stangs-R-me

1969-73 351W Chrome Dipstick & Tube at MU ... http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/search_sorted.asp?Keywords=210219&x=9&y=16 Probably not OE correct, but it's what is available. Doug

I noticed it was a fuseable link too ... definitely don't want to re-wrap that in with the other 3 wires !! Doug

Just looked at the pics of Perkin's "52 mile Mach" ... no AC but has PS ... and the coil is on the PASSENGER side head like mine ... http://www.mustangmonthly.com/featuredvehicles/mump_1002_1969_ford_mustang_mach_1/index.html ... and now I'm totally confused !! Doug

A while back I bought the '69-70 351C w/ AC Harness (CJP # WGF5B) as I could not think of what the difference could be between 351W & 351C engine harness and just ASSUMED it would have the "compessor clutch lead included" ... plus why would CJ call it 69/70 if it was not for 351W too ?? Well, it did not have the clutch lead included so I still needed to get that. For some reason I did not think this "5B" harness was going to work on my 351W, so I ordered the std '69-70 small block harness "WGF5D" along with the clutch feed wire last week with some other items I needed taking advantage of the 20% off sale. Got the "5D" harness and now I'm wondering WHY the darn igition coil wire is so SHORT. Then I remembered the recent thread "69 Mach 1 Base Model 351W" and came back to see where the coil is supposed to be ... ahhh it on the driver's side head. However my car is a factory AC car and coil is mounted to the PASSENGER side head (assume to be correct location as I don't see how it could stay on the driver's side with the compressor there too). Now got out the "5B" harness I bought earlier and lo and behold it is identical to the "5D" harness I just bought but with a longer coil lead ... exactly what I need !! Neither of these new harness's are exactly like the one on my car ... I had re-wrapped it years ago integrating the clutch wire and wrapping it further towards the coil ... so no wonder it did not look right. I'm going to be altering this new harness a bit anyway since I've finally bought an electric choke kit for my Holley (need to run that wire down to the stator terminal on the alternator) and am going to be integrating my Mallory Unilite 3-wire harness into it too. So I got an extra std. '69-70 small block (non AC) wiring harness if ANYONE NEEDS ONE. Doug

Just one of the many improvements / upgrades that the '70 models had over '69. I've had more problems with gasoline expanding and forcing it's way past the cap gasket to escape where it then runs down the taillight panel and onto the licence plate & vailance panel ... if parked in the sun shortly after filling up. Every time it happened I swore it would be the last time I was dumb enough to fill up and not drive around 10-20 miles before parking somewhere out in the sun !! I don't know if "ALL" 1970 Mustangs got the charcoal canister though ... thought it was just California. Doug

My original 43 year old grill is still the natural "Black Plastic" !! Although it was "wet sanded" back in the 80's when I bought the car because the previous owner thought a splash of silver brushed onto the "face" of the grill would look cool. I probably would have been better off buying a "new grill" had I known how much time I was going to spent wet sanding it ... it did turn out nice though !! Anyway to answer your question, I'd guess new out of the box the plastic has a SATIN look to it. Doug

When I painted my car back in 1982, it included a new front vailance and driver's fender but I still had the old bent up front bumper ... so the corner brackets just got painted black and put on the side. Once I had my new bumpers, I tried to put the brackets on and no they were not going to fit without some tweeking so I left them off. A couple years later, I rear ended someonewho I thought was merging with traffic but stopped at the last second. Boy am I glad I had never put those brackets on ... as bad as the bumper looked, it would have ripped those two brackets out of the vailance and I would have had to replace it too. Instead, I just slightly crunched the upper stone guard along with the bumper ... it straightened out easily, shot it with a new coat of paint, re-installed it and put a new bumper on. The mid-70's Nova I hit just had a small ding in the middle of his 5 MPH back bumper ... as bad a my car looked he felt sorry for me so he said don't worry about my car, Im fine so no cops got involved !! My driver's side headlight bucket was always messed up too so I replaced it later on and that fixed a grill alignment problem, but not the outer bumper brackets. Doug

You need the Cougar XR7 Dash Wiring Harness as well as the das pad & pass side clock bezel assembly as Mike said. If you have factory A/C, you need the Cougar center register & ducting too (both are slightly different than the Mustang). The regular "Non-Tach Mustang" Headlamp Harness is used with Cougar XR7 though so you are set there. If you got all the dash parts, it is pretty much plug-in & play !! There was a '69 Mach 1 in N.E. Wisconsin 15-20 years ago that I went and looked at that had a complete XR7 dash in it. It had come from overseas and had been also customized with added T-Tops ... actually was done pretty well re-using the cut-out roof sections instead of glass panels. 1st & last time I've ever seen a Early Mustang with T-Tops !! Doug

CJP is now having a 20% off sale thru 3/31 and the regular price WAS NOT adjusted UP for the sale as we have sometimes seen in the past ... price now w/ sale ... $139.64 !! Not in stock though (states "ships from mfr" / Scott Drake), where the e-bay seller I bought from for $24 more still has 6 of 10 available (auction ends tomorrow). Many people have had Back-Order horror stories from CJP (as well as other vendors) ... including myself. Just a fair warning if you want to jump on this low price !! Doug

The guy on e-bay is selling the Scott Drake repro. Since his delivered price was $11 less than CJ or MU and he has a 100% rating I ordered one. This listing was for 10 of them and he has sold 3 others. John I'll let you know what I decide to do when I get to where I'm ready to sell one or both of what will again be 2 complete gas cap assemblies I have now. Doug

For "Racing Mirrors", Ford used the same basic head from 1969-up but used different bases depending on the angle of the mounting location ... Cougars, Mustangs, & Torino's are all different and I would guess 71-73 Mustang is as well. If '69-70 & '71-73 were interchangeable Using a Racing Mirror base for a different body will likely give you a crooked mirror. If you are talking about a std. chrome mirror, they typically interchange since the mirror head is adjustable, but you need to check the screw spacing as Ford did not standardize on this ... I've got a variety of '67-up Mustang, Cougar, & Fairlane chrome mirrors and there are 3 or 4 different screw spacings among them. Doug

Just got a Mustang Unlimited catalog in the mail yesterday and the long awaited Scott Drake 1969 GT cap assy. was on the back page for $174.95 (free s&h) & and their web site states "in stock". http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=FD69GT+01 CJ Pony finally lists it as well for $174.55 but not in stock ... http://www.cjponyparts.com/scott-drake-gas-cap-pop-open-gt-1969/p/GC69GTP/ Virginia Classic too $164.95 + s&h ... http://www.virginiaclassicmustang.com/69-GT-POP-OPEN-GAS-CAP-P305912C3083.aspx Virginia's blog page is what popped up 1st and there is a back side pic showing the "Autolite" logo ... nice detail Scott Drake: http://blog.virginiaclassicmustang.com/2012/03/1969-mustang-gt-pop-open-gas-caps.html ... check it out !! There is also a guy down in TN selling them on e-bay (member "m10987")... $163.58 BIN w/ shipping however his listing states it is a "Limited Run". I sent him a message asking if this was the Scott Drake repro or someone else's. If he is selling the Scott Drake and is not fibbing about the "Limited Run" comment, probably be wise to order one soon. I'll probably be pulling the trigger. I kind of like the idea of a real twist cap behind the pop-open for a street driven car. Being a "pop-open" has always been a slight concern of mine, and I should have no trouble selling my TWO Genuine Ford replacement cap assy's ('69 Mach & '68 GT) that I bought and combined in the 80's so I'd at least have "GT" on my cap. They are in like new condition and there has to be people out there looking for these rather than the current repro style ... would even guess that the two of them are worth more than what I'll be paying for this repro GT cap assy. Had the plain Mach 1 on for a while though so everything is technically used but the '68 Backing Plate. Pics below of my original. Bottom edge is broken and there are divots in the face too. All I can think is someone tried to 1st pry off the GT letters then the whole cap while it was parked somewhere in it's former life. Little did they know all the had to do was pop it open and unscrew the two phillips screws !! Doug

I just did this for the 2nd time on my AC car (1st was in the 80's) this past Summer and the only RIGHT way to do it is to remove the whole lower dash. Don't forget the three studs that go thru the firewall into the engine compartment as Bruce stated. Two are on the heater case and 1 is on the separate "blower case". Plus there is one screw that holds it up to the bottom of the cowl. Mine had been apart once before I owned it ... the case was all busted up and both of the heater case firewall mounting studs were completely missing from my case !! My whole deal was being supported by the cowl screw and the register into the blower case. Thankfully I has a 2nd complete case which is what I refurbished and swapped into my car. Had I not had this 2nd case, I would have not known about the two missing mounting studs. The molded condensate drain nipple will likely be broken off the corner of your case as well ... they were broken off BOTH of my cases. I fixed mine / made it better than new by epoxying in a 1/2" flanged brass ferrule (a support sleeve for soft tubing in a tube fitting) inside the nipple ... see pics. Take lots of pics as there are a ton of brackets, wires, & vaccum hoses that you are going to need help remembering where everthing goes !! This is easily a 2 to 3 weekend job ... One to completely remove from car, one to dissassemble and refurbish the case, and one to reassemble. Here are a couple of pics of the firewall side of the heater box and 3 of the repaired condensate drain nipple. Doug

Here's more pics of the clip and the holes they fit in on the side of the register. Doug

Here are pics of the clips installed. Last pic is how I had mine installed since the 80's with screws instead of the correct clips. Doug

I'm thinking your problem may be more related to the fact it sounds like you are using a disc/drum master and NOT using a correct disc/disc type. There is a definitely a difference that makes them NOT interchangable ... get the correct master in there AND verify that the push-rod is adjusted to spec. the other Doug

I'm thinking your problem may be more related to the fact it sounds like you are using a disc/drum master and NOT using a correct disc/disc type. There is a definitely a difference that makes them NOT interchangable ... get the correct master in there AND verify that the push-rod is adjusted to spec. the other Doug

I'm thinking your problem may be more related to the fact it sounds like you are using a disc/drum master and NOT using a correct disc/disc type. There is a definitely a difference that makes them NOT interchangable ... get the correct master in there AND verify that the push-rod is adjusted to spec. the other Doug

If it is a regular AOD (not AODE) then it has the same number of positions / detents ... there is not an extra one because of the added gear. It has been 18 years since I last had and AOD but I think it goes "P, R, N OD, D, 1". Are you certain a 3.8L V6 bellhousing bolt pattern is the same as a small block V8 ?? If so, thats good to know but funny I never knew this after owning four 3.8L powered Fords since 1994. Not that I was ever looking into tranny swaps, but I think I would have at least read or heard of this little bit of knowledge at some point. Doug

If it is a regular AOD (not AODE) then it has the same number of positions / detents ... there is not an extra one because of the added gear. It has been 18 years since I last had and AOD but I think it goes "P, R, N OD, D, 1". Are you certain a 3.8L V6 bellhousing bolt pattern is the same as a small block V8 ?? If so, thats good to know but funny I never knew this after owning four 3.8L powered Fords since 1994. Not that I was ever looking into tranny swaps, but I think I would have at least read or heard of this little bit of knowledge at some point. Doug

If it is a regular AOD (not AODE) then it has the same number of positions / detents ... there is not an extra one because of the added gear. It has been 18 years since I last had and AOD but I think it goes "P, R, N OD, D, 1". Are you certain a 3.8L V6 bellhousing bolt pattern is the same as a small block V8 ?? If so, thats good to know but funny I never knew this after owning four 3.8L powered Fords since 1994. Not that I was ever looking into tranny swaps, but I think I would have at least read or heard of this little bit of knowledge at some point. Doug

The cap unscrews from the base and the GT letters pop off easy enough so the only thing that will stay in place for plating would be the plunger & spring Can't see when closed anyway). The problem with re-choming is duplicating the circular brushed pattern. I've seen a re-chromed one at a car show and it did not turn out so well. Mine is pitted and broken at the bottom so I have mine appart this far and have showed it to a couple of different chrome platers ... neither had any idea on how to duplicate this circular brushed look pattern. As bad as my original cap is, I've had a NOS '68 GT center cap on a NOS '69 Mach bezel since the 80's. This new Scott Drake repro cap assembly is probably the only way to go unless you can find someone who can figure out how to duplicate the brushed pattern. Doug

I'm guessing the piston in the distribution block is either shifted forward (towards front brake side) or the seal on the back end of the spool that separates the far rear to middle ports is bad. With either the spool shifted forward or this seal bad, fluid by-passes the proportioning valve which gives you full pressure to the rear brakes. Proportioning valve could also be bad. You stated the previous owner had re-built the dist block & prop valve and this would be the only "stock" solution as the '69 parts are not available new. Muscle Car Research sells a seal kit for the dist block and a seal & spring kit for the prop valve. But, rebuilding these 43 year old parts with these two kits does not guarentee "like new" performance as some are so bad from years of moisture in the brake system (brake fluid attracts moisture like a sponge) they are not rebuildable. Doug

My parents had a 1978 Champagne Gold Country Squire at the time I got my original Mustang Recognition Guide in 1981 so when I saw the '69 Mach 1 on pages 154-155 that really caught my attention. I had never seen a '69 Mach painted this color prior, so it really stood out. This color would NOT look good (IMO) on anything plain ... it needs the "black" Mach accents just as it needed the woodgrain on the Country Squire. At this time, I was also looking for a color to paint my '69 that was currently painted a dull silver ... being 18 I was definitely NOT going to go back to it's original "Lime Gold". I wanted a RED and did not want Candy Apple (had a parts-car '69 Sportsroof with original paint and thought it was too dull) so somehow the owner of the Mustang of Chicago store talked me into Boss 302 Calypso Coral as it was his favorite "RED" ... even though he could NOT find a picture to show me. What a surprise when I went to pick up my freshly painted car to see that Calypso Coral is friggin' ORANGE !! The factory 1969 Mustang color selection really was a huge variety (16 total per the "Facts Book") but nothing that would really WOW an 18 year old in 1981. 31 years later, I can probably now say I've seen a Mach 1 in every available factory color, and I still think the very uncommon Champagne Gold is really sharp on a Mach 1. As you can see from my sig, I've ordered 4 brand new Mustangs since 1994 and I will say that color selection has always been a big process. Being able to see all the colors in person (and on a Mustang) prior to ordering has been a must so I would have done the same back in 1969. Soooooo to answer the big question ... if I were able to go back in time and order a new 1969 Mach 1 today, it would have probably been between Acapulco Blue & Champagne Gold with Black Stripes & Interior. Doug

If you've found a set of 70 but still have your 69 std. low back seat frames, you can mark & drill the 69 lever location on the side of the 70 upper frames and transfer the 69 latch hardware over. Padding is the same so you can then use either 69 or 70 pattern uphostery. The 69 upper frame pivot point was weak and known to break so it was reinforced for 70 (therefore 70 is a better seat frame o/a and since all 70's were high back much more plentiful). I've done this mod to a couple sets of 70 seats already. Doug