JayEstes

Thanks yes, only a few changes would be expected. ALSO, I believe the hole(s) marked #9 should be a heater core/AC evaporator condensation drain line... The AC cars have a tube that drains from the bottom of the heater core/AC evaporator. This prevents significant water buildup from condensation from AC operation - especially in humid climates. Jay

Oh wow! Thanks guys! I appreciate the input on all counts. And buening, thanks for the documented pic! Very helpful. If I get there, I'll try to repost with changes for AC car. Great info - thanks to all. Jay

Yikes. Haven't heard that. Any suggestions for something else to use? Paintable caulking??? I just resurfaced the metal (both sides) and it has been painted with 500deg engine paint. Seems to be perfect now - don't want to mess that up...

Thanks guys. Kind of surprised me that there is such a big difference in AC & no AC installs. I do have a plug kit that I haven't broken out yet, I'll check it to make sure i have the plugs for those. And thanks Bruce- I will put some high-temp silicone RTV on them to help seal it up.

Keep us posted on this Rack & Pinion install - i'd be interested to see how it comes out.

Anyone- What are the two large (~1.25in diameter) holes that are oriented vertically (upper right hand of this pic) thru the firewall for? The holes have been "punched thru" and protrude maybe 0.25in in towards the engine side. I have a 302 with AC, and the heater hoses go thru the slot that open up to the hole where the ac evaporator lines go. (left lower center) I can't figure what these holes are for unless the non AC cars use them for heater hoses in a VERY different configuration inside the car. Can someone help me? THANKS Jay

I did some reading on this subject a while back, and the info I read is that it is a lot of work to get this mod in, and in a LOT of the stories I read, the rack system left the car with little or even no "return to center" when turning a corner. I can't imagine having a steering system, where it doesn't have a tendency to come out of the turn. Some of the stories were so bad, people ended up ripping them out and putting stock stuff back. In my book- what is the real benefit? replace a working steering system for a different one? I kind of like the way the stock stuff drives, it aint for racing maybe, but it's pleasant to use when in proper repair. I came to the conclusion that R&P wasn't worth the effort. I originally considered it as possibly a safety upgrade... seems to me, based on other folks experience, it's not a great upgrade. Jay

All- I am rebuilding the heater core, AC evaporator box inside the car. I've replaced the heater core no problem, and have placed the various gaskets, but the AC evaporator coil came with 4 stick on foam pads, and I am not sure where to place them. If I double them up (one atop the other) and put 2 on each end of the box, they fill the "gaps" in the box but will need to be trimmed down from their current size. Does anyone have any experience in how to place these foam gaskets? No instructions or images came in the box with the coil. THanks in advance for any help.. Jay

Even though this thread is "old news" i'm going to "resurrect it" add to the story here on fixing the broken nipple. the PO on my car took a piece of 0.5in ID copper tubing and split one end into 3 pieces and flared the three ends of the pipe, and bent them to lay flat on the case. Siliconed them up and then put a wood screw thru each flare into the fiberglass case. worked fairly well. I'm going thru this case now, and I removed the wood screws and used 2 part JB weld to completely fuse it to the case and make it water tight. I also used a 1.5in drill to clean the inside of the copper drain pipe, and then painted it. Looks and works great. Now, until reading this thread, I didn't realize that corner of my case used to have a firewall mounting bracket on that corner near this drain though.... I repaired that also using JB weld, but I don't have any mounting bracket. Any suggestions on what kind of adapter bracket I can make to mount my box to the firewall now? Thanks! Jay

I have a stock 69 coupe, 302 automatic with power steering. I really like these shorty headers by BBK: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/bbk-1515/media/images They've got a really nice thick (3/8in) flange, and should work nicely with my stock 2bbl carb and intake. Does anyone out there have these? Any war stories or warnings for me? Thanks in advance. Jay

My engine guy is replacing the pan on my 302 at his shop. He bought one, and it is "bigger". We are both worried it may interfere. vendor says "we never have an issue with this", but what do you guys think? are the steering arms gonna get to close and interfere? See pics:

Interesting. Sounds like a mechanical linkage that has to push and pull on a shaft or rod or something. Maybe "push to run" and "pull to off". If you get it in run, and the pin came out, then can't "pull" the ignition off. something like that.... 69's had ignition on the dash so wouldn't be anything like that. Must be a first design feature for this first "ignition on the tree" for mustangs. interesting.

I just noticed that cool car parts online is have a 43% off on wheel skins: ($34 for a normally $60 skin) http://www.coolcarpartsonline.com/wheelskins-steering-wheel-covers/ford-mustang-65-83-wheelskins-original-leather-steering-wheel-covers They are charging $10 for EACH skin shipped. This is a decent price for a real leather wheelskin I think. Or at least I am going to find out if it is... I just bought 1 for our 71 and another for my 69... Jay

Wow Rick- that is an interesting find and fix about that little pin that was preventing the car from shutting off. What is it's function? Was it providing sound ground path or something?

You know whats interesting is that the pictures from both of these sites indicate the same products. They look identically made, right down to the "globe icon" on the button (see pics from each). I guess both are reselling from the same major wholesale supplier. On the front belt, I think I would do just what Flanders mentioned, and use a bolt with a short shank that doesn't have threads. You could weld a good size washer on at the beginning of the threads to provide a firm place for the belt to rotate against other than the headliner. Only reason for all of this is that I think teens getting in/out of the car would ultimately rotate that 9in lever around it's base even if it was tightened down real well. In your case, with next to no one getting in there, it almost surely won't matter. In the back though, I'd like a 3 point retractor. There is a configuration I have seen where the retractor is bolted down to the "package tray", fixed under the seat next to the rear wall, and a slider tab which plugs into the usual "buckle with button" near the hump. I'm not seeing seat belts in the configuration I'm looking for back there yet, so I'll have to keep looking and post back if find what Im looking for. Thanks for the help guys. I do appreciate finding both of these sources to buy these belts in ANY case! Jay

Fantastic post! Thank you! I am working to put 3 point belts in our 71, and this thread and link is very helpful! A few questions: Does the shoulder belt extender (which is attached to the roof) swing around the bolt hole ok? I'd be concerned about it twisting the head-liner, or wearing against it. If people are getting in the back before the driver gets in, I can see them swinging this extender backwards or forwards to get in, etc. Also, do you think the same retractor system could be used in the back seat? I'd like to put 3 point retractable belts in there too for passengers. (Rationale: My teen son is going to be driving this car, and he might have friends in with him, and I want a good retractor belt system for all 4 seats.) Looks fantastic though. Thanks again! Jay

So Bruce- you actually got the chrome restored on the eyeball edges? Based on what you said, I'm not sure if you did it yourself, or had someone do it? I had no idea it was even possible to restore the chrome edges like that.... (and Bruce- tell me true - holding those damn oddball shape eyeball sockets while trying to drill was a bear wasn't it? I wanted to build a jig to hold em and do it on my drill press, but I didn't mess with that....)

Well- even on mine the "chrome" on the louvre ball edges had to be chrome paint. I don't know how the original parts were made, but while I had these balls out, I cleaned and polished them, and the "chrome" remaining was spotty, so I used chrome paint and a tiny brush to restore it. Good job Bruce on drilling and tapping. I tried to do same, but there was some hard metal in there which made drilling and tapping tough. I ultimately got something to work, but it wasn't a-class. Good luck Chris- hope ultimately it comes out looking nice! Jay

I don't think it will come out. That beam is closed up pretty much everywhere. Even if I cut the bolt, I think the head will be stuck in there. I could push the whole bolt inside, but I don't want the rattles.. Really want to get the whole thing out.

yes- agree Bruce. Thanks for letting me know.

if it was a nutsert, why does it look like a bolt - with the head inside the frame (see video)? I actually removed a nut from the end of that bolt that is protruding. Any recommendations on how to get the bolt out of the frame?

Thx guys. I appreciate the feedback. Confirms for me it is more like just 60s tech steel stamping issues and not much more. If anyone else has similar stories - feel free to add em...

The forward firewall on my stock/original 69 coupe has an interesting "wrinkle" in the forward firewall steel - right where the center hump meets the firewall on the drivers side. See pics attached (taken from engine compartment side) It looks as though it was made this way, but I am not 100% sure. Kind of surprised it would have got thru QA screen at the plant like that, but on the other hand, it's likely not any kind of structural concern. The wrinkle looks to be an artifact of the initial stamping, and has just always been there. I am wondering do any of you see similar wrinkles on your machines? I'm chalking it up to being a "birth mark" for my car, and leaving it as is as I restore the floor, but would be interested if anyone else has seen such a unique "feature" in the same area. Thanks for any feedback. Jay

All, I am restoring my 69, and currently in process of cleaning up the frame so I can paint and treat with undercoat (all functional parts removed from frame). When I removed the stock slave cylinder bracket from the underside of the main beam (drivers side), it had 3 bolts holding it in place. One on the inside going in horizontally, and two going in (more or less) vertically (through the bracket) up into frame. One of the fasteners on the underside, was a bolt that goes into a nut (or nut plate) that was held fast in the frame. The other- oddly - was a bolt with a head on the inside of the frame, and a nut on the underside (outside). My problem is that this second fastener (a bolt with a head on the interior of the frame) on the underside is loose inside the frame. It has "some metal" attached to the head (can't see it), it can be freely turned, but can't come out of the frame - best I can tell. It's kind of hard to describe, so go to this video so you can see the area and the bolt in the frame: I'm baffled how this went together in the first place, AND how to fix it. If you have a solution or advice - I would greatly appreciate it. Jay

Instead of gluing carpet down, why not "rubberize" the back side of the carpet? you can buy some "paint on" rug backing that when it dries is like a rubber. It is designed to prevent throw rugs from slipping on slick floors. This way, it can still come out, but won't slide around on your slick new aluminized surface. Another way of doing this would be to buy a roll or 2 of that kitchen shelf mat (looks like a rubbery mesh - find it at Target or kmart or walmart in the kitchen shelving area), just roll that out on the floor before the carpet is down - it will hold carpet to flooring in similar manner and is easily removable. Just some concepts to consider. Jay