Leaderboard

Thinking out loud here... why not mount the shaker to the hood? It's all for show at this point, it would be fairly simple to do, and it would look more "supposed to be there" than the current option.

Part 12 - out with the old drivetrain and some odd jobs So the day came - I was ready to pull the motor and box. I'd been a bit hesitant as it meant that I had to do something but also that things were happening. So, out came the engine crane. I'm sure we all agree older cars are so much easier to work on. In fact, I was thinking I must have missed something as all I undid was power steer hoses, starter cable, earth cable, speedo cable, fuel lines and the bolts to the 3 mounts. The exhaust was easy, it was only just hanging on finger tight. I'm surprised nothing fell off in the 2 years I'd been driving it regular. With plenty of room the motor and box slipped out easy and even though I was by myself no Mustang parts were harmed. Now for the Big Surprise of the 'rebuild'; the engine has a hole in the block and someone has filled it with maybe JB Weld. W. T. F. I had spotted the welsh plug fix previously but the hole in the block was a pain. I had planned on selling the lump as it is a 1974 block but now it's parts only. And who wants a dead 302 that really is dead? At least the C4 looked OK. It did leak through the pan and selector shaft seal but overall it's reasonably clean. Moving right along I gave the engine bay a good degrease and pressure wash. With the belt misalignment, there was rubber all over it along with a healthy dose of trans and engine oil, along with power steer oil. The bare engine bay didn't really throw up surprises, the passenger side shock tower has had the reinforcement plates welded and maybe replaced, but it looks straight and not rusty. I have been lucky with this car in terms of rust which I am grateful for. Although, I am wondering why under the shock tower strut plates there are traces of yellow paint. Not seen that elsewhere. About to go back to it's garage space for disassembly. Looking at this picture I probably will lower the rear springs to around the top of the tyres. I'll see how it looks when back together as the front I am happy with. In between the jobs listed above, I tidied up the birds nest of wires on the passenger side. These are for the Sniper and are excess wires I don't use. When I fitted all this stuff it was basically testing to make sure it all worked, with the intention to make it look nice later. I've now bundled it all in Summit black wire wrap so it is not as visible. I also redid the brake lines. I made these up to suit the brake master cylinder from a local Falcon. The only real issue is the pipes face the engine so you need to be creative with the routing. When I made them first time, the engine was still in so my nice neat bends got wrecked trying to fit it in. I also added a join to the rear brakes, in case I change the master cylinder in the future it is easier to make up a short line. I did contemplate painting it, but honestly couldn't be bothered with all the other stuff doing. It is OK for a daily driver which this will basically be one done (if not daily at least each weekend day). With time to spare, I decided to test fit the TKO600 to see what the issues may be. It is a big unit, but went up into the tunnel without fuss, on a floor jack. I was really impressed with the MDL transmission mount. It just fitted. No catching, pushing, joggling to fit. The adjustability of both the mount holes in the crossmember and the rubber mount will give me plenty of adjustment. The only issue I thought maybe a concern was the seam in the floor - When I jacked the transmission into the tunnel so it lifted the car it was in the way. So I just hit it with a 4lb attitude adjuster to flatten it. The pipes here are the fuel lines for the sniper. They are close to the box but not enough to worry me at present. I have lifted them higher into the tunnel so they clear. The shifter is positioned directly centre of the auto shifter hole, so I am hoping the box is in the right position. More of a 'few more jobs ticked off shot'; wiring fixed, Borgeson box in, booster and column out, brake lines not yet done. This is another poor iPhone-camera-lens-is-covered-in-oil shot (I am a world champion in doing these) but this shows the finished brake pipes. I made sure this time I got tube nuts with imperial hex on them. Someone sells them for a 3/16" tube but to fit a 10mm spanner. When Old Mate comes along with his 3/8" spanner it doesn't end well. Todays random rebuild shot: Brake calipers secured with some fencing wire and the brake hose on upside down and on the wrong side. This is a Falcon hose that was chucked on to make the brakes work. The struggle is real :(

Nice work. I remember the engine build phase of my 69 Coupe build & dealing with shops. Keep up the good work & post more pics.

It was a long racing season but finaly got it done hope I can get it running before next season starts, I keep finding things to re do.

I am quite excited It is not bling flash or evan a exceptional fancy part. But a custom drive shaft that I just payed $425.00 and my first custom one. hope you guys understand my feeling.