What did you do to your car today?

[rottenralph]

How are the sail panels attached. I tightened up the amateurish job done on my car but the sail panels are not right either. I will tackle them some other day. Would love to hear how they attach. I used short strips of windlace to tighten the section over head. The best part is that the rails along the door frame fit right over it perfectly.

 

[will e]

Nice job on the head liner. That has to be a bit of a PITA.

I was at 'moms' house today so I shot a few squirts of starter fluid into the air cleaner and fired it up. I let it idle for about 5 minutes (so the temp gauge starts to move towards normal) and shut her back down.

A half a dozen or so more weeks and I can start driving her again. It's still a little warm here in Phoenix.

 

[Mister 4x4]

Looking real good, was the headliner a total PITA or semi doable for us about average DIY people?

Hey, I'm about as "average DIY people" as they come, and it really wasn't that bad. rofl

I made sure it was oriented properly, found the center on both ends of the headliner as well as marked the windshield & rear glass channels. put the rods into the correct sleeves (I must've been sick or something because I was actually smart enough to number them from front to back as I removed them from the car), and picked the upper holes. Started at the back, made a couple notches in the rear-most sleeve, so the tension wires could engage the rod (and crimped them tight, so they wouldn't keep popping loose), and moved my way forward. When we got to the front rod, it didn't want to "bow upward" very well, so I just popped it in bowed downward, then gently pushed it forward and up... it hit the right spot and popped into place against the headliner pad.

Since it had been in a box for several years, I decided to just let it hang overnight. The next day, lined up the center lines, cut up about 10 feet of windlace into 1.5" lengths, and started smoothing and "dry-fitting the windshield and rear glass channels. Then, the passenger side door opening back to the quarter window, then the driver side. Once everything was smoothed out to the window openings, I started pulling the upper sail panel pieces down and tucking them using the teeth to secure it. The driver side took the longest, because I was unsure of how it was going to work... but I got the passenger side done in about 10 minutes, because I was comfortable with the process.

Looking back to admire the work of dry fitting everything, I instantly dreaded pulling the windlace clips and start glueing everything - I envisioned everything coming apart... but it didn't. I used the headliner glue from NPD, and it seemed to work just fine - only had to re-glue a couple places because I actually didn't get enough glue in there.

I also noticed I'd forgotten to put up the sail panel insulation before installing the headliner retainers. Duh... Fortunately, cutting a slot straight up from hole for the clip allowed me to sneak it by the clip and tuck it under before getting to the sail panels.

The sail panels themselves required just a little bit of trimming on the very rear end, and take a bit of work to get them clamped down at the quarter windows to stay put while the glue dries.

I found this article after I'd already gotten the headliner hung and glued, but it confirmed I'd pretty much done everything right:

http://www.mustangandfords.com/how-to/interior-electrical/headliner-install/

Hope that helps. It's really not that bad, and one person can do it - but it's easier with two... especially when she's actually wanting to help. ::thumb::

How are the sail panels attached? I tightened up the amateurish job done on my car but the sail panels are not right either. I will tackle them some other day. Would love to hear how they attach. I used short strips of windlace to tighten the section over head. The best part is that the rails along the door frame fit right over it perfectly.

That's a GREAT idea - the door rails hide it from the outside, and the trim pieces hide it from the inside. Very ingenious, Sir! ::thumb::

The sail panels are kinda weird - they're kind of secured, and kind of not. The complete lower edge is held in by the plastic trim overlapping it. There's a clip on the backside of the sail panel itself. If you look at the article I linked to above, in picture #5 just below the middle of the headliner retainer is the hole the clip pops into (put the clip into the backside of the panel, and pop it in with the panel). When the clip is pushed in, it makes the sail panel bow just a little bit and holds it in-place very well. The leading edge of the panel is glued to the quarter window opening below the headliner (picture #18), and the extra material is glued to the side of the rear window channel (picture #16). This article was done "the hard way," as they either didn't use or sail panel insulation or sail panels themselves weren't available (they made their own). They used clothes pins... but I'm not seeing that working very well.

Hope that helps!

 

[Mikes73]

Eric, thank you for the great response, I think we'll give it a shot. Your car is getting close

 

[Mister 4x4]

Eric, thank you for the great response, I think we'll give it a shot. Your car is getting close

LOTS of nit-noid things to go.

• Pretty much nothing's in the dashboard except the Classic Auto Air system and wiring harness.
  
• The shifter needs to be mounted along with the dimmer switch.
  
• Carpet - and all the fun that goes with that.
  
• 3-point modern seat belts.
  
• Paint all the interior trim pieces and Ram Air air cleaner and install everything.
• Gotta run the speedometer cable and install the speedo gear assembly to the tranny (leaked a bunch of fluid out backing it off the truck, too).
  
• Run the electrics for the stereo, speakers, amps, back-up camera, power windows, power locks, and track down why the horn's not working.
  
• Then get the windshield and backlight installed.
  
• Install the wiper system (motor, arms, blades, washer pump, hoses, etc.).
  
• I'm pretty sure the original brake booster is toast, so I need to track down a new one or go with the custom solution, and make sure the front calipers are on the correct sides and/or bled properly (pedal feels weird, but might just be the bad booster).
  
• Install the Mach 1 decals.
  
• Restore the Sport Caps.
  
• Take some nice "Factory Original" pictures.
  
• Mount & balance the new Cragars & BFGs
  
• Then, front spoiler, rear spoiler, louvers, and hockey stripes.
  

Then I might be done... but I'm thinking an Edelbrock E-Street TBI system is on the horizon... and a rear disc conversion sometime down the road... and then - who knows?

 

[Mikes73]

I see you mentioned having an eddie 600 carb on your build, I have a custom tuned by me eddie 600 on my engine that specs out pretty close to yours and must say it runs real good and starts faster than any car I've ever had. I wonder if should consider using the e street money elsewhere? Your to do list is getting shorter all the time and you will have the pride of knowing you did 95% of the work yourself

 

[Mister 4x4]

I see you mentioned having an eddie 600 carb on your build, I have a custom tuned by me eddie 600 on my engine that specs out pretty close to yours and must say it runs real good and starts faster than any car I've ever had. I wonder if should consider using the e street money elsewhere? Your to do list is getting shorter all the time and you will have the pride of knowing you did 95% of the work yourself

Thanks Mike - I know you've been one of my favorite 'cheerleaders' throughout this whole project. Thanks for hangin' in there.

I love my 1406... I really do. I've just gotten spoiled with fuel injection in my '97 Ram. I know I'll be needing some tuning once I get it on the road, but for right now, I'm looking at idling for around 2-3 minutes before I can put it in gear without it dying. Plus, I'm thinking that the EFI might provide for even just a little better fuel economy - I know these cars aren't particularly fuel efficient, but with my 3.00 cruising gears, AOD, and decent power, I hoping to see something over 20mpg. That would also be almost double the fuel economy of my daily driver (the Ram), and allow it a nice break as well.

Not to mention, I'm sure the E-street kit would come with a much quieter electric fuel pump... it surely can't be as loud as the Holley Black unit I have now.

 

[Mikes73]

Sounds like your carb is out of adjustment, mine is pretty much start and go.

 

[Mister 4x4]

Sounds like your carb is out of adjustment, mine is pretty much start and go.

I'm sure it is.

It has pretty much the same settings as it came out of the box - aside from some adjustment to the air mix since it was running a little rich with factory settings. It actually does fire right up, the electric choke takes over and runs the idle up like it's supposed to, but needs a few minutes before the fast idle drops, and after that it's good to go.

Like I said, it'll need some fine tuning, I'm sure.

 

[TheJ]

went to a town near St Louis yesterday (14 hour round trip) to pick up a pair of 73 fenders that need a little bit of work but nothing too bad. I do however need 73 painted fender extensions, does anybody have a set for sale? I also picked up a 73 standard grille with trim.

 

[GravY]

Went to leave this morning for Mustang Memories @ Ford product development center.. Been looking forward to this for months.. first I wake up and its raining, but stopped shortly after.. but then things went downhill from there.. go to start the car and it cranks but nothing.. after many tries I start thinking either no spark or gas. Being fairly noobish with all of this and not having the correct instruments to trouble shoot my ordeal began..

After this and that and some internet reading I went and got a can of starting fluid and found the car would attempt to start so it wasnt the coil or something else in that line.. when looking to see what type of fuel pump I had (mechanical) I noticed some oil up by the distributor which I know shouldnt be there.. reach out and wow it had come completely loose. I look up some photos when I bought the car and look for its position. It had turned 1/4 from where it was when I bought it.. I set it back and it fired right up.

I look into timing (again had to go get a timing light etc) the car has always run decent but always felt it could be better.. set the timing up with info found on this great forum and now she is purring.. I could never really roast the tires from a stop prior, it would kinda puff out and then go.. Now I can without hesitation and its smooth throughout..

so I ended up missing the show but in the long run learned a few things and got her running better than ever..

 

[kcmash]

went to a town near St Louis yesterday (14 hour round trip) to pick up a pair of 73 fenders that need a little bit of work but nothing too bad. I do however need 73 painted fender extensions, does anybody have a set for sale? I also picked up a 73 standard grille with trim.

NICE Parts! Hope you got a good deal on them too!

 

[Mister 4x4]

Nice Score, J! ::thumb::

OK - so yesterday was awesome, and today was a mixed bag.

Yesterday: installed all weatherstripping into the door rails, onto the doors, as well as the trunk seal. Also adjusted the quarter windows and got 'em rolled up into position. They're still too tight for the Autoloc power steering motors, but at least they're in, up, and where they're supposed to be. Also got the package tray marked up to trim for 6x9 speakers (magnets going into the 'squarish' holes with spacers above the tray - I ain't cutting no metal for speakers).

Today: realized I hadn't punched holes through the floor pans for seat belt anchors - I'd left the factory anchors on the transmission hump, but welded the new pans in right over them. So, I jacked up the car onto jack stands, and was prepared to drop the exhaust to get to the backside of the anchors - the plan was to drill through the nuts on the anchor points from underneath, then enlarge the holes to full size from inside the car. Crawled under and there they were - no need to drop the exhaust. Woohoo! Done with that task in about 20 minutes - Sweet! Started cutting the holes in the package tray "cardboard" (as my wife put it... and I honestly can't argue about it) when my pal Gonzo (from the Auto Hobby Shop) showed up. We were checking out the car, shot the sh!t for a bit, then Jim showed up, and it was like an Auto Hobby Shop reunion. ::thumb::

Man, I miss those guys dearly... but two hours later, and I'm still not getting anything done. So, after they left, I crawled under and inspected the calipers... and yup - I put them on the wrong sides. No wonder my brakes are junk. Between getting a new booster from NPD and swapping out the calipers (when I mount up the wheels), I should actually have a pedal. Finished cutting the holes in the package tray, mounted up some black automotive carpet (the thin rolls you can get at most parts stores) and fit the package tray in - which looks awesome, BTW (but no pics, sorry)

So, all-in-all a great weekend.

 

[Mikes73]

Over that last few days I installed new brake calipers and hoses on the front, new wheel cylinders in the back, adjusted and bled the brakes. Now my whole brake system is new, the car stops great and drives much better now that the sticking calipers are gone

 

[TheJ]

NICE Parts! Hope you got a good deal on them too!

I think I got a good deal, $200 for the fenders and grille.

 

[jeremycfr]

We got a lot done yesterday. We installed a new o-ring on the trans filler tube, repaired the wiper motor and installed the wipers, installed the license plates (she'll now pass inspection), installed the ram air setup, and took her for a test drive.

Now for the bad. No power in fiats gear and she shifts out quickly. As the car warms up, we loose all forward gears. To quote the mechanics, "something ain't right". (They did not rebuild it BTW).

So we've decided to take the trans from the parts car, rebuild ourselves, and switch them out. Hopefully it will solve our problem.

 

[Rob73Mach1]

I been on a tear with mine, (nights are getting shorter so weekend daylight is very important and I took total advantage of the last two.

Let me see if I can remember everything I managed to squeeze in those 4 days....

Engine Compartment went from YIKES to OK I can deal with this

BEFORE

AFTER

New Carb

BEFORE

AFTER

Quik Flow 750

Rebuilt the DS Door Panel (had nothing on it when I bought it)

BEFORE

Also installed the Console which also wasn't in the car when I bought it

AFTER

Missing Passenger Mirror (picked up a used one) then painted both sides a Semi Satin Black to match the Wing and Scoop Tips

BEFORE

AFTER

Installed the Back Honeycomb & Trim

I also took the paint off the tail light trim, that was a real PITA

BEFORE

AFTER

Rebuilt the Shifter

Installed the OEM 3 Point Belts on PS and a 5 Point on the DS

(had no belts when I got it)

New Door Handles and Knobs

Fixed a non working Head Light

Fixed some non working Gauges and Cleaned up A LOT of Wiring

New Battery Tray

New Plugs

Air Cleaner

Got the Radio working and pretty dam good at that

And I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch of other stuff I did

I'm old and beat up but I needed these two weekends on it and it's done and I can drive it with confidence now.

The best part is outside a New Carb & PS Mirror I found EVERY SINGLE ITEM in the Trunk and didnt know I was getting it. In the trunk was Console, half the Door Panel, all new Door Handles & Knobs, Door Trim, Two Air Cleaners, New Plugs Belts, Hoses, 3 sets of Seat Belts, Engine Braces (still got to put them on), the Back Honeycomb, all the trim for it, oil filter, intake gaskets, new Hurst Pro-Matic 2 Shifter (dont think I'll use it since I rebuilt the oem shifter but I can use it elsewhere). There were also replacement kick panels and a bunch of other trim, buttons, and little pieces in there. I pretty much have used all of it now and it saved my A TON of money, WOO HOO !!!

Very Happy with it so far and it gets a lot of attention at the car shows

(dam got to retake this pic with the PS Mirror, it's one of fav pics)

running pretty good now (can use some more gear though)

[video=youtube]

 

[1mach1]

The car looks great, Rob!!

Today, new alternator, alternator wiring harness, and v-belt on the Boss.

 

[TheJ]

Looks and sounds awesome Rob, nice work.

 

[rottenralph]

Sounds as loud as mine. Your car accelerates really nicely. Bringing my car to you for tuning. What state are you in, lol?