Guillaume69

Yikes... I saw pictures of Tyndall and that base was destroyed... I am glad you guys got out of it safe. Do you still do your magic on vintage harnesses?

Hey Randy!! Yes, I heard about Michael... So you got hit twice, right? And finally moved to a hurricane free area? I’d love to visit Tucson. I went to Phoenix once, but never to your new hometown.

Yep, that’s already the south. Beautiful area, les Hautes Alpes. I love going there. Did some mountain combat training over there, back in the day. Rough people too, as you seem to have found out.

Vic, No, I am stationed in Lyon, on the west side of the Alps. I was in Paris couple days ago and La Défense has incredibly grown since I was a kid. Soon it’ll look like Downtown Houston!

Morning y’all! Sorry I haven’t been posting of late. Been fairly busy since we’ve moved back home in 2015. Lots of work for those of us in the service. Bad guys ain’t afraid of viruses, you see... The car is going great. It now has 17.000 miles on the odometer, since it was restored back in 2014-15. Every time I get in it, I am privileged to feel like what I think they did, back in the day, when those were still available new on Ford sales lot. My wife and I are planning a road trip down the south of France in a couple weeks, for Easter. And that will be in the Mustang, of course. I am still in touch with my hot rodding friends from the Panhandle and visited them twice since we moved back. Always very happy to go back. A pic taken last fall in the Burgundy vineyard. G

I installed a Retrousound (Malibu model 2) in my 69 when I restored it back in 2014. To this day, it has worked amazingly. The hand free Bluetooth phone function is amazing. I can speak to people with my windows opened and they don’t hear the engine/exhaust (2”5 Flowmaster dual). The mike just pics my voice. Amazing... I love this product. Only downside: the installation is a little tricky if you want to really do it right and best integrate the unit in your interior. Once that’s done, it does look very stealth to the untrained eye. G

https://www.cjponyparts.com/fuel-cap-pop-open-running-horse-tri-bar-logo-kit-1969/p/GC69P/

I found them on eBay. They ship to the US from various sellers, mostly located in the UK. Costs between $55 and $70 shipped for a box of 80 wipes. I usually use 5 wipes for a good cleaning. https://m.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_mwBanner=1&_nkw=vulcanet+cleaning&ul_ref=https%3A%2F%2Frover.ebay.com%2Frover%2F1%2F711-42618-2056-0%2F2%3Fmpre%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.ebay.com%252Fulk%252Fsch%252F%253F_nkw%253Dvulcanet%252520cleaning%26keyword%3Dvulcanet%2520cleaning%26crlp%3D278956708214_202%26MT_ID%3D69%26geo_id%3D10232%26rlsatarget%3Dkwd-150068428406%26adpos%3D1o1%26device%3Dm%26loc%3D9040890%26poi%3D2840%26abcId%3D473846%26treatment_id%3D7%26cmpgn%3D714491930%26sitelnk%3D%26gclid%3DEAIaIQobChMI-OD6sOL73wIVEFXTCh1Iaw3hEAMYASAAEgJLDvD_BwE%26srcrot%3D711-42618-2056-0%26rvr_id%3D1826879705737%26rvr_ts%3D6a0664ed1680a9cd2c431ddffffb7a56&ul_noapp=true

I was able to find a link for UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Cleaning-Kits/Vulcanet-motorcycle-cleaning-degreaser-protection/B0081RY8WA but it seems impossible to find in the US. That is certainly disappointing...

Something like “cleaning wipes”... It does work. I love it!

Fair enough! I changed the topic title. Lol

Hello fellow Mustang owners! Just a quick question: have you ever heard about these car/motorcycle cleaning wipes called Vulcanet? I ask this because I have personally been using them for a few years now, and also because it's proudly made in France by a French company. It originated circa 2008 with a group of bikers wanting to create a simpler yet more efficient concept for cleaning their motorcycles. People are crazy about that product now, bikes and cars alike, and this company has become very successful in Europe. I know I risk being banned from the forum (or from entering the United States on my next trip) for writing this, but I no longer wax my cars, since I started using it. I use it on my Ducati too. The result is amazing... There are multiple products in each wipe that will break tar, rubber tire compound, grease, gasoline residues, while taking care of clearcoat. No more clay bar for me, thank God. How is that even possible? I don't know, but it works. And at the same time, it leaves a residual coat of polymerised stuff after you wipe surfaces with their micro fiber (included in the box). Car shines better than new and stays clean longer. Works also on black plastics (with durable shine) and glass. It doesn't take more than an hour or so to do the whole car, so you can virtually do it after each ride. No water involved (unless the car is very dirty, of course). Works crazy under the hood as well. Takes a bit of motivation there to clean everywhere, but the result is incredible. Show car stuff. It ain't cheap, but you get what you pay for. Check out their website, it's pretty cool and funny. Even their logo is kinda cool! And by the way, I do not work for them... ;-) http://www.vulcanet.pro/auto-en/ G

Oh I see, I got confused then. Sorry about that. G

RPM, Is your motor in yet? Can you still easily access spark plug #8 with this solution? G

I just meant to close the loop on this event: 23 cars eventually attended. Only one 1970 Boss, no 69. Perfect weather for a perfect day. Tracking these cars is an absolute blast! Our next event is set for 22, 23 June 2019. G

I have been using Cooper Cobras (235/60R15) on Torque Thrust wheels for the past 15 years or so on my 69. Those tires are, in my opinion, the best for looks, just like the BFG, because of the white rised lettering. They also seem to never, ever, wear out. Which could be nice, but has a major drawback. The rubber compound on these tires is hard as stone. And they get even harder (if that’s possible) in cold temperatures. Which basically makes them extremely poor on wet or damp cold surfaces, in term of performance. I’d even venture to say that I find these tires dangerous when used on a 50 year old rear wheel drive muscle car. I have over 100,000 miles on them and got used to be very careful. But I would never let someone else test drive my car on a wet road. And every time I switch to my 2013 Boss 302 and its Michelin Pilot Super Sports, I make a note to myself that says: « dump the Coopers, put real tires on the 69, and drive it like you stole it! » As far as rised lettering goes, there seems to be technical solutions available now, that might allow to get both performance and looks. Not cheap, but worth taking into consideration. https://www.tirestickers.com/shop/ G

Still, they try and make you believe they can do this type of thing. They literally bully people around, when you actually pay them all your life to get a little psychological and financial comfort, the day things go south. Have we really made any progress since Attila and the Huns?

Ridge, man, I feel for you. I know that feeling all too well, being in the jaws of these crooks... Remember my 69, when I got rear ended 3 months after finishing a 2 and a half year frame off restoration? My mistake was to let the other guy insurance take care of it. Of course they played with figures and totaled it. They estimated the car was worth $21k (after the crash) and repairs over $25k. Just like that. Car is a Matching GT sportsroof. I mean with that kind of reasoning, you can total pretty much anything right? So why bother insuring a car? My only luck was that the car was still registered in my home country. They were never able to find a US Title for it as I had brought it along with me for my 3 years tour in the USAF as a foreign exchange officer and was taking it back at the end. Ha! So I gritted my teeth, repaired it with my metal wizard of a friend, 2 months of very intensive work, cost me $14k and 9 months later, I got a $15k check from them. And that only happened because my hundredth phone call was answered by someone different, who was actually ashamed of how honest people were being treated by her company. She fixed it in 3 hours. I bet this lady no longer works for this insurance company anymore. Or any insurance company at all. There is something extremely wrong about the way US insurances operate. I do not understand why the Law is not protecting people more than this. May be because insurance people are mostly lawyers? They say you can vote against laws. That it’s better than breaking them. How do we do this, huh? G

Ah, that makes even more sense! Lol

Well, mine rolled off the assembly line (Dearborn) on 15 July 1969 and I was pretty sure it was among the last (222550). I do not believe they were still making these in nov 69. They had already started assembling the 70 my. Vicfred said his car was turning 50 two days ago, that 11/27/69 must have been a typo...

Zero effect on hp and torque. Much like when changing gears with your tranny. Or your bicycle. It’ll change the way your current HP/torque is transmitted to the rear wheels though. The higher (or shorter) the ratio, the quicker the rear wheels will spin for a given rpm. Drag strip oriented cars have high rear end ratio (4.30 for SCJ drag pack, for example). Quick acceleration, poor gas mileage. It can also result in reduced top end speed (i.e you hit the rpm red line sooner). That’s why drag engines are usually prepared to sustain higher rpm ranges. “Cruisers” have lower (longer) ratio. Not as quick when taking off at a traffic light, but smooth highway cruising and “reasonable” gas mileage (lower rpm for a given speed). Also, with enough hp, you can get a higher top end speed. I can go up to 140 mph with my car (351w, toploader long ratio, 3.00 rear end). 3.50 is somewhere in the middle, obviously. What use of your car are you thinking about? Drag strip or road trips?

Ok, just thinking out loud here... Your wheels look too small compared to the wheel wells. I ride with 15’ Torq Trust rims and 235/60r15 tires. Total wheel diameter is 66,3 cm and the wheel size looks like it fits the wheel well (see pic). What tires size do you have on that pic? Do you know the total diameter of your wheels? It’s like the tire walls are too thin. If that’s the look you’re into, may be 18 or 19 rims would fit better? Or stick with 17’ but with higher walls.

As RPM mentioned, things must be tightened with all wheels on the ground. I remember tightening my rear shackles once with car on the lift and it ended with the rake of a drag car from the 70’s... I was told to untighten everything, put the car on the ground, go for a ride around the block, and re tightene everything. A couple weeks later, car was back where it was supposed to be. G

Interestingly enough, my 69 is a Dearborn late production car (July 69), and has recessed letters. And yes, it’s the original VIN Tag. There might have been some differences from one factory to another? G

Yes, the spring perch might be the culprit. At least that’s what it was in my case. Try the Opentracker Racing roller spring perch. High quality parts that completely solved my squeaking issues. http://opentrackerracing.com/product/roller-spring-perches/ G