1972 Mustang Coupe 302

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Nice to hear you got it all sorted! I've enjoyed watching your progress, and I like your video postings showing your issues and asking questions. My car ended up being too mechanically messed up to be handled by myself, looking to finally be able to drive it almost exactly a year after buying it and 6 months since I've seen it.
 
So Awesome
What was the problem installation issue with the manual fuel pump?
Thanks Bill, it's definitely coming along. Fuel pump admittedly was all about the angle and to some of the others advice, was more about "moving things out of the way, rather than battling them". Once I removed the power steering unit and the AC platform, I was able to get the right angle on turning the engine more efficiently while manipulating the pump. It still took some time, but it allowed me to get it exactly in the right position. I actually kinda cursed myself for not doing that out of the gate. Again, it was, as a lot of people have called out, a lesson on doing this work. Take your time, move things out of the way, and most often it will solve the issue. And again, admittedly I was not doing that. Learning as I go...so that's a positive.

It actually actually ended up benefiting me in a number of ways, as I discovered that the power steering unit only had one working bolt holding it in (someone had simply reassembled it by simply pushing in a stripped bolt to hold it, but it was not secure hence the belt being loose) so I corrected that issue, and I discovered that they didn't have the correct bolts on the old fuel pump as well, since one of the mounting holes appears to be stripped, so they basically had a home-style bolt in there with a nut holding it in from the back side. As I mentioned, there are a lot of half-assed fixes and go-arounds on this thing that never fail to surprise me. Obvious that someone had this thing and instead of realizing the potential, just did what they had to do to "drive a mustang around."

More to come, but stoked that she is running smooth now. I took her for about a half hour drive yesterday around the side roads and she did pretty well. Definitely some suspension issues, definitely needs an upgrade on the brakes, and as I said, when I go in to do the AC, I need to start taking a complete look at all my connections and hoses, vacuums, and connections for airflow and circulation. Although I'm not leaking fuel anywhere after inspecting everything, there is a really strong presence of gas fumes when she runs. Really strong inside the car, so I'm not getting proper ventilation somewhere.

Prior to that however, I also discovered she needs a new gas tank. Once I got the fuel pump properly installed, the amount of crap visible in the fuel filter obviously became apparent. Lot of sentiment and orange colored, so obviously there is shit in the old tank and that is the first priority before that screws up the engine. Found the complete kit on NPD and ordered it, so that will be Saturday's project.

More to come.

PBR
 
Nice to hear you got it all sorted! I've enjoyed watching your progress, and I like your video postings showing your issues and asking questions. My car ended up being too mechanically messed up to be handled by myself, looking to finally be able to drive it almost exactly a year after buying it and 6 months since I've seen it.
Thanks bud. What ended up going on with yours? Just too much to handle mechanically?
 
Looks like you are sorting everything out and getting her back to a good reliable running condition. The engine compartment is looking great, it's amazing what a little hard work and paint will do. That is smart to replace the tank and sending unit, you don't want that crap from the old tank messing with your new fuel pump and carb. While the tank is disconnected at the back, I would recommend disconnecting the steel line at the front and blowing some carb cleaner through the steel line to make sure it is clean and free of debris. Also it is a great time to replace the rubber fuel hose at both ends from the steel line to the pump and the steel line to the sending unit.

Just a thought on your rust concerns, as I'm sure you know the best rust repair is always to cut back to solid metal and weld in new sheet metal. I understand that option isn't always in our budgets or skill sets. The issue is that body fillers are porous and can hold moisture causing more corrosion in that area in the future. Last time I was there, I seem to recall Florida can be a bit humid from time to time, haha. If you are going to go the filler route, I would recommend a tiger-hair type product. These products are a fiberglass based filler that when cured is not porous, and will help keep moisture away from the good sheet metal. It cures much harder than filler though and is more difficult to sand. I would recommend apply that first and fill the area low, and then finish with a bondo-type filler that is easier to shape and sand. The tiger-hair will keep moisture away from behind the filler. Still not as durable as welding in new sheet metal can be a cheaper and easier alternative and should be a more durable, longer lasting repair than just filler alone.
 
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Looks like you are sorting everything out and getting her back to a good reliable running condition. The engine compartment is looking great, it's amazing what a little hard work and paint will do. That is smart to replace the tank and sending unit, you don't want that crap from the old tank messing with your new fuel pump and carb. While the tank is disconnected at the back, I would recommend disconnecting the steel line at the front and blowing some carb cleaner through the steel line to make sure it is clean and free of debris. Also it is a great time to replace the rubber fuel hose at both ends from the steel line to the pump and the steel line to the sending unit.

Just a thought on your rust concerns, as I'm sure you know the best rust repair is always to cut back to solid metal and weld in new sheet metal. I understand that option isn't always in our budgets or skill sets. The issue is that body fillers are porous and can hold moisture causing more corrosion in that area in the future. Last time I was there, I seem to recall Florida can be a bit humid from time to time, haha. If you are going to go the filler route, I would recommend a tiger-hair type product. These products are a fiberglass based filler that when cured is not porous, and will help keep moisture away from the good sheet metal. It cures much harder than filler though and is more difficult to sand. I would recommend apply that first and fill the area low, and then finish with a bondo-type filler that is easier to shape and sand. The tiger-hair will keep moisture away from behind the filler. Still not as durable as welding in new sheet metal can be a cheaper and easier alternative and should be a more durable, longer lasting repair than just filler alone.
Much appreciated. Definitely will do the steel line flush and the new hoses when I do the tank install.

The rust repair will definitely be a quandary, and once all the engine work and component work is done, will have to be something I address before anything pretty goes on this thing. Unfortunately I am indeed not a welder. The thought of buying a mig and learning has crossed my mind, but as it has been called out on here, I don't necessarily want to "practice" on this car, and I am honest enough with myself to recognize when something is above my skill level. On that same note, I'm not keen on the use of filler, but I think for some of the smaller areas, that may be a reasonable option. The large portions including the passenger side floor pan, is going to need body work. I'm aware its not cheap...and I'm not opposed to paying for it...but the estimates so far have been pretty outrageous...so I continue to poke around and see if I can find someone private who does this work, as opposed to a shop. I'd like to learn while its being done...so that I could be properly educated and perhaps do smaller projects myself in the future...but again, hard to find someone like that. Mostly shops are quoting upwards of 8k. I'm going to tackle some of the small areas...and then determine what I need to do for the larger problem areas. Do you have any recommendations or links to the tiger-hair composed products? Would be interesting to get some resources and/or see some applications of this. Thanks my friend.

PBR
 
Much appreciated. Definitely will do the steel line flush and the new hoses when I do the tank install.

The rust repair will definitely be a quandary, and once all the engine work and component work is done, will have to be something I address before anything pretty goes on this thing. Unfortunately I am indeed not a welder. The thought of buying a mig and learning has crossed my mind, but as it has been called out on here, I don't necessarily want to "practice" on this car, and I am honest enough with myself to recognize when something is above my skill level. On that same note, I'm not keen on the use of filler, but I think for some of the smaller areas, that may be a reasonable option. The large portions including the passenger side floor pan, is going to need body work. I'm aware its not cheap...and I'm not opposed to paying for it...but the estimates so far have been pretty outrageous...so I continue to poke around and see if I can find someone private who does this work, as opposed to a shop. I'd like to learn while its being done...so that I could be properly educated and perhaps do smaller projects myself in the future...but again, hard to find someone like that. Mostly shops are quoting upwards of 8k. I'm going to tackle some of the small areas...and then determine what I need to do for the larger problem areas. Do you have any recommendations or links to the tiger-hair composed products? Would be interesting to get some resources and/or see some applications of this. Thanks my friend.

PBR
You don't need to practice welding on your car, just get some scrap sheet metal at Home Depot and cut it up and weld it together. A guy I know a few years back wanted to weld new quarter panels on his car. He decided to take a welding class at the community college to learn how to weld properly. He was the only middle aged guy in the class and became friendly with the instructor who was also his age. By the end of the semester he could weld very well and the instructor came over and helped him do the welding on his car, win/win, haha.
 
Thanks bud. What ended up going on with yours? Just too much to handle mechanically?
Bad rings, broken exhaust valve, head gasket leak. I can wrench a bit but not like that. Ended up sending it in for a full rebuild. It's coming back .030 over, cammed, etc should have a lot more pep. Engines going back in this week as well as a full suspension replacement (stock, no swaps to coilovers or tubular anything). Basically giving it a fresh start
 
Thanks Bill, it's definitely coming along. Fuel pump admittedly was all about the angle and to some of the others advice, was more about "moving things out of the way, rather than battling them". Once I removed the power steering unit and the AC platform, I was able to get the right angle on turning the engine more efficiently while manipulating the pump. It still took some time, but it allowed me to get it exactly in the right position. I actually kinda cursed myself for not doing that out of the gate. Again, it was, as a lot of people have called out, a lesson on doing this work. Take your time, move things out of the way, and most often it will solve the issue. And again, admittedly I was not doing that. Learning as I go...so that's a positive.

It actually actually ended up benefiting me in a number of ways, as I discovered that the power steering unit only had one working bolt holding it in (someone had simply reassembled it by simply pushing in a stripped bolt to hold it, but it was not secure hence the belt being loose) so I corrected that issue, and I discovered that they didn't have the correct bolts on the old fuel pump as well, since one of the mounting holes appears to be stripped, so they basically had a home-style bolt in there with a nut holding it in from the back side. As I mentioned, there are a lot of half-assed fixes and go-arounds on this thing that never fail to surprise me. Obvious that someone had this thing and instead of realizing the potential, just did what they had to do to "drive a mustang around."

More to come, but stoked that she is running smooth now. I took her for about a half hour drive yesterday around the side roads and she did pretty well. Definitely some suspension issues, definitely needs an upgrade on the brakes, and as I said, when I go in to do the AC, I need to start taking a complete look at all my connections and hoses, vacuums, and connections for airflow and circulation. Although I'm not leaking fuel anywhere after inspecting everything, there is a really strong presence of gas fumes when she runs. Really strong inside the car, so I'm not getting proper ventilation somewhere.

Prior to that however, I also discovered she needs a new gas tank. Once I got the fuel pump properly installed, the amount of crap visible in the fuel filter obviously became apparent. Lot of sentiment and orange colored, so obviously there is shit in the old tank and that is the first priority before that screws up the engine. Found the complete kit on NPD and ordered it, so that will be Saturday's project.

More to come.

PBR
Thanks very much for the update, sounds like you are on the correct path to getting things fixed and corrected as they should be. Just keep us posted on your progress.
When you drop the gas tank down be very careful. you should have a vent on top of the tank and it should have a rubber hose hooked to it. You may need to put a new rubber hose for the vent. That hose runs from the top of the gas tank to the right side of the engine bay to the vapor canister.
 
Sounds like you have at least one cylinder not working. I would start with finding which one or ones it is by pulling one spark plug wire at a time. This will help you find any dead cylinders and verify spark. Make sure you have good spark at each spark plug. Once you find the cylinders not working, remove the spark plugs and inspect. If they are wet fouled with fuel or oil they probably won’t fire.
I would remove the valve covers and inspect. Hearing the metallic sound, I would inspect rocker arms, push rods, and valve springs. If you don’t see any obvious problems, rotate the engine to check for push rods moving up and down. Lack of movement could indicate a worn cam lobe or collapsed lifter.
A good diagnostic tool is a vacuum gauge. It can quickly determine a mechanical problem.
When I diagnose a suspected cylinder I start the engine for a few seconds then shut the engine off to feel which exhaust port is cold. That will instantly tell which cylinder is not firing. It is an old trick I used to find a dead cylinder on diesel engines.
 
Great Job with that engine, it sounds very strong
Thanks Bill. Pretty happy with the way she's running. Putting the new fuel tank in this weekend and then I think the next items up on the Price is Right are going to be a break conversion and suspension work. In the interim, I did end up signing up for some welding classes and got a Licoln MIG welder...so we'll see what we can start fixing on the body work. As always, will keep you guys posted. - PBR
 
Thanks Bill. Pretty happy with the way she's running. Putting the new fuel tank in this weekend and then I think the next items up on the Price is Right are going to be a break conversion and suspension work. In the interim, I did end up signing up for some welding classes and got a Licoln MIG welder...so we'll see what we can start fixing on the body work. As always, will keep you guys posted. - PBR
As I have said before, I wished I lived closer so I could help with the brake conversion and suspension work on your 72 Mustang
 
All - Before I put these on the Parts for Sale for free...(simply because I'm not exactly sure they are worth selling, nor do I want to make a buck off them)...I thought I'd get your thoughts. I found replacement seats for the coupe and I don't have the desire or the time to have these restored.

So that being said, I've been seeing people on eBay and online selling worse condition ones for ridiculous amounts, which boggles my mind. I'm happy to give these to someone here on the forum if you're near Orlando and want to restore them. I honestly don't feel comfortable asking money for them. While the rear is not bad at all, the driver is shot and the passenger (which I currently am using for the driver side) has a pretty good tear. They obviously would need the full overhaul.

Anyway, before I post them for free, just thought I'd get some opinions on whether it was even worth doing or appropriate for the forum. Otherwise I'm gonna trash them.
 

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All - Before I put these on the Parts for Sale for free...(simply because I'm not exactly sure they are worth selling, nor do I want to make a buck off them)...I thought I'd get your thoughts. I found replacement seats for the coupe and I don't have the desire or the time to have these restored.

So that being said, I've been seeing people on eBay and online selling worse condition ones for ridiculous amounts, which boggles my mind. I'm happy to give these to someone here on the forum if you're near Orlando and want to restore them. I honestly don't feel comfortable asking money for them. While the rear is not bad at all, the driver is shot and the passenger (which I currently am using for the driver side) has a pretty good tear. They obviously would need the full overhaul.

Anyway, before I post them for free, just thought I'd get some opinions on whether it was even worth doing or appropriate for the forum. Otherwise I'm gonna trash them.
The seat frames and mechanisms have value, they are fairly easily recovered, so you shouldn’t feel bad about asking for $. Very generous of you to offer them for free. 😀 my car is complete, someone will take you up.
 
The seat frames and mechanisms have value, they are fairly easily recovered, so you shouldn’t feel bad about asking for $. Very generous of you to offer them for free. 😀 my car is complete, someone will take you up.
So Agree, very generous of you PBR
 
Seems like you're in a place most of us have been, including me in a near identical situation to you currently. You start digging into one issue and uncover more and more. Only you can really answer the "is it going to be worth it" question, but in my opinion it will be. You've made a ton of progress with the car so far, and assuming you keep going you'll be in a place where after the work is "done" at least you know it was done to your own standards, plus you learned more along the way. All cars have problems, there's no way of knowing if you had waited for a car that looked to be in better shape and was priced higher, that it wouldn't have had just as many issues hiding under it. $4500 is a good entry point, and while you're probably not going to be able to sell the car later for what you even have into it, that's also true of most hobbies. If you're enjoying the reward that comes after the frustration (which it sounds like you are so far, with how much fun you have driving it even in its current condition) then you're doing something right.

Interested in your thoughts on replacing all the wiring, as I'm looking at doing the same thing this winter on mine. Been uncovering too many questionable things previous owners have done, plus the effects that 50 years will have in general. What kit are you considering? If only we weren't, in the most literal sense, on completely opposite sides of the county, we could tag team so much of the same issues both our cars have together haha.
 

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