1973 Mustang first car

[wilson]

Hi,

So this is the first time Ive ever been on any of the forums, and I mainly just need some advice on what exactly I should do to get my mustang into great shape. So to start off I bought this mustang when I turned 16. At the time I had no knowledge of old cars, motors, or anything related. As soon as I got to driving it often the problems came. I had a few small ones like replacing the master cylinder, replacing brake lines, RUST, etc.. anyway I got it to a good operating point and decided to focus on the aesthetics. So I replaced the floor pan took all the rust off the body and got it painted changed the carpet and got it looking somewhat sharp. Soon after (not even a year) it began to run to hot and it wouldn't even start. So I put in basically an entirely new ignition system: battery, battery lines, coil, and the distributor. Anyway I did all this to no avail because soon after I replaced the distributor I discovered the oil pump was locked up, so the shear pin had broken. After I replaced the oil pump and fixed my radiator (A wrench fell between the radiator and air condition unit) I was back in the saddle.... For a while until the overflow hose started spouting again and that's where I am now (19 years old now). I am in between on the solution to it overheating, I think its the water pump because the radiator isn't circulating very fast but my radiator is also original so it may be to corroded to cool the fluid enough, anyway any thoughts on the matter would be nice. Now that I have had the car for some time and have been constantly fixing it, I am a little more knowledgeable, but I am no where near to being an expert, so I need all the advice I can get. Also since it is a 2 barrel I am also in the process of converting it to a cobra jet, I have an original 4v intake manifold and in the process of getting a Holley 600 CFM electric choke carburetor, but I was curious of what exactly do I need to do to make it a true Cobra Jet. so if anyone can give me advise on that it would be greatly appreciated. thanks for reading.. also sorry for any wrongly used terms i am a little new to all the car lingo and sorry about the length.

Wilson

before and after

 

[MechEng]

Welcome to the forum and nice looking car!

For your overheating problem, I would suggest making sure that the Thermostat you have is one made to work with the Cleveland, they require a special "top hat" restrictor to flow properly and seal like they're supposed too. Also look into the block and make sure the restrictor is installed in the engine. (A google search will bring up good pictures of what I'm talking about) Those are good cheap things to check that could make a night and day difference on your heat issues. You could also consider getting an aftermarket multi-pass radiator, would help the cooling more.

You have a 1973 coupe, so the two main engine options were the H Code, 2v version (which is what it sounds like you have) and the Q code 4v version (which it sounds like you want to clone) the main other thing that you're missing is that you need to go from 2v heads to 4v heads to make it a true q-code esque car. Keep in mind that many people see the 4v heads as not as good of a street/daily driver because the powerband is shifted higher in the RPM range, so keep in mind that your transmission and rear gears may need to shift as well.

Theres a few good books out there on the 351c and I'm sure others will chime in with their takes as well.

Again welcome! And nice looking car

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[jeff8877]

Good advice from mecheng...if you go the 4V route you will also need new exhaust manifolds to match up with the new heads. Your existing H pipe on your exhaust will then need to be changed also.

 

[MechEng]

Good advice from mecheng...if you go the 4V route you will also need new exhaust manifolds to match up with the new heads. Your existing H pipe on your exhaust will then need to be changed also.

Good points from Jeff! I forgot the exhaust side of things. You'll also need to convert to dual exhaust as I'm assuming your car came with a single exhaust. This means you'd also probably want a new rear valence with the dual exhaust cut outs

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[wilson]

Thanks for the advice MechEng and jeff I was thinking of getting a newer radiator to install wasn't sure if I wanted a 3 bend aluminum or if I should try to find one that is stock, and as for the thermostat I had replaced it to a cooler temperature, I think I went 160 but i didn't know that I needed one with restrictor do you think that flowkooler is a good one, if not what would you recommend? To the exhaust it does have dual exhaust, but i didn't even think about the heads, I'll have to jump on that too, the main reason I'm trying to get it to the cobra jet is so it runs better because the carburetor that is on it now needs rebuilt and is giving me terrible gas mileage, so to ask another question, do you think it would be more wise to keep it a 2v and just get another Holley 2v carburetor or should I go ahead and change it over??? Thanks again for the help.

 

[1973grandeklar]

Nice car! Keep at it and you will get it fixed. Learning and experience require patience.

As for a true "Cobra Jet" Mecheng and jeff8877 have made the main points. I would also add that the carburetor for the Q code "Cobra Jet" is a 750 cfm 4300-D Motorcraft and not a 600 cfm Holley.

Then if you really want the "Cobra Jet" feel check out the hood with functional hood scoops!

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

If you want a 4 barrel carb on your existing engine, you can get a 4 barrel intake that mates up to the 2V heads perfectly. It is your best bang for the buck in that regard. Without a cam change, 4V heads will not change your performance for the better.

Post your location. The reason is this-there are enthusiasts all over the place. If you are nearby, someone might be able to help.

I have the intake manifold you need. I got it and it was not what I expected and I have no use for it-but it is serviceable. I would sell it for 50 bucks, but it will cost 40 to ship it. If you were local this would be a good deal-if you are not-it isn't.

Your thermostat MUST be the right type for a Cleveland even though others seem to fit. The brass restrictor plate in the block is designed to allow flow when the thermostat is closed. (on some Windsors there is a bypass hose for this purpose.) without the seal of a Cleveland specific thermostat, your engine's cooling system is not going to work right.

You should start with a flush and a thermostat change. If your water pump is original, it needs to be changed by now. Lower hoses collapsing under vacuum are a cause of overheating-if the lower hose is soft replace it and make sure there is a wire coil spring in the new one.

If your radiator is not leaking, then those changes should get you back on track.

 

[OLE PONY]

Welcome to the site from Virginia. Sounds like you have made a lot of progress since you bought the car. By the way, the 73's did NOT come with the cut outs for the dual exhaust. Some folks like the look and switch to the 71/72 style rear valance.

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[will e]

Greetings from Phoenix.

WOW, your car looks great. I love the color.

Are you familiar with the difference between a '2v' cleavland head and '4v' cleveland head? It can be confusing because you can get 4bbl manifolds for the 2v heads (all aftermarket).

If your carb is going your cheapest/fastest path to a 4bbl carb is to get an aftermarket 4bbl carb manifold for the 2v cleavland heads. They are easy to find used and since our clevlands don't have water passages the manifolds tend to stay in pretty good shape.

Also you may or many not know that there are two major types of mounting for 4bbl. 'spread bore' and 'square bore'. Some intakes will only take one or the other (especially the factory intakes). Square bore carbs are easier to find and usually less expensive.

You could go with the carb/manifold and then later move on to headers and a cam. If your engine has the original cam it is not very aggressive and may actually have the timing retarded slightly but we can get into that later.

Welcome to the group! You are going to like it here.

 

[Qcode351mach]

If you want a 4 barrel carb on your existing engine, you can get a 4 barrel intake that mates up to the 2V heads perfectly. It is your best bang for the buck in that regard. Without a cam change, 4V heads will not change your performance for the better.

+1
First things first you need to set a realistic budget of what you want to spend to "clone a 351cj"

I just finished up building a faux 351CJ/Boss motor http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-green-72-fastback-former-429-460?page=2 just in parts I'm in for over 3k

Thats without machine work assembly & all the little stuff..If you want a true 351CJ your going to need pistons..heads..valves...springs..cam lifters...pushrods...windage tray..distributor...oil pump & pickup...manifold..carb..headers...etc..It adds up fast..

 

[wilson]

Thanks everyone for their advice and compliments. I appreciate it, yeah hadn't realized that so much went into it like I said I bought my mustang as a much richer 16 year old, and didn't realize the amount of money that I'd be putting into it, but I fell in love with muscle cars and there's no going back. I went ahead and got a 4v intake manifold a while back, without knowing I would have to change the heads among other things. How can I tell if my 4v intake will work with 2v heads??? Here is a few pictures if that helps.

 

[jbojo]

The ports on the 4V manifold are much larger than the ports on the 2V heads so you'll have a mismatch there. This will cause flow issues. As mentioned earlier you will need to go with an aftermarket manifold if you keep the 2v heads.

 

[Cwithers]

Regarding your overheating issue, since this engine has a history of running hot and overheating, in addition to the great advice given above, I suggest maybe making sure there is no chance of having a blown head gasket or cracked head. The 351 was a pretty tough nut to crack when it came to blowing a gasket, but the possibility should be entertained. Sometimes this can be detected by having an exhaust or fuel odor inside the radiator. Another neat test is using a kit sold by many parts stores called a "block checker" found here: http://www.blockchek.com/index.htm

Awesome car! I'm in process of body and paint on mine as well... Photos coming soon.

 

[wilson]

Well with all things considered, I think for now I will stick with the 2v carburetor and do a complete overhaul down the road a ways. Does anyone have a recommendation on the CFM for a 2v carburetor, I'm not sure what is on it now, would a 2v 500 CFM carburetor be pushing or will it work fine???

As for the overheating I never thought of checking the block I will make sure to do that when I'm working on it next, thanks for the link and thank you everyone for all of the help.

 

[jbojo]

Well with all things considered, I think for now I will stick with the 2v carburetor and do a complete overhaul down the road a ways. Does anyone have a recommendation on the CFM for a 2v carburetor, I'm not sure what is on it now, would a 2v 500 CFM carburetor be pushing or will it work fine???

As for the overheating I never thought of checking the block I will make sure to do that when I'm working on it next, thanks for the link and thank you everyone for all of the help.

For 73 I believe that they used a 2150 Carb for the 351 2V which was around 350 to 390 cfm. I would think that a 500 cfm carb would be ok.

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

How much did you pay for that nicely detailed 4V manifold? Might be that someone here would want that.

Also if you decide to go 4 barrel-it only requires a carburetor and a proper intake manifold. The intakes can be found used for under $125 pretty easily and less depending on various factors. Lots of people just buy a Edelbrock carb and throw it on with decent results, though I prefer a Holley. I would recommend a Vacuum secondary carburetor with an automatic, and a manual may be run with either a vacuum secondary 4 barrel (Holley 4160) or a Double Pumper (Mechanical Secondary Holley 4150) anything from 600-750 CFM seems to have been run on similar engines with good success.

Lots of used carburetors on craigslist for cheap-but if you buy one be sure and get a rebuild kit as you will almost certainly need to go through a used one if only to know what all your jets are for future tuning and to verify that it is clean and has good gaskets etc. It is really pretty easy if you go slow and work in a clean well lit environment.

 

[wilson]

Yeah I think I might just go ahead and get the 500 CFM Holley 2v carburetor for now then. Thanks jbojo. And I paid $150 for the intake but the shipping kinda screwed me at like $40, I agree Jeff I also prefer a Holley carburetor, maybe in a few years when Ive got a little more money to throw around Ill do it right and change the heads, intake and carb, but for now 2v will do (after all I'm not racing it). Thanks everyone.

 

[1973grandeklar]

Hang onto the intake. Someday you might go with the 4V heads and all. Or you can use it for swap for other parts you may want. When I was younger like you, I used to toss those unwanted parts (even the ones I paid good money for). Stupid of me. Now I keep everything because I meet others that are like-minded and we can start comparing parts inventory and possible swap or sales. And when I say I keep everything, it is like an episode of hoarders (but my stuff is good, yea right).

 

[Knoxferatu]

Congratulations on such a sweet first car! My first car was a 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Not so cool.