MN69Grande

Nah. Lucky for me that is just a pad to keep it from excessively rubbing against the door. Just the bent plate. I'm going to attempt to get it in shape and re-installed this week. Just need a few bolts and washers to put in the 70 bolt in style glass.

In my case it's been more like - if you want something done right, pay someone else to screw it up, then spend twice the effort fixing it yourself. Though now that I have a decent garage with a heater I'm doing most things myself.

Garage was full today of other things taken apart. So I moved cleaning the grill into the kitchen. I figure its a new year so all the trouble I caused last year with the misses doesn't count. Time to start over.

I have two work efforts going on First some small cleanup items completed: Replaced the rubber cover on the shoulder belt. The one that hangs over the door. Replaced the Valve Cover Gaskets due to a small leak Fixed the Kick Down return by installing a return spring and carefully bending the Bar Pulled the thermostat and Housing to fix a leaky gasket Pulled the grill to clean and paint it. (Will also change out the emblem should clean the front end up a ton) The second effort that I thought would be a small fix was I pulled the door panel to replace the door wiring harness. Ended up needing to pull the dash to get at the harness' ground - fun. So I fixed a short in the gauge cluster, replaced the little bit of green plastic that fell out of a turn signal, replaced the little blue bulb lens, and the bezel lens that were scratched. Now the part that sucks. The shop that put in my power windows completely screwed up. They didn't update the glass to bolt in style like I asked, put the lower stop in, it also looks like they couldn't get the window adjusted so they used a nut and hose clamp to stop the window in back at a lower level, and finally the front glass run wasn't bolted in at the top. The result is the power window regulator mounting plate and door skin got torqued when the window went to the top or the bottom and both are now bent up now. I've got the door all apart. I can pound the door pretty easily. I've used Vice grips to some what straighten the regulator bracket, but I'm not happy with it. I called electric life but they don't do replacement parts, also they won't sell just one door. So if I can't get the bracket to fit again it will be full price to fix one door. So that's fun. At least I'm getting some decent garage time.

This year each kid got me a new Fender badge and together they got me a set of front splash guards. Though at this point I have more parts than I have time. So who knows when that stuff will get installed.

Hip Hip X4

Hi Vicfreg - I replaced the Leafs a couple years ago with the heavy duty springs so the bushings and bolts shouldn't be hard to get out. I want to use the Del-A-Lum to cut down on the body roll a bit. From what Opentracker told me the Del-A-Lum keep the springs from binding and allow better movement, which somehow keeps the rear end in place better. I had been debating a pan hard bar or watts link. But they said to try this first. I agree that wheel well isn't the funnest place to work in so hopefully it goes smoothly. To be honest with so much on the list I'll be amazed if I get that far. The front end will be the priority. I'm already itching for April to be back on the road.

So on the last drive of the year my tranny blew apart. The clutches were burnt out and the governor was clogged. Looks like the addition torque was too much for that build. Oh well got the rebuilt transmission in. A bit pricey but it included a new Torque Converter and fair amount of performance internals. It's got a grand total of 10 miles on it and I guess I have to baby it to break it in for 300 miles. Completed one job and it led to adding 3 others to the list. Replaced the drivers door wiring harness. Found one of the door light feed was broken so maybe my door and dome lights will start working again. However in the process I found that the power windows were pulling so hard on the window regulator along with a bunch of other strangeness in the install, the regulator is bent in several places and was pulling on the steel of the door. So now I have to pull the glass out and take the whole window mechanism apart. Also since I had to pull the dash to get the to the ground for the harness I'm going to swap out the Gauge Circuit board where the left indicator is shorting out. The indicator lens (the green plastic square) also came out so I'm hoping that is still in the gauge cluster and I can get it back in. Then I'm going to hook the clock back up. Bummer because I was hoping to get the Master Cylinder swapped out next to see if that helps with my squishy brakes. Oh well maybe in January.

@Vicfreg - Here's some photos. If you want more let me know. I should have the car up on jack stands next month and then can get better angles for you. The H pipe I have is pretty far from the transition as it is toward the back of the C4 while the headers end pretty much at the bell housing. Everything is nice and tight and there is room to work around things. I think they've kept their shine up over the last 6 years. Kind of dirty in this photo though.

Well. I took the transmission up to Proven Force a shop I've used before. Should be back this week. The high and direct clutches were fried, the valve body was pretty beat up, and the governor was stuck. My guess is debris from the failing parts clogged the governor as some have suggested in this thread - causing me to lose gears but obviously I was on the way to needing new parts. They did say it looks like it was taken apart before, which is good because it was supposedly rebuilt 6 years ago. Just looks like the previous shop didn't replace everything and used parts that could not handle the power. That said the original plan for the car was to just do a intake/carb swap and a slight Cam upgrade. But I ended up with a completely different motor.

Here's a decent video. I don't think with a stock 2v 302 you'll see noticeable additional power. But long tube headers will make the car sound different. You say you have Flow master exhaust - how many and which mufflers? What diameter tubing? If you're running the 50 series and you're looking for noise you could go with the 40 series or a Magnaflow muffler. I've got Headman Shorties and like them. I have the ceramic coated ones and after 5k miles they look as good as they did coming out of the box. Louder than a manifold but quieter than long tubes. No fitment issues at all but I went with Dynomax VTs which allow a quiet idle and cruise but get loud when rev'ing or accelerating.

Pros: Going with a stroked lower end will give you a ton more torque which really makes it a lot more fun to drive. The difference between my 306 and 347 with the same GT40x heads and E303 cam (I think you said you have the B cam so it would be a little different than this) is in the range of 100 foot/lb. The horse power increases as well but more in the 30-40 hp range. The numbers calculated by Ford Performance are supposed to be around 370 hp and 400 ft/lb and is a ton of fun to drive with a C4 and 3.55 TruTrac rear. Burnouts can go for days if you're into that kind of thing. Cons: However on the other side of the equation I've heard stroking a 302 to 347 can reduce it's useful life. Though with a summer car that you only put say 5k or less on year how much would that may not be an issue. Below is an article where they talk about this and it looks like they recommend 331 for better life with street use. Another consideration is that if you up the horse power and torque you need to up the build on your clutch components, transmission, and possibly rear end. I just killed a C4 even though it was supposedly rebuilt (5/6 years ago) to handle ~400hp. Finally I'm not sure if you purchased your exhaust already, but it if you are going to the trouble of stroking the motor you're going to want an exhaust that flows a lot better. I'm sure others may have different suggestions but Headers and dual 2.5 would be in order. http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2002/04/331/ One last note I used the same 4150 Holley and RPM air-gap and just had to re-jet, change the power valve, and re-tune it so that was one thing that didn't need changed.

Funny I have the same charger as the second link. I got it at place we have up here called Mill's Fleet Farm for less money surprisingly. Works pretty good. I do find if I've run the battery completely dead it will say it's fully charged when it isn't. I will pull it off, hook it up again and reset it. If it is still 95%+ it's done if not let it keep running. But I have used it on motorcycles, boats, and auto pretty regularly without issue. I bought a battery tender but haven't used it yet. Plan to keep that on the Mustang all winter. I would recommend this charger.

X3 hope everyone has a great day.

I've never purchased heads I didn't realize they were individual. Mine came with the motor. Since that is the case - then money wise this is like 1/2 price. Assuming everything is low miles and in good shape.

OK here are my 2 cents. I have almost this same setup from a Ford Crate engine. Honestly the driving characteristics are nice. The power comes in just right for most cruising and a bit of spirited driving I don't think it would be great on a track. The heads are noisy and impossible to get quiet. They use a pedestal mounted design where you pre-set the load on the rocker. You get them in spec by adding shims or grinding the pedestal down until the valve lash is with-in spec (checked with a feeler gauge). Once in spec you are not supposed to add any additional torque to quiet them down. The noise is a common complaint (I've seen people write that they think it sounds like sewing machines under the hood) if you search out on the web and it drives me a little crazy. If I were to do it over again the big change I would make is when I was selecting a crate engine I would have gone with the crate motor the had the Edelbrock top end setup over the GT-40x. But that is me. And it isn't worth the cost/effort to change for me now unless I'm going with a bigger cam and more wild heads. Now price wise - The heads on Summit go for $600 The Cam by itself is $200 with lifters and spider tray $425 The Rockers run $200 but are discontinued (M-6564-B351) Push rods run what $100 (do these come with the deal?) So assuming the lifters are included (though I don't know if I'd reuse lifers or push rods) the price new is ~1325. Also I can't remember if push rod guides are needed (or if they are included in what is being sold here) so that could add to the price. So the price is more than 30% discounted over new. If that price is without lifters or you will need to replace the lifters you really aren't getting much of a discount to live with the risks of used parts. How many miles are on the parts? Have they been independently inspected for wear by a good engine builder? You'll get decent power for the money. But you might be happier mix and matching new components. Trick Flow has some really affordable heads ($660 on up) with stud mount rockers. Edelbrock run more ($800 on up) but seem to be a popular option. I don't know maybe other people like the Ped-Mount rockers, I think they are a pain and noisy. Is the guys engine running now? What do you think of the sound?

Ahh.... As they say WINTER IS COMING... in fact we've had four snow falls already this year already. So right now my transmission is out and getting rebuilt with some stronger components and my car is not in the garage to play with. But I'm trying to plan out my winter projects. I've skipped working on the car all summer because it was working well enough to drive it (until the tranny went out on the last drive of the season). I've already got most the parts. Focus is front end. Rollerize/adjusterize everything and put in a steering rack. Also replace the master cylinder and double check the MC push rod clearance (the brakes don't engage until I press the pedal 1/2 or more of the way down). Anyway just for fun I put down my hopeful to do list. We'll see how far I can get before April. Project Estimated Time Plus 50% Rework, causing other issues, and Problem Solving Parts Ordered Parts Received Comments Drivers door wiring harness 3-4 hours 6 hours Yes Yes New Brake Master Cylinder 5 Hours 7.5 hours Yes Yes Need to adjust the push rod, purge the fluid, and bleed Roller Spring Perches 2 Hours 3 hours Yes Yes Roller LCA 2 Hours 3 hours Yes Yes Adjustable Strut Rods 3-4 hours 6 hours Yes Yes Repair/replace horn steering wheel/column contacts 3-4 hours 6 hours No No Need to inspect parts once steering wheel is off Paint Steering Column 2 hours 3 hours Yes Yes Unisteer Power Rack and Pinion 10 hours 15 hours Yes Yes Repair Thermostat Leak 30 min 1 hour Yes Yes Del-A-Lum Rear spring bushings 2-3 hours 4.5 hours No No Detail "Mustang" and "Grande' " Emblems 1 hour 1.5 hours No No Had a black Paint Marker can't find it now Front shoulder Upper seat belt Cover 30 min 1 hour Yes Yes Miss placed, step 1 find the part Front shoulder Lower seat belt install 1.5 hours 2.5 hour No No Trouble shoot Cigarette lighter 1-100 hours 150 hour No No Hoping this is somehow related to isse with door wiring and will go away once that harness is replaced. Paint Grill 4 hours 6 hours Yes Yes

The link is still good dlvr.it/P7Lwd1 it goes to http://www.peacearchnews.com/news/sports-car-crashes-into-tree-in-delta/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter Anyway the caption says "The driver was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries." So that part is good news, but that car is a total lose.

Actually now that this topic is back up I started to wonder if there is another possible culprit. The aftermarket gauges have a dimmer feed that I hooked up by tapping into the feed out of the switch. I wonder if this could cause the reading to be off somehow. I wouldn't lose much by disconnecting this feed. On the digital gauges I have (Temp and Oil Pressure) they only seem to dim from a level 10 to 9.5. Seems to work on the mini tach. If I remember right I used bullet style connectors and electrical tape so killing the feed should be easy enough. So next year when it gets hot again I'll try recreating the issue then disconnect that feed and see if that might fix the issue. Maybe I'll get lucky. If does I can just wrap the connectors and tie them off.

You are mostly correct. Yes I'm using an aftermarket gauge. I've already run a direct line from the sender to the gauge. The ground is attached to the lower dash close to headlight switch. But to get at that ground would require removing the Dash pad. Hence my hesitation.

Hey Danno, I haven't actually dug into this any more. I didn't need to drive at night again, so I didn't see the results reproduced. And since the next thing to trouble shoot requires removing the dash... well I figured it just wasn't bad enough to take the time. If I have to get in there for something else then I'll move the ground and see what happens.

You have a few options. https://www.cjponyparts.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=1969+mustang+deluxe+seat+belts&p=1

Did you use the supplied ziptie/straps or mount it another way? Pics? Are either of you running a trans temp gauge? If so where did you install the sensor?