I ordered the CD with the 6 ford assembly manuals. UPS man delivered it today. On the CD, there are 6 pdf files with the manuals and helpful pictures and information. Unfortunately, the folks who made them put a huge stinking watermark of their company name over every single page. On some pages, the watermark obscures the information I actually wanted to see. The pages could already be a bit tough to read to begin with. The huge diagonal banner wasn't helping. I whipped up a bash 1-liner that takes each PDF file, decompresses it, and changes the opacity of the watermark. It makes the thing much easier to read and see the pictures now. I figured it would be helpful to anybody else who'd gotten these. Obviously, you have to copy them off your CD before you can edit them. Bash command I made for my computer running linux with pdftk, all free and open source software. Changes it from 50% transparent to 99% transparent. find . -maxdepth 1 -name \*.pdf -exec sh -c "mkdir tmp ; pdftk '{}' output tmp/uncompressed.pdf uncompress && sed -e 's/^0.5 g$/0.99 g/g' tmp/uncompressed.pdf > 'unwatermarked/{}' && rm -rf tmp" \; Before and after.

Both the balancer and flywheel must be balanced the same as the rotating assembly, internal or external (28 or 50 ounce). The balancer snout length must also match the front of the crankshaft, or spacers can be used on some of them. It's best to get them all from the same place as an assembly so they match.

The front holes are under the transmission mount supports, you can't see them from under the car, I sharpened some coat hangar wire and heated it up and poked it through from the bottom to locate the holes through the new carpet, The front 2, I installed the first six screws loosely, then used a very fine wire through the console holes to find the front screw holes, and carefully ran a heated wire through the carpet to get the screws in without spooling up the carpet. It's tricky, but do-able. Good luck!!

Looks great! I also like the cat. Chuck

+1 on Molnar forged crank and H beam rods, good quality at a fair price. That is what I used for the Boss 347 build. Chuck

You can use the union, just get some new compression olives (or sleeves) https://www.homedepot.com/p/LTWFITTING-1-8-in-Brass-Compression-Sleeve-Fittings-50-Pack-HF60250/313557141 If you don't want to pull the pan to replace the weldnut inside, maybe run a tap through it for the next available size. A little grease on the tap will catch most of the chips, the magnet will usually get the rest. https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/needa-parts-oil-drain-plug-magnetic-m14-1.50-head-size-14mm-sold-by-each-090-036/22149666-P?searchTerm=090036

I haven't been on the forum site in quite some time. These individual model threads are awesome!!! I love my Grande, had her for 25 years now!

Went out for a morning drive as it’s getting colder and the opportunities to drive are becoming fewer and fewer. Will be time to put the car away for the winter which will give me time to complete a few projects on it.

Hi again everybody,it's been a little while.Sometimes progress is just slow. But I have the new wheels on the car and it's perfect. They are Trans Am Race Engineering,Superlites.........all 4 are exactly the same size at 15x10, 4 inches of backspace.I may have to go one size wider on the front tires,but the 600x15s will work fine for now.I haven't changed the flares on the car.I don't really have to make major changes to them ,just tweek them for a bit more turing clearance in the front and hammer more curve into them in the rear. I do however have to trim the rear of the front valance by 1/2''. So now I can continue working on finishing the flares and moving on.

Vince it should work without additional dismounting. if you need any more space, steer to the left. This will move the steering linkage to the right and will give you additional space. Cheers Frank