Viperpete

I got the car from ebay. It was literally thrown together to sell. Almost every bolt i have touched was loose. Leaked everywhere. Rear end SLAMMED into reverse or drive. Previous owner spray painted OVER decades of grease and grime on the oil pan and transmission...everywhere really.... it was not a well cared for car. These are pics to illustrate its condition before I bought it.....I only found these pics by doing some detective work after i bought the car.... I do not know what cam is in the engine. I know nothing. I have replaced the ignition, rebuilt the C4, swapped in a new 8" rear end and completely rewired the car.

Also, it would appear that the damper and crank pulley seem to wobble a little bit. That is probably related. They don't wobble a ton though. Sometimes at a light the engine makes the entire car shake like it has a big cam.

The electronic ignition, plugs, wires, cap, and rotor made zero difference in the shaking by the way. And, the stuff I removed was really really shitty. Like the plugs were only threaded in 1/2 way shitty. Car still started up and ran....

I installed the Pertronix unit from NPD. Gapped the plugs. I think 0.034 or something if memory serves. Here is a video of the car. You can see how it is hard to get it started. Once its running for a few minutes the throttle response is good and driving the car is just fine other than the shaking. I really need to just throw it on the lift and check the motor mounts and also the dampner.

My car is in a similar state. Not as bad, but similar. I am going to replace everything I can. I don't want to mess with Patches. Its 50 year old metal. Fatigued, heat cycled, thin, flimsily metal... IMO. I'll have 65k in my car by the time it is where I want it. I know I cant sell it for that. So what? I am learning!

I am planning on getting that and the full subframe from you guys at the same time. Can you please put the watts system on your website?

Wouldn't surprise me.

It seemed to vibrate before I swapped the ignition stuff. I don't remember which way the firing order was. I can try checking to see where it's at now and then changing the firing order to the other way. Have no power brakes. There is only vacuum going to the transmission and to the dizzy i think. Where is the PCV valve?

The engine in my car shakes too much. Its a 302 with a 2bbl. New plugs, cap, rotor, coil, electronic ignition. I bought a timing light for the car but there are no visible marks on the crank pulley for me to time it properly. I can rotate the dizzy clockwise and the idle seems better, than if I rotate it counter clockwise. I detect a misfire at idle as well. I am new to carburetors. That might be the culprit. It has no choke- or it doesn't work at least. I can speed up the idle or slow it down with that screw on the back side. I have tried to seek a balance between cold starting idle, and hot idle in the middle of traffic. I find myself putting the car in neutral at lights because I have to press the brake pedal too hard to keep it from lurching forward. I would guess that the idle is around 1000-1100. I have no tach and no means to tell engine speed. I have zero working gauges. The car takes a while to start up if I haven't started it in a few days. I usually have to crank it for 2-3 seconds around 4-5 times. After I drive it though it starts up immediately. Even the very next day. Thanks for anyone's input.

I have a lift in my garage. But I was planning on using a rotisserie. The car is driveable and just took it to my first Cars and Coffee! My wife has a 05 GT so it was cool to go together. I have a Max Jax lift as my ceiling is only 10 feet. Works well enough. Here are a couple pics so you can see what I am working with: Front frame rail has a nasty hole You can see that the floor pan is a mish-mosh and just screwed together. Its awful My plan is to use a Mustangs to Fear long subframe with IFS and a watts 4 link rear end. I already have a 9" that needs a rebuild. I have been saving up money for the suspension/frame/brake parts but also trying to get the car driveable. Its a 302 with a 2bbl and non powered drum brakes all around. I completely rewired the car with an AAW kit and also rebuild the C4, and swapped out rear ends so the car would not leave me stranded (for a second time).

Thankyou. My rear frame rails look ok but everything around them is rusted junk.

Can you take some more pictures of that bracing you made while you were installing the floor/trunk pans? I will have to do that too and Ive never seen how its supposed to be done, where to connect, welded or clamped...thanks Great project so far.

Man some of those look amazing. I really like the stock looking font gauges. E-Brake light would be cool too .

both of those look really good. Yeah i definitely want idiot lights. I didn't even think about turn signals and also low fuel. Good call.

Just read through your entire build... dude... you are tenacious and your skill is amazing. I particularly like how you welded 1/8" metal rod to the doors or fenders to determine you own gaps. I LOVE THAT! I want tight gaps too. I also want to build a make shift paint booth in my garage as well. Bravo!

ok so I recently rewired my entire car with an AAW kit. The gauges do not work (nothing electrical works for that matter). Well only the speedo does as I got a new cable- and only the high beam warning light- and I'm not really concerned with the stock gauges working anyway right now but...... When I complete this project I am going to want new gauges. I want the car to appear as stock as possible but I want modern gauges. Do any of you have new/aftermarket gauges in the stock cluster that "look" old school but have modern guts? I know there are only 4 gauge pods for the 69' but I think there's gotta be someone that makes a big style speedo and tach that will fit in the stock location and then also a dual gauge like coolant temp and oil pressure sharing a gauge and then fuel level and volt meter as another gauge. Am I totally off base here or is that a reality? The speedo will have to be at least 160mph+ and the tach 8k rpm+ thanks for your input.

Whats the deal with stepped headers? I am sure I can just google it, but I wanted to hear what yall think Peter

Here are some pictures of my dad's cars He had a 1 of 13 experimental Can Am 494 aluminum block he was going to use in the car.... sold it! damnit.... Experimented with several intake/carb setups over the years

Thankyou! Its been work so far getting the car road worthy, but still fun! Thanks Bob! Literally every moving part on the car will be available for sale when the time comes. Thank you! I'm sure i'll have a ton of questions as the project moves along.

Hey everyone! My name is Peter Sessler. I am a recent owner of a 1969 Mustang Fastback. I got the car on ebay in January and it has TONS of issues! But that's OK! I looked for one for about 9 months before I found one i could afford. I am going to have to tear everything apart anyway. A little backround on me..... Ive been a part of car forums for almost 20 years. My dad is an automotive writer. He has written over 90 books on cars. He had two 1969 Boss 429 Mustangs a 70 Mach 1 and also a 67 GT350 Convertible growing up. My dad has been on his "last legs" for the better part of a decade so this car is going to be our final project together. My plan is to build this car into a Boss 429 clone. From the outside it will appear as a stock Boss 429- but will have modern running gear. Interior will be as stock looking as possible as well. Using a 460 block and a pair of Jon Kasse heads. Stroke the motor to 600 cubes and have stack injection. I have been collecting parts for the project and also enjoying the car for what it is. I really refer to it as my gray turd. Car needs a new floor pan- cowl dumps water onto your feet, a bunch of patch work on the rear quarters among a lot of other areas. Basically the previous owner rattle canned the car and threw it together to sell it. Saying it was poorly "thrown together' is an understatement. Since I got the car I have completely re-wired it with a AAW harness. The car had almost ZERO wires in it. The dash was full of sand and dirt. I rebuilt the C4 myself which was a great experience. I have since acquired a 9" rear and a TR6060 that I plan on using- the 460 is on the stand- and I have the Boss 429 hood scoop. Within a couple of months I am going to buy the Mustangs to Fear long subframe with their IFS, a watts 4 link rear and big brakes. The car has non power drum brakes, but it does have power steering and factory A/C (that isn't there). Its a pretty basic car. I am going to do as much work myself as I can. I have never done body work before so that will be a new challenge. I am able to weld and do some light metal fab. I am a member of Vintage Mustang forums and also the Mustang Club of America. My wife has a 2005 Mustang GT in legend Lime with a 5-speed, long tube headers- and she absolutely loves the car. I have a 2013 Dodge Viper at 600whp so I am accustomed to a car having power, handling, and being able to stop. That's what I want my Boss 429 clone to be like. There is no reason it cant. Anyway, here are some pics of my gray turd! Before it was thrown together: As it sits now: C4 rebuild: Rewire: Car hasn't had lights in who knows how many decades. I really like wiring. It is astonishing me how it DESTROYS time! The frame has massive rust holes and the floor pan is literally cut up and screwed together. I am surprised that I don't fall through the floor. It does start right up and that's something though. I recently installed a 1 wire alternator and an electronic ignition. Everything leaks and the front wheel bearings are scary sounding but its still so nostalgic driving the car. Looking forward to reading your posts and contributing where i can! I have a ton more pics on my build thread on VMF, but i somehow found my way here so I figured id join a club dedicated to the most beautiful Mustang ever made.