Our 71 Mustang

[David Michailof]

Hello everyone. Rainy day here so it's a good time to start our build thread.

To recap our introduction. Last September my son told me he was really interested in being a mechanic and possibly attending on of the high school auto tech programs in the county. Shortly after that he sent me a link to a facebook marketplace mustang, one thing led to another and it followed us home.

The car was owned by a mechanic, passed on to his daughter and was a family project that stopped in 1996. It came with a pallet of parts, mostly in ford boxes. They were building it into a spring special and we are continuing what they started.

 

[David Michailof]

Part 2...the fall..

Once we got it home we tried to get it up and running. Replaced some obvious bad electric, got a new battery, new plugs, changed the oil (that was a herculean task in itself) and tested it out.

Good news: all major electric that we could check worked. body is in really good condition. Plugs looked good. Sprayed all the cyclinders down with penetrating lubricant. Got some tires that would hold air. Fuel tank bone dry.

Bad news:
-Took out the oil drainplug and nothing happened. Had to use a screwdriver to punch through about 3/4 of an inch of sediment at the bottom of the oilplan.
-I think the oil filter was put on by someone with anger issues. Nothing worked. Ended up shredded and removed with a homemade spanner wrench on the baseplate.
-Brakes.....everything is seized, rotted out and corroded. Four wheel drum btw. Looks like we will be replacing everything.
-Engine is seized.

Marti report lists it as being shipped in red with whitewalls and hubcaps (we have about 20 in the parts pallet). Plain jane 302-2v with a 2.79 conventional rear axle.

 

[David Michailof]

Here's a quick walkthrough of the interior. The drivers door is the only visible red left on the car. Trunk is green, and I think the estra one is blue. Trunk area looks really good.

 

[Sheriff41]

I'll be following your progress. Don't hesitate to ask questions, the members here will give you good advice and support.

 

[mach71351c]

Welcome from San Diego. Looks like solid project.

 

[PoFoMoCo]

Nice to see the build thread started and your progress so far. That smile says it all!!

 

[Spike Morelli]

Solid project car from what I can see. Go for it!

 

[york0060]

l Cool Story, can't wait to see how it turns out, this is our Spring Special that we have had for 51 years now.

 

[cjstaci]

Welcome. Looks like this will be a great learning experience for your son.

 

[rcadd1ct]

Cool deal!

I took mine from a basket case as well

Take the time to check for rust.

Key areas are the inner cowl, inner fender under battery and the tail light panel

If you are going to build it make sure you have a relatively rust free platform.

 

[mjseakan]

Welcome from Central New York.
You'll have some fun with this one.
Mike

 

[MikeGriese]

That is a very straight car from the photos. Door gaps on both sides are excellent, no bow to the hoot, floors look nice - the expensive stuff looks to be in good condition. Congrats!

 

[Bill Perkins]

Welcome from Opelika, Alabama
Nice Car

 

[David Michailof]

Thanks for all your encouragement! We are definitely going to be asking a lot of questions. My car knowledge is based on keeping my 1975 pontiac driving back in the 80's. I've never done anything like this before and neither has Lucas. We got the car because it seemed like a good platform to build on body wise, since that's one area I know I suck. I can learn mechanical but good bodywork requires a certain feel (as does finishing drywall) and so far I just don't have it. I hope my son does.

The engine came out on Monday and has been put away for now. We are going to clean and inspect everything else so we can plan our summer.

Our goals for this summer:

Front and rear suspension and brakes. Everything rubber/urathane is getting replaced. Everything cleaned and rustproofed. Probably go four wheel disc since we have to replace pretty much everything anyway.

Engine and transmission will get a good cleaning. We will try to free the engine up and get it ready to go into the shop for a rebuild in the winter. That can be one of our rainy day jobs. I'm not even sure how we will build the engine. So many options at this stage of the game. A 302 boss equivilant would be cool....and would work nicely with the ram air.Here are some pictures from engine day. Today we scrub out the engine bay to get a better look at that. So far we have found two small rust holes in the bottom rear corners of the shock towers. (last photos)

 

[Bill Kanode]

Thanks for all your encouragement! We are definitely going to be asking a lot of questions. My car knowledge is based on keeping my 1975 pontiac driving back in the 80's. I've never done anything like this before and neither has Lucas. We got the car because it seemed like a good platform to build on body wise, since that's one area I know I suck. I can learn mechanical but good bodywork requires a certain feel (as does finishing drywall) and so far I just don't have it. I hope my son does.

The engine came out on Monday and has been put away for now. We are going to clean and inspect everything else so we can plan our summer.

Our goals for this summer:

Front and rear suspension and brakes. Everything rubber/urathane is getting replaced. Everything cleaned and rustproofed. Probably go four wheel disc since we have to replace pretty much everything anyway.

Engine and transmission will get a good cleaning. We will try to free the engine up and get it ready to go into the shop for a rebuild in the winter. That can be one of our rainy day jobs. I'm not even sure how we will build the engine. So many options at this stage of the game. A 302 boss equivilant would be cool....and would work nicely with the ram air.Here are some pictures from engine day. Today we scrub out the engine bay to get a better look at that. So far we have found two small rust holes in the bottom rear corners of the shock towers. (last photos)
View attachment 87245View attachment 87246View attachment 87247View attachment 87248
View attachment 87251View attachment 87252

My 1971 fastback shock towers were real rusty so I am replacing them with a set of used ones from a Cougar yard in Washington state who shipped them to me. They were in excellent condition and will cut them to your request and send pictures of them before shipping them to you. They are nice people and good clean parts. Obi One

 

[tpj71mach]

You and your son are making great progress on your Mustang! I love that you guys are doing it together and learning together, that's awesome. Feel free to ask any questions that come to mind. There are a lot of really knowledgeable guys here on this site. I personally have asked some questions that the members first reaction was probably, duh, but I have always received thoughtful, supportive answers. I am confident no matter the question, there will be someone here to give good accurate advise. I have been in the car repair industry professionally for over 40 years and as a hobbyist have restored multiple cars, but I continue to learn from them. Especially Mustang specific information, as this is the first Mustang that I have restored. My sons help me with my restorations from time to time, but it is not their passion. I believe it is more just them wanting to hang and help the old man out a little, but I appreciate that time none the less. Enjoy this quality time with your son, these will be stories you can both enjoy and he will remember all his life. Keep up the great work!

 

[cv_72mustang]

Rachet in his pocket is a great sign. I wish I was young again!

 

[tpj71mach]

BTW, I would look into getting replacement shock towers and getting them installed. If you are not a proficient welder I would look into having a body shop replace those. They are essential to the structure of the vehicle and you will want to make sure they are welded in properly. You and your son can then clean up the rest of the engine compartment and paint it. and it will look like new and be ready to drop that engine back in.

As far as the seized engine, I would speak to the machine shop before you try to free up your seized engine. Most would advise not to try and break it loose unless you know the correct process. I have seen people do damage to cylinder walls and have had to bore them larger or replace blocks as a result. Your machine shop can walk you through how they would recommend to free the engine up if that's what you guys wish to do.

 

[mach71351c]

You have found the best resource for your project.

Ask away there's no stupid questions.

Take lots of pics and then take some more you will need them later.

Try to keep parts bolted to gather as assemblies when storing.

Have small rainy day project that you can pack away for future install. tail/ side marker lights seat belts etc. etc.

Check out the Build threads section on the forum it will give you and son a good direction/inspersion.

Good luck will be watching.

 

[PoFoMoCo]

Great sage advice above… this forum is uniquely different than many of the others, you will be very happy with the quality of responses and expertise for our 71-73 cars.