1972 Mustang Coupe 302

[Spaceman]

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.

 

[Paul Schmidt]

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

 

[Paul Schmidt]

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?

 

[tpj71mach]

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.

 

[Paul Schmidt]

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

 

[tpj71mach]

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.

 

[Spaceman]

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