Wild_pony

I'm glad to see it back up! Several of is were beginning to have withdraw

LONG POST AHEAD!! recently I learned of a vendor just 2 hours up the road from me. The name is amco mustang. They are located in Harrison Arkansas. You will not find a website, and zero social media. The owner recently died at the age of 90. Since he has passed his widow has taken over and the kids help run the business. I just want to share my experience. I heard about this business on facebook, and had no idea what I was getting into when I arrived at the shop. I grabbed my tools, and hit the road. I was fully prepared to scrounge through a mustang junkyard. I WAS WRONG!!! Yes, Amco does have used parts, but they mostly focus on new parts for 65-70 mustang. They have 3 buildings packed with parts. Each building is approximately 7200 sq ft. If you are looking for sheetmetal, give them a call. They have a lot of it. They also have a lot upholstery, and even some stuff for 65-68 shelby mustangs. Parts galore! I was there from 10 am to 5 pm, and I didnt see everything. Ok, onto my experience. The widow is elderly, probably in her 80s. Her name is butch, and she is sweet, honest and just nice to be around. Her daughter was there to help her, and I would say she was in her 30s or 40s. Very nice, knowledgeable and patient. The prices on new stuff is very fair. They are in line with NPD, Virginia mustang and the like. Somethings they are higher priced, and some things they are less. But there is just 2 of them. And I'd rather give them my money over some corporation. They have everything from carpet to windshields. Body panels, radiators, performance parts and on and on. Used parts...this is where things got a little sticky for me. Now, I will say this. I am new to the mustang world. I was raised around International harvester, and own several of them. Over the past 30 years, I've gotten to know most of the business owners on a personal level. And when you are dealing with a small community, we treat each other more than fair. Like this " I've got a few of those, if you need one pay for shipping and dinner and I will send one to you". That's how the community works, and I am sure there are folks like that here. But I'm new, so I really have no idea. I needed a rear quarter extension. They had plenty of new, but they also had a large crate full of used ones. So, into the bin we reach and pull one out. There was dozens of them. As we were walking around, I was tripping over air cleaners. There are 50 of them...at least. Along with dozens of transmissions, dozens of 8 inch and 9 inch axles, and Individual third members. In my spoiled experience with IH, I expected the same response to pricing. I WAS WRONG! she wanted over 150 bucks for a old greasy air cleaner. She wanted 75 for the used extension. Full axles are 500. Third members are 350. Transmissions were 500 and up. There was no negotiation. My jaw hit the floor. I really wasn't expecting that. I wasnt expecting to get anything for free. But I also wasnt expecting to pay those prices. I can buy 9 inch rear ends all day long for 200. I picked up a toploader for 175, and a 4r70w for 250, just recently. I paid 30 for a quarter extension. I was deflated. I was shocked. I was reeling due to the rigidity of pricing on used parts. I mean, if I have 50 air cleaners and you need one, here is an old greasy one. Get it out of my way. I've been tripping over them for 30 years... But again. That is due to being spoiled. I'm sure. And to be fair, she gave me a great deal on a package tray, a granada disc brake swap, and mirrors. So overall I feel like it all came out in the wash. And I am satisfied with the overall price of my package. Im also grateful to have a vendor close to me. I will definitely use them again. I will temper my expectations. If you are near Harrison Arkansas its definitely worth a visit. You will be overwhelmed!!! It was unbelievable. If you need parts, I do suggest giving them a call. But you have to Google the phone number. I'm not giving it to you. Hahaha.

I was able to tear this 351w engine down today. What I have found is that it was recently rebuilt. The PO went with a stock style piston, bored .030. The cam is a lunati 268/268 "HIGH EFFICIENCY" cam. These are the specs- Hydraulic Flat Tappet Cam. Good cam for daily performance usage with good low end and mid range torque and HP. Good idle. ;Advertised Duration (Int/Exh): 268/268 ;Duration @ .050 (Int/Exh): 218/218 ;Gross Valve Lift (Int/Exh): .488/.488 ;LSA/ICL: 110/106 ;Valve Lash (Int/Exh): Hyd/Hyd ;RPM Range: 1500-4500 based on the summit calculator, if I use TF 190 11r heads with the 56CC chamber, and stick with the current pistons, I will have right around 10.2 compression. Which I think is pretty good with aluminum heads. the cam and lifters are newish. If I use these heads, will this cam be a good match? I've read that this cam wont like this high of compression. Is that correct? I'm not trying to skimp, per se. But since this cam is new, and already broken in, I'd like to use it if it's a good match for what I want to do. Comp has a similar cam, the lunati has slightly more lift .488 vs .448. Comp says thier cam will make power to 5500 rpm, so why is the lunati only making power to 4500? Again, this is a street car, but sometimes I gotta lay down the hammer (probably around 6k rpm), especially when coming off the on ramp. I know these questions are elementary. I just havent quite wrapped my head around cam specs yet, so I have a hard time understanding. ... I appreciate your guys input.

Hey Everyone, I have purchased a 351W from a 1987 Truck. The previous owner did some things to it, but then decided to go with a 460 instead. So, it appears this motor has all new gaskets.... Anyhow... This motor has a Weiland Stealth manifold, an upgraded distributor, and a Comp 368H cam in it. It has E7 heads. The heads were just rebuilt, but again E7 Heads. My questions: How much TQ/HP do you think this motor is currently making? If I decide to move with an aftermarket head, Either AFR 185 or 190 11R heads from trick flow, is the Current Cam worth keeping? I'd like to hit 400 TQ/HP. But If I can get over 300 I think I would be able to live with that. Just trying to budget...because this 69 coupe needs plenty of other work. If the current set up is something I can live with, I may just put it in. But if I need to spend some money to get decent performance, then I will. I don't want this to be a dog. This is a street only car. It will be paired with a 4R70W. I will be driving on hilly, curvy back roads, very little stop and go traffic, but I have a weekly commute to a town about 50 miles away, so I will see a bit of freeway time. I also want my Wife to be able to drive it in an emergency. What say the Collective?

Oh, I can only imagine. Even a fastback was out of my league. But the coupe is growing on me.

Nice post. I am beginning to see the bigger picture here. I'm definitely going to have to check out some shows. And I'm going to probably ask you to shuffle through your stash, if your willing. As an aside- I'd really like to thank everyone. I was discouraged. I was shocked. But you've all made me feel better. I have hope again. Now, keep posting if you know where to find parts!!

That is a huge help. Thank you!!! I do need a headliner for a coupe. I think I have the bows...I think maybe 4 or 5 of them?. I am definitely interested. I'll also hit up those other contacts for stuff. I need just about everything. Lol.

He cant touch my shorts, but I will probably be sending him a few harnesses to rebuild. That's a cool service for sure.

My skin is pretty thick. No offence taken. I totally get what you are saying. I was relieved to buy a mustang. I knew I could get any part I wanted. Much like the Torino crowd, the IH crowd is used to fabrication. Very little aftermarket support causes one to think outside the box. I was tired of that. I want to be able to buy something off the shelf and install it. That sounds weird. I'm used to fabrication, and the grinding, sanding, painting, just to make this certain piece look factory...ish. I am suprised at the cost of mustang parts. But I knew there were guys out there who do cool stuff for the mustang crowd. Much like the link above from the guy who restores gauge clusters. I know I'm rambling, but folks like that will get my money. If you know of any vendors who like that guy, please let me know. When I travel, I like to eat where the locals eat. The same applies here.

No that is what I'm talking about!!! I want to know people like that! Thank you for those links.

I have been there for sure. I once had an early production v8 scout. At the time, it was just another rust bucket. And I would rather have the 500 bucks. So I sold it. That scout today would be worth a small fortune. I hate that I sold it. Btw, my 69 stang doesnt have much, but it has A/C...well most of it anyway.

So basically, what you are saying is that the mustang is the future of the scout. Just now, they (the scout) are commanding huge prices. 40k+ is pretty regular. I used gett phone calls from complete strangers asking me to haul that ole scout away. No so anymore. Now most everyone wants a premium for the pile of rust sitting in the field. But those of us in the know, those who have been in the hobby for 30 years, know where to still find the bargains...like Phil, or many more like him. At one point in history, maybe the mustang was like that...probably not. You bring up some great points. And some food for thought. An amateur like me thought..well there were a bazillion of mustangs made, so there are a bazillion parts. Thus parts are cheap. I guess that is not so. I've spent a life time "making things work" on a scout, cuz no one cared enough to produce it. Now, I am seeing the other side of the coin, and it punched me in the face. The hard truth is, this hobby isnt cheap. Weither you own an orphan, or are the most popular kid in school, it all has a price... I am definitely handy. And I can build pretty much anything. I think the challenges with my scouts/trucks will serve me well... So there really isnt anyone who makes vinyl stickers to replicate the walnut grain of mach one? No one who has a pile of parts anymore? That is totally sad... I guess I better get ready to bite the bullet.

Guys and gals. I am very new to mustangs. I've recently acquired a 69 coupe. My background is in international harvester. Born and raised around them. The best trucks/ SUVs (it has to be, ford copied IH for the bronco) ever, but the mustang is the iconic American muscle car, and I've always wanted one. So, I bought one, well the shell of one anyway. As I have been looking at at vendors, I have realized that I must be missing something... I must apologize beforehand for my rant. I decided to look for a console. 500- 700 bucks for a console with walnut trim. How about a dash overlay in walnut to mimic the mach 1? 200-300 bucks. Seriously? Is there no one who makes vinyl dash overlays for the dash and console for like 50 bucks? Is there no one who sells used parts at a deeply discounted, but fair price? Is there no one who has mountains of toploaders, and 302s just waiting to be picked from? Hundreds of sunvisors, and headliners to sort through? Grills and seats stacked to the ceiling? Are all the vendors that greedy, and are all the customers willing to pay? Or is it like the scout world, where you have newbies who pay the premium price for the nice website that cj pony has? In the IH world, we have a crooked website. They wait to take advantage of the unassuming customers. And, we have a guy named Phil. Phil worked in the production line for scouts in the 60s and 70s. Phil has a huge IH junkyard in Colorado. If it was made, Phil has it, and more than one of it. And, Phil loves IH, and IH people. So, his prices ar fair, and we are happy to support a fellow lover of the orphan SUV. Phil will send out your part, as long as you say you'll put the check in the mail. Really. Is there a guy like that in the vintage mustang world? Or am I stuck paying these prices? Millions of these Mustangs were made. Surely there is someone out there who loves mustangs, and loves mustang people. There is a guy out there who bleeds ford blue, and is willing to invite you to his home, because you bleed ford blue as well? There is a crazy guy hoarding parts, because he loves to?. I was to meet that guy. Is there anyone like Phil? Or am I total idiot? I'm suffering some sticker shock here. And I'm perplexed, because there were some many Mustangs made. The supply should be there to support cheap ass people like me. Lol!! Input, good, bad. Otherwise is appreciated. I need your help. Thanks.

That is a beautiful car!!! Wow!!! And fantastic info. What mods did you have on your 393 to get that power ?

Awesome. Thanks!!!