JayEstes

Those are awesome! Did you do that seat from scratch? The Wheel looks fantastic, I want to design my own console for the car, but I'm having trouble figuring out how to get the complex geometry of the humps/seat and dash into the model to build on...

I've got a hobbyist license for Autodesk Fusion360. Its fantastic. Cross-platform (I'm using it on a Mac) and really quite intuitive considering its complexity. I can't sell any of my work from it based on the license, but I don't need to really. I do enjoy designing things in it though. I done enough now I'm "dangerous". LOL. I think they want it to be a solid works competitor, but I don't think it's achieved that goal yet - although it's not been out all that long. I can't say enough good about it.

Yes. Obviously, parts printed would be some sort of printable plastic material. But if someone needs a part cut in metal, a little CAD work can provide a model that can be cut at a vendor like protolabs.com

Anyone interested in starting a 3D printing thread? I've got a decent printer at home, and since I got it I have taught myself some CAD. I think it would be nice to have a library of parts for the mustang, and those of us that can make them, can print stuff in our spare time, and provide to other users. I recently wanted a box to contain a fuel-gauge calibration device, and I created this in about an hours worth of CAD and then some longer hours printing: It's not perfect, but it allowed me to use an existing bolt to hold down the device, and store the wires/connections in the trunk. Here it is installed: It seems to me there is a need for 3D printing stuff for ourselves, and as we design the parts we can perhaps keep a library of them somewhere, and if people need one or several, those of us with time and printers can help out. What do you all think? Jay

They come back perfect, and with a documented wire-list specifically for your car. Its a Waaaay better deal than replacing all the wiring IMHO.

That's a really interesting fix! Glad it solved the problem for you, but I'm still a little puzzled at how it works. The pin you refer to that is supposed to engage in the notch, looks like it's barely only engaged by a half diameter of the pin. It's almost like the turn signal switch has placed that pin at the wrong radio from the center of the steering column - a little bit too large of a diameter. It looks like your 3D print has effectively lengthened the slot, so the pin can settle down properly in there. All that kind of makes me wonder if your switch is original, and is it the right size. These steering wheel and turning signal mechanisms though... they are cheap and clunky - that's for sure. I sure like you adaptation to give that pin a home - easily done. You should keep an eye on that thing for wear.. Not sure what material you used, but it is all pretty tough and slick, but It could be that the metal will wear it down. It's always easy to drop in a replacement I guess.... Just requires eom disassembly. Congrats on a useful fix, and post back here with any updates. Great adaptation!

well, yes, and no. The original one that was always wrong has been replaced by a cheap chinese repro which is always wrong. Don't get me wrong, when you fill the tank it says "way full"... and it stays there until it starts to go down, which is quick, and then it says empty for a a couple of days worth of driving before it goes out. Both were kinda the same, but never right. I'm kinda anal, and I feel, like when I fill the tank, it should point to the F, and then juuuuuust before i am completely out of gas it should point to the E. I know that's being kinda picky, but I'm actually trying to get it to behave correctly. SO, I like this stupid-expensive calibration tool, which makes it behave how I feel it should - even though I probably oughta fill the tank as soon as it goes below half-full like my dad always said....

Those are some great points of feedback - thank you both. I had a look around and thought about it some while waiting on the feedback, and as you guys say, the only way I could really do it without cutting into the harness is to buy another wire with matching bullets connectors, and clip the ends of it to patch it in. If I can find some bullet connectors that work at the sender, I think i am leaning to put the meter match in the trunk. It turns out I have power in the truck already because I put an amp in the trunk. I can grab a good ground from a screw holding the trunk down. Then, I just need to either snip the harness with the sender lead, or create a pigtail with the same connector as the sender. This gives me easy access to the device, and a simple install I think. If anyone knows where i could find matching male and female bullet connectors for cheap I would appreciate the tip. Jay

Howdy ya’ll. I finally bought a Tanks Inc. “MeterMatch” to improve my gas gauge readings. So I’m ready to put this guy in but I’m trying to figure the best place to put it. I am a little reticent to cut the original harness, but I’ve got to be able to read the ohms from the sender. I’m also wanting to NOT work under the freaking dash. So what I’m really looking for is best place to tap into the readings from the gauge, and have a local spot to hold the little module in place. Advice, suggestions? Midlife? Anyone?

Light smoke might also mean leaking head gasket. I'd double check oil and coolant to be sure the coolant isn't low, and theres no water in the oilpan. This possiblity though is down the road from all the other advice....

Wow! A real one. That's cool that someone took the concept and made a bullet-proof one.

I resemble that. These cars are very strangely attractive to engineers I can tell you

Ive got a CAD tool, and some limited self-taught skills. The hard part here is getting the existing shape right into the CAD to start from. I did see a video on how to use an iphone ot build a 3D mesh though. Would be fun to build this thing in CAD and have one fabbed. It would have to be forged from pot metal and chromed/polished. Can't imagine that would be easy tor cheap to get from a vendor. As usual the trouble with these things is there isn't much of a market. I'm interested in tinkering with it perhaps...

Good luck! My personal experience is that if you buy the repops and and fuss with them long enough - you will inadvertently lower your standards and say something along the lines of “well the shiny chrome makes up for the shitty fit”.

I don’t know if there is a correct emoji for “wince”. Guess it coulda been worse??? Ugh yuck! Prayers for your mess there brother!

Thats interesting. I really like the stuff I have without the texturing. I'm amazed at how hard the stuff is. even behind the wheels, rocks don't affect it much. Minor nics there are 15kmi is good enough for me.

Man, that thing looks like a waterbed! LOL

Man, that really is some great feedback. I love when guys that have plumbed the depths of the rabbit hole wrap it all up for ya. You deserve an award for that Rich!

And this has all made me realize, that given how much trouble I have had regarding brake system, and leaks onto the interior firewall etc, I would paint the entire area shown within the black highlight with the truckbed liner. My impression is that the bed liner is going to be more tolerant of having brake fluid dripped on it. There's sometimes some dripped when I refill, and then I had my rear brake prop valve fail and leak fluid all down the side engine compartment wall. I didn't notice at first, so a lot of the paint I had applies there either came off or softened. Perhaps run a test of the liner. Spray some of that truckbed liner on a surface and let it dry, then apply brake fluid to it, and see if it can withstand the brake fluid better than the paint. This is not an area of the car that is easy to see and the black semi-gloss will be a close match in color. It is an area that gets a fair bit of brake fluid on it, and having something that can take that will be better overall. Do a good job while you have it in this state... you won't have a chance to work it like this maybe ever again - it's worth the time to get this stuff correct!

I might add that you don't really need a primer under that truckbed liner.. It'll go right onto bare metal (as long as it is really clean and dry I always wipe with laquer thinner or IPA right before applying) and it sticks hard. Great stuff - even if a little expensive - IMO.

I prefer Duplicor's engine paint primer. And I use Duplicolors' ford semi-gloss black engine paint everywhere too. If you're careful with this sprayer, you can get a very nice finish with the semi-gloss black: And for the truckbed liner, I use Rustoleum. I find it is not anywhere near as rough as what you would see in a truckbed, in fact, the surface is not even very orange peely, but it is in some sense "rough" as compared to paint. Good thing is, if you put it down on a good primer or primer or bare metal... it is not coming off, and it is hard a nails! I've had mine in the wheel wells for about 15Kmi now. I just went and wiped the road dirt off with a damp towel, and this is what it looks like behind the drivers wheel: Now, for caulk? I am struggling to remember.. I wanted something that dried pretty hard and would accept paint. I didn't want it too silicon-ized because even cured that stuff is very rubbery. I found something at the HW store, but damn if I can recall what it was.... It needs to be something a little more flexible that JB weld, but significantly less than silicone (if JB weld is a 1, and 100% silicone is 10, you want to get something in the 3 to 4 range. This is so the paint or bed liner wont chip off the caulked surface easily. And you don't want it too hard because as the body panels move relative to one another (pot holes on teh road or whatever, it needs to give some). and when you put it in and it's cured, I cover with primer paint or truckbed liner immediately, so it has a fresh surface to bond to. Hope that helps. Jay

Under the fenders, (after I cleaned them well with a wire brush on a 4in grinder wheel), I wiped it down with lacquer thinner to clean, and put a good coat of rattle can primer on. Immediately thereafter I applied some rattle can truck bed liner - I am SUPER happy with the rattle can truck bed liner under the fenders... It's tough as a boot and cleans off really easily! I'm 4-5 yrs hence now and I have zero complaints with that stuff!

Here is something you can try. I found the near final prep phase that worked great for me was a small pan of lacquer thinner and a scotch bite pad and a cloth rag. From the pics I see, you are close to or at the stage I would revert to the scotchbrite pad with lacquer thinner technique. Once you have most of the big crud removed (I would say you are definitely there). I would get a 1 qt disposable tupperware and fill it halfway with lacquer thinner. I get the best and thickest pair of gloves I can find (PVC gloves are the only thing that ever provided much protection from the strong lacquer thinner). Nitrile will melt instantly so don't use that, and other rubber gloves may work for awhile. Even the PVC gets hard and crunchy after several uses, but for the most part it protected my hands. Just dip the pad in lacquer thinner and gently rub the surface with it. After you have scrubbed an area briefly, a lot of crud and grease and oil will be released. dip the rag in the same stuff and wipe away the crud. examine the surface and feel of it with a bare hand after the lacquer thinner has evaporated. The goal is NOT to remove everything (it will do that if you keep rubbing!) but to leave the surface with 1 or 3 things: 1) a very clean and smooth original paint layer, 2) a very clean and smooth original primer layer, or 3) bare metal. For myself the goal is to get to stage 1 or 2, but avoid 3 where you can. As long as the metal is good and the primer and paint are original, and you have all the dirt and crud off - you are good to coat with the base layer of your new primer. Where everything is stripped down to bare metal, just make sure the surface feels smooth with areas that have primer or primer & paint on them. Once I have a whole section ready using the lacquer thinner + scotch brite pad followed by lacquer thinner + rag , I would rattle can engine primer over the surface I had just prepared. Do it early because the laquer thinner softens the paint/primer and scratches the surfaces and you get a great bond with that new primer base. And you want to do it before it can get dirty again or rust starts setting back in (this can happen literally overnight). When I did my engine compartment, I followed this work by going back in and caulking up the metal seams with a hard/firm long-lasting caulk that would accept paint (be sure not to caulk lower edges so if water comes in from the other side it can drain back out). When that dried, I put a full coat of primer over the top of that, and then the paint. I got really exceptional results doing this and it was not a ton of work. One caution is that this method will put a TON of black paint/oil/dirt sludge on the ground under where you are working. Your shoes and pants will get coated, and if you don't put down a drop cloth or large cardboard, it will blacken your floor good. Do the prepwork by covering the ground under you well before you do this work. I wound up wearing tyvek overalls for this work. It's messy but satisfying. For RUST: I have used Ospho a lot. I have found another good solution - perhaps even better - but it works a little slower. That is Evaporust. The instructions call for you to soak a paper towel or something with it and soak it through, then lay the towel over the rusted metal. I find that it needs to sit overnight, and if the rust is bad, the next day I brush and clean it as much as possible and do it again. One benefit over ospho is that it doesn't leave behind the white powder when it dries. One downside maybe expense. However, a friend told be he got a gallon of it for $17 on amazon. I use this mostly for nuts and bolts - the fluid can be reused many times if you are using it as a dipping fluid.

Yes, thx for all the feedback guys. The main issue I have is that the petcock I have doesnt have any method for attaching a hose - it’s not built to accept one. I am going to look into changing it per dream cars suggestion, so I can attach a hose. That solution makes a lot more sense, although the other funneling ideas do sound like they will work. Jay

Hey guys, anyone out there have a clean way to drain the radiator without just letting it run out all over the struct rod support? My drain valve is directly over the strut rod brace, and when I want to drain the radiator, fluid just goes everywhere. There is just a hole in the drain valve, so no seeming way to hook a hose to it that I can figure. Anyone have any great soultions? Maybe some kind of funnel or something? I’d rather not have fluid going all over the place as I am trying to capture and take to recycle rather than just dump on the ground or driveway.