69RavenConv

Thanks, Art, not long-winded at all. It sure beats changing the stupid sort option every freaking time I sign in!

Hey no problem. Like I said, Stang69 provided the picture, I just posted the link. I gotta believe those bumper guards were the sort of thing not too many people bought, and then most of those got removed and discarded over the years. You need to find that guy that wants a totally original restoration and really needs them. I googled them and virtually every car I saw that listed them as "original equipment" had them missing in the photo.

You mean like the ones Stang69's mom had? :whistling: http://www.1969stang.com/mustang/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=3595&d=1221232335 Welcome to the forum, it's a great place to exchange info. About the bumper guards, yes they were available in 1969, and, yes, I gotta agree they are probably pretty rare. There is probably someone out there who would love to have them, so you might try eBay or Craig's list or something. I definitely wouldn't throw them away.

I just used the "forgot my password" utility (since I'm at work and don't have the login saved on my computer here) and the temporary password they sent didn't work!!! I thought "uh oh..." but .. I closed the browser window, reloaded the VMF main page and the temp login worked there (the main login point). You might want to give that a try....

Don't think so. It sounds like a business opportunity.

Hmm. Heat makes things swell which causes intermittents to make contact. I'd suspect either your ignition switch or a loose/damaged/corroded connection in the starting circuit. If all the connections at the battery, solonoid, starter and ignition switch are tight (including the ground wire from the battery to the block and the one from the block to the firewall!), try a screwdriver across the solonoid terminals (when cold) and see if it cranks right away. If so, I'd bet your ignition switch has issues.

I don't recall having any trouble signing up but it's been a while ago. Just checked my login and it let me in OK. Want me to post an inquiry for you? (Like "why can't this guy sign up?")

Yeah, they changed something because I had the same problem. Couldn't figure out why I saw the exact same listings day after day (I'm slow on the uptake apparantly)

Will do. If you do a forum search on "headlights" there's been discussion on these harnesses before. Here's a link BNickel posted that's got a very reasonable harness... http://www.modernvintageauto.com/ind...s/page0006.htm

Well, the kits range from $30 to $400. Here's a link to a Mustang Monthly article using Reen's harness, which goes for about $325 but includes the bulbs. Looks real nice. (I think Painless makes one and there's another pricey one whose name eludes me right now) http://www.mustangmonthly.com/howto/mump_0711_headlamp_conversion_classic_mustang/photo_02.html I went with the APC harness at Summit but I don't think it's available any more: http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=AMC-509102&view=16383&N=700+ Here's what summit carries now: http://store.summitracing.com/egnsearch.asp?N=700+115+4294841923 There's a self-proclaimed "headlight guru" somewhere on the web who insists that cheap harnesses like APC will fail and kill you and your children and make your dog run away so you must buy his high-priced kit. In reality, the only 2 failures possible are (1) one of the 2 relays fails, or (2) a connector corrodes/breaks. I've been an electrical engineer for about 30 years, and I was comfortable with the APC, but make your own call, please. (And carry a spare relay in the glove box) MY BIGGEST PROBLEM: We need 4-light systems. It seems that most of these 4-light systems are designed thinking the lights are adjacent to each other, like a Fairlane. The wires were too short to run between the staggered lights on the stang. Again, I wsa comfortable splicing some 12 ga wire (use solder, not butt plugs!),but you may want to get the right lenght out of the box. Ask first. I also RTV-ed the snot out of the headlamp connectors to keep moisture and corrosion out. I mounted the relays in front of the battery and you can't even see them. I've got pictures at home I can post if anyone wants

RacerX is right, a shop manual or a Chilton's-type book will have much nicer info than the chicken scratches here (I copied it out of the shop manual). Having said that... To answer your question, I believe the "big" lights are handled by a circuit breaker in the light switch itself, which is why they still work with no fuses. (I'm not sure why any courtesy lights are on the same circuit, but I suppose it's possible, I can check my drawings this weekend.) The big lights draw way too much current for a little glass fuse. Back in 1969, Ford routed all the current used by the lights through the harness, thru the light switch, down thru the dimmer switch, and back to the lights.Lots of costly, heavy wire, and very lossy, leading to dim lights. When the current went high, the breaker tripped, opening the circuit. Some owners have reported weak old switches that kill their headlights unexpectedly. then, when the switch cools off, the breaker resets, and the lights work again. Not good. Modern cars use relays that go right from the battery to the lights. The switch in the passenger compartment just handles the tiny current necessary to pull the relays. There are kits to do this in older cars, I've converted my 69 over to that system myself. Sorry for the long post, it still doesn't explain your brake lights..

I'll try in ASCII, if this doesn't work I'll try a picture.... [==(1)==] [==(3)==] --- [=(4)=] |2| | | [=(5)=] --- [==(7)==] [=(6)=] (1) 20A Turn signals, backup lts, ww washer, radio, prndl lite (2) 20A Acc, st belt warn, door ajar, low fuel (3) 14A heat/defrost (30A if A/C car) (4) spare (5) 4A instr cluster, radio, htr ctrl, clock, ashtray lite (6) 14A courtesy, door, dome, map, glove box, trunk, lighter (7) 20A emergency warning

Before somebody else corrects me, I should have said as long "as it cranks at normal speed, it's not your starter". If it's cranking real slow, it could be a starter or battery problem.

As long as it cranks, it's not your starter. Hard starting is usually a fuel or spark problem, assuming your engine is in good shape otherwise (good compression; rings, valves, etc) Start with the obvious and work your way down.... Is the choke working - closed when cold; open when hot? Air filter clogged? Carburetor and fuel filter clean? Spark plugs clean & gapped right? Condensor good? Points pitted or gapped wrong? Spark plug wires, distributor cap & rotor in good shape and hooked up snug? Obstruction in the exhaust? Good gasoline? Let us know what you find, chances are good somebody else will have the same problem someday.

You'll do fine. I did my top a while back and was equally nervous, especially since I replaced my worn out front tack strip with a homemade job (repop's are now available but mine worked beautifully). The top came out great; no sags, misalignment or wrinkles, and it;s the first and only one I've ever done. Like everything else on old cars, patience and attention to detail goes a long way.

My first guess would be an open in your coil but since you say 2 coils are doing it, that reduces the chances it's the coil. I'd check the innards of your distributor. Is the condensor good and points gapped right? Is the wire broken between the distro and coil? If you've got electronic ignition, is it good and is it getting 12V? I know a lot of people have trouble with Pertronix modules because they unknowingly wire them to the coil (which is only 6V) instead of a true 12V at the ignition switch. (Most will still work at 6V but a few will not)

Zero ohms = short circuit, which should only be true when the switch is squeezed. Unsqueezed, you should read a bazillion ohms, since the contacts should be open. You've got a shorted switch. When I was a kid we had a '68 Olds 98 convertible that got caught in the rain with the top down. Water got into the rimblow and some time later the corrosion caused the same problem you have. My dad just unplugged the horns and we drove it without.

Saw this on German TV last week:

This is really funny! I was in Germany on business last week with limited web access. I saw the original post but didn't view the link. The next day, I caught the video below on German TV and assumed it was the one referenced. Now I'm home and watched the original video and I realized I watched a different one.... (link below, try to ignore the bad choreography :)

BTW, nice garage there. Corvettes, screaming yellow Mustangs and the Beatles I don't know how you guys keep your garages so clean, I wish I could be half as neat as some of the photos I see posted here.

Hey Tom, The choke tube was a small diameter all-metal tube that ran from the choke to the exhaust manifold. It just piped heat into the choke to open it faster (it's definitely not meant for vacuum) It isn't really needed unless you're going for concours show points. I've attached a photo of my stock 302-2V manifold showing the hole where it is supposed to go. I'm running a Holley 4 bbl and don't have the tube. I vaguely recall mine being on the car when I got it, but through the years of headers and carburetor swaps and general decay in the engine compartment it was lost. You could probably fab one yourself. I don't recall if it was steel or copper but someone here probably knows.

If your stock distributor and coil are in good shape, the Pertronix system is hard to beat. For less than $100 bucks you get virtually maintenance-free electronic ignition. If you're building a street machine or resto-mod, and you don't care about appearances, then a full-blown aftermarket ignition system may work better for you. I'm probably more of a purist, keep-it-stock kind of guy than most who post here, and I went with Pertronix without hesitation. Bottom line, if you're a concours, show points kind of guy, keep it stock. If you're building a daily driver/weekend cruiser, do a Pertronix upgrade at a minimum. If you're going high-performance, look into the higher-end stuff. My 2 cents.

I feel so stupid not knowing that :blink: Love it, Pak, you had me laughing out loud. Only a true Speed-Racer fan would know what they were really called and which button ya pushed ....

....and no points to gap.

The trunk light has a mercury switch incorporated into it. It should switch on when the lid is raised. The one wire is the hot (12V) line, the ground is provided by the mounting hardware. Make sure you've got it mounted correctly (right side up?) and you've got good ground. Might stick a voltmeter in the socket and see if you get 12V when the trunk is open.