Category Archives: Ford

Engine Mini-Series – Ford’s Small Block V8s Part I

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I haven’t done a Engine Mini-Series in sometime, I find readers like the Engine Line Up posts a lot, so I’ve stuck with that.  They are quick and fun pieces to research and write.

SEE A NOTED DEVIATION IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.

I received a request from a reader  (motown_missile) from the /r/classiccar subdirectory over on Reddit, who read my latest Engine Line UP post, for something on Ford small block V8’s specifically  the 221, 260 and 289 engines.  So I thought yeah that’s a great idea!!! But it didn’t really fit how I structure the Engine Line Up posts and then I recalled doing these mini-series and that fits the request.  Thanks motown_missile!!!!

Now the Ford small block V8 label (also called the “90 Degree V8s”) covers a few rare engines (limited production/limited use), one of the most iconic and some real workhorses.  The engines that fall under this designation are 221, 255, 260, 289 and yes the 302 and even the 351 Windsor (not the Cleveland).  I’ll cover each one in separate posts.

The Ford small blocks were designed the end of the 1950’s put in to production cars in 1962  the first and smallest (20 inches across and only 475 lbs) and it displaced 221 cubic inches and so designated as the 221.

The 221, in 1962,  had a compression ratio of 8.7:1 with a bore and stroke respectively of 3.50 x 2.87.  It sported two-bolt main-bearing, cast nodular crankshaft (only 37 lbs), cast aluminum pistons, hydraulic camshaft and individually mounted iron rockers.  The cylinder heads were wedge-shaped and the intake valves were 1.59 in. and the exhaust valves were 1.39  This was all topped off with a cast iron two barrel intake manifold and it produced about 143 hp @ 4,500 rmp and 217 foot lbs of torque @ 2200 rpm.  For 1963 it remained about the same with a slight increase in the bore and stroke (3.75×3.30 inches) producing a compression ratio of 8.8:1 and 145 hp.   Both years were topped with Holley carbs.

The 221 is one of the rarest small block.  It saw only 2 years of production use (1962 and 1963) and you could find it in the Ford Fairlanes and Mercury Meteor.  If you want to know if your 62-63 Fairlane or Mete0r originally had a 221 check the VIN for the code L ( C – 1962 export or 3 for 1963 export).

Nicely painted 221 V8

Nicely painted 221 V8

1962 Mercury Meteor 33

1962 Mercury Meteor 33

1963 Ford Fairlane

1963 Ford Fairlane

 

Next up will be the 255.

Thanks for reading and if you have any input or pic of your own 221, drop me a note a AGCarRestoration@cox.net.  Comments always welcome!!!

 

Tim

Out and About!!! #ProjectSportsRoof

Out and About!!!
#ProjectSportsRoof

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ford 221 v8 engine

1973 Mustang SportsRoof – Floor Pans Getting To It! – Part Two

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Hey, welcome back to #ProjectSportsRoof (1973 Mustang).  We are working through the rusted floor pans and I’m about to make the cut for removing rust from the right rear foot-well.

Quick note about the video sequence.  As executive director, camera guy (well smart phone guy) and film editor (is that still a real thing?), I don’t always plan out the steps like you might see on a TV show.  (There goes my chances of being on Counting Cars – I’ve got a better chance of being a walk-on-the-set zombie on the Walking Dead – I love both of those shows!!!! ) Perfect example is in the next few posts and videos.  Instead of stripping out all the carpeting, I made a cut along the tunnel on the right side and just removed that carpet.  You can clearly see that.   Then I removed the rust from the foot-well (you’ll see that below) and then worked on cutting the re-pop floor patch.

That went so well, I felt confident enough to remove the driver’s seat and the rest of the carpeting.  So when I show that video you’ll notice both patch panels on the right side are fitted.  There just no ‘do overs’ on this project.

Here are the next two videos.  By the way you can see all the videos on my YouTube channel  just search for #ProjectSportsRoof and you’ll find most of them.

 

 

Once again in the video I mention getting the replacement pan for under the rear seat – above the muffler.  However, as I mentioned previously that portion of the floor is not reproduced.

More floor panel work coming up.  If you have comments or tips/hints use the comment box below.  Love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

#ProjectSportsRoof

Out and About!!! #ProjectSportsRoof

Out and About!!!
#ProjectSportsRoof

 

 

 

 

 

 

1973 Mustang – Project SportsRoof – Compression, Rods and Heads

Thanks for check in on #ProjectSportsRoof. If you remember a of couple months back, shortly after bringing the ’73 Mustang home, I conducted a compression test on all the cylinders.  The 351C was running rough (to put it mildly) and smoked like a pile of tires on fire (only the smoke …

 

 

1973 Mustang SportsRoof – Floor Pans Getting To It! – Part One

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The last three post we basically a run down of the extent of the rust damage in the floor pan areas on #ProjectSportsRoof.  As you saw the right side was bad, especially the under the rear seat on that side and the left side not as bad.   Interesting enough it ended up being about the same work for both foot wells and a lot work for the whole under the rear seat.  (You’ll notice in at least one of the videos I mentioned that all I needed to do was to buy the panel for under the rear seat – but I was wrong.  Those just are reproduced.  What I ended up doing was purchasing a 3rd foot well pan and “modifying” that to get the whole patched.)

As this is my first time actually doing floor pans, I did a lot of “making sure” up front work to limited the size of the mistakes I might make.  Last thing I needed to do was cut in the wrong place or make the opening to big.  As you know the Mustangs of that era only had  sub-frames and the floor for the most part were what held them together.  A major screw up there and you’ve weakened the structure and then it’s body off complete floor replacement – NOT IN THE BUDGET!!!

Here’s some of the preliminary work.

 

So of course there isn’t a rear panel (see above) and the drain in the panel is not plugged with a rubber stopper, but with a metal screw down plate – sealed with seam sealer.

I worked the left side first (some I could keep the car mobile – for pulling in and out of the garage) so I left the driver’s seat and most of the carpet in place.

 

Coming up is the first cuts of the right side floor pan and fitting of the replacement panel.

 

Thanks for reading.

Tim

#ProjectSportsRoof

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1973 Mustang Sports Roof – Floor Pan Discovery – Part Two – Incidental Find

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As with most car restoration projects discovering what needs to be worked on and to what extent is an experience to say the least.  Sometimes that discovery is a bit disheartening like the rust to floor pans on the right side, sometimes is a major relief  and sometimes it’s cool.

As I began removing carpet – which I’m now sure was 33 years old, it uncovered the normal dirt, pens, papers (no build sheet… bummer) and just about all the normal things that slide between the seat cushions and work their way under the carpet.  That can show a lot about its previous owners and how the car was used.

Among these things are coins and #ProjectSportsRoof had an abundance of lost change.   The first coin I found was a nickel.  It was under the underlayment which I found to be a tough place for nickel to have worked its way.   Interesting enough it was dated 1973.

1973 Jefferson Nickel. Placed by a a worker at the factory? hmmmm....

1973 Jefferson Nickel. Placed by a a worker at the factory? hmmmm….

This reminded me of an often told tail of auto workers leaving tokens of some sort in an inconspicuous place.  Wouldn’t that be interesting.

Over all nearly $30.00 in coins were found and of those 3 were from 1973 (a nickel, a quarter and a penny).  With a huge cap between 1979 and the 2005 (perhaps indicating it’s break in service when the car was left in a field, junked and then saved.

Someone in the Ford factory back in the day leave this 1973 Jefferson nickel so that someone years later might find it?   Interest thought!!!

Thanks for reading.

Tim

projectsportsroof

1973 Mustang Sports Roof – Floor Pan Discovery – Part One

2 days ago … Thanks for following along with #ProjectSportsRoof. Over the next couple of weeks (giving myself a lot of time to get this all down in the blog) …
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Welcome back to #ProjectSportsRoof. We beginning the actual work on the vacuum system on the projects 351C starting with the valve assembly distributor ( the …

 

1973 Mustang Sports Roof – Floor Pan Discovery – Part One

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Thanks for following along with #ProjectSportsRoof.  Over the next couple of weeks (giving myself a lot of time to get this all down in the blog) I’m going to take you through my process for repairing the floors in the 1973 Mustang.  I’ll be interrupted by  (air quotes)REAL (end air quotes) work and a couple of car shows between now and then.

As much as I’d like to say I was aware of the rust on the floor of the Sports Roof, I can’t.    I really missed seeing the extent of the damage.  Needless to say I was a bit depressed when I brought it home and climbed in the back seat and notices the floor seemed a bit….’crunchy’.

Take a look at these videos:

You might be able to tell by my voice that I wasn’t overjoyed with the condition of the passenger side floor.  To make matters worse I eventually found out they don’t reproduce a patch for under the rear seat for the 1973 Sports Roof.  More to come on that in a future post.

Just to issue a reminder as you might be wondering why you see the back seat now in the car as in the previous video it was out, but my goal is to have this as a rolling project and able to at least speed on down to the local petrol station fill it up and grab a Pepsi. (You just can’t work on a car without a Pepsi!!! – Hey maybe they’ll sponsor this rebuild and I’ll change the license plate to read “1973DrinkRealSugarPepsi”.)

O.K. so if you were listening closely you’d realize that I started the floors back in Dec (2015) and it’s now the last day of the Feb 2016 and I’m just getting to post this up now.  So it’s taken me a good chunk of time to do this all by hand – including all the cutting with just a hand-held dremel and some metal snips.

I appreciate any and all comments so let ’em fly!!!!

BTW day on this Leap Year day – we’ve surpassed 20,000 registered user on this blog, thanks everyone!!!

Thanks for reading.

Tim

#ProjectSportsRoof

 

projectsportsroof

1973 Mustang Sports Roof – Vacuum System Part IV

1 day ago … This will be a longer post as I finish up the vacuum system on #ProjectSportsRoof , the 1973 Mustang Sports Roof. We have to make a repair, …

 

1973 Mustang Sports Roof – Vacuum System Part IV

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This will be a longer post as I finish up the vacuum system on #ProjectSportsRoof, the 1973 Mustang Sports Roof.  We have to make a repair, hose to the master cylinder, charcoal filter, and the transmission.

Take a look at the broken vacuum “T”:

 

So from the broken “T” I moved to the master cylinder and then to the transmission and finished off with the charcoal canister.

 

 

One final task to finish up the vacuum system and that is the charcoal canister that is supposed to catch the fumes from the gas tank.

 

Back at the beginning I mentioned that I need to get this done because the Stang was coming due for its renewal and smog check.  Just a couple of days after finishing I planned driving over to the emissions testing facility and I got my renewal notice via email.  Here in AZ you can register you car online after you pass your smog check.   The notices normally tell you that a an emissions test is required.  My said “No Emissions” required!!!!!!!     Well the vacuum system needed tending too anyway and now it’s check off the list.

Thanks for reading

Tim

 

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Jan 7, 2010 … Thanks for checking back on #ProjectSportsRoof. Progress is being made and I’d like to finish up these post on the install of the Mach 1 grille …

1973 Mustang Sports Roof – Vacuum System Part III

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Welcome back to #ProjectSportsRoof.  We beginning the actual work on the vacuum system on the projects 351C starting with the valve assembly distributor (the valve on the water pump.  Here is a pic:

 

Vac-31-L

 

Here is the video:

As always when I’m holding the camera and recording I miss a few things, like there are only two vacuum connections on the valve assembly distributor and the vacuum hoses I referred to at the end go to the charcoal canister – that supposedly filters gas fumes.

Here are the clamps I used.

Here are the clamps I used.

I’ve got more coming up on the vacuum system and then we’ll jump into the floor pans.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

#ProjectSportsRoof

www.agcarrestoration.com

1973 Mustang Sports Roof – Vacuum System Part II

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As I get started I’m reminded of watching my father working though the vacuum systems of the cars we use to own – mostly  Chevy.  Those always ended with vacuum hose tide off in knots or screws/nails unused holes.    But back then in New York emissions weren’t tested as part of the annual State Inspection.

Here is how I’m tackling it:

 

 

Thanks for reading.

Tim

#ProjectSportsRoof

projectsportsroofprojectsportsroof

1973 Mustang Sports Roof – Vacuum System Part I

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I am sooooooooooooo  far behind in my blogging in general and specifically with the work on #ProjectSportsRoof.  I’m catching up this weekend (actually it’s going to take a week or more to go through the videos) with the work I’ve done on the vacuum system.

The goal started out to get this all completed before the end of January when I had to renew the registration, but first it needed to pass emissions.  So I had to hustle.  The next few blog post cover this process.

There are some questions that come up and most of them were solved.   In particular the Vacuum Distribution Solenoid locations.  All the diagrams I pulled off the web were for non-A/C cars.  This solenoid was moved to the back when A/C was installed.  Take a look.

Of course the long vacuum hose leading down under the firewall does in fact run to the transmission.

More coming on the vacuum system.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

#ProjectSportsRoof

projectsportsroof

Car News Now (C.N.N. ) – Mustang Beats Corvette – WHAT!!?

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Sometimes the Automotive Journalism world is so off track – pun intended – that they cross the line where “reporting” becomes “tabloid babble”.

Take the headline  “MUSTANG BEATS CORVETTE!!!”  “America Meet Your New Sports-Car King”.

Front-Mustang-GT350 2014C7

That is quite a statement gracing the cover of the Feb 2016 issue of Car and Driver.  But their criteria by which they obtain their conclusion is as lame as comparing the Corvette C7 with the Mustang GT350 cars.   With misleading emphasis placed on things that are just plain ridiculous like ‘The Corvette’s seats are not as supportive…as the Mustang’s GT350’s Recaros.” they arrived at a score of 202 to 200 in favor of the Mustang.

It’s true that in ‘their’ numbers that matter to car guys the Mustang bested the Vette in 30-50 mph and 50-70 mph and tied in the 0-150 mph.  That’s it!!  Even by their numbers the Corvette spanked the Mustang in 15 areas including acceleration, chassis, weight, fuel, and sound level.

In what they call the ‘final results’ both cars are tied in the category they titled ‘VEHICLE’.  This included such vague terms as “Driver Comfort” and “Ergonomics”.  But the kicker was the Features/Amenities where Vette scored 10 out of 10 and the Mustang 2 out of 10.  Combine this with a “as-tested-price” where Mustang got a 20 out of 20 and the Corvette received a 15 out of 20.

Am I the only one that realizes if you have more “Features/Amenities” the cost will be higher?

Even with that huge swing Corvette still wins by one point when you include their Power Train numbers (49 Stang – 51 Vette) and Chasiss (56 Stang to 55 Corvette). Total score at this point is Corvette 178 and Mustang 177.

To push the Mustang over the top they added the all important “Fun To Drive” category, where they give the Mustang the full 25 available points and passed out a 22 to the Corvette.

This is such a stretch and so subjected that making such a declaration and then gracing the cover is like reading a cheap tabloid new article – The “Kardashian’s” are extraterrestrials stranded here when their Bentley Bentayga got a rip in one of the $5508 rear folding bucket seats. (Insert grainy pic of an over priced cross-over with a Kardashian look-a-like screaming at the site of the defective upholstery.)

Shame on you Car and Drive!!  I have half a mind to return that super cheap “free” cap you sent me for subscribing!!!!  (But I think my German Shepherd chewed the visor off.)

Thanks for reading

Tim

Classic Mustang and C6 Corvette owner

www.agcarrestoration.com

#CNN