1972 Q-CODE 4SPEED 351CJ BUILD

[Qcode351mach]

Got the right side all in 2K primer today !! :biggrin: Taking a little break for a day or two regrouping-Than I'm thinking on to seam sealing the entire car inside-outside- bottom-I'll Probably be using Raptor liner as the final finish on the bottom after that painting the engine bay (flat black) I gotta say I'm LOVING how crisp and defined all the body style lines are came out!  AMAZING how far ahead of its time the styling & design of this car is !

 

[Qcode351mach]

So I forgot to mention I took a look at my motor today since its probably time to start thinking about getting it ready decide what I'm going to do as far as a power plant-Although it doesn't look it this is the original numbers matching motor I had rebuilt around 1985 ish I think, I only had about 4000 miles on it before I took the car off the road-even has the original 4300D carb ! It's been sitting in that spot in my basement with the toploader still attached all these years. Of course if I use it I'll tear it down all new gaskets detail it etc. On the other hand I'm really considering building a new 408 Stroker -I guess I'll decide shortly, on a side note the original rebuilt motor did run FANTASTIC !

 

[Qcode351mach]

I'm back again ! Hopefully till completion this time ! So a lot has happened since my last post, In June I had started having terrible pain in my right arm long story short I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease and 2 pinched nerves in my neck, The pain in my arm was getting worse ,was UNBELIEVABLE !! After trying everything I ended up up having 2 discs in my neck replaced with a fusion January of 2022, Recovery was long and painful. No more pain in my arm but I do have pain almost every morning / night in my neck especially in wet humid weather. I was ready to abandon this project but my family was having no part of it was adamant it needs to be finished. My son came to the rescue gave me a spot at his shop and offered his help when he could during the winter months. So in December we moved the car down to the OFFICE (what I call his shop) I'm still sticking to the plan of getting the car running installing the drivetrain then I'll do the paint work, There were still a few areas that needed to have the body work finished which I did, After that I started refurbishing the parts I would need to get the dash /wiring /brakes installed. I also sent out my wiring harness's to Midlife in the interim, So as of now the car has the dash and most components installed to the point of being able to run the car. Next up is the brake system which I had converted to the 4 wheel cobra disc setup from street or track. After that it's motor time. I did a quick video a few weeks ago showing most of the work done over this past winter. I'll post up some pics shortly of where I'm at now .

 

[Qcode351mach]

As promised more pics

 

[Qcode351mach]

And a few more pics , Just need to get the column installed with the clutch pushrod , I have all the brake lines and clips ready to go which I had polished and then clear coated I’ll probably start installing those this coming weekend

 

[mjlan]

Good to see you back! I have been through the same thing, I opted for disc replacement and had two done last July. My advice is to keep up with physical therapy and whatever exercises they suggest.

 

[Qcode351mach]

Good to see you back! I have been through the same thing, I opted for disc replacement and had two done last July. My advice is to keep up with physical therapy and whatever exercises they suggest.

Thanks ! I had no choice on the disc replacement that pain in my arm and hand got really bad was just off the chart !!! Yea I've been through all the physical therapy and jazz , for over 6 months , Works for about a hour after leaving then actually felt worse !

 

[mjlan]

That sucks that you are still having pain to that degree. I felt much better after going through the therapy but stopped working out after about 6 mos. and feel like I am regressing and my old problems are coming back.

Hopefully you see some improvement at some point.

 

[72MustangSprint]

Sorry about your health but glad to see you back !

 

[Qcode351mach]

That sucks that you are still having pain to that degree. I felt much better after going through the therapy but stopped working out after about 6 mos. and feel like I am regressing and my old problems are coming back.

Hopefully you see some improvement at some point.

Thanks ! My situation is so weather dependent . Good weather I feel good. rain, humidity not so good. It is what is and I'm just happy that the nerve pain is gone and I'm back in the shop working again , although there's just some things I can't do any more mainly lifting anything heavy. Ok lets get back to the Mustang !

 

[Qcode351mach]

Sorry about your health but glad to see you back !

Thanks Brother ! Yeppers I'm happy myself to be back !

 

[TommyK]

Good to see you posting again Scott.

Wishing you the best in your recovery.

 

[rcadd1ct]

Nerve pain sux!

I have pinched nerves and almost bone to bone contact in my neck.

Yearly nerve burns and now PRP (platelet rich plasma) to help regenerate the goo between.

Wishing the FDA would approve stem cell injection

I hope you feel better soon

 

[CJ miller]

getting older sucks. . you bunch are so informative and as a newbee I appriciate wisdom comes with age so keep sharing thru the pain.those that come after can take it or leave it "I told you so" is a THING. Drink water and breathe

 

[clevelandcoupe]

Scott,
Glad to see you back.... Get your beautiful car back to life.
Thanks, Jay

 

[mrgmhale]

Hi! I love the photos, and admire the work. I have also had pinched nerves (Radiculitis in the neck vertebrae), and indeed it sicks - painfully so. Luckily I only have pain if I ignore the tingling sensation when my neck is at a bad angle. I ignored the tingling once before and wound up in horrible pain for nearly two months before things finally calmed down.

Anyway, I am pretty sure you have this covered, but if I did not make sure I would lose sleep over it. Especially if you are not aware of where Residual Pressure Check Valves (RPCV)belong in brake systems. Were you to begin to get overheated and warped disc rotors, burning through your friction pads quickly, etc., I would be kicking my tail feathers for not making sure.

I have attached a quick PDF over view on Drum to Disc conversions, and where RPCVs come into play - and the immprtance of getting a master Cylinder designed for Front Disc Brakes. Also,in the event you are using single piston floarting Caliper units, the last page shows how to properly orient the calipers to get them to properly bleed. Those calipers can be installed on either side of the car, and only one way is correct...

 

[Qcode351mach]

Hi! I love the photos, and admire the work. I have also had pinched nerves (Radiculitis in the neck vertebrae), and indeed it sicks - painfully so. Luckily I only have pain if I ignore the tingling sensation when my neck is at a bad angle. I ignored the tingling once before and wound up in horrible pain for nearly two months before things finally calmed down.

Anyway, I am pretty sure you have this covered, but if I did not make sure I would lose sleep over it. Especially if you are not aware of where Residual Pressure Check Valves (RPCV)belong in brake systems. Were you to begin to get overheated and warped disc rotors, burning through your friction pads quickly, etc., I would be kicking my tail feathers for not making sure.

I have attached a quick PDF over view on Drum to Disc conversions, and where RPCVs come into play - and the immprtance of getting a master Cylinder designed for Front Disc Brakes. Also,in the event you are using single piston floarting Caliper units, the last page shows how to properly orient the calipers to get them to properly bleed. Those calipers can be installed on either side of the car, and only one way is correct...

Thanks for the compliment and Thanks for checking in letting me know about residual pressure valve, but as you suspected I do have it covered , I did read through the overview and only thing I disagree with is power vs manual when doing the 4 wheel disc conversion-probably because I'm used to manual brakes. This car came with 4 wheel drum manual and my other 72 is also manual but front disc rear drum. I do have the parts to convert to power but for now I'm doing manual I can always convert down the road if I desire. again thanks for the info it is appreciated !! Yeah man the pinched nerve thing really threw me a curve ball but I'm back at it hoping to finally finish up this project !

 

[Qcode351mach]

Scott,
Glad to see you back.... Get your beautiful car back to life.
Thanks, Jay

Thanks Jay ! Yep I'm working on it ! Heading up today to the "Office" / shop put some time in

 

[turtle5353]

Thanks for the compliment and Thanks for checking in letting me know about residual pressure valve, but as you suspected I do have it covered , I did read through the overview and only thing I disagree with is power vs manual when doing the 4 wheel disc conversion-probably because I'm used to manual brakes. This car came with 4 wheel drum manual and my other 72 is also manual but front disc rear drum. I do have the parts to convert to power but for now I'm doing manual I can always convert down the road if I desire. again thanks for the info it is appreciated !! Yeah man the pinched nerve thing really threw me a curve ball but I'm back at it hoping to finally finish up this project !

I am also running manual disc brakes all the way around and use the factory manual drum master cylinder. I have had that setup for 15 years or more.

 

[Qcode351mach]

I am also running manual disc brakes all the way around and use the factory manual drum master cylinder. I have had that setup for 15 years or more.

Hey Kevin long time no see ! I was going to run the same factory manual master, The one I had original to the car did have a residual pressure valve for the rear brakes in the master itself. No big deal to remove but I started searching around doing some research and Mustang Steve offers a more modern master with more fluid capacity then the original. I believe its a fox body master. One thing though , it is advertised as fitting our cars but I actually had to make a 1/4" spacer plate. The top of the body was touching the cowl lip ever so slightly. I do have it installed. I also opted to ditch the factory distribution valve in favor of a Wilwood adjustable proportioning valve. Installing the brake system is what I'm actually working on now. I will post up some pictures soon .

 

[Qcode351mach]

A quick video from Today