The Rickster - a 73 Mach 1 work in progress

[Bill Perkins]

Super Nice Car, Great Pictures of all your very hard work, it is paying off

 

[cjstaci]

I like seeing the progress, your car is looking good! Like your shop too.

 

[73MustangCoupe]

Thanks, guys. More progress. Drip rail and weatherstrip mouldings around the door have been installed, and the weatherstrip around the doors finally installed. With that finished, I was able to install the quarter windows. Once installed, I was able to try to get the door glass aligned with the weatherstrip and quarter window. It's not being very cooperative, but like so much of this project, I will get it sorted, eventually.

Carpet installation was next, and I wanted to move the car back from the lift so I could get the doors opening fully without hitting the lift. Parking brake was off and the lift arms were moved out of the way, but when I went to push it back a couple feet, I could not get the car to move. I nearly wore myself out, but it would not budge. It rolled in between the lift posts just fine, but now won't move.

That evening, I was watching a YouTube video, and the guy was loading an old car onto the car hauler, and mentioned that he had to make sure the car was out of gear. A lightbulb went off in my head. Was it still in Park? It had never been an issue before, but this was the first time the car had been moved with an entire driveline since I acquired it in 2014. The next morning, I got back to work on it. Yes, it was in Park. Moved it to neutral, and it rolled back the few feet I needed with no problem. DOH!!!

With the doors open wide, I was able to get the carpet installed. Like so much of this project, it was a first time installing carpet, and I was working alone. It could have turned out better. It isn't perfect, but it's pretty good and I'm happy with it.



I also got the windlace and window trim attached to the interior quarter panels, so I had to poke them in place, just to see. Once I get the window lining up together, I can put those interior quarter panels in for final, and also the rear seats.





Making progress, slowly, but surely.

 

[tpj71mach]

Thanks, guys. More progress. Drip rail and weatherstrip mouldings around the door have been installed, and the weatherstrip around the doors finally installed. With that finished, I was able to install the quarter windows. Once installed, I was able to try to get the door glass aligned with the weatherstrip and quarter window. It's not being very cooperative, but like so much of this project, I will get it sorted, eventually.

Carpet installation was next, and I wanted to move the car back from the lift so I could get the doors opening fully without hitting the lift. Parking brake was off and the lift arms were moved out of the way, but when I went to push it back a couple feet, I could not get the car to move. I nearly wore myself out, but it would not budge. It rolled in between the lift posts just fine, but now won't move.

That evening, I was watching a YouTube video, and the guy was loading an old car onto the car hauler, and mentioned that he had to make sure the car was out of gear. A lightbulb went off in my head. Was it still in Park? It had never been an issue before, but this was the first time the car had been moved with an entire driveline since I acquired it in 2014. The next morning, I got back to work on it. Yes, it was in Park. Moved it to neutral, and it rolled back the few feet I needed with no problem. DOH!!!

With the doors open wide, I was able to get the carpet installed. Like so much of this project, it was a first time installing carpet, and I was working alone. It could have turned out better. It isn't perfect, but it's pretty good and I'm happy with it.

View attachment 68481

I also got the windlace and window trim attached to the interior quarter panels, so I had to poke them in place, just to see. Once I get the window lining up together, I can put those interior quarter panels in for final, and also the rear seats.

View attachment 68482

View attachment 68480

Making progress, slowly, but surely.

It's looking really good. The car won't roll in park thing is funny, we all seem to do those Duh moment things from time to time in a restoration.

 

[Bill Perkins]

Great Job, it is coming along just fine, keep up the great work, what material did you use to put behind the top rear seat back that divide's or seals up the opening into the trunk? I see the dana mat/sound suppressor in the area where the top rear seat back would go, what is it attached too?
Thank you sir

 

[Kilgon]

Looking really good. Don't worry about the carpet. Once you get the seats in there only the foot areas and most people put in floor mats so there really isn't any to see.

 

[73MustangCoupe]

Great Job, it is coming along just fine, keep up the great work, what material did you use to put behind the top rear seat back that divide's or seals up the opening into the trunk? I see the dana mat/sound suppressor in the area where the top rear seat back would go, what is it attached too?
Thank you sir

I had some 18 or 20 gauge sheet steel that I cut to fit. Used CAD (cardboard aided design) to make a pattern and then added rivnuts to the frame and secured the panel with #8-32 x 1/2 inch machine screws. The pieces on the ends were more challenging, but I formed them around my knee and got them to fit up pretty good, too.

 

[mach71351c]

Nice progress!

 

[tpj71mach]

I had some 18 or 20 gauge sheet steel that I cut to fit. Used CAD (cardboard aided design) to make a pattern and then added rivnuts to the frame and secured the panel with #8-32 x 1/2 inch machine screws. The pieces on the ends were more challenging, but I formed them around my knee and got them to fit up pretty good, too.

Love the CAD cardboard aided design, shared that with my son that uses CAD software all the time at his work and he thought it was funny as hell, he said he never heard anyone use that.

 

[Sheriff41]

Hey Ron! Any updates on the Rickster? Hope all is well.

 

[73MustangCoupe]

I've been meaning to post an update, but not much to report. I've run into problems getting the door glass lined up, and getting the rear window trim attached. I also ran into problems with the brake proportioning valve, but I think I have that finally sorted. To make a long story short, if I can get the door glass lined up with the quarter windows, it would sure get the project jump started. I back off, and then come back to it a few weeks later, but still can't get it lined up, so I back off and think about it for a while longer. Very frustrating. Anyway, that's what has been going on with the Rickster, lately. Still, I'm planning to have it on the road this spring.

 

[Sheriff41]

Yeah, I think there may be some dark magic involved in getting the side windows aligned on these old Mustangs. In the Spring you can just run with the windows rolled down!

 

[tpj71mach]

I've been meaning to post an update, but not much to report. I've run into problems getting the door glass lined up, and getting the rear window trim attached. I also ran into problems with the brake proportioning valve, but I think I have that finally sorted. To make a long story short, if I can get the door glass lined up with the quarter windows, it would sure get the project jump started. I back off, and then come back to it a few weeks later, but still can't get it lined up, so I back off and think about it for a while longer. Very frustrating. Anyway, that's what has been going on with the Rickster, lately. Still, I'm planning to have it on the road this spring.

Glass alignment is really tricky, just an idea for you. I had a car I could not align the passenger door glass. I tried a bunch of times and finally told myself it was because I replaced the glass and it must be slightly off in shape. I found an old school glass guy and he said as soon as he saw the car that the door glass poor fit was because of the rear quarter window alignment. He realigned the quarter windows and the door glass on both sides and they fit perfectly. I honestly don't think he was in my garage for more than an hour. If you can find an old school glass guy they might be able to adjust it for you. Glass guys are used to traveling to work on the car in it's location, as the glass shops service cars at dealerships, body shops, and the like. My guy charged me only $100 because all of the trim panels were still off of the car. I felt it was money well spent considering the brain damage I had already sustained trying to align them myself.

 

[73MustangCoupe]

Thanks, TPJ. That sounds like a great idea. I will double check the rear glass, and if that still doesn't get it fitting up, I'll look into finding an old school glass guy. If that fails, I'll just run with windows down. ;-)

 

[mrgmhale]

The engine is alive!!!!! I got the motor dropped back into the engine bay and the pressure test was successful. I got the fuel lines hooked up and built a small relay panel for the fuel pump that I mounted in the trunk, near the battery.

View attachment 63927

I installed the AC condenser and lines. I also got the transmission cooling lines run, and built a mount for a secondary transmission cooler in front of the AC condenser. I used -6AN lines from the transmission that connected to hard lines after about a foot.

View attachment 63929

I ran the lower line into the radiator, and the upper line to the secondary cooler. I used a -6AN line from the upper fitting to the cooler, completing the circuit.

View attachment 63925View attachment 63926View attachment 63923

With the transmission cooling lines completed, and fuel injection harness laid out and plugged up, I used some temporary leads to connect to the oil pressure and water temp gauges, and made a temporary 12V switched circuit for the ECU, coil, etc. I pulled the distributor and primed the oil pump showing 60 PSI and used my long ratchet to turn the motor over a few times while priming it. I put it back to TDC and reinstalled the distributor and it was ready to crank.

View attachment 63924

The next morning, I hooked up the handheld programing unit, turned on the 12V switched power to power up the ECU and entered the engine parameters into the system. It fired up on the second try. I ran it for a couple minutes running it up to 2000 RPM when we found leaking fluid on the floor under the power steering pump. I shut down and tightened the high pressure line and was trying to refill the reservoir when the cheesy little handle broke off. I was able to extricate the stopper with the dipstick, refilled the reservoir, and inserted the stopper (not all the way, but enough to be snug) and fired it up a second time. Again, I ran it at about 2000 RPM for a few minutes when we discovered transmission fluid spewing from the cooling line fitting. Again, I shut it down, and got the fitting tightened, and started it up once again. I was still running it around 2000 RPM, give or take, and things were moving along when coolant started shooting out of the radiator overflow. I checked the water temp and it was approaching 200, but the cooling fan hadn't cut on.

I checked everything I could and the fan worked with battery power, but the ECU wasn't activating the relay, so I called FAST. They were super nice to work with, talking me through a number of things to check, but we couldn't get it to activate the relay like it was supposed to, so they want me to send the ECU back to them to check out. S it will be on it's way to the manufacturer as soon as I get it boxed up. Yes, it's a little frustrating, but I am ecstatic that the motor runs and sounds great, even with being tuned.

So that is the progress over the last couple weeks, and the big news of today. The Rickster lives!!!

You cwertainly have one very impressive under hood presentation. Clean. Well thought out.

 

[73MustangCoupe]

Well, yesterday I finally got back on the Rickster. I had rebuilt the proportioning valve a few weeks back, and got it installed. A neighbor came over to help out, and with his help, I was able to find a few leaks. One in the brake line Tee on the back axle, and another with one of the line fittings on the proportioning valve. A little tightening stopped those leaks, and with Dan on the brake pedal, we got the brakes bled. Finally, I have a brake pedal!!! We cranked up the car and let it come up to temp and run for a while, hopefully boiling some of the gas out of the oil.

Anyway, I'm pretty stoked. Dan will be coming over next week so we can work on that glass alignment. I've still got to check the TV line pressure, bleed the power steering, charge the AC, install the windshield, and a lot of little things. Oh, and adjust the transmission shifter linkage. But it's really close, and cruise-in/car show season is just about here.

We are, finally, making progress on the Rickster. Slowly, but surely.

 

[PoFoMoCo]

All great progress, you'll be finished soon. I can't wait to see pics and videos of the Rickster rolling through northeastern Tennessee!

 

[73MustangCoupe]

Making some progress on the Rickster. Dan, my friend and neighbor, came over today and we were able to get the side windows lined up, finally. It was a pain in the posterior, but we got it. I don't know if I could have gotten it without his help. Maybe, but it would have been so much more difficult and time consuming. So now I am able to get the rest of the interior installed. Pics will follow when I get the rest of the interior installed.

 

[Paul M]

Yep. I lived in New England for over a decade and ran through numerous rusty projects. You aren't going to have much left in the taillight area. That passenger door bottom retained its shape and can be patched together. The trunk area is in for replacements. I'd imagine the floorboard is going to be fun. I usually buy 4x6 or 8 sheets of steel and fab a large portion of my panels & repairs. This last car wasn't in the best of shape, however had cool options and the price was right. If it keeps you busy and restores some sanity go for it.

 

[73MustangCoupe]

Yep. I lived in New England for over a decade and ran through numerous rusty projects. You aren't going to have much left in the taillight area. That passenger door bottom retained its shape and can be patched together. The trunk area is in for replacements. I'd imagine the floorboard is going to be fun. I usually buy 4x6 or 8 sheets of steel and fab a large portion of my panels & repairs. This last car wasn't in the best of shape, however had cool options and the price was right. If it keeps you busy and restores some sanity go for it.

I did go for it, and it's turned out surprisingly well. It was a slow process, but yes, it did keep me from losing my sanity after losing my sanity. My 12 yr old Eastwood welder is about worn out, now, but it served me well on this project. I need to adjust transmission linkage, redo trans cooler lines that are running a little closer to the headers than I would like, install the windshield and interior, but then it will be ready to see the road under it's own power for the first time in decades.

Getting so close, slowly, but surely.