G'Day, EH!, from Toronto, On, Canada to all the fellow Stang enthusiast's & drivers of 7173Mustangs.com...FORD, Fastest On Race Day

[Rockets Redglare]

Just joined my first ever Mustang forum, I Need advice as to how to start the garaged Stang as it has not been started for a few yrs due to my ongoing illness issues, I do have a distributor tool that connects to a drill which will prime the oil pump to lubricate the engine prior to starting but i am reluctant to use it as it is easy 2 B off by 1-2 teeth when reinstalling the distributor which is not optimal performance wise, Is it better to pull all the plugs & squirt oil in? With that method I figure I should turn the engine over by hand after with a 1/2 inch socket/rachet on the harmonic balancer/main pulley to have things move a bit with the lubrication, Figure I should also do a oil change B 4 starting her up, Hope the Holley does not piss fuel out which they R prone 2 do, Anyway Hello Mates & please advise best methods to restarting her up, I look forward to driving her again as I always feel 20 yrs younger driving her!

My wish list is to install an AOD tranny to replace the FMX as the 9 inch posi with a 355 gear ratio sucks on the Hwy & also replace the 14 inch tires with 15/16/17 as the 14's look so small in the wheelwells, As the TA's R 10 yrs old & even/still have lots of tread left, the rubber compound must have hardened up like hockey pucks so stopping/steering/traction must B comprimised by now.

I look forward to bringing her out this spring & absorbing new info from this forum & from all the passionate members who post about their projects & upgrades. Cheers

 

[Sheriff41]

Howdy, RR, and welcome from Texas! I'm sure some knowledgeable members will chime in soon.

 

[PoFoMoCo]

And another welcome from Texas. Let us see her, we love pics and video!

 

[tpj71mach]

Welcome from Chicago! Post pics when you can, we love pics.

 

[cv_72mustang]

Welcome from NE, PA

 

[72Wasp]

Welcome from Colorado

 

[Stanglover]

Hello and a warm welcome from just west of London (and just east of Windsor!!)
From your description, it seems like you might be an ex-pat Brit.... like myself.
As for starting your car, I'm not the most expert here by a long shot, but I may be able to offer some tips. Before you pull the distributor, you need to make sure #1 cylinder is at TDC on compression stroke. The rotor ought to be pointing to #1 cyl. Mark that exact position on the dist. and the intake. Do not turn the dist. but pull it directly upward. The rotor will turn as it clears the cam gear. Mark the dist and intake as before. When you reinstall the dist. do the reverse after putting #1 cyl back to TDC on compression if it moved. It "should go back as it was". A squirt of light oil in the cylinders won't hurt, but not too much or it'll fowl the plugs when it does fire up.
When I do mine, I use a pencil with a rubber tip (make sure it is secure first) as a feeler for when the piston reaches TDC. There is a tool for this if you want to buy one. As for the carb, (Holley) I pour a little gas through the vent tube, just enough to fill the float bowl. Let it sit for a while. If it's going to leak, it will likely be then. If no leaks, crank the motor with the HT lead off and grounded. That will get a bit more oil around the cylinders and cam. Then fire it up.
Another way is to pull the rocker covers and oil the lifters and guides.
Others may add or subtract to what I have mentioned. Good luck new buddy.
Oh and yes, please tell us more about your car WITH some pics. We don't care as to the current condition btw.

 

[7173Mustang]

Hey, Welcome. Nice to have you here!
I/we love seeing pictures. By chance can you share some?

 

[droptop73]

Welcome from west Michigan!

 

[NOT A T5]

Welcome from Omaha!

 

[Bobby]

Howdy and welcome from Texas! Good luck with the AOD!

 

[mrgmhale]

Welcome from Upstate Western New York!

We did a tranny swap in our 73 Mach 1, where the C4 was replaced by an AOD. The project went well, and we are very glad we did the swap. The primary reason for the swap was our C4 began to slip badly in its 1-2 upshift at WOT. The engine is from a swap by the prior owner, where he replaced the original 302 with a 351W (not C), after having the 351 built to 360 HP (per dyno after the rebuild). Although a rebuilt C4 can handle that kind of power, even with some "abuse," the prior owner also replaced the 2.79:1 rear axle gear set with a 3.5:1 TractionLok set of gears. Thus, at 60 MPH (just under 100 kph) the engine was turning at just under 2,800 RPM - a bit faster than I was comfortable with after 20 minutes or so of driving.

Anyway, we decided to get an AOD from Monster Transmission and got the option for a firmer shift. I set the Throttle Pressure Valve a bit higher than factory specs (39 PSI vs 35 PSI) just to increase the speed at which the 1-2, 2-3, and 3-4 upshift occur at light throttle. It is important to set the TV pressure to at least 35 PSI to keep the tranny from getting toasted.

I did a video of the entire conversion to AOD, to include showing how to adjust the TV pressure. I also have a list of parts and vendors used. All that info, with YouTube links, is contained in the attached files.

With the AOD we cruise at 60 MPH with the engine turning a tame and quiet 1,850 RPM - and retained the snappy performance in the lower tranny gears with the 3.5:1 TractionLok rear axle gears.

 

[Bill Perkins]

Welcome from Opelika, Alabama, nice car

 

[Cleveland Crush]

Welcome to our forum 'Redglare.
As to your initial start-up, Stanglover previously stated what to do. While you have to spark plugs out (for a shot of oil) turn the engine by hand. Use a breaker bar and socket going clockwise so not to loosen the balancer/crank bolt while rotating. Doing an initial hand crank with the plugs out will assist in giving you a "feel" of the engine internals.

 

[Rockets Redglare]

Hello and a warm welcome from just west of London (and just east of Windsor!!)
From your description, it seems like you might be an ex-pat Brit.... like myself.
As for starting your car, I'm not the most expert here by a long shot, but I may be able to offer some tips. Before you pull the distributor, you need to make sure #1 cylinder is at TDC on compression stroke. The rotor ought to be pointing to #1 cyl. Mark that exact position on the dist. and the intake. Do not turn the dist. but pull it directly upward. The rotor will turn as it clears the cam gear. Mark the dist and intake as before. When you reinstall the dist. do the reverse after putting #1 cyl back to TDC on compression if it moved. It "should go back as it was". A squirt of light oil in the cylinders won't hurt, but not too much or it'll fowl the plugs when it does fire up.
When I do mine, I use a pencil with a rubber tip (make sure it is secure first) as a feeler for when the piston reaches TDC. There is a tool for this if you want to buy one. As for the carb, (Holley) I pour a little gas through the vent tube, just enough to fill the float bowl. Let it sit for a while. If it's going to leak, it will likely be then. If no leaks, crank the motor with the HT lead off and grounded. That will get a bit more oil around the cylinders and cam. Then fire it up.
Another way is to pull the rocker covers and oil the lifters and guides.
Others may add or subtract to what I have mentioned. Good luck new buddy.
Oh and yes, please tell us more about your car WITH some pics. We don't care as to the current condition btw.

G'day Stanglover, re ex-pat Brit, Grew up in Perth Western Australia, 7 years, The ex-Brit penal colony island,Came from Fremantle to New York by ship via the Panama canal, 28 day voyage, Thanks for the tips & will work on the pics asap

 

[Rockets Redglare]

Welcome to our forum 'Redglare.
As to your initial start-up, Stanglover previously stated what to do. While you have to spark plugs out (for a shot of oil) turn the engine by hand. Use a breaker bar and socket going clockwise so not to loosen the balancer/crank bolt while rotating. Doing an initial hand crank with the plugs out will assist in giving you a "feel" of the engine internals.

Thanks CC for the info
RR

 

[Rockets Redglare]

Welcome from Upstate Western New York!

We did a tranny swap in our 73 Mach 1, where the C4 was replaced by an AOD. The project went well, and we are very glad we did the swap. The primary reason for the swap was our C4 began to slip badly in its 1-2 upshift at WOT. The engine is from a swap by the prior owner, where he replaced the original 302 with a 351W (not C), after having the 351 built to 360 HP (per dyno after the rebuild). Although a rebuilt C4 can handle that kind of power, even with some "abuse," the prior owner also replaced the 2.79:1 rear axle gear set with a 3.5:1 TractionLok set of gears. Thus, at 60 MPH (just under 100 kph) the engine was turning at just under 2,800 RPM - a bit faster than I was comfortable with after 20 minutes or so of driving.

Anyway, we decided to get an AOD from Monster Transmission and got the option for a firmer shift. I set the Throttle Pressure Valve a bit higher than factory specs (39 PSI vs 35 PSI) just to increase the speed at which the 1-2, 2-3, and 3-4 upshift occur at light throttle. It is important to set the TV pressure to at least 35 PSI to keep the tranny from getting toasted.

I did a video of the entire conversion to AOD, to include showing how to adjust the TV pressure. I also have a list of parts and vendors used. All that info, with YouTube links, is contained in the attached files.

With the AOD we cruise at 60 MPH with the engine turning a tame and quiet 1,850 RPM - and retained the snappy performance in the lower tranny gears with the 3.5:1 TractionLok rear axle gears.

MRGMHALE:WOW what a score of info, Thank U very much for sharing your info,fantastic notes U penned, Sounds like a expensive tranny swap..
RR

 

[Stanglover]

G'day Stanglover, re ex-pat Brit, Grew up in Perth Western Australia, 7 years, The ex-Brit penal colony island,Came from Fremantle to New York by ship via the Panama canal, 28 day voyage, Thanks for the tips & will work on the pics asap

Ah, an ex-con then!!
You'll find everything you need to know here.
There are several members from around here, especially the Golden Horseshoe area.
I/we look forward to pics soon eh!

 

[Kilgon]

Welcome from Ohio. Keep us posted as you make progress and if you can post a video of it firing up. Always love to see these cars come back to life after sitting for years.

 

[Stillakid54]

Welcome from out west in Calgary.