69Mach1 M code

Does anyone have a recommendation for a spray type undercoating for the undercarriage? I replaced the torque boxes and floor pans and would like to mimic the original appearance within reason. As we all know the original material is either tar or something that behaves close to it. I've got a few things in mind but was wondering how many have been down this road before.

While we're on the subject of solenoids, I would recommend to anyone who has an older Ford vehicle with the solenoid mounted on the inner fender to occasionally have someone start the vehicle while you observe the solenoid. This should be done with the ambient lighting low enough to visually observe an electrical arc if one is present, preferably at night. I had an older Mustang with the original solenoid still in it, no problems with starting at all. My Dad started the vehicle while I just so happened to be looking into the engine bay and sure enough, a large arc of electrical current ran from the housing to one of the mounting screws. After close examination I could see a small fracture had formed in the housing after about 50 years of age and heat cycling.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm using the 40.25 and 30-9/16 inch dimensions mentioned above as references. The export brace I have is a Drake unit through NPD. I was curious how much impact spreading the towers apart has on the mounting points of the upper and lower control arms. Ultimately only time will tell when I have it aligned. Oddly enough, the last time I had it aligned many years ago (but not many miles), the mechanic told me all three settings were able to be obtained with the adjustments in the middle of each range. Based on the limited discussion on the net about any alignment problems after fitting the export braces, I'm sure I'm just making a mountain out of mole hill and need to focus on the next task at hand; welding the floor pans in later this week.

I know this is an old post but I'm trying to keep as much info in one place for future reference. It looks like my new export brace is going to require the shock towers to be spread apart by about 1 inch to get the holes to line up. I've seen a number of posts and videos using a portable spreader, bumper jack, etc. to spread the towers. Is the best location to load the towers close to the top or should it be closer to the middle of the height, or does it even matter? The reason I'm asking is I wasn't sure if the towers deform or do they pretty much just pivot around the base where they join to the subframe and tilt outward?

Having spent time as a Marine Grunt many moons ago, quotes from Full Metal Jacket have always been near and dear to me. Platoon is another favorite that is full of memorable quotes. Since this is a car forum, I'll pick a quote from the classic Pulp Fiction and clean it up a bit; "What's more chicken than messin' with a man's automobile? I mean, don't mess with another man's vehicle. It's just against the rules".

I attended the Charlotte AutoFair a couple of weeks back and came across a used Edelbrock RPM Performer 2181 with the following measurements: Rear height = 4-7/8 inches (4.875) and Front height = 3-5/8 inches (3.625). It was not in the best condition with several stripped threads so I passed. Thanks for all of your detailed work, Mach1 Driver. Using the Weiand looks more promising now than it did in the beginning. I've got a ways to go before I drop the motor back in so I won't be able to confirm the actual clearances for a while.

Yes, I was referring to the sticker or emblem that was located either on the rear tail light panel or bumper that advertised the dealer. I had the same idea about a license plate frame and sure enough, there was one on eBay. $150 is a little steep though. Looks like I'll be spending some time on CAD to model a replica.

Looking for some details related to a rather unique item. I'm planning on having a dealer sticker made for a Mustang sold by Warren - Anderson Ford in Riverside, CA in the late 60's. The dealership is still there but has been renamed Fritts Ford. It's a serious long shot but, hoping someone on the forum in the CA area knows of a survivor car, has some old photos, etc. that would provide some details on the dealer sticker. I've already contacted the dealership for old records but no luck yet.

Resurrecting this post to help draw a conclusion before dropping the engine back in. As I mentioned above, the Weiand manifold I purchased during the parts scarcity era a wile back may be cutting it close with my non-shaker hood setup. Has anyone else used the Weiand 8023WND with no shaker? What spacer / air cleaner / carb combination did you use? For those that used a different aluminum intake and haven't commented previously, what combination did you use?

I'm looking for comments from those experienced with having purchased and used front end alignment equipment, particularly on our old Mustangs. I'm referring to the equipment for a home garage, not the full boogie set up in a professional garage. What were some of the pros and cons you encountered? Any suggestions on brand / type?

I forgot to mention one other feature that was off 1/2 inch as well. The flat area that makes contact with the flanges on the floor support. I called NPD last week and explained the situation. I asked them to measure the ones they had listed as "imported" and claiming that the stamping dimensions were better than the Spectra panels. NPD is only 30 minutes from my work so I was planning on picking up a better fitting set of panels. They measured the access holes and claimed they were off even more than the panels I had. After stopping by the Barley School of Metal Working for some supplies, I decided to tackle the floor part of the project today. I ended up cutting off 1/2 inch on the flange side and bending it upwards like the originals so the Pebble Beach judges wouldn't notice.

Got the torque box all buttoned up and started fitting the floor pan. I measured 6 inches from the edge of the rocker panel to the centerline of the hole for the seat track. (The camera angle makes it look different than 6 inches). The passenger side is all original and I've been using that for reference dimensions as I reassemble the drivers side. The passenger side measures 5-1/2 inches. Can the new panel be this far off? It's a Spectra Premium panel. Was this panel made on a Friday afternoon or is this expected?

Attached is a photo of the driver's side toe board. The flange on the left, adjacent to the Sharpie, is bend downward towards the torque box. Should this be bent 180 degrees upwards towards the floor side, or just trimmed off?

Thanks to latoracing for providing me with some pointers on how to form the flanges. Below are some photos of the driver's vent that I've been working on. I need about 3/4 of the circumference on this vent and a little less on the passenger side. I decided to go a slightly different route and form the needed flange out of two pieces to see if I could avoid fabricating forms. I used primarily a bench vice, two pliers (one positioned on each side of the bend radius), a hammer, and some scrap pieces of metal to help form a sharper bend radius. Oh, and some cardboard to make a template (only a DiGiorno pepperoni and cheese box will work here). The final photo is of the two fabricated flanges held in place only with some welding magnets, so they're not completely flat.

I measured the Weiand 8023WND intake on the engine and the results are 6 inches in the back and 4-1/2 inches in the front; Carb pad height = 5.25 inches. I double checked the measurements I posted above for the original cast iron intake and stand by them. The p/n is C90E-9425-E with a casting date of 9E15. I purchased the car in the mid-80's from the original owner. The scene where Ken Miles was hammering on the boot to provide clearance for the mandatory spare tire is flashing through my head now ................

Weiand 8023WND but haven't dropped it back into the car yet. Still working on the unibody. May have to use a dropped air cleaner.

I have an original cast iron 4V intake off the engine and measure 3-5/8 in the rear and 2-3/8 in the front near the thermostat.

Thanks. I may take you up on the offer.

Wow, nice work, Latoracing. Looks like it even has the inner lip on the I.D. in place. I've got a similar situation as Casgar where I'll have to repair about 1/3 of the flange and POR15 the balance of it.

I'm in need of the same section that you grafted into your original panel. I think if they used body sealer originally instead of the porous foam gaskets that retained moisture, the metal flange would have held up better.

Does anyone know of a source for just the foot well vent panels? They list them as "side panel, cowl, inner". What you get is the panel that the vent assembly mounts to (what I need) as well as the vertical panel that is positioned adjacent to it. The steel is all good in my car except for the six-sided flange around the vent opening. I could fabricate it but considering the time and welding required I figured I'd buy the panel. Current price per side is $142. Yikes!

The lower section of the frame rail was completely rusted to the old floor support and the adjacent material was deeply pitted and pretty thin. I was able to get a pair of calipers on the upper section of the frame rail that's still in good shape. I threw the calipers on the new floor support as well and found part of the problem. It looks like there is a bit of a draft angle from bottom to top due to forming, about 0.100" or so. The inside width at the bottom of the floor support is about the same as the top of the frame rail so I should be good to go. I may remove the draft angle in the press to square things up.

I purchased new floor supports from NPD. I noticed that they have quite a bit of clearance when positioned over the rear of the original front frame rails. I would guess about 1/8th inch side to side. Is this normal? If not, I'm planning on using shims on each side to take up the clearance(?) Has anyone had a similar scenario?

I am replacing the torque boxes, floor supports, and floor pans in the Mach. What is the recommended method to protect the interior surfaces of the frame rails since I will be welding to them? I've used POR15 on other projects and it's held up well but I didn't use it around any welded areas. Can I use POR up to a couple of inches from the areas to be welded and then use Upol Weld #2? This will be my first time using Upol so I'm not sure how well it prevents rust.

I purchased the two piece torque boxes based on the recommendations of web reviews sometimes making it easier to fit into place. The one detail I'm not sure about; after the two panels are welded together as well as to the rocker / floor support / subframe, is the top of the box where the two torque box panels join then welded to the firewall / toe board? I see several spot welds where the toe board is welded to the angled panel of the torque box about half way down but I'm not sure about the top. I haven't started cutting yet but am just planning things out to do it right.