69RavenConv

The sky's the limit with a 5.0L ... heads, cams, pistons, exhaust ... it's how far you want to take it. If you're not looking for a complete rebuild, maybe upgrading the heads and exhaust would be the easiest? Go to http://summitracing.com/ and search on Ford 5.0L and see what turns up.

The sky's the limit with a 5.0L ... heads, cams, pistons, exhaust ... it's how far you want to take it. If you're not looking for a complete rebuild, maybe upgrading the heads and exhaust would be the easiest? Go to http://summitracing.com/ and search on Ford 5.0L and see what turns up.

In the standard interior, it mounts under the rectangular clock opening. In the Decor Group (woodgrain), it's "underneath" the woodgrain panel, just above the glove box. I'm guessing you have the woodgrain dash since it's a Mach I. Lie on the passenger floor and look up and you should see the opening.

In the standard interior, it mounts under the rectangular clock opening. In the Decor Group (woodgrain), it's "underneath" the woodgrain panel, just above the glove box. I'm guessing you have the woodgrain dash since it's a Mach I. Lie on the passenger floor and look up and you should see the opening.

I'll second the VOM suggestion. Make sure the memory wire really has 12V on it when the key is off. If it does, your radio (or the wiring to it) may be at fault. You could run a temporary length of wire straight to the positive terminal on the battery, hook it to the memory lead, and see if that make the radio memory work. Any always-on 12V source should work.

Can you take a hacksaw to the shafts and shorten them up a bit?

Oh, wow! So you put the seat cover on the bun, then put that on the frame!!! I put the bottom wire on the frame frist, now I'm trying to hog ring the seat cover + bun to the bottom wire! All my how-to stuff says do it that way, but your way sounds easier.

What's the trick to doing the front buckets??? I've been working on a driver's seat all winter because I can't for the life of me figure out how to get a hog-ring around the upholstery wire, thru the bun, and around the frame wire!!!! I invariably miss one of the wires, or the ring falls out of the pliers. I've got about 4 rings in place, but every time I try to finish the circuit, I get frustrated and quit. I'm about ready to hire an upholsterer to finish the fronts. I have the usual how-to books and videos, I just can't seem to do it. My upholstery and buns are new. Anybody successfully done their own?? Am I just lame? The back seat looks much easier, and I think I can manage them. My car is mechanically done, I just need to fininsh the interior and paint and I'm on the road but the buckets are frustrating the crap out of me. BTW, Pak, you can buy new burlap cheap at JoAnn's fabrics.

When in doubt, consult the shop manual: Lift Cylinder removal, power top: 1. Remove seat and quarter trim panel. 2. Remove the hairpin clip, washer and clevis pin from the upper end of the cylinder. 3. Remove mounting bolts, bracket and bushings from the cylinder. 4. Pull the cylinder down; place absorbent cloths below hose connections; disconnect hydraulic lines and remove cylinder.

My manual top is different than you power guys. According to the shop manual, what I have are called "counterbalance cylinders". I took some photos tonight. My cylinders pivot on a pin as you move the top up or down. It is mounted with two bolts, visible in the second picture, which is looking down from the top. Remove those and it's free. There is no fitting for a hose as far as I can tell, so they only serve to dampen the movement.

I have a quart of epoxy left, 1/2 gal high build, 1 qt clear. and 1/2 gallon of HOK black after 4 coats of that. Cool, that should be almost enough to paint mine!!! I'll be over next weekend!:biggrin: Seriously, that's just the kind of info I was looking for, thank you!

You can absolutely enjoy it, that's why all of us are here!!! But while you're driving home from the cruise-in, your headlights may quit, then while you're fixing those, the lower radiator hose will start leaking, then while you're replacing that, you'll crack a brake line, then.... No really, these cars are a lot of fun, but I wouldn't want to rely on mine to get to work (and back) 52 weeks a year. That's all I'm saying. And yeah, you will spend money (and time) taking care of one. It's unavoidable, IMO.

Yeah, a manual top has hydraulic cylinders, too. I don't know if they're the exact same as the power top but it wouldn't surprise me. I know they're usually expensive, and it's probably not something I'll ever do, but just in case I ever see a set up at a swap meet, I'd like to know what's involved ahead of time.

I'm pretty sure the mount on racing mirrors is longer than the standard rectangular chrome mirror. You could order a set of gaskets (pads) for cheap and see if the holes line up. Your links are broke, but looking at their website, it looks like the ME2S is the correct standard mirror and ME4R is the correct racing mirror for a 69. I don't know if you could get a standard passenger-side mirror from the factory (somebody here will know), but they sell a ME14S for the passenger side.

Forgive me for (temporarily) hijacking the thread, but was the power top a factory or dealer installed option? Does it show up in the data plate or a Marti report? And how is the wiring routed from the switch to the pump? I always thought I might install one in my vert if I ever came across a deal. I understand it's the addition of a switch and a pump, right? The cylinders are the same, right? Thanks.

A 97 would have a 4.6 motor, but it's pretty easy to drop a modern 5.0L drivetrain into a 69/70, since it's basically the same old 302. And there are tons of them available. But you've still got the outdated suspension, steering, and brakes to deal with, along with old heaters, gauges, wiring harnesses, etc. So if you drive it much, you're forever tinkering, as Pak pointed out. Either that, or you're faced with the expensive proposition of upgrading to modern replacement systems. Not trying to discourage you, but 40 year old cars are high-maintenance. You end up investing much money and time keeping them on the road.

I've heard good things about them, is their stuff available retail or only mail-order? How much material would I need to do a convertible? I plan on epoxy, 2K, base, clear ... Is that "House of Kolor black" you mentioned one of their products/colors? Thanks, any advice is always appreciated!

YES! we've all been there, at least I know I have. The old-timers always say take your time and cost estimates and triple them, and it's true. There were times I went to the garage, stared at the car for a minute, turned off the lights and walked away. But I always got the urge to go back and keep going. You just have to compartmentalize everything - do one manageable job at a time, don't look at the big picture all at once. Pace yourself. You can't rush it, and sometimes you'll be short on cash or time, and it WILL take longer than you planned. My rule has always been "when its not going well, walk away" because that's when I make mistakes or get sloppy.

Damn, your lawnmower never looked so good as it does reflected in that door. You're getting me all fired up, my raven black vert gets painted as soon as the weather warms up here at the Great Lakes....

Yeah, buy the most CCA (cold cranking amps) you can afford in a group 24 case. Something around 500-600 CCA is more than adequate for a stock small block. Actually, I think it might be group 24F as the Fords had the + and - terminals reversed but either one will work. I think the original factory batteries were rated at something like 330 CCA or something pitiful like that. Technology marches on...

Nice, another vert on the boards! Man, it looks like you've got your work cut out for you. Save the hockey stick mouldings and sun visor brackets if you've got em :biggrin: !! Looking forward to watching your progress, I should be getting mine on the road this summer, can't wait.

Yep, early 80's. E0 and E1 would be 1980 and 1981 part numbers.

I have to agree, working on the heater stuff may be the most irritating job on our cars. I would go ahead and pull the dash, because even if you manage to get it out, you still have to get it back in.

I put roller rockers in my stock heads along with a roller cam when I rebuilt the engine and it was not that complicated. You just have to be sure all the parts are compatible - and all of the big manufacturers will spec a matched set of lifters, pushrods and rockers that will work for your application. If you're going to the trouble and expense of swapping heads, you might consider swapping the cam and lifters, too, to get a full roller setup. I used Comp Cams, but Crane and others have offerings. Just a thought.

Looking good! Is that the silver bubble wrap insulation you can buy at Lowe's? I've got the standard "sound deadener mats" that all the Mustang parts houses sell, but I've also got a roll of that silver bubble wrap insulation. (I use it on my beer homebrewing equipment) Now I'm wondering if it might be a better way to go. Less weight and better coverage for sure. Or is something more high tech?