• Hello there guest and Welcome to The #1 Classic Mustang forum!
    To gain full access you must Register. Registration is free and it takes only a few moments to complete.
    Already a member? Login here then!

Progress

We've had a bit of bad weather the last couple of days, but the weekend should be perfect for a ride in the mustang. I'm betting Gary will be/is putting some miles on the odometer! Congrats Gary and let us in on your first impressions of driving.
 
Drove it yesterday as soon as it came off the trailer. Had a little trouble with idle, pulled the bowls to check the floats; turned out to be some trash. Headed out again this morning. I'm back here now for lunch and then the wife and I are headed out again... Loving every minute...
 
"stump" said:
Spoke too soon. Today's ride didn't happen; shifter and brake problems...
Click to expand...


Welcome to the wonderful world of planning on a 45 year old vehicle to be reliable. It's times like these that will make you appreciate the times when everything works perfectly.
 
It feels some dang good to have your car in a drivable state post restoration. Expect the hiccups your encountering, but working on it now is a heck of a lot more fun than cutting out old rusty panels!

Congrats and enjoy!!!
 
"daveSanborn" said:
Welcome to the wonderful world of planning on a 45 year old vehicle to be reliable. It's times like these that will make you appreciate the times when everything works perfectly.
Click to expand...

Now you tell me.
 
Good news is I got to put another 40 miles on the car today; bad news is I was driving it back to the shop... I had planned to adjust the rear brakes and pull the shifter in prep for the bushing, but those plans changed when I found the puddle of coolant under the car. I checked all the usual places for leaks but found none; all I could tell was it was dripping from the bell housing. I filled it up and let it run until hot and then let it sit a few hours; no more leaks. However, I called up Ray and he said drop it off for a pressure check.

What do you think, freeze plug? The motor was built about 4 years ago and this is the first time it's had any miles on it.
 
Could be an intake leak at the rear, draining around the bell housing. Freeze plug will drain from inside the bell housing.
 
"AzPete" said:
Could be an intake leak at the rear, draining around the bell housing. Freeze plug will drain from inside the bell housing.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't both of those have leaked again? I ran it to operating temp this morning and nothing after sitting a few hours. It was down in the low 30's last night, could that have made a difference?
 
Yes, cold will shrink the metal. Might want to warm the engine and re-torque the intake....
 
"lethal289" said:
could it have come from the overflow?
Click to expand...

It did a little after I refilled, but I didn't notice anything at first. All I could see was dripping from the bell housing.
 
There are a few different things that could be dripping from the bell housing....Can you tell what it is? Fuel, Oil, Trans fluid? Water?

Mel
 
"guruatbol" said:
There are a few different things that could be dripping from the bell housing....Can you tell what it is? Fuel, Oil, Trans fluid? Water?

Mel
Click to expand...

In an earlier post, he said it was coolant...... :shrug


"stump" said:
Good news is I got to put another 40 miles on the car today; bad news is I was driving it back to the shop... I had planned to adjust the rear brakes and pull the shifter in prep for the bushing, but those plans changed when I found the puddle of coolant under the car. I checked all the usual places for leaks but found none; all I could tell was it was dripping from the bell housing. I filled it up and let it run until hot and then let it sit a few hours; no more leaks. However, I called up Ray and he said drop it off for a pressure check.

What do you think, freeze plug? The motor was built about 4 years ago and this is the first time it's had any miles on it.
Click to expand...
 
Freeze plugs are the source... Turns out that most are the rubber, bolt tightened, type. I'm not a motor guy but that seems like a less than permanent solution... So, we're pulling the engine and trans. While out we'll rebuild the transmission, replace the freeze plugs with the copper type, adjust and replace bushings in the shift linkage, paint the motor, replace a broken motor mount... By the time this round is done, there won't be much left from the original shop.
 
Well, it was fun while it lasted. Transmission out and will need new front and rear bearings, and the shifter assembly kit. We're not real sure what the plastic piece is we found; maybe from an old speedometer gear... Motor will come out tomorrow to replace the freeze plugs.


Transmissionrebuild002.jpg

Transmissionrebuild003.jpg

Transmissionrebuild005.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
"fordrule" said:
wow I am hoping this time around the mustang gods are smiling on you and the build goes smoothly
Click to expand...

Thanks. We're waiting on the trans rebuild kit, and hope to have it back on the road by next weekend.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top