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A quick update: 1-the 408 stroker finally arrived in the crate across the pond after 9 month of delays, shipping issues etc 2-taken some times to get the various ancillary parts, shipping to U.K. is a real pain; JBA shorties etc 3-engine fitted and hoping to fire it up in next 3/4 weeks 4-just collecting the other parts to complete the car e.g glass will go in next 2/3 weeks car is booked into a major U.K. classic car show on 10 `July so has to be ready, but not sure if I’m going to make it chris

It's fixed - my horn works again. Thanks to @det0326 for hooking me up with a seller of the part I needed. I may now be the world's foremost authority on 2-spoke horns. I took a bunch of pictures, I may post a thread on it while it's fresh in my mind in case anyone else ever cares about such a thing.

I verified my original 69 glass bracket locations with the Suesz measurements. Accurate. Brian

You will have to have the torque box out to remove the floor support and the floor needs to be out to do any of it ,but yes ,support the frame rails and the rockers it is best to have atleast 8 supports / jack stands ,frame rails ,in the front each side at the rear of the frame rail just before the torque box the rocker just behind the torque box and either the rear of the rocker or the end of the rear frame rail

I said all along it would be something so stupid you wouldn't even think of it ! When i put the 07 motor into my 05 mustang the 07 harness was still on it ,it wouldnt work in the 05 so i had to change it inside the car ,that wasnt easy because it was almost impossible to get to the tranny sensors . I must have twisted the rear part of the harness,the part with the plug ins for the 02 sensors . I had the bank 1 sensor plugged into the bank 2 02 sensor and the bank 2 sensor plugged into the bank 1 sensor ...does not work that way ! Swapped the plug ins today and its like a new car ,should be ,i replaced every sensor ,spark plugs ,coils and even resealed the intake and throttle body . Now i can finally finish it up and drive !

Didn't Ol' Henry say that if you think you can't do it, you're right? GO FOR IT DAVE

I guess my mind doesn't work like an engineer's mind at Ford. Why would they design different horn parts for a two and three spoke wheel? The horn doesn't know how many spokes are on the wheel.

I've done one side of my glue-in glass repair and the other side is almost done. I did not get the applicator so I wasted some and had to get a second tube. I had a shop put in all new exhaust front to back with Dynomax Super Turbo 17733, cross pipe and curved turn downs behind the valance. I love the sound.

I have a c4 with a gear vendors and love it. The automatic mode is really all I use. Auto mode works via a control box that gets a signal from the speedo cable via the adapter that is used to connect a Ford cable to it. I'll post pics when i'm home but I mounted the on off switch on the shifter and the auto/manual switch under the dash. I changed my diff from 2.80 to 3.55 and with the gv my RPMs are basically the same. These units are basically indestructible mine came used off a few hard years of drag car duty. I had it inspected at a gv authorized shop and they said it looked fine. Sometimes you can find them on old motorhomes and medium worktrucks. I did get a custom shaft made but have no ill affects. The trans also needed to be lowered a 1/4 inch but we were able to modify the standard brace. One note I will make if you are driving it hard you do really feel the shift into OD but I find that enhances the fun.

I have the FMX also, but when I looked at the Gear Vendor, there wasn't an automatic mode. Do you know how they accomplish that? Something to think about is the need to make the driveshaft significantly shorter and how that affects driveline angles and vibrations. Instead of an AOD I intend to go with a 4R70W, which is the last version of the AOD that improved all its shortcomings. It requires an electronic transmission control and, if you're handy, it is a bolt-in conversion, but the driveshaft does need to be shortened somewhat. There is a guy that makes transmission supports and a shifter mod that allows the use of the stock shifter. If you're interested I'll find his contact information. Heres a thread on the 4R70W; https://www.vintage-mustang.com/threads/1965-4r70w-conversion-complete-how-to-pic-heavy.1119498/page-8

Finally made some progress of getting Christine back on the road.

Drove to Canyon Lake TX to pick up my first love from a buddy. My first vehicle was a 56 F100, which I foolishly sold circa 1980.

Unfortunately, I found very few classics in my club, and even fewer people who actually work on their cars. I find that frustrating, because I like working on things, and talking to like minded people. If you don't have some natural mechanical ability, it will be very difficult. I have one son that doesn't know one end of a screwdriver from the other, but his younger brother will attempt anything. I figure I could do anything, but there are some things I just don't want to do. For instance, I think hog ring pliers would make my arthritis act-up, so unless I can fashion a pair with long handles, I'm not going to attempt upholstery. You will learn techniques as you go along, just by trial and error. You may need to do it over one or more times, but so what? You'll probably do it better than most shops- and believe me that is very true. Only one in four professionals are competent at what they do. With help and guidance from a group of guys like we have here, you will get it done. These are are fairly simple machines, and its not rocket science. Much of it is unbolting one part and bolting on another. I had never welded until recently, so I bought a welder and through the use of videos, I practiced (and practiced) (and practiced), and finally built a ramp to get one of my cars in the garage (its one of those plastic cars that we don't like to mention on this forum). The car is too low and the driveway too steep, but now I can drive it right in. If you think you can't do something, you're right. If you adopt an attitude that anything you mess-up can be fixed, it makes a world of difference. Just remember that nothing that anyone does is perfect. I tend to be a perfectionist and constantly have to remind myself when something is good enough.

I wouldn't spend a dollar for any of those three guys: they simply aren't worth restoring at all!!!

That's purty. How much work are you looking at before it's on the road?

Which one of the classics are you? Whats not to love about a 56!

I have to get started on my 56 Fairlane . I have a couple of 390 GTs here ,a stroker would look good sitting in that pick up .

Those 'three bolt holes' are vacant on my car. Brian

Thanks. Tapped into the red/green wire for power and lights. Connected to the terminal on the MSD box. Works great !

Whew, I got it off the jackstands and back on the road today. I started out by putting in some 3pt seat belts. Then the UPS man brought me the last piece I needed to button up my new fuel line. While it was up in the air, I let it run and get up to temperature and played with the steering wheel to check for leaks. Everything looked good so I dropped it down and took it for a spin around the block and up to the gas station.

Hooked my scanner to it and it shows the 02 sensors OK for the first time since i got it running . It did kick into fail safe mode just for a minute and cleared but i think that was because all the sensors hadn't cleared yet ,it still shows the converters not clear but it will take a few miles driving before they do ,it runs great and it does chirp 3 when it shifts haha.

As nice as your car looks I personally would not race it, I would be treating it like a baby. If you never intend to race or do any mud slinging an open rear would be my choice. If you ever want to race again take the 411 and build a race car around it.

I’ve been recently remarried. Your right bitter sweet. Not a fan living alone. I’ll take the car out today and see exactly where I’m at at 60 mph

I was on facebook yesterday and there's a guy on a mustang forum that was selling two 2 spoke steering wheels for 68/69. Wanted $75 for both of them. I never sent you the link because I knew you had already bought the parts. That's the way it goes once u buy something u always find a better deal.

Welcome back prayers! You certainly have one of the better looking 69s. I was happy with 3.50s when I had an aod in it. I currently have a .78 OD and 3.25 which I also like.

Hello prayers hope all is well and welcome back. Most all the AOD's from factory had a 355 or 373. I had a 373 in my 69 with AOD and it ran around 2500 rpms at about 60mph. A drone is usually caused by your muffler/exhaust system the higher the rpm's just amplifies it so you may want to look into that as well.

I haven't ordered any yet. They got bumped down the list a bit since i got these temporarily mercury ones. I'm going to focus on the stuff the car needs to run and drive safely. The wheels i would like to get for this are the legendary 17x7 or 17x8 cobra style ones in gray.

One place I worked, I was called the engineer liaison, it was my job to make new designs to work in the shop before being released to the customer. Needless to say I had a close relationship with the Engineers. Have to say they were the best bunch of guys I have worked with.

Thanks Bob. That red paint came from a place called SPI down the road from me in Blairsville Ga. He mostly sold primers and clearcoat. At the time I purchased the paint from him he only had white, black and three shades of red the one I got was simply dark red. I sold that car a while back to a guy out in your area, somewhere in Bakersfield. You may see it at some car shows in your area. I have regretted selling it a 1000 times. Yes I am 75, my son and I restored a 70 Chevelle after I restored the Mach 1 and I have been debating if I have enough time left to do another Mustang, I love those 69's.

Who doesn't like a walk around? Especially of such a cool car as yours. What color red is that? It sure looks good. BTW, you're 75? I guess I expect cats older than me to be old and crabby. :)

Is this like what u need. They look similar but yet a little different. I think those are the turn signal cancel tabs aren't they https://www.ebay.com/itm/124152569607?epid=23024425551&hash=item1ce811df07:g:ZfMAAOSwkzxboRNx

Tried to find a short video but couldn't, I know how u guys hate walk arounds. This is the only one I could find with it running. This will give u an idea of how those Dynomax mufflers sound. Copy of 10000000 2081230068865046 356518078882946726 n.mp4

I used a dome light from a 68 Mustang, but I had to add a cross brace when the headlining was out.

Through the firewall. I had the heater box out and that made it relatively easy. I actually installed a heavy gauge amplifier wire to the battery and to a junction box mounted to the right of the glove box. I then used a relay with the original radio wire as the trigger.

I was thinking that the whole assembly could be salvaged from a donor wheel. It appears to be riveted to the steering wheel. If so a cracked or bent wheel could be a perfect donor. Thanks for the tip.

Yesterday I picked up a 1969 coupe. The best way to describe this car is it has been somebody else's project car. Its a base model 69 coupe. There are no power windows or power seats. A previous owner has swapped the 200CID for a 302 along with the usual things like aftermarket distributor, sensors, sending units. Most of the electronic things on the car work as expected. There are some things that are not working and some things that are just plane working wrong. For example, some of the headlights dont light up, one of the blinkers in the hood doesn't blink, and when you pull the knob to turn on the headlights, it also turns on the heater blower. I need to address the electrical in this car. I have not come across a really great and comprehensive wiring diagram. I have a bunch of ford shop manuals covering 1969, but they don't have much in the way about wiring. Is there a good resource out there for a complete wiring diagram that is easy to follow for the 1969 mustangs? And while looking into this, I am also considering trying one of those all-in-one kits to rewire the entire car. I see a couple different ones on the market. Is one of them better than the other? I see some of them say they only work with the aftermarket 1-wire alternator and only works with aftermarket ignitions. I think I would prefer one that worked with the stock configuration of the car and then let me pick and choose if I want to run a 1-wire alternator or MSD ignition box. Do you guys have any input to which complete wiring harnesses to get and which to avoid? Also, I have never rewired the entire car with one of these complete harnesses. I understand the general theory behind it. When it comes to the 1969 mustang, how far do you have to take the car apart to rewire it? Do you have to pretty much strip everything out of the entire dash? I will probably skip pulling the headliner out just to swap the dome light. I'd splice the existing wire into the new harness.

Did you increase your referral bonus? I received $15 from you last week.

No good (concours correct) lamp sockets are available. Be careful to find an aftermarket one with the proper diameter and length of metal before and after it snaps in place.

I'm not @nickjames138 but I think he meant Mustangs, Etc in L.A. https://www.mustangsetc.com/

The two female plug has yellow/black (radio power) and blue/red (radio lamp power). The female plug in lower part of red circle is blue/red and is for lamp power for optional clock. The orange spliced wire is probably power for the turn signal flasher can.

Its not much, but from the Ford Shop Manual;

I have the Hydratech unit, love it. Hydratechbraking has the most fantastic customer service I have ever experienced. I haven't run a cooler before, but I am going to run one in the future. I've not had any problems with foaming, but the PS fluid has been very hot. I run the Hydraboost in combination with a TCP power rack and the KRC pump with an external tank.

Cleaning the glass bracket and using new 3M adhesive was one of the easier projects I did. IMO swapping to bolt in glass is an 80s thing and archaic since quality adhesives are available. The West Coast Classic Cougar install video is priceless. Just my 2 cents, er... make that 5 cents due to inflation.

I just remove the rotor in the distributor.

Fitting on Jims hood, Looks amazing!

Well, getting pretty close to being caught up. Took the hood back off, as only wanted it on there to line up stripes and keep busy while waiting for engine to be done. 302 (308 now) engine installed near Christmas. finally got engine back. as written about last time everything changes. was going to rebuild engine myself then decided since its already out better go ahead and do it right. took to local shop (Dave ARCE) in San Diego. great small shop cool guys. engine was already 40 over and I did not want to go 60. he recommended just bore the cylinders as little as possible and get custom pistons cut as they only couple hundred bucks extra (sure my credit card is already gasping but I don't want to have to redo anything costing more later). He also had them put the wrist pin slightly lower to get better compression? sounded good to me. ended up 43 over with simple Edelbrock heads and a mild roller cam. Im gonna drive this nearly every day so don't need to be able to race but still want to have fun. COVID decided that everything was going to take forever to arrive so car was nearly done when engine showed up. that's ok because my garage is not big. So engine started but ran like crap and I couldn't get the timing right, called the shop and looks like the firing order is now same as 351. swapped some wires and runs like a top. below is changing plug wires and valve covers. (shiny). Backed her up to a T5 from Modern Drive line. May have to do a whole write up on only that. Those guys are AMAZING. I called MDL and the owner answered the phone. he talked with me for nearly 30 minutes. He wanted to know everything from how I plan on driving to expectations to rear end. ultimately they sent me everything INCLUDING fluid. I only had to source an actual pedal (talked about that earlier) Last thing, note the Power brake booster that I thought was a great idea and took great pains to get the clutch cable attached to. More on that later but boy do I regret that one.

So interior pretty much done. Had rear seat reupholstered with wider strips by local shop. Doesn't match perfectly but looks good enough to me and I'm not winning any shows, I just need a car to drive. all the panels are repo plastic and kind of flimsy compared to the original fiberglass so I lined them with sound damp material. seems to make them much more solid. Had to do new carpet as well but super worth it. Much thicker than original. had a hard time finding bolt holes so I used a cheap soldering iron and melted the holes through so permanent. Smells bad but makes intall of seats and belts so much better

Found new roller

While doing my upholstery it wasn't the ring pliers as much as the constant pulling, stretching and tucking that played havoc on my arthritis.