Glad To Share
John Murphy
Pawnee, Illinois
John Murphy doesn't have a 5,000 square-foot restoration shop, nor does he have access to a huge talent pool of technicians. John is a Mustang hobbyist with a passion. As a result, he has been studying them for as long as they have been around. With each of John's personal restorations, he has closely examined how these cars were put together. He has combed salvage yards, taken pictures, scribbled notes, and walked thousands of car shows studying classic Mustang nuances.
When you live in the country like John, you get resourceful quickly because there isn't always someone around to help. John has discovered how to dodge those restoration bullets that leave so many of us hanging.
When glass-beading exhaust manifolds, plug the 1/4-inch choke heat tube passages. Otherwise, media can jam your automatic choke and could damage the engine. Media can severely damage cylinder walls, valves and seats, and other moving parts.
When disassembling the body panels, remove one bolt at a time. Then drill a small 1/8-inch alignment hole beneath the bolt washer. This enables you to achieve correct factory alignment by lining up the holes. When the fastener is installed, no one knows the hole is there. You can do this with hood and door hinges, too.
Nearly every Ford distributor has an alignment mark. It has a corresponding mark on the block relative to the No. 1 cylinder rotor positioning. If you get timing marks at top-dead-center (No. 1 compression stroke with both valves closed) and these reference marks together, your engine will start the first time. Always check timing with a timing light once the engine starts.
Transverse mufflers are not supposed to be parallel to the pavement. They're supposed to have an 11-degree tilt from vertical, which is an important detail generally ignored by restorers. That said, most Ford exhaust systems had a small alignment notch that enabled factory workers to install exhaust systems with great accuracy. Where possible, study these notches, blocks, and spot welds in order to install your exhaust system correctly. "Tiny details like this separate the best cars from the good cars," John adds.
For '65-'66, radiators are plant specific. San Jose radiators are different from those of Dearborn and Metuchen; they were provided by a different supplier. Date codes on San Jose radiators are reverse-stamped in the top tank. Part and engineering numbers are stamped into side brackets on Dearborn and Metuchen radiators. If you place these radiators side by side, you can see the differences. Top mounting tabs on San Jose radiators have square corners while Dearborn and Metuchen are rounded.
Did you know your Mustang's original seat material is still available? All you need is the correct material and TMI Products, which will manufacture your seat upholstery using original factory vinyl.
Known To The Pro But Not The Novice
Richard Porter
Woodbridge, VA
Richard Porter is the "go-to" guy for restorations in the Washington, D.C. area. An active member of the National Capital Region Mustang Club since its founding over 30 years ago, he serves as the club's '65-'78 head judge. His Dark Ivy Green Metallic '66 K-GT fastback gets plenty of attention wherever it goes. And Richard will tell you-he drives it.
Removing interior paint from '65-'68 Mustang doors. Instead of paint stripper, Richard suggests using lacquer thinner, which takes paint right off. Then prime and paint the doors. But don't overdo the paint, which can cover the grain.
Cutting the door opening. If you're installing replacement doors on a '65-'68 Mustang with the Interior Dcor Group or factory stereo and need to cut holes for courtesy lights and/or speakers, make a template from the old doors using newspaper. Then use a dye grinder to cut the holes in the replacement doors.
Got an old Mustang horn that will not sound? Richard suggests removing the horn adjustment screw and squirting WD-40 inside to loosen things up while you're tapping on the horn with a hammer. A car horn is an electromagnet with vibrating contacts and discs inside. When you energize the electromagnet, the discs vibrate and make a sound. Richard tells us WD-40 can work wonders depending on the horn's condition. Also, when you mediablast car horns, always seal the opening to keep media out.
Don't give up on your classic Mustang clock. Use a point file or fine grain abrasive paper to clean up the contact points. When they make contact, they energize the rewind solenoid to rewind the clock. Vintage car clocks are nothing more than wind-up clocks that are electrically rewound when the contact points touch. Corroded contact points don't get the job done.
Cylinder head rocker arm studs pulling out. Richard suggests pinning those press-in studs or installing screw-in studs. Pinning press-in studs is cheaper and just as effective.
When changing a clutch, use hydraulics to remove a stubborn pilot bushing/bearing. Simply fill the cavity behind the bearing with grease and insert a clutch alignment tool in the bushing. Tap the tool with a hammer. The grease will push the bushing out.
...
>>next page