Maybe a change in plan.....

Not much progress to report.  I still do not have the exhaust system in since I spent all last weekend putting up a new fence in the back yard.  With that project wrapping up I should be able to put attention back on the car this weekend.

The latest issue of Hot Rod has a good article about LS engine swaps in a variety of cars.  That got me thinking about what I really want to do with this car.  My first priority is safety, second is I would like to get the practicality and reliability high enough that I could use it as a daily driver, just a cool fast daily driver with 500+ horsepower!

To do that, I was going to rebuild the 351C, bore and stroke it to 393, add a hot cam and new valve train, and aluminum heads and intakes.  All this work I'm estimating at about $8000.  In the same Hot Rod article, they have a side bar about Ford Racing now selling the new 2011 5.0 liter Coyote engine that Ford is putting in the 2011 Mustang.  This engine, complete with ECM and wiring, putting out a bit over 400 hp, is selling new in the box for about $8000.

So for the same money, I can get a brand spanking new engine that could easily put out the horses I want, with modern day reliability and technology, and probably get around 20 mpg vice the 10 or so mpg I expect out of the 351C when it is done.

The Coyote appears to be a very strong engine.  Ford Racing has already announced a supercharger kit for the Coyote that can boost horsepower to over 600.  A bit pricey for the kit, another $7500 or so, but I can add it later if the stock 412 hp is not enough. 

So, I am leaning towards a new engine now.  Of course I would also get a new transmission, a modern five or six speed automatic, which would also greatly increase the driveability of the car.

First thing I want to do is get a Marti report on my Mustang, just to be sure that it is not some sort of odd-ball very collectible edition.  I don't think it is, but I would want to be sure before I go chopping and doing irreversible modifications.  If not an odd-ball collectible, then I think I have a new path forward....

I would love to hear from other folks that have experience with the Coyote engines - what do you like and what do you not like.  Drop me a note.

Still working on exhaust....

After what seemed like a long Thanksgiving break, and an exceptionally long and busy two weeks at work, I finally got back to turning some wrenches last night.  I need to get some misc nuts & bolts this morning, then back to hanging the exhaust system.  If all goes well I'll have it all installed this afternoon.  More to follow....

So, what's next?

The high pressure power steering hose still leaks, so I've got to replace it as soon as I find a replacement.  The next big item on the list has got to be brakes.  The brakes on it now suck!  Gonna do some research over the Thanksgiving holiday and order a set of front and rear disk brakes, and add a power booster too.  Right now I am looking at PST  http://www.p-s-t.com/  as the supplier, but there are many others out there to choose from.

Some pics from today

Since I had a running engine, brakes, and steering for once (it's been awhile since all came together at the same time!) I pulled the car out to rinse off the dust.  Her it is in front of the house.  Yes, I really drove it from the garage to the front driveway! woohoo!

Video

Oops!  Here's the video I promised below.....

Other stuff

I also did some other cleanup on the car.  I changed the left side valve cover gasket since it was leaking pretty bad.  I didn't want to mess up my new headers!  Got the cover off and found that the previous a-hole who worked on the car put the RTV on the head side of the gasket, not the valve cover side.  Lots of scraping later I got everything clean and ready to go.

I was pleasantly surprised at how clean the rocker arms and oil return ports are.  I could see a bit down into the valve train and the lifters and push rods that were visible looked good too.  Not much sludge at all in this engine.

Here is a picture of the left head with the valve cover off.  Looks clean, don't it?

I also took this opportunity to remove the AC compressor and hoses.  The AC system is toast, and it was definitely in the way from working on the headers and power steering, so now it is out and sitting on a shelf.  This is Texas, so I do plan on putting an AC system back in since the car will be a driver, but I am hoping to find a modern - read that as smaller and lighter - system to replace the old 60's technology.

Got lots done this weekend

I finally got some time to work on the exhaust system this weekend.  A few weeks ago I got a set of Hedman headers and a full exhaust kit from Pypes.  I ordered both from Mustangs Unlimited.  After the big parts got in, I realized I needed a few more smaller parts.  First was the header reducers.  The ones that came with the headers were for 2.25 inch pipes, but my pipes kit is 2.5 inch.  I called Hedman to get the right part number, and made the order with Summit Racing.  Those parts got here on Thursday.

I also ordered some band clamps direct from Pypes.  I got these since I do plan on disassembling the car later, so the exhaust system needs to come out.  Therefore i do not want to weld anything yet, and I do not want to use normal U-clamps since they pinch the pipe and make it difficult, if not impossible to remove later.

So this weekend I got the old exhaust system out, and got the new headers in.  I also got the new power steering pump installed, which was a real pain since it weighs around 50 lbs (at least it feels that heavy!).  Also reinstalled the power steering pump and hoses.

I ran out of time and energy to get the rest of the exhaust system in, so I ran the break-in procedure for the VHT paint on the headers, which was idle for 10 minutes, cool for 20, idle for another 20 minutes, then cool for 20 again.  Car sounds cool with no mufflers, just the open headers.

Here are some pics and a video during the first burn-in for the paint.

Something to aspire to....

Picture of a 1969 Mach 1 I took at a local car show.  Mine eventually will look similar to this, after many years and many dollars....

I am thinking that I will paint mine with a similar red with the black trim, and I really like the old style Magnum wheels.  Since I am not planning a concourse restoration (like this car), I have some other alternatives available than stock paint and wheels. 

First pictures

These are pictures of the car the day I brought it home.

It is a 1971 Mustang Mach 1 with a 351C-2V, C4 transmission, 9" rear.  Kinda weird in its options, in that it has air conditioning and power steering, but it has manual drum brakes on all four wheels, no rear sway bar, and no offset on the rear shocks.  I have seen stories on the internet that some Mach 1's were delivered with these options, but it is unusual.  I cannot imagine someone special ordering this car with drum brakes vs the usual power front disk brakes, but apparently they did.  Either that, or sometime in its life someone converted it, which again I do not understand.

There are services online that will provide a copy of the original window sticker and options sheet based upon the VIN.  I have thought about requesting one, but so far it has not been worth the cost to me.

Introduction

Having never published anything online before, I do not know how this will turn out.  Since I am getting started in earnest on rebuilding my 1971 Mustang Mach 1, I thought I would try to post my progress online for friends and family to follow along.

Any suggestions on content are welcome.  I will try to post pictures of work in progress, results of research, my intentions with the restoration, parts, techniques, etc.  If anyone has suggestions and experiences then I would definitely like to hear them - I would definitely like to learn from the mistakes of others instead of making them myself!