70 Mach 1 resto - looking for advice

[trips left 0]

Hello All,

New to the site, looking for advice from you pros.  I'm starting a father/son resto on a 70 Mach 1.  We bought it here in CA but it had a North Carolina title and was reportedly a barn find with 68k on the clock.  When it was delivered I was able to start it and drive it into my garage without issue. Marti says Metuchen, 2 door sport, 351c, 3.0 conventional diff, FMX tranny, power steering, Lime metal with Ivy interior.  From my inspection almost everything is original, and there is surpsingly few rust issues (that I can see).

Primary goal is a comfortable and reliable weekend driver for me and my son (and keep it in the family for awhile).  But it's so damn original I'd like to keep it that way wherever possible.  Those two goals don't always align so I'd like some advice on a few things before we get started.  (Money not an issue.)

I'm unsure about:

Starter is original - replace or keep?

Alternator - same

Autolite Distributor and coil - same

Water pump - same

Carter fuel pump - same (or rebuild?)

Diff - keep as is or upgrade gears and add Lock?

Here's what I've decided to do:

Add a/c ... replace front drums with discs and add power ... replace suspension with Moog, Billsteins, Eaton springs, Open tracker perches ... send leaky steering control valve and pump out for rebuild  ... rebuild engine in house with my son ... send tranny to shop for rebuild ... FPA headers with stock exhaust kit ... new wiring from either American or Painless ... keep original seats but reupholster ... replace rest of interior to black ... dustless  blast the car, fix any rust (probably replace the whole floor pan) and paint Calypso Coral.

Thanks in advance for any or your opinions!  I'll move over to the "Build" thread once we get started.

[barnett468 418]

what engine is it?

will you build it back to stock?

where are you located?

i am a scott drake dealer and can save you some money or parts if you want.

 

the best seat foam by far is from american cushion industries.

tmi is about the place that makes half decent seat covers but they all use chinese vinyl which looks more dark gray then black. you can probably still buy orig upholstery from sms then give it to tim and they will sew the seat covers if you want more of an nos interior.

i only use door panels from virginia mustang on 69/70 deluxe interiors because they are the closest to the originals. someone else probably sells them but i have no idea who it might be.

if the chrome around your gauges and clock is faded, you can get that redone at a couple places.

the best paint you can probably still get is ppg solvent base. the water base paint looks like crap.

if you want aftermarket disc, i would consider willwoods with the radial caliper and 1.125 thick rotors.

the best gears are us gear or the italian made motive gears.

if you want improved cornering you can lower the upper a arm mounting position 1" or buy 1" lowering a arms. check to see if the ball joints bind at full suspension travel if you use stock type arms. if they do, you can install a wedge kit.

slightly larger front sway bar with urethane bushings.

shelby style shock tower brace helps some as does a rally bar. sub frame connectors also help.

if someone gave me an american wire kit i would not use it. i only use stock type wiring with minor mods to it whenever necessary

i only use remflex header gaskets but in some cases you can use the soft aluminum ones and some people just use a thin coat of silicone./rtv.

if you are going to put any significant type of hp in the engine, i would not use a cross flow muffler.

if you are going to put any significant type of hp in the engine, i would install a gear reduction starter. they require a slightly different connection to the stock solenoid but it is simple to do.

if you have a stock radiator, i would install a better one. i happen to have a 4 row copper brass orig type with the large tubes. all the rads these days use the smaller tubes which are junk imo.

15" wheels with 60 series tires will handle better than 14's with 70 series tires.

with a big rad i would use a high flow water pump. flowkooler has an aluminum one and a cast iron one. i dont think their name is on either of them so you could paint them the same color as the engine if you wanted.

i use milodon brass 180 degree thermostats with high flow pumps.

i typically use red alto plates in the trans on performance builds with a mild shift kit.

3.00 gears are a little lame but not horrible. 3.25 is a good choice for a slight performance upgrade and the engine will still not be revving excessively high at 70 mph with a non overdrive trans.

a 2000 rpm tci stall converter or similar is common to use in mild performance builds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[trips left 0]

Thanks for all the info. 

 It's a 351c. 

Yeah I want to keep it stock. 

 I'm in LA. 

I just unpacked a new beefed up Scott Drake sway bar - wish I would have waited on that.  PM me your contact info and I'll send you some business moving forward.

Couple of questions on your points above:

- On after market discs I like the idea - for ease of installation - of a full kit including a power boost like Kentucky Mustang.  I understand Willwood is top notch but for a weekend driver is that necessary?

 - Since I've never wired a car before I'll need to use a full kit of some kind.  Any recs are appreciated.

- I was planning on having my stock radiator refurbed locally to stick with the originality theme.  But after some research (and planning to add a/c) your four barrel radiator with high flow water pump will be the way to go.  

- I've decided to upgrade the alternator and have the original starter rebuilt.  I think I'll upgrade original Autolite distributor to electric.  Not sure about the coil.

And yes I'll be lowering it 1 inch and going with 15 inch wheels.  That's way down the road though...

Thanks again

[barnett468 418]

Is all the wiring in the car missing?

you can buy every harness for the car in reproduction. scott drake has most of thrm. then it is simply plug and play. if you are not the electrical type i would not suggest an american wire system but some others might.

you can get the starter rebuilt to deliver more torque.

wilwood is overkill for a non high perf driving app.

the stock rad is likely just a 2 row. if so, it will be useless for your app.

lowering the suspension will not have the same effect as lowering the upper control arm.

you can buy around a 90 amp alternator that has the same connections as the original if you want to keep the external regulator for appearances. you can get an electronic regulator then install an original regulator cover on it to keep the orig look also if you want.

you can get the stock cam reground if you want but i would install a new one.

i would convert the t stat system over to a windsor type.

a pertronix I unit is plenty good enough to replace the stock points with but it should have a full 12 volts going to it contrary to what you might read or hear elsewhere. this simply means you can bypass the pink resistor ignition wire and run a standard wire directly from the ignition wire on the back of the ignition switch then to the positive side of the ignition coil.

you will also likely benefit from recurving your distributor advance.

 

 

 

 

 

[barnett468 418]

heres my rad. it has the passenger side outlet. if you have a cleveland you need the outlet on the drivers side.

If you need one that already has the outlet on the drivers side you can get one from coolcraft for $537.00 plus $23.00 for delivery.

 

 

 

[img]

 

 

 

[RPM 1,190]

Hey, welcome to the forum Trips! What part of LA are you located? You can add your location by clicking on your user name in the upper right of the page, then click on edit profile in the upper right, then under profile information add your location. This helps when buying and selling parts and vendor locations near you.

So what's up with the wiring harness that you need to replace it? Member Midlife here refurbishes the harnesses and does fantastic work. Mine was in horrible condition and he able to do a great job on it for a very reasonable price. I can't recommend Randy or "G" as he calls himself enough.

[Midlife 814]

"G"?  Just don't call me late for dinner!

[trips left 0]

9 hours ago, RPM said:

Hey, welcome to the forum Trips! What part of LA are you located? You can add your location by clicking on your user name in the upper right of the page, then click on edit profile in the upper right, then under profile information add your location. This helps when buying and selling parts and vendor locations near you.

So what's up with the wiring harness that you need to replace it? Member Midlife here refurbishes the harnesses and does fantastic work. Mine was in horrible condition and he able to do a great job on it for a very reasonable price. I can't recommend Randy or "G" as he calls himself enough.

Thanks very much, just added that.

I haven't pulled the dash off yet so maybe I'm jumping the gun.  The car runs but nothing else electrical is working.  I'm expecting the worst, since I see crappy splices all over the place.  Since my electrical experience is solely in minor house repair I like the thought of redoing the whole harness for peace of mind.

Thanks for the recommendation, I'm sure I'll be reaching out to Midlife in a month or so when we start disassembly.

[RPM 1,190]

5 hours ago, Midlife said:

"G"?  Just don't call me late for dinner!

Ya, G. Unless it means sumpin else. 

Sorry to sidetrack the thread Trips.

[barnett468 418]

8 hours ago, trips left said:

I'm sure I'll be reaching out to Midlife in a month or so...

"Reach out and touch someone."

[Midlife 814]

*G* is Internet/chatroom for "grins".

[69ShelbyGT350H 61]

 

Wish I had gotten the one with the ribbing on the top. 

1" drop and no binding issues with the stock UCA, well, is it stock?

Open Tracker DYI Roller kit

It all looks nice, and mostly stock when installed.

Ported the heads a little, SS valves with screw in studs.

Its going to have a very stock look to it once done.

 

View my build photo album by clicking on the image

[barnett468 418]

well, if you don't need to install your rad right away, you can try to sell it on ebay and buy an orig looking one.

coocraft has more orig looking tops and i have 2 24" rads with the passenger side outlet you need. one is a good used 3 row without the trans cooler holes so it is of course for a 4 speed and it has fomoco on the top. this radiator is ultra rare. i can send you photos of it if you want. i have an entire semi trailer full of parts. RPM bought an original shaker seal from me a while back.

 

[69ShelbyGT350H 61]

7 minutes ago, barnett468 said:

well, if you don't need to install your rad right away, you can try to sell it on ebay and buy an orig looking one.

coocraft has more orig looking tops and i have 2 24" rads with the passenger side outlet you need. one is a good used 3 row without the trans cooler holes so it is of course for a 4 speed and it has fomoco on the top. this radiator is ultra rare. i can send you photos of it if you want. i have an entire semi trailer full of parts. RPM bought an original shaker seal from me a while back.

 

I still have the original, this is a 24" 3 row aluminum. Purchased the radiator many years ago along with many other parts when I was considering making it into a race car. Changed my mind a few years back and wanted to make it look very stock (to the average viewer) until you got a close look. It's going to be wild, but it's going to have a lot more than the advertised 290 HP and handle a bit better as well. Not bad for a weekend driver that will see many drive and shine shows. I think this is more in line with what the Op wants as well?

[unilec 57]

I know you say you want to keep it stock, but I would definitely change out the steering ram and valve system for a borgeson power steering box.

[trips left 0]

On 4/26/2018 at 5:42 PM, barnett468 said:

 

lowering the suspension will not have the same effect as lowering the upper control arm........

How much of an impact does that actually make to handling?  I was going to pass on that and live with the 1 1/8 sway bar but if makes a big difference maybe I should go for it.

i would convert the t stat system over to a windsor type....

Didn't know that could be done.  What the benefit of a switch from the cleveland?

you will also likely benefit from recurving your distributor advance....

will do

 

 

 

 

 

 

[trips left 0]

21 hours ago, RPM said:

Ya, G. Unless it means sumpin else. 

 

Sorry to sidetrack the thread Trips.

Haha I think we're beyond that.  I was hoping this thread would turn into a big back and forth with a range of opinions.

 

[trips left 0]

12 hours ago, barnett468 said:

well, if you don't need to install your rad right away, you can try to sell it on ebay and buy an orig looking one.

coocraft has more orig looking tops and i have 2 24" rads with the passenger side outlet you need. one is a good used 3 row without the trans cooler holes so it is of course for a 4 speed and it has fomoco on the top. this radiator is ultra rare. i can send you photos of it if you want. i have an entire semi trailer full of parts. RPM bought an original shaker seal from me a while back.

 

Please do.  I'm stockpiling parts for the build right now,

[trips left 0]

5 hours ago, unilec said:

I know you say you want to keep it stock, but I would definitely change out the steering ram and valve system for a borgeson power steering box.

I was planning on having the original valve and pump rebuilt, and replace the ram, but I'll look into the Borgeson.  No slop in existing box that I can tell.

On steering I went ahead and got the rimblow redone for the hell of it by the guys in AZ.  Pretty, pretty good.

 

[Bob & Sue 110]

On 4/26/2018 at 3:31 PM, barnett468 said:

i am a scott drake dealer and can save you some money or parts if you want.

the best paint you can probably still get is ppg solvent base. the water base paint looks like crap.

if someone gave me an american wire kit i would not use it. i only use stock type wiring with minor mods to it whenever necessary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barnett,

Question about a Scott Drake t-stat housing I had another brand on mine that leaked no matter what I did. Found & bought a concours oem ford tooling t-stat housing when I was ordering some other parts it's a SD part # is C50E-8592-A. Hasn't leaked a drip since I put it on. Does SD have a line of oem concours Ford tooling parts? With a line of over the counter AZ, O's, NAPA cheaper repros. 

I'll be buying some more interior parts like window cranks how can I order from you?  

I agree on almost everything you suggested especially the PPG paint it's one thing you don't want to go cheap, lesser quality paint can ruin a build. 

I haven't heard anyone say anything good  about AAW wiring kits.

Sorry about the hi-jack

Trips

I was running an old Pertronix 1 conversion till the dizzy finally wore out after trying a couple other setups I went to a Pertronix Stock Look Cast Dizzy they sell them as either 1 or 3.

I used a relay to power the coil with 12 volts using the fused stock wire to energize the relay didn't need to run a new wire from the key & the fused wire is still there if it ever goes back to points. The PO owner had a big mess of wires under the dash one was the 12v power for the dizzy, I'm slowly getting rid of the mess.

Here's the Pertronix 3 for a 351c

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/pnx-d7134620?seid=srese1&cm_mmc=pla-google-_-shopping-_-srese1-_-pertronix&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5dOE0bjd2gIVl8VkCh0ZOw0dEAYYAiABEgJ4wvD_BwE