What did you do to your car today?

[mrgmhale]

What did we do with our car today??? Where do I begin??? Actually, that may imply that I ran into difficulties, and such is not the case. The prior weekend our son got married, and he wanted to drive our 1973 Mach 1 to the wedding and reception, and later to his house. No problem, we regard it as his car anyway (inheritance plan). Unfortunately, on his way home from the reception the Right Front outer wheel bearing decided to let loose. And let loose it did. Actually, I have seen worse, but this was bad enough. Funny thing, I wa splanning to pack the bearing in both 73 Mustangs this coming week... "Missed it by that much!" (Get Smart, Don Adams).

We had Hagerty, with their Roadside Assistance policy, handle getting our Mach 1 flat bedded to our house. I was still able to get it from our driveway onto our 4 post lift, despite a very wobbly RF wheel. Once on the lift I used the hydraulic center jack to raise the front end a little more via the crossmember. Long story short, here is what Lynda and I ended up replacing over the past week spending a few hours each day until Saturday (6/18) in the late afternoon:

RF Rotor & hub
RF steering knuckle and spindle assembly
Upper ball joint (made it easier to pull the knuckle off)
Both RF wheel bearings and grease seal
Brake pads and related hardware

Then, because what I do with brakes I do in pairs we also replaced:

LF Rotor & hub
both LF wheel bearings and grease seal
Brake pads and related hardware

We then lubricated all the Zerk fittings (Tie Rod Ends, Upper & Lower Ball Jpints, Upper Control Arm Bushings). This coming week I will get it aligned due to the new steering knuckle and upper ball joint being replaced.

It was not a particularly large job. But, at my age and post-operative condition it does not take much to wear me down. Back "in the day" that would have been a one day job, assuming I had all the parts I needed on hand. In this case I ordered the parts the night it got towed to our place, and began tear down the next day. By the time the parts began to arrive (Tuesday) we were pretty well prepared for the reassembly to begin. The process went well, with the only real half-surprise was that the right outer wheel bearing's inner race pretty much welded itself to the spindle. I got the inner race off with a small bearing puller, but the spindle was already damaged. Luckily I had ordered one as soon as we had the car parked at our place, figuring I might just need it. Whew...

As we do with pretty anything we work on or tinker with, we video recorded the project. We do that so we can post little "How I Did It" videos on YouTube so folks can get an idea on how do diagnose and repair these First Generation Mustangs. It is going to take me a few days to edit, splice, and enhance the final video. Once done I will upload it to my YouTube channel (under "Gilbert Hale") on the YouTube.com site.

We did suffer some loss with the project, however. Lynda has her iPhone set up (unknown to us until it was too late) to send her various video files to the iCloud location with her Apple account. When that happens the source file is removed from her iPhone. By the time I figured out what had happened to some of the file clips, and downloaded the "missing" video clips, I ran into another challenge. Apparently the files saved to her iCloud account were "slightly" renamed. The renaming was enough to disrupt the chronological naming convention of the video files. And the file Date/Time stamps were now based on when the file was saved on iCloud, not based on when it originally was created.

Anyway, I reviewed each video file and ascertained their proper location in the sequence of events. But, it seems there are some gaps that I am not thrilled about. For instance, in one video the front disc splash shield is attached to the steering knuckle, and in another segment a little while later it has been removed with no explanation. In another segment the RF spindle is clearly shown, with the brake caliper housing tied back out of the way. Then suddenly, as if by magic the rotor is installed with no video or narration explaining some of the little info I gad shared re: the installation of the rotor, how to properly tighten and adjust the wheel bearing retaining nut on the spindle, etc. It is not that huge a deal, but it is going to be a little more choppy than I would have liked. It is not so bad that I feel inclined to do the project over again just to fill the gaps... heh heh

But, I will still post it despite the few gaps it has. I think I still covered some good info for anyone who may be interested in it.

Damn, do I have fun, or what?!? We have some nice pony cars, and I have a wife who is also a 'Mustang/Shelby Chick" and enjoys working on these cars with me (lucky me, eh?). And in this day and age we have some cool technologies that allow me to share what we are up to with other fellow enthusiasts. But there is even more! During Car Season there are still enough local car shows to help keep us busy and entertained.

Anyway, for anyone still reading this post, if you are interested in the upcoming video, or are curious about what is already on my YouTube channel here is a link I am pretty sure will take you to my channel. And for anyone not particularly interested in my YouTube channel, no harm, no foul. My feelings will not be hurt. I do the videos because it pleases me, and happens to be something some folks do appreciate having.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYzXvUaH0ph4c_O9dR9a1sw

 

[mudbilly]

FINALLY installed the door gasket, which I have been putting off for years. Did the best i could using Rubber Gasket Contact Adhesive, ( as you can tell by the gobs of it stuck to the paint) and then went back an filled the seams with black Silicone RTV.

 

[DAverkamp]

Yesterday morning I went to go fill her up (13 gals @ 8.5 smiles/gal) after I went through $40/day last weekend. I then took a cruise into N IL to check on a picket line and make sure the guys had plenty of water and check their temps…
I also decided I was going to try to not drive her like an A-Hole yesterday but, it is SO hard to not do that right?
I ended up putting on about 60mi (1/4 tank) so I went back this morning to top her off again and I came up with 12/SPG until I pulled out of the gas station and saw my speedo thingy wasn’t working!

I believe it was Hemikiller who said the aftermarket 23 tooth gears don’t hold up. That’s true but this TCI one did last about 2k miles so another one is coming and it’s only a ten minute job from prep to turning the key.

PS: I have no idea who slapped on the reminder stickers.

 

[DAverkamp]

Yesterday morning I went to go fill her up (13 gals @ 8.5 smiles/gal) after I went through $40/day last weekend. I then took a cruise into N IL to check on a picket line and make sure the guys had plenty of water and check their temps…
I also decided I was going to try to not drive her like an A-Hole yesterday but, it is SO hard to not do that right?
I ended up putting on about 60mi (1/4 tank) so I went back this morning to top her off again and I came up with 12/SPG until I pulled out of the gas station and saw my speedo thingy wasn’t working!

I believe it was Hemikiller who said the aftermarket 23 tooth gears don’t hold up. That’s true but this TCI one did last about 2k miles so another one is coming and it’s only a ten minute job from prep to turning the key.

PS: I have no idea who slapped on the reminder stickers.

The new gear came today and I gave her a wipe with some moly this time to see if it lasts longer than the previous one. If I could only stop driving her “safely” like an A-hole I might get more life on the gear this time, but how does one stop doing that?

 

[Paul M]

Mach 1 on hold. I had to send the MSD box in to get refurbished. So I jumped on this rusted pile o s. Don't laugh, I'll turn this into a car. color matches the interior.

 

[71ProjectJunk]

Well, I hit a deer last night. Moral of the story, if you're gonna hit a deer make it a small one...

The corral is gone, grille is cracked and the bumper looks to be bent down slightly. I GOT LUCKY!!!

You were lucky on that one! No paint damage, you can easily replace the bumper and grill, could have been a lot worse.

 

[machcrazy]

Drove it around town.

 

[DAverkamp]

Drove it around town.

And proudly I imagine! Sharp M1 you have there.

 

[Jcloutier0722]

Today was the the transformation to duals...just peaking out under the valance and sounding strong...I was a fanboy in a shop of old Mustangs and Cougars

 

[will e]

Today was the the transformation to duals...just peaking out under the valance and sounding strong...I was a fanboy in a shop of old Mustangs and Cougars

I like that look. I did the same with my convertible.

 

[mrgmhale]

You were lucky on that one! No paint damage, you can easily replace the bumper and grill, could have been a lot worse.

We damn (ooops, I meant darn) near hit a fairly large deer the other day when we were driving our 73 Mach 1 to a shop to get the front end realigned. Why the alignment? The R/F outer wheel bearing failed, and chewed up the inside of the rotor/hub. No damage was dome to the body or wheel, luckily. We ended up replacing the right hand steering knuckle/spindle assembly, upper ball joint (made it easier to pull out and replace the knuckle/spindle), rotor/hub assembly, both wheel bearings and grease seal, and of course a new set of brake pads due to the rotor being replaced. And, for brakes what I do one one side of the vehicle I do for the other, so we installed a new left rotor/hub and brake pad set also.

It took longer to perform the work due to my compromised medical condition. But, we did finish it up after about 7 or 8 days. Just in time for our first car show this year, including us getting it realigned before said car show!

Anyway, back to the deer we almost hit, it ran out of a thicket just ahead of us, unexpectedly of course. It there was more than a few short inches between in tail feathers and our left front fender I sure didn't see it. Had it opted to leap out even a split second later I know we would have tagged it. It did make it to the other side of the road, as there was no oncoming traffic at that moment. And, had we hit it I would have been pretty torqued after all we spent to get this machine looking and running so well...

For anyone who might be interested in the repairs we made following the wheel bearing failure, Lynda did video record the steps, and I put them into two separate videos on YouTube. One covers all but the wheel bearings being packed and installed (I thought we had lost those clips, but they were hiding on iCloud after they were automatically uploaded there (for our benefit and convenience no doubt). By the time I found them I had already consolidate all of the other clips we did have on Lynda's iPhone.





BTW, I am sorry your Mustang did hit a deer. But, all in all it look like the damage is relatively minor. Here is why I would have been so miffed had we fit the deer that jumped in front of us:

 

[Stanglover]

Well as we all know, our Mustangs are known to be *** draggers, mine included. In recent upgrades, I've replaced the rear springs with Eaton B 351 (153lb spring rate) springs, new KYB Excel G shocks ( I like the softer ride) Added an Addco 7/8" rear sway bar (revised version) and it's still an *** dragger.
Well today I replaced the old shackles (original steel with new rubber bushings) with the 1" longer ones (I believe maybe Eaton), from NPD. These are advertised as to eliminate the lower rear stance. Well folks, not so much.
Before I started, I measured the center wheel arch at 26" . After a frustrating 4 hours, I had them in, took the car for a blast around the block to settle the axle and springs only to find that when I measured the center wheel arch again, it was only 26 1/4". I was expecting at least a 1/2" gain in height. So basically I wasted 45 bucks US. They'll stay in there now as it's too much work to pull them and go back the the good old originals. By the way, the original steel is 3/16" thick, the ones I got with the Eaton U bolt and shackle kit, were only 1/8" thick and so are the longer ones too. This to me is too thin, but I guess it saves a buck somewhere along the line.
I also thought that I could replace the shackles without full disassembling the entire spring mounts, but alas, no go. I was unable to find a balance where I could hold the body and axle in a position to be able to remove the shackles, So, the only answer was to unbolt the mounts one side at a time. This was done lying on my back in 80+ weather in the driveway.
Now to relieve my stress, BEER time!!

 

[steves73]

Glove box used as a latrine by mice over the winter. Able to save some receipts and the GIJoe tissues, but the glove box is apparently made out of cardboard. Cleaned and painted for now. Starter went bad, waiting for new DB one.

 

[steves73]

For some reason paint started flaking off the horns, so I easily removed it. Sanded, primed and painted, then dropped one. It makes a hilarious low frequency honk now. Didn't realize they were fragile.

 

[Jcloutier0722]

Well as we all know, our Mustangs are known to be *** draggers, mine included. In recent upgrades, I've replaced the rear springs with Eaton B 351 (153lb spring rate) springs, new KYB Excel G shocks ( I like the softer ride) Added an Addco 7/8" rear sway bar (revised version) and it's still an *** dragger.
Well today I replaced the old shackles (original steel with new rubber bushings) with the 1" longer ones (I believe maybe Eaton), from NPD. These are advertised as to eliminate the lower rear stance. Well folks, not so much.
Before I started, I measured the center wheel arch at 26" . After a frustrating 4 hours, I had them in, took the car for a blast around the block to settle the axle and springs only to find that when I measured the center wheel arch again, it was only 26 1/4". I was expecting at least a 1/2" gain in height. So basically I wasted 45 bucks US. They'll stay in there now as it's too much work to pull them and go back the the good old originals. By the way, the original steel is 3/16" thick, the ones I got with the Eaton U bolt and shackle kit, were only 1/8" thick and so are the longer ones too. This to me is too thin, but I guess it saves a buck somewhere along the line.
I also thought that I could replace the shackles without full disassembling the entire spring mounts, but alas, no go. I was unable to find a balance where I could hold the body and axle in a position to be able to remove the shackles, So, the only answer was to unbolt the mounts one side at a time. This was done lying on my back in 80+ weather in the driveway.
Now to relieve my stress, BEER time!!

I gained a bit when replacing the totally dead 50 yr old Ford shocks but riding on 235/60-15 still only sit at 26.5" with the convertible... the new tires were moot as they're the same up front...

 

[Stanglover]

I gained a bit when replacing the totally dead 50 yr old Ford shocks but riding on 235/60-15 still only sit at 26.5" with the convertible... the new tires were moot as they're the same up front...

Thanks for the reply.
For sure old springs and shock will cause the rear to drop below what is considered normal ride height. Replacing those with original type components will only bring it back to where it once was, unless one is adding specialty suspension parts. That's not something I wanted to do.
Anyway, the result was somewhat disappointing as I said. It is the way these cars were designed and engineered. Adding longer or more powerful shocks is not the way to go and air shocks are a definite no-no as the top mounts are not strong enough for that.
Oh well, it is what it is.

 

[Jcloutier0722]

I hear ya... I've grown to accept the bit of squat... though with just over 20,000 miles the springs haven't seen a lot of road miles for sure.

 

[steves73]

I don't like the way Cougars sit stock, they look fat. In the 1990s I went to a company called Paterson's Springs in Toronto, and they made springs and they're perfect. Before that a 69 Torino. I don't think they exist now. The other vehicles I saw there were trucks.

 

[Fredensborg]

I put +2' leaf springs in mine last summer, that draggin-*** is gone for sure!

 

[Stanglover]

I put +2' leaf springs in mine last summer, that draggin-*** is gone for sure!

The springs I had put in before, were those crappy Grab-A-Track 4 1/2 leaf springs and those put the *** up nearly 2 1/2" and it looked ridiculous. I made a set of 1" lowering blocks and it still looked too much. I had those de-arched, but then they started bending backwards. Crappy steel for sure.
It would be nicer if the factory spec springs had a 1/2" more curve to them. I think they can be custom made by Eaton, but would be expensive.
I just remeasured the center wheel arch height and it's down to 26 1/8". What a waste of my time.