1970 Mach 1 - Texas Car

[AusTex70 43]

Howdy from Texas.

I bought this 1970 Mach 1 back in September 2022. I had a 1967 Mustang Convertible about 10 years ago, and always wanted another Mustang. 

One evening I was casually looking thru Facebook marketplace, this 1970 Mach 1 was for sale. 
It was priced to move, so I texted the seller. He had already set up buyers to look at the car the next day. I asked what part of town he was in, and it was only 10 minutes from my house.  Two hours later, I had purchased the car. 

Like I said, it was priced to sell, but the photos he sent me did not reflect the current condition of the car, and he forgot to mention a title issue, needed tires, ran poor, steering issues, and a lot of pieces of the car where in boxes. 

Here is the photo he had posted. 

[AusTex70 43]

Here is what I found when I went to purchase the car. ;) 

I was able to drive it home, and it took two more trips to his house to pick up all the parts. The good news is that all the parts I needed where there. In talking to him, I think he was over his head on the project and just wanted to get out from under it. 

 

[RPM 1,190]

Nice start. What if any problem areas do you have? What part of Austin are you located? Ive got family there. 

[smh00n 87]

.

[kblagron 20]

Looks like most of the parts are there.  I started with a shell, and have been slowly putting it together.  You are much further along.  Hopefully there isn't any rust issues.  Shaker hood and deluxe interior are big plus'es.  Looks like you also have power brakes and power steering.  Living in Austin, I am thinking that A/C may be in your future (I live in the North Houston area)

[AusTex70 43]

On 5/9/2023 at 10:31 PM, RPM said:

Nice start. What if any problem areas do you have? What part of Austin are you located? Ive got family there. 

Iam in North Austin. As for the "Problem Areas", the entire car is a bit of a basket case. It was obvious that the past owner did not know anything about Mustangs, first thing I did was rework the cooling system. 

It would not heat up past 160,  I found crud stuck in the T-stat, and no restrictor plate and incorrect T-stat for a Cleveland. So, I flushed the block, had the radiator boiled and tested, all new hoses and correct T-stat set up. I also bought the correct fan shroud for the car, installed a 7 blade fan and fan clutch used on the cobra Jet engine. Now that the car is warming up and cooling properly, I can focus on reworking the Holley Sniper and Fuel system. 

I had a hard time tracking down the proper fan clutch to use with the 7 blade fan I ordered the fan off of NPD. 
8600-12 FAN BLADE ASSY, 7 BLADE
8146-5 FAN SHROUD

Amazon:
Dorman 23733: Water Pump Stud Kit - 5/16-18 x 7/16 and 5/16-24 x 5/8 Overall Length of 1-1/4
Hayden Automotive 2747 Premium Fan Clutch

 

[AusTex70 43]

18 hours ago, kblagron said:

Looks like most of the parts are there.  I started with a shell, and have been slowly putting it together.  You are much further along.  Hopefully there isn't any rust issues.  Shaker hood and deluxe interior are big plus'es.  Looks like you also have power brakes and power steering.  Living in Austin, I am thinking that A/C may be in your future (I live in the North Houston area)

I've been following your build. I have family and work in Houston, so Iam there often. Iam a Vintage Air dealer.. A/C is on the list! 

[RPM 1,190]

North Austin huh? My brother lives on Loring Dr south of Anderson Mill. Your email rings a bell, I think I bought something from you. 

 

[AusTex70 43]

8 hours ago, RPM said:

North Austin huh? My brother lives on Loring Dr south of Anderson Mill. Your email rings a bell, I think I bought something from you. 

 - Anderson Mill is not far from my house. Not sure what I would of sold you. ;) 

 

[AusTex70 43]

Now that the car is cooling well, we decided to address a leak on the valve cover. The PO had told me that the guy he bought the car from had "Refreshed" the engine. Not sure what he his version of "refreshed" is, but to my surprise the heads are 2V, and not original to the car, but look good, and run well. 

[Grabber70Mach 107]

Welcome to 69stang.com. Looks like you definitely picked up a good looking project.  Looking forward to seeing it as you progress along on it.  Keep us posted on it.

[AusTex70 43]

@kblagron - the car has all the pieces, still inventorying all the parts. Car has been repainted, and the floor pans have been patched. For some reason they painted it Mitsubishi Pure white!  I do have new floor pans and Seat pedestals to be in stalled. PO had a picture of the Marti Report, not the actual report. Not sure of the full story of how and who he bought it from. 

 

[Cantedvalve 128]

I am digging that Jack Daniels overflow tank!

[TexasEd 188]

@AusTex70 I saw this post and I live off Anderson Mill in Cedar Park.  If you want to get together, drink a beer or work on stuff let me know.  My 69 is in the paint shop for a while.  I've taken about every part off it and put them all back on so I could help with your reassembly.

 

[RPM 1,190]

Not to hijack your thread, but...

I'll be there in late September and will have to meet up with all y'all. 

 

[kblagron 20]

17 hours ago, AusTex70 said:

@kblagron - the car has all the pieces, still inventorying all the parts. Car has been repainted, and the floor pans have been patched. For some reason they painted it Mitsubishi Pure white!  I do have new floor pans and Seat pedestals to be in stalled. PO had a picture of the Marti Report, not the actual report. Not sure of the full story of how and who he bought it from. 

 

Looks to be very well optioned, including A/C, but didn't see that in your engine bay photo.  Should be a very fun car!

[TexasEd 188]

I'd love to see the white upholstery 

[AusTex70 43]

Next on the list was dealing with the Holley Sniper. One of the biggest issues is idle, it would not idle properly and die at when I was driving and brought the car to a stop. 

I had read about the Sniper RF / wiring issues, so I address that first. The wiring was a mess, and not done properly. I found wires twisted together, and wrapped in tape, bad crimp connectors, and sloppy wiring. I decided to pull everything out under the hood and rewire.

I also did the math on the amps that Holley Sniper pulled,  upgraded stereo, and vintage air. I upgraded the alternator with a 1 wire, and two high amp fuses. 
One for the alternator, the other for the audio equipment in the trunk. Also the main power and grounds to the battery and alternator where not large enough, and where in bad shape.

From what I've read on the Holley EFI forum you need to do a few things for the Sniper. Proper grounding, direct +/- to battery, good shielded spark-plug wires. Also make sure wires are not crossing the spark-plug wires. I also the RF cable suppressors on the leads to the Sniper unit, can't hurt. 

Powermaster Street Alternators 577491 (black color) - Part Number: PWM-577491.
Bussmann AMG High-Amp Stud Mount Fuses AMG-175, Part Number: BSS-AMG175
Yarachel 50PCS RFI EMI Noise Suppressor Cable Clip for 3.5mm/ 5mm/ 7mm/ 9mm/ 13mm Diameter Cable

 

[AusTex70 43]

58 minutes ago, TexasEd said:

I'd love to see the white upholstery 

Me too, but along the way, it was swapped out to black. 

[AusTex70 43]

On 5/11/2023 at 9:41 PM, RPM said:

Not to hijack your thread, but...

I'll be there in late September and will have to meet up with all y'all. 

 

Sounds good to me!

[AusTex70 43]

Some more progress photos. Tires that came on the car where dry-rotted. Decided to go up a rim size, 15x8

U.S. Mags Rambler U111 Gunmetal with Machined Lip Wheels 
Rear - P235/60R-15 BFGOODRICH RADIAL T/A (28.9)
Front - P215/60R-15 BFGOODRICH RADIAL T/A (26.9)

[AusTex70 43]

My garage was smelling like gas, ALOT! So I decided to investigate and dig into the fuel lines, and gas tank.  
Poor wiring and the wrong type of hoses, gas seeping from the connections, and the main fuel line routed next to the drive shaft!!!

Bought some SS 3/8 PTFE Hose and 6AN fittings, and bulk head connectors from Hot Rod Fuel Hose. 
I also used these nifty connectors in the engine bay from Hotrod Hippie. 

I have had fuel smell from tank vents in the past, so I decided to go overkill on the tank vent hose.
Using some 5/16 Gates Barricade Injection Fuel hose, overkill, but I had some from another project.) to a Newton TPV6 Pressure release valve, then to a hardline loop and draining out the rear of the car. 

More info on the GT500 hardline loop here: link

The Newton valve is cool, it opens when you have pressure, and closes when things cool off. So no gas tank vent smell in the garage. 

The PO had purchased a new Tanks Inc system with a in tank pump. The only negative about this tank set up is having all the connections on top, so something needed to be done to protect those connections. The sound of the pump was also noisy. I added some sound deadener to the top of the tank and the entire trunk area. I also started to work on finishing out the trunk with a false floor. With the new floor, sound deadener, and a rubber mat - I can't hear the pump. 

I have zero smell now, and I think the Sniper is running better.

[smh00n 87]

I have the same tank and the top fittings are a pain. Been toying with the false floor thing so will be watching (can y'all put up dimensions, thicknesses, screw sizes ... :))

The Sniper idle issue seems to be common. I have only started to experience it with my new engine. There are a lot of video's on you tube on how to fix, some following Holley way and some just random. In a nutshell, the IAC needs to be shown some love by adjusting the idle screw.

Personally I don't think the tank vent is needed. The gas caps are not sealed (or mine is not) so they vent anyway. I ran my vent line straight back and down above the number plate light.

I too want your JD overflow bottle but the Trunk Monkey on the wall prevents me from coming and taxing it.

[AusTex70 43]

I'll make a parts list and take some more 

16 hours ago, smh00n said:

I have the same tank and the top fittings are a pain. Been toying with the false floor thing so will be watching (can y'all put up dimensions, thicknesses, screw sizes ... :))

I too want your JD overflow bottle but the Trunk Monkey on the wall prevents me from coming and taxing it.

I'll be happy to post more info on my trunk finish out.

Don't be afraid of the trunk money... . Most of the time he is on the laptop and can be distracted easily.  Here is more info on the overflow bottle - link

[AusTex70 43]

Decided to work on the MACH 1 trim. They where not on the car when I bought it. Luckily all the pieces where there, just scratched up. 

I took some steel wool, and cleaned up the MACH 1 down to the bare metal. Then Masked those letters,  scuffed, primed, painted. 
The paint is Krylon Metallic dark metal #2769, and the Krylon clear coat on top. I think this color works well with the wheels. The Chrome strips where in ok shape, I might replace them, but they will work for now. 

All the studs had to be repaired, so I drilled them out, and epoxied some bolt onto the trim. As for the clips, I was able to find some at NAPA #665-1917 that worked.