BobW70Mach1

I just got the engine back from the engine builder. #1 cylinder had to be re-sleeved. The rest of the components were still good. Luckily the re-sleeving did not affect the other cylinders. They cleaned up the heads and intake and put it back together. I even had them break in the engine for me. So a few thousand dollars later I am ready to put it back into the car and get it running for the very first time. If I put some effort into it, I could get it on the road by summer. I need to polish those valve covers, too.

My original 69 trunk lid did not have the cut out. My aftermarket lid did.

I assume you have already removed the shifter handle?

It is hard to tell from the picture. Is the driver side rocker molding there? I really need one. There is one screw in the rear and a nut to remove inside the wheel well in the front of the molding. The rest pops off.

Not sure we are talking about the same thing. But, when I installed vintage air in my Torino I had to calibrate the levers. For the blower, first in the off position, then the full on position. I fount the blower would turn on when I turned my car on. I solved this by positioning the lever to slightly on, or low at the beginning of the calibration instead of all the way off. That way, after calibration, when I positioned the lever in the complete off position it was theoretically in the negative off position. This solved it.

Pertronix points needs 12 volts. They sell this simple kit to bypass the resistor wire without having to cut the wire. I would also make sure you have the Robert Shaw 180-333 thermostat. 99% of Cleveland problems are because people are using a Windsor thermostat. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004OXT3X4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So sorry that happened to you. You must have wanted to cry when that happened. I also recently started my car from the solenoid while working on a non start issue. Same thing happened. Luckily, I did not get hurt and was able to stop the car before it crashed. I dove into the passenger side and threw the gear shifter in park (luckily, passenger door was open at the time). Just some bruises, but I could have killed my self and maybe killed someone else also. A lesson to all of us to use blocks and put the parking brake on when starting the car from solenoid. I’m not sure it was in reverse at the time. I think it was in park and popped into reverse once it started.

I just skimmed through the web page. What a great resource! Thank you for posting it. I have save it for future reference.

Yes. The engine is definitely coming out. I used an endoscope to look in the spark plug holes and I see rust particles so I am not hopeful. I am going to take it to my engine guy and see what he says. I'm hoping some of it can be saved or at least not a full blown rebuild.

I bought a 69 428 Cobra Jet project from Bruce who advertised it on this site. He was a frequent contributor and was completely truthful about the car. I pretty much bought it sight unseen. You can see the ad in the “cars for sale” thread. Anyway, he told me that the engine was rebuilt, but was never broken in. The engine was rebuilt 10 years ago. I have had rebuilt engines sit around for a couple of years and didn’t have an issue with mine so I took a chance with this car and hoped for the best. You can read about what happened in the thread, but it ended up that there was some serious corrosion in the top end. At this point I am hoping the bottom end is not affected and I only have to have the heads rebuilt. I have to admit I am still happy I bought the car because of all the other good work on the build. I just posting as a reference to all the people who buy cars without really checking them out. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Always expect the worst.

Well, guys. You win some and you lose some. I don’t feel like I lost, but I don’t feel like a winner right now. I have had a busy year and am now just getting into the car. It has been in my garage all this time. Bruce did some fine work on the car before I got it, and he was completely truthful about the car. But, it was outside for many years after he did his work. It was covered by a bunch of heavy duty tarps. The engine was rebuilt with roller cam/lifters and even had roller tipped rockers. It was a sweet build, but Mother Nature will win every time. The first clue was when I took the carb to be rebuilt and found out it was totally ruined. The carb rebuilder who is very experienced said it was the worst corrosion he has ever seen. I had to trash the carb and buy a new one. The second clue was finding the same corrosion in the aluminum police interceptor intake. At the same time, I realized I could only turn the crank 90 degrees before it got stuck. I pulled the intake and almost cried. As I was lifting it out a bunch of debris fell out of the intake onto the engine. This is what I found. I still need to pull the heads. I am praying that the cylinders are ok, but I doubt it. I hope the damage is only in the heads and the engine block can be saved.

A Chevy guy who does Ford Carbs? Would you happen to be talking about Henry Franklin in Portland? I just got back my carb from him. I took my “U” carb to him to get it rebuilt. Unfortunately, the inside was trashed. It was not salvageable. He has thousands of carbs and found a better “U” core and rebuilt that for me. I haven’t put it on the car yet, but I am very impressed. I asked that he try to keep costs down so a few of the outside hardware pieces are painted instead of restoring the finish. Unlike some people I have no problem saying what I paid. I paid $900 and am very happy.

What a great response on this thread. I chased overheating issues with my Cleveland for a long time after my rebuild. After switching fans and radiators multiple times I finally figured out it was the thermostat. Duh! Such an easy fix. I remember going to the parts store during my rebuild and specifically asking for a Cleveland thermostat because I knew they were different. I was too inexperienced to realize they gave me a Windsor thermostat. They insisted repeatedly it was the right one. I asked “Are you sure?” “Yes. We are sure.” Also there is so much misinformation out there. A lot of “know it all” people even say to remove the brass ring to solve overheating issues.

I'm installing a Scott Drake transverse stock OEM type exhaust on my 1969 Mustang Cobra jet. I'm having trouble lining up the muffler so that it doesn't touch the fuel line from the gas tank I'm also having trouble making sure the pipes don't touch the bottom of the trunk floor and wheel house area. It seems to me the brackets welded on to the pipes just after the resonators needs to be back further on the pipe To make it hang correctly. Can someone look at theirs or provide a picture so that I can see if these brackets are actually in the right place?

I am in the exact same boat. Looking to rebuild a numbers correct carb for my CJ. What did it cost? I found a new local guy I have never used before who is going to charge a couple hundred. Would like to go with someone who has a track record. Would like to know cost before going in that direction.

I have to admit, I did not even know this was an option. You just need a paypal account. Easy as 1, 2, 3. I’m sure any amount would help.

Following……. Where does this chart originate? Is it in a manual or book?

I bought one at West Coast Classic Cougar for my 351 Cleveland. Fit perfectly. Try them.

Yes. I was going to sell it, but now I’m going to keep it for now. I now have 5 cars total. All in various states of dis-repair. I’ve got to stop buying cars and start restoring them.

It has been almost a year, but true to his word, Bruce gave me first shot at it when he decided to put it back up for sale. Thank you Bruce. Bruce texted me on Wednesday to see if I was still interested. I drove 12 hours to get there on Sunday and it is in my garage now. I can’t wait to get to work on it. Bruce has done all the hard stuff already. Plenty more to do and more parts to buy. This car goes to the front of the line in my garage. Now I have a brother to my 1970 Mach 1.

Torino has been sold.

Trade for a 69 Mustang Fastback project anyone? Anyone have a 69 Fastback project gathering dust in their garage? I will trade you my just completed restored 70 Torino for it (listed in Portland OR craigslist). I just bought a 69 basket case Mustang fastback. It needs everything. I am happy to have it, but I would love to have a project that is a complete car.

I was like you 8 years ago when I bought my 70 Torino. I knew nothing and did not grow up around other guys who worked on their cars. No one in my family worked on cars when growing up. None of my current friends worked on cars. Even with those disadvantages I learned how to restore my car. I learned everything by obsessively stalking the forums and watching thousands of videos. I did it on my own. By myself. You said you want to learn by doing. You are right. That is the only way. When most of these guys started working on cars they were just teenagers working on their car in the driveway and even at the curb. You just have to start with something small. Figure it out and build your knowledge little by little. Unfortunately, it is very unlikely someone in a car club is going to take you under their wing and help you with your project. They probably have their own project they need to work on. I would just keep watching the videos and doing the research. Good luck.

Just offering an opinion. Personally, if you are doing the work yourself, ANY intact 69 fastback is worth 5K in ANY condition. But, if you are paying other people to do the work, I would keep walking. By kit car, I assume you mean a fastback conversion? I really don’t know why someone would go to all that trouble if they could spend a little more money for the real McCoy.