whitelouis
Active member
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2011
- Messages
- 27
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Seattle, WA
- My Car
- 1972 Coupe w/ unmolested 1969 351W 4V, headers and a T5.
Hey everyone, I just found this site and decided to sign up as I'm hoping to actually get some work done on my '72 coupe this spring and drive it around this summer.
I got it in 2005, did a little work (compared to most Mustang projects I've seen, I was incredibly lucky with mine!) and drove it through my senior year in highschool. Parked it for my first year in college, drove it again that summer, and sadly haven't driven it again since. I parked it through my sophomore year and bought a more economical vehicle that spring so that I could work on the Mustang without having to drive it to work and such.
Long story short, it hasn't moved under its own power since 2007 and hasn't been fired off since 2008. (really, not that long ago) It had a 302 2V in it when I got it which I believe had over 200,000 miles on it when I took it out. It was replaced by a seemingly all original 1969 351W 4V that I got for $150 off of craigslist. I threw headers and a cheap Summit clamp together exhaust on it as well as a 650cfm holley carb we had laying around, but that was the extent of the engine mods. I'm pretty sure it never had the valve seats hardened in the exhaust, as evident by the slightest bit of smoke when I start it up, so for the last while I was driving it, I was (yes I know it's illegal) adding lead additive in hopes of limiting the wear.
When I started I didn't really have a vision for it, or really know what I was doing. I had done some work before on my dad's 1970 F100 and had him around to help me do the mechanical stuff, but there was no plan other than the Mustang was cool and I wanted to make it more fun to drive. In the interest of making it more fun to drive I had acquired a T5 (and most everything needed to put it in) from an '89 fox body and a front disc setup from a '71 in a Mustang graveyard about an hour south of Seattle.
After parking it in 2008 I started doing the brakes but decided it would be easiest to just pull the whole motor to run the lines and all that, and with the motor out and the car on jack stands I decided I also wanted to put stiffer springs, better shocks, and urethane bushings on everything I could up front. A little hasty I suppose and maybe over-ambitious, but everything went on ok. It now sits with the discs, the 620lb 1" drop springs, and (yes I know they're not that good) KYB gas adjust shocks. The bellhousing, flywheel, clutch, and motor are all back in the car but not really hooked up. I have the brake pedal assembly for discs with a clutch pedal on it and the radius piece from the top of a fox body's clutch pedal, (I'm thinking I'll use this so I can just use the stock 5.0 clutch cable and such) I also have a trans crossmember to hold up the T5 and pretty much everything I need to put it in. Just need to get the driveline cut down a bit and install things. With any luck (a fresh bit of gas and a new battery too) it should fire back up and drive once I piece it all back together...
As I've graduated now and should actually have some funds again to devote to it, I figured I ought to get back into the forum scene and get reacquainted with all the ups and downs that I'm sure to encounter
Yes, I know that's a long post, but it said to introduce myself so I did just that! Once I get out and uncover it I'll post some current pictures. To see the few things I've done so far http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2206144/1972-ford-mustang
Cheers!
-Louis
I got it in 2005, did a little work (compared to most Mustang projects I've seen, I was incredibly lucky with mine!) and drove it through my senior year in highschool. Parked it for my first year in college, drove it again that summer, and sadly haven't driven it again since. I parked it through my sophomore year and bought a more economical vehicle that spring so that I could work on the Mustang without having to drive it to work and such.
Long story short, it hasn't moved under its own power since 2007 and hasn't been fired off since 2008. (really, not that long ago) It had a 302 2V in it when I got it which I believe had over 200,000 miles on it when I took it out. It was replaced by a seemingly all original 1969 351W 4V that I got for $150 off of craigslist. I threw headers and a cheap Summit clamp together exhaust on it as well as a 650cfm holley carb we had laying around, but that was the extent of the engine mods. I'm pretty sure it never had the valve seats hardened in the exhaust, as evident by the slightest bit of smoke when I start it up, so for the last while I was driving it, I was (yes I know it's illegal) adding lead additive in hopes of limiting the wear.
When I started I didn't really have a vision for it, or really know what I was doing. I had done some work before on my dad's 1970 F100 and had him around to help me do the mechanical stuff, but there was no plan other than the Mustang was cool and I wanted to make it more fun to drive. In the interest of making it more fun to drive I had acquired a T5 (and most everything needed to put it in) from an '89 fox body and a front disc setup from a '71 in a Mustang graveyard about an hour south of Seattle.
After parking it in 2008 I started doing the brakes but decided it would be easiest to just pull the whole motor to run the lines and all that, and with the motor out and the car on jack stands I decided I also wanted to put stiffer springs, better shocks, and urethane bushings on everything I could up front. A little hasty I suppose and maybe over-ambitious, but everything went on ok. It now sits with the discs, the 620lb 1" drop springs, and (yes I know they're not that good) KYB gas adjust shocks. The bellhousing, flywheel, clutch, and motor are all back in the car but not really hooked up. I have the brake pedal assembly for discs with a clutch pedal on it and the radius piece from the top of a fox body's clutch pedal, (I'm thinking I'll use this so I can just use the stock 5.0 clutch cable and such) I also have a trans crossmember to hold up the T5 and pretty much everything I need to put it in. Just need to get the driveline cut down a bit and install things. With any luck (a fresh bit of gas and a new battery too) it should fire back up and drive once I piece it all back together...
As I've graduated now and should actually have some funds again to devote to it, I figured I ought to get back into the forum scene and get reacquainted with all the ups and downs that I'm sure to encounter
Yes, I know that's a long post, but it said to introduce myself so I did just that! Once I get out and uncover it I'll post some current pictures. To see the few things I've done so far http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2206144/1972-ford-mustang
Cheers!
-Louis