michael2938

Key switched to accessory... that part I can do. :) What do you mean by the rest? How do I short the power exactly? I'm hoping to get some time this weekend to go back out there and work on this one.

Sounds like another timing issue.

So here's another bug I've been trying to track down lately. Sometime last fall, my dash lights went out and won't come back on even when adjusting the knob. I have LED lights in there so I know all the bulbs are good and bright. All the gauges work and the turn signals light up. Pretty much everything is working except the dash lights in both the cluster and also on the clock. The clock itself never worked, but the light used to. I have replaced the small fuse for the dash lights and I also unplugged my headlight switch and connected it to a brand new switch. Neither solved the problem. Any ideas on what to go after next? -Mike

well, I'm about 70% deaf, so looks like in that case I'm buying a tach. :) Unless it's blatantly obvious, I would have a hard time distinguishing the difference in rpms. I'd also be worried I would not hear the pings you described earlier so I'm going to enlist some help this upcoming weekend to do this one. Thanks again though for the help. I took the car out for another short test drive tonight and its running better than it has in a long time. -Mike

OK, I'm looking for a tach dwell meter now, seems to be lots of options out on eBay. Danno -- I think all the components are good now, the last bit is just getting the timing right. Apparently it was off more than I thought and is running much better after advancing it some more. The distributor I first put in the car a year ago ended up having bad points (or so I thought) and then eventually the plate became really loose. Then after replacing the distributor under warranty, the replacement distributor ended up having a bad condensor. Ever since putting the new distributor in, I think the timing just hasn't been right. At that point I just got fed up with the points so that's when I got the pertronix.

I will have to take off my distributor cap and make sure the pertronix is in there tight. For checking the timing curve.... Barnett, you mention increase RPMs to 2000.... how accurate does this need to be? I have no tach, so no way to know what it actually is. Thanks, Mike

Thanks for the help! Here's a picture of the spark plug from cylinder 1. I couldn't find my socket for getting these off, so this is the only one I have. It just so happens that this one was a little loose so I was able to unscrew by hand. This means I'm going to go back through and tighten them all later this week before I drive it next. Gas in the carb seems fine. I disconnected the vacuum line from the distributor, plugged the line and then drove the car. No change, other than being slightly more sluggish. I then checked the timing, and I think this was the problem. If you asked, I would have said the timing was already about 10 degrees btdc, but it was really around tdc. I advanced it a couple times until it was probably around 7 or 8 and then went for a drive. It drove much better! The timing marks are nearly impossible to read, so I stopped by OReilly to order some timing tape. I'll check it again in a couple days once I get that. So when am I allowed to put the distributor vacuum line back on? :) -Mike

You should post it anyway! I have to figure out how to pull my car up and park by the B25 for the best picture... may not have too much time to figure out so having an idea ahead of time would be good.

I liked gulfstream aqua so much I changed the color of my car (from Winter Blue) when it was restored. But if I had a marti report telling me it was originally raven black with a 428... there would be no question. I would definitely keep the color. That would be a great looking car. How can you pass this up??

When I painted all of my interior plastic pieces, I cleaned some of them with heavy duty oven cleaner to get existing paint off or soap/water/lacquer thinner for some of the bigger parts. Then I sprayed with this stuff immediately before spraying with black paint: https://www.npdlink.com/store/?p=catalog&mode=newsearch&search_str=AP-SF&parent=0&year=0

What about the black metal piece that goes across the back that can be seen from the trunk? Or is that what you are talking about? I've not looked at how these work too closely, but I know my non fold down car does not have this.

That's too bad, I knew it was a fairly new part they started making. I remember having to find 2 or 3 of them at swap meets before I found one I could use that wasn't completely stripped. btw, there is a tool for this? What does it look like? I remember using my hand and a screwdriver I think.

Are you referring to this? http://www.kentuckymustang.com/product_p/7618.htm

I'm trying to remember the parts I had trouble finding when my car was being restored and the only thing that really comes to mind was that Knob/Bezel piece for the headlight switch... but I think that's being made now and sold by Kentucky Mustang. What about an original looking tachometer gauge for the deluxe interior? Is that reproduced by anybody?

Other than the bolt in glass on the 70 (which is supposed to be better than the glue in glass on the '69), how can you tell apart the door? Are there any other differences? Also -- Silver Jade is an awesome color. I was torn between that and Gulfstream Aqua on mine.

yeah, I can see that being true. I can turn mine on and off, but the switch is definitely not out as far as I expected.

Is there any benefit to attaching it using the tabs? Seems pretty solid to me with the other 6 screws.

I had no problems with my repo either. Of course I never saw what an original looked like to begin with, but I had no trouble getting mine installed. I did notice my switch doesn't stick out as far as I expected, but no idea what's correct there. -Mike

Same here! There is nothing wrong with paying to have work done on your car, I just appreciate the vintage cars more than the brand new off the lot cars. God knows I wouldn't have a driving '69 today if it weren't for access to someone with far more knowledge and tools than myself. -Mike

Funny you bring this up. I'm definitely interested in what the answer is. I actually repaired my tabs using jb weld, but I never actually attached them to anything in the car now that I think about it. It is being held in place by the 6 screws (3 on top, 3 on bottom). -Mike

Once again my wife is out of town that weekend so I can't bring my car. I might stop by with my kid to look around though. :)

I always like these threads for some reason, but I usually can't figure it out or am late to the thread. We should make a game out of it where someone takes a random part off their car and posts it to be identified. Whoever gets it right takes the next turn to post a part. :)

I'm going with half of a shaker bracket for a 351 cleveland motor. http://www.cjponyparts.com/scott-drake-shaker-air-cleaner-bracket-pair-351c-1970/p/SACB3/

I think your style of judgement is what gets my car awards at shows. :) My car is far from perfect, but I think people really appreciate how far it came from what it once was. I don't have a problem with people 'writing a check' -- especially if it's a vintage car. But I've never been overly impressed with the brand new cars that are entered. They are always very nice, but I tend to quickly move on. -Mike

No worries. It just seemed like the timing had no changed, and the car was running fine before all this started and the carburator was brand new, so It shouldn't have been a problem with nozzles or power valve. Anyway, just glad to know what the issue is now. I prefer having the stock look which is why I originally put in a stock distributor. But I may consider upgrading now.