What did you do to your car today?

[73pony]

Figured out the vibration in the drivetrain. Broken transmission mount and broken and twisted cross-member (cheap eBay crap). Installed new cross-member and mount from modern driveline. Smooth as can be now.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

Working on polishing the Factory Aluminum wheels. Got to get set of Goodyear RWL F-70-14 tires to go on the 73 Mach 1 going to the Mustang Museum.

Here is what wheels look like on the car, :-/  yep that is a NOS Goodyear tire after sitting since 1982.

Have NOS center caps but need to find some new lug nuts or will have to get the old ones plated.

It takes about 2 hours per wheel, wash, blast back side with walnut shells, wash with lacquer thinner, wet sand with 1,200 grit and then polish with cotton wheel and aluminum polish. Going to start a thread this evening maybe.

The wheels were not actually polished when new. They were just diamond turned at high speed in lathe. It costs several hundred dollars each to have them turned again. I did check. They will just be shiny instead of correct. There was no clear coat on them either. All are 14" X 7" and only on 73. They also came on Maverick and Mercury. The Mercury has a larger diameter center hole, Maverick is same as Mustang.

Marti says there were 10,106 Mustangs made with the Forged Aluminum wheels. So they were pretty common and sold way more than the Magnum 500 did each year. Most got trashed to put wider tires on you could get at swap meets back in 80's for $5.00 - $10.00 each. I have a set of NOS center caps and the price on the box was $17.00 each.

If anyone has the lug nuts I need at least 20 of them or maybe 16 if I use the locking lug nuts. Part # is DOOZ-1012-A. Well off to do another couple. BTW the spare was always a painted steel wheel if you got Magnums or Aluminum wheels.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

Figured out the vibration in the drivetrain. Broken transmission mount and broken and twisted cross-member (cheap eBay crap). Installed new cross-member and mount from modern driveline. Smooth as can be now.

Did you check your engine mounts? If it was twisting that much might be bad also.

 

[73pony]

Figured out the vibration in the drivetrain. Broken transmission mount and broken and twisted cross-member (cheap eBay crap). Installed new cross-member and mount from modern driveline. Smooth as can be now.

Did you check your engine mounts? If it was twisting that much might be bad also.

Yes. Engine mounts are intact. I was surprised.

 

[Bentworker]

Now the engine runs in the car…

Next step is to let it cool and maybe put a seat in it.

[video=youtube]

 

[Bentworker]

Gave up on the seat. 

This thing is going to be a handful to keep in a straight line.

Hopefully in a month or less I can get someone to put some 40 series flow masters on it.

[video=youtube]

 

[Mjordan]

Sounding good man

 

[NOT A T5]

Yeah, like that sound!

 

[rolandmhall]

Got my gauge pod back from the shop. Had it carbon fiber plasti dipped.  Came out real nice.

Next year I'll do the blue carbon fiber dakota gauges. 

 

[mudbilly]

I like that.............would never have thought you could do something like that on an existing piece.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

Gave up on the seat. 

This thing is going to be a handful to keep in a straight line.

Hopefully in a month or less I can get someone to put some 40 series flow masters on it.

[video=youtube]

You may think the engine sounds good loping like that but you are destroying you cam and lifters. You need to get the rpm up on a cammed up engine or it will beat it to death.

 

[kcmash]

Gave up on the seat. 

This thing is going to be a handful to keep in a straight line.

Hopefully in a month or less I can get someone to put some 40 series flow masters on it.

[video=youtube]

I agree.  That sounded like 6 to 700 rpm, you should be idling at 1100.  Are you a flat tappet or a roller cam?

kcmash

 

[libram]

i'll have a set of flowmaster 50's available soon if you're interested in them, one is black and the other silver but both basically brand new. They're too loud for my build.

 

[Tnfastbk]

Gave up on the seat. 

This thing is going to be a handful to keep in a straight line.

Hopefully in a month or less I can get someone to put some 40 series flow masters on it.

[video=youtube]

Please explain that one for me, as I have never heard of that. Tried to research that theory to no avail.

 

[turtle5353]

Gave up on the seat. 

This thing is going to be a handful to keep in a straight line.

Hopefully in a month or less I can get someone to put some 40 series flow masters on it.

[video=youtube]

I have also heard the same thing but with flat tappet cams not roller. Low rpm will wipe out a cam. But my motor sounds very similar to the one in the video when it idles in gear. Mine may even have a little more thump to it. But that’s just nature of big motor on the street. Mine idles in gear around 750-800 rpm.  Never had any troubles.

 

[mudbilly]

I always thought that it was only an issue during break in ???

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

What I have stated is not an opinion but stressed by all cam manufacturers. Racing cam profiles and lifters will never last like a stock set up. Many want you to do very specific break in periods and may even ask you to break in with less spring pressure than when you are actually racing.

Due to the heavy spring pressure and the quicker and higher lifts the pressure on the cam and lifter is many times more than with a stock cam. When I worked in race engine shop the boss never let a built engine idle less than 900 to help save the cam. Even at that when we would tear them down that had been driven on street never saw one that was not junk after just a few miles. How many circle track cars do you hear loping at low rpm or professional drag cars? They are torn down quite often and everything changed. If you have a flat tappet cam the lifters do not rotate at lower rpm therefore causing more wear. Also the lubrication at a low idle is just not there. That is why only one or two lobes might wear more than others not the same amount of lube.

Racing parts are made to be ran not sit and idle. Talk to the cam manufacturer and see what they suggest for an idle speed and do some research. I think you will find that high lift cams with heavy valve springs will not hold up in the long run.

Here is some reading on cams there are dozens of sites and none will say to let a cammed up engine idle low. https://www.camcraftcams.com/some-thoughts-on-cam-and-lifter-wear/

When you put a new engine together get a long travel dial indicator and take actual readings of the valve travel perpendicular to the valve. Check over time to see how the cam and lifters are holding up.

That is one of the benefits of the new engines today like the Coyote with their tiny little valves of less than 1" in diameter and very small springs. They do have 4 valves to make up for size.

Yes if you only drive to a few shows you will probably never have an issue but built engines just do not have a long life.

 

[Bentworker]

I appreciate the cam concern.

The stall on the converter is high enough there is no harm in turning up the idle speed a bit.

The camshaft and spring pressures are not anything too extreme for a flat tappet, we'll see how it holds up.

I am about 110 pounds closed, 312 open with some beehive springs.

 

[Mister 4x4]

I had every intention of getting the new clock I received from Rocketman earlier this week installed this weekend.  Unfortunately, the microwave took itself out a few weeks ago and the new one showed up Friday.  It's an under-cabinet mount - yesterday's project... and of course, nothing lined up with the old one.  Then, I had to mow today... and forgot about the time change.  The mower took a dump on itself - literally when I tilted it up to clear the old grass clots before mowing... oil everywhere, half-soaked the air filter, and ran like 5 o'Clock Charlie's plane the whole time I was mowing.

I'll try to hit it first thing next weekend... after the Veteran's Day car show, that is.

 

[vintageman]

Took 3 sets of tail lights apart tonight to start cleaning and polishing them up. Out of the 3 sets, I think I found a total of 2 lenses that did not have some kind of hairline crack somewhere. At least I have a pair now to work with, hopefully I don't crack them during the polishing and re-assembly.

Used Q's technique with a heat gun to take them apart, no issues, came apart real easy. Even the chrome pieces came off easy with a little heat on them. Tomorrow, cleaning and polishing.

Tom