foothilltom

Hmmm...I have the 5 shop manuals on CD and spent a few minutes paging through and didn't see the specifications he was asking about. There is a CRAPLOAD of good info in here, but I didn't see it. Just trying to save him $20 US if it ain't in there, or if I could find it and post it. Tom

I do believe those crazy little plastic pegs are what hold your grill to the various 5 attachment points (3 on the top, 2 on the bottom if memory serves). I think folks generally wind up replacing those with hardware because they come out so easily. At least mine did. There's got to be some cool trick to drive that little center post down and making it stay, but I couldn't get it to work right. Good luck. tom

Thanks for that info, Mr. Power. I had no idea they were the same. Another valuable piece of info learned here!

I only learned this over the weekend upon removing my tranny and clutch on my 351W, but my clutch disk measures 11" in diameter. It has 10 inner teeth, but I didn't count the teeth on the flywheel. I'm 99.9% sure the flywheel is original. Hope that helps.

PM sent, Mcgirr. Let me know, please.

Gents, am wondering if I could get some guidance on how much it should cost (more or less) to have a transmission rebuilt. There are probably lots of variables, and I'm clearly over my head here, but this is what I know: * Toploader, 4 speed wide-ratio original tranny * It jumps out of 2nd gear routinely (synchros seem to be worn upon visual inspection) * Generally grinds a bit, shifts hard, not smooth at all I have it out of the car. Am going to replace the clutch plate/disk, throwout bearing, and pilot bushing since everything is out and looks quite worn. Gonna start looking at Summit for replacement stuff. Stock 351W so not looking for a fancy racing/performance clutch. Anywho, guidance on the tranny rebuild would be much appreciated. I want to avoid being the babe in the woods here when I take it someplace. Tom

[ATTACH]6372[/ATTACH]As far as I know, both Bnickel and I have 69 GT coupes. I believe Bnickel had his up for sale, but I don't know what became of it. The story of my find is chronicled here some 8 months ago (?). In short, the PO clearly didn't know what he had and had it listed as a "69 coupe" for $3,000 on Craigslist. There was only one crappy picture (from the front) in the ad and the PO said he wasn't willing to move it out of the storage space for inspection as there was too much stuff crammed around it. I was just looking for another project and went to see it. Got the codes, saw the GT telltale signs (crawling around because he would NOT roll it out), and bought it soon after. It's a 351-4V, 4 speed, jade black. It hadn't been started in 20+ years, so i had some issues. Am rebuilding the toploader now but that's the last major bit of work. Should be a great car when it's done. Tom

The boy's scoop on his 69 coupe. Drilling the holes and cutting out the ovals for the signal lights was precision work, but the result is nice. For what it's worth, i put a small dab of water-based paint (came in a squeeze bottle and had it lying around the garage) on the end of each scoop mounting post and (with a helper) lowered the scoop onto the hood, visually inspecting from all angles. Upon touchdown, you get 6 little spots you can safely drill to. Maybe the repops come with a mounting template, but ours was an original from a beatup hood and we improvised. Good luck whatever you decide to do. [ATTACH]6370[/ATTACH]

Nice job!

Hey Mcgirr455, thanks for the offer. I'll PM you about moving this forward. Tom

Power brake. Sorry for omitting.

Thanks, 1952. I will keep my eyes peeled for a good used set. In the meantime, if anybody knows if repops are made for both sides, I'd be grateful. Tom

Hey gents, am wondering if 302 and 351W exhaust manifolds are interchangeable. I have a 351W and am looking at these on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/69-70-71-Ford-302-351W-Exhaust-Manifolds_W0QQitemZ190385249492QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item2c53d85cd4 My gut tells me they are NOT the same, but I can't find a definitive answer. My search online for repops has been fruitless. Seems they only make/sell the RH manifold for a 1969 351W. I wonder if anybody has found a repop for the LH. Thanks! Tom

Hey Marc, that part sold like a few minutes ago! They only had one. Thanks for the great lead, however. Tom

Sweet, thanks for the info guys. If I go with a replacement, I'm guessing I'll need to bend/reroute the existing brake lines? I'm crappy at that but maybe that's just one of those things I should learn how to do? I'll probably go the rebuild route first. The main problem is the "ball switch" is stuck open (despite all attempts to balance it out) and my "Brake System" light refuses to go out. Thanks again. Tom

Guys, am wondering if anybody knows what this part is actually called and where one might get a replacement. [ATTACH]6350[/ATTACH] It may be called a differential valve or a proportioning valve, but I just don't know. Mostly need to know if parts houses would carry these. Thanks! Tom

No problemo, Jayru. I found the gap info quite useful. Was able to adjust it this evening and the clutch operates much better. I also adjusted that little plate that sits on the driver's side frame rail to snug up the fit of the z-bar pivot points (if that makes any sense). The combo really seems to have fixed this up, and I'm quite pleased. Thanks for the help, all. Now it's time to remove the transmission for a rebuild. More first-timer questions to follow, I'm sure. Tom

This might be a good time to admit that I wound up taking a Saws-All to my driver's side long tubes after hours of dismantling my car. After removing the master cylinder and Z-Bar, they still wouldn't clear the steering box...not even close. I eventually found a small rusted hole near the collector after laying beneath the car for 30 minutes wondering how I would ever get these bastards out. This gave me the justification to take a short-cut and go nuclear on them. It was satisfying to take my frustration out on those tubes, but it definitely eliminates the option of blasting-resurfacing them. :) I do like your line of thinking, however...it's either all-stock or nothing. I need to think on that some more. Thanks for the inputs, guys. Tom

Thanks, Max. I appreciate it. I may go with manifolds then. I'm fiddling with the notion of returning this GT coupe to as stock as possible for eventual resale, so that combined with the fit question makes this a smart move. Thanks again. Tom

Hey gents, am trying to diagnose my mal-adjusted clutch with my Long Tube headers out of the way (whoo!) and could use some wisdom. This is all "first time stuff" for me, so apologies in advance for ignorance. The clutch pedal doesn't return back to the stop position in normal operation. I can pull it back up with my toe (and it stays there), but it doesn't want to get there on its own when coming off the floor. It's comes up about 70% of the way during regular operation. Therefore, the clutch doesn't have that "over center" feel to it at all...it has a very short travel and feels wrong. I believe the "assist" spring (the small but heavy one in the clutch pedal itself) seems to be doing its job. With the linkage disconnected, the assist spring keeps the pedal either all the way or all the way down. If I lift the pedal off the floor a bit, it springs to the full up position. Similar if I press it down from the up position, it springs to the floor. I guess this is the "over-center" thing happening. When the linkage is connected, the pedal just doesn't want to come all the way up. Could this be a weak "return spring"; the spring that attaches to the top of the Z-Bar and the firewall? Is there any other adjustment that would help return the clutch back to the "up" position? There is another spring that attaches to the lower part of the Z-Bar to the transmission (what the hell is that little handle called that sticks out of the transmission?). Does that spring factor into clutch pedal play? Lastly, there's that rod connected to the bottom of the Z-Bar that engages the clutch. It has a threaded end which implies adjustment, but I don't know which way I would go with that given my problem. Oh, and the bushings on the pedal assembly itself look good even though they are really hard to see without being Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic). Thanks for any thoughts and apologies for the stream of consciousness. Tom

Howdy gents. I know this question has been hashed over pretty good, but I'm hoping my particular slant is a bit different. I just removed my rusted long tubes in my relatively tame 351W 4-speed with Z-Bar clutch and they were a bastard to get out on the driver's side. Whatever I wind up replacing them with, I want FIT to be a high priority. In other words, I don't want to have to remove my power booster, clutch linkage, steering box, and god knows what else to get them in and out. I'm guessing stock manifolds will slap right in without interfering with anything, but if there is a shorty product that will improve performance (look better) and still have that perfect fit, I'd love to know what you might recommend. In summary: * Manifolds vs. Shorties in general for performance * Do Shorties fit as well as manifolds? * Where to buy Manifolds these days * Recommendations on Shorties Thanks!

Howdy again, Am now brain-locked on how to remove the clutch Z-Bar. This is a 351W with long tube headers that provide no room whatsoever and the Z-Bar runs right through the header tubes. Am wondering if it's necessary to remove the steering box to remove the Z-Bar (allowing you to pull it up and out from the top). Or, should I be able to finesse the Z-Bar out w/out removing the steering box? Everything seems so jammed together. My master plan is to replace the brake power booster, swap the rusted long tube headers for ceramic shorties, drop the tranny for a clutch and tranny rebuild. I'm just trying to get everything apart so I can do all that. Am stuck in a catch-22 with this Z-Bar. If anybody has input on order of events, I'd appreciate it. I feel like everything is all inter-twined with no room to move. Thanks. Tom

Thanks for the response. A sore neck later and it's out. That brake light switch wasn't too bad after all. Just have to move it *slightly* off the pin then it comes off pretty easily. And my biggest lesson is the push rod is part of the booster and it must come off the brake pedal. Learn something new every day. Now off to dumb questions about removing the Z-bar. Tom

Howdy gents, finally getting some time to work on the GT coupe. Been a long winter. I was hoping to remove the power booster today and am a bit confused on how this goes. Would appreciate some confirmation/clarification on the steps. I've removed the master cylinder just to get it out of the way (looks like I could have left it all together, but what the heck). Removed the front seat to make life less terrible under the dash. There appear to be 4 studs attached to the booster that come through the firewall and pedal support frame. These have 9/16" nuts that are a bastard to remove from under the dash, but I've got 3 of them out so far. Would like to know if all 4 must go. There's another bolt in the "1 O'clock" position on the booster that appears to come out from the engine bay side. Can this be removed from the engine side or is there a nut on the dash that holds this together? I can't seem to see it from under the dash. Finally and most importantly, do I need to unhook that "push rod" that is connected to the brake pedal or does the power booster just slide out leaving the push rod attached to the pedal? I'm really hesitant to remove the brake switch for fear of screwing it up (and being unable to put it back together), but I get the feeling this is necessary. Obviously, the vacuum line has to be removed and then it looks like she comes out. In summary, my questions: * 4 studs, remove nuts from under dash in the god-awful contortionist position? * A 5th bolt removed from the engine side? * Need to unhook the push rod from the brake pedal? Thanks, gents. Happy Saturday. Tom

Wondering if the system is flowing correctly. Did you flush the cooling system when you replaced the radiator? I was amazed to see how much rust/gunk came out when I flushed the boys coupe back in the day. +1 to the thermostat in correctly question. It's easy to reverse it. Did you try running with it out just for fun? Not a great long-term thing, but would answer the question of a bad/wrong termostat. Also, would highly suspect the gauge. Did you say you had an actual temp gauge or just the "relative" one that comes stock? I don't trust that as far as I can throw it. Good luck!