Yeah, I fall into that "while I am at it" rut all the time...
Went back to working on Mustang while waiting for Explorer 5.0 roller cam short block to come back from machine shop for installation in an MG along with the T5 I bought long ago for the Mustang.
Explorer motor looked so good inside, I kind of regret taking it apart.. But, the while I am at it thing took control and it will end up being a new motor with aluminum heads and will sell the GT40p heads that were on it. Want the lower weight to suit MG suspension.. But, being motor is apart anyway, might as well put new pistons, cam, rings, bearings, etc, etc, etc..
Got my 73 Mustang sports roof in trade more than 10 years ago as a running 351c 2v with a broken C6. Initial plan was to just fix leaking rear main and stick in a T5 and drive it.
Pretty solid southern (GA?) car, but had some trunk water intrusion causing rust on tail light panel below taillights and a few spots on the trunk floor and some small amount of rust inside trunk lid lower edge. All from bad trunk gasket, I believe..
I've fixed a lot worse trunk floors and deck lids, but repro parts are cheap so why not just install full new trunk floor while I am at it, instead of multiple small patches? Hmm.. One piece floor install requires tail light panel removal, so if doing that might as well just replace tail panel too...
And repop trunk lids are relatively cheap too, so why not make a clean sweep of all rusted panels at the same time (floor is in, tail panel tacked in place not fully welded pending new rear bumper test fit, new trunk lid still in the box...).
While reading forums years ago, I learned about the cowl rust problem and so while motor is out better check that out, right? Wasn't actually very rusty compared to most, but a real labor intensive job to deal with. But it had a small rusted area at the bottom, so still required fixing.
And I also had an already rebuilt 460 with forged pistons and Dove heads, Weiand Stealth intake sitting on an engine stand. Once I pulled the 351c to do the rear seal, it just kind of snowballed from there. Had a CJ big spline Toploader too, though it needed a rebuild at the time.
Since the 460 was overkill for the project it had been built for anyway (57 Ford) and would fit right in the Mustang, why not just install that since it bolts right in and just get another (3rd) motor built for the other project. (I did build the 3rd motor for the other car, but that's another long story..).
Being the Mustang was now going to be a stick, had to hunt down all the clutch parts besides rebuilding the Toploader. And being it would have some serious power, it probably should really have a tach and full Mach gauges displays right.?
That was when I learned the wiring harness was different and spent more time hunting down wiring harness and gauges and still not sure I got all that done right. Should know soon..
Once Toploader was in, probably a console would be appropriate too, no? More hunting and fiddling around. Of course, the automatic rear end was too high geared for the stick, so out comes the rear end for a lower ratio unit.
Wasn't sure how good the floors were (they were pretty good), so (while I am at it..) might as well put in some sound deadener since the interior had come out to really look over floors anyway, right?
And being I had to pull headliner to put sound deadener there too, decided to change interior color while at it... Getting way beyond the "put in a rear seal and T5 and drive it"..
Oop.., also have to pull back glass to install headliner in these cars... New back glass gasket and a spare back glass (just in case..) salvaged from roached junkyard Mach that I took the dash wiring harness from..
Since it is a fastback but a plain-Jane, why not add the Mach front and rear spoilers? Put them on temporarily and car looked so much better to me. Bet a NASA hood would even make it better compared to the perfectly good flat hood that was on it.
Actually bought 3 hoods and the best one has the chrome front lock holes, but no locks. Buy some more parts, of course.. New set of locks and brackets still in box waiting for hood alignment resolution.
But, what good is Ram Air really if it doesn't function? Got repro parts to do that still in boxes also waiting resolution of hood alignment. Mailman, UPS, FedEx here almost every day the past couple of weeks. (I know it won't fit with high Stealth intake, but I have a plan...).
Door hinges were real bad and had to lift doors to shut them, so off come fenders and doors. Get those all fixed, doors and fenders cleaned inside and coated with Eastwood rust killer -while I was at it.
Spent a lot of time aligning doors and fenders, but both of NASA hoods fitted have a rise in the middle near fenders and don't line up good enough (still working on that..). Flat hood fit fine, so appears to be a thing with NASA hoods..
Had to clean up engine compartment to install fresh new motor of course, and if doing all that work anyway, might as well replace master cylinder and booster since engine is a tight fit and don't want to deal with booster issues after it is already running with tall SVO aluminum valve covers on it.
After motor is finally in, yep... Front of car sits too low with the 351c coils. Bought some 429 springs ten years ago and finally put them in two days ago.
But, if I am going to tear the front end apart for installing coils, better do all the ball joints and bushings right? Opted to just replace all the A arms and since those were off, replaced the tie rod ends as well, though they weren't too bad.
Shocks looked fairly new, but really soft. So decided I better replace those too... Sloppy idler arm already replaced when engine compartment was cleaned up and strut rod bushings come with A arm kit, so had to install those obviously.
Fun getting the stock strut rod bushings out with the one piece inner steel sleeve, but nothing was rusty anyway, not one broken bolt anywhere and interior of shock towers looked great too..
Although brakes worked when I got the car, don't want to chance problems with brakes after sitting so long and being caliper rubber slider sleeves were obviously shot and probably sticking causing rotor and pad wear to be uneven side to side.
New rotors now too... Can't just go with old wheel bearings, since all the other new front parts already and those old one's had to come out to replace rotors anyway. And the original rubber brake lines did not look bad, but they are 44 years old. Can't risk leaving those in..
Multi-part Calipers need new hardware kit, of course... And can't put on all these new parts without painting any raw metal so they don't rust up.. Rotor centers and perimeter should probably be painted, so they don't rust too.
Sway bar already replaced with 429 unit and aftermarket bushings and end links, so didn't have to clean and paint that part now anyway. But, many hours spent cleaning up parts like strut rods, masking, painting, etc.
Lucky I took calipers and rubber lines off, black and brownish brake fluid in lines, gotta flush those before installing new hoses, which is the point I am at finally after days of working on it (retired, so cars now full time hobby..)
Can't remember if I did rear brakes when I installed the lower ratio differential, so at minimum I probably have to pull rear drums and look and see how everything looks back there and since fluid looked sketchy in front lines when I cut them off, it may in the rear also..
But, "while I am at it", maybe I should steal the 9" rebuilt posi from my Fairlane project since the Mustang rear end will be partially taken down and the car on stands in rear anyway...
Maybe shoulda stuck with the original plan, but spending so much time with the car my wife visits me in the garage to see if I am here. And can't really slack off now, since it has come this far after so many "while I am at it's"..
But, probably will just drive the Mustang in the spring and worry about painting it next winter.. Gotta assemble the MG 5.0 motor soon, and while I am at it, maybe I should narrow and install Turbo Coupe posi rear sitting out in the axle pile..
Mike