It just a great way to start the New Year, firing up the project car and take it for a quick jaunt down the road. Of course the car is ‘under construction” but still have to take out for a short distance.
The ’73 Stang is a long ways from being completed and yeah…I would be taking it out on the freeway just yet, but I does need to get driving.
My New Years resolution for #ProjectSportsRoof? “Get Her Done!” Next Years Day’s video will be 100% different from this one!!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
Rare trip. Just far enough to get the engine hot, take the C6 transmission through the gears and top out at about 70 mph.
I don’t often post up cars on Craig’s list or elsewhere, but I happened to run to the owner filling up the Ranchero at the Shell station down the street.
The pics in this post are from the Craig’s list ad, but I can tell you body is in great shape and straight. The wheels are awesome looking. The engine sounds strong and the interior is in great shape.
Take a look at these pics and it looks even better in person.
Has the 400 in it…very cool (only a 2bbl carb….needs 4bbl – easy) Will need a transmission – easy to find a used one.
Wheels are great looking. Engine was pretty clean. Interior was great condition. Sounded awesome!!!
Body was in great shape. Originally delivered to DSO 74 (Seattle), so it’s a west coast car.
As with most plastic exterior trim pieces on Arizona cars, the original grille in #ProjectSportsRoof has seen better days. Although this one is still mostly intact, it is brittle with a few missing tabs. Couple that with the look of the Mach I grille for the 1973 Mustang and I have to say I really like the look of it better than the standard.
Among the main attractions at this year’s Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals was the unveiling of 13 rare muscle cars, several with drag racing pedigrees. In this group, the freshly restored silver-blue Performance Associates 1965 Ford Fairlane revealed the talent of the crew at A&R Classic Restorations in Emory, Texas.
The car’s journey to the MCACN floor took more than 35 years.
Check our the entire story of this historic car at the source link below.
Here are your Auto Factoids for the end of Nov. 2o15. (Yes only 24 shopping days left!!!)
Nov 30 1960 De Soto ceases production. The last De Soto produced were really the Chrysler Windsor, most did not sale, even though dealerships continued to received cars after the brand was terminated.
1961 Windsor
1961 DeSoto
Nov 30, 1900 Germany patented an automobile front wheel drive. Although this is a common historic fact, there is some evidence that the first production car with front wheel drive was a French car. There exists a French Patent around 1898 or 1899. The manufacturer was Société Parisienne and the car was the Victoria Combination.
It was a lightweight two-seater trailer, known as a ‘Victoria’, combined with the back axle and mechanical components of a motor tricycle, but this axle was placed in front of the trailer and steered by a long tiller on which the controls were located. The first examples were powered by 1.75 or 2.5 horsepower De Dion Bouton engines geared directly to the differential, but larger engines of this make were fitted as they became available.
1900 Victoria Combination
December 1, 1925 GM purchased Vauxhall. Vauxhall started out as engine manufacturer mainly for pumps and marine use (1857 – Alex Wilson). They began making cars in 1903. Here is a video of a 1903 Vauxhall. They are still producing cars using the Opel name under GM.
One more of it on a road test.
Dec 1, 1913 Ford fired up the first “continuous” assembly line. (Olds is considered to be the inventor of the assembly line…maybe.)
Ford’s Production Line
And just one day and 14 years later (Dec 2, 1927) Ford unveiled Models A which would soon be produced from this assembly line. The Model A was announced on May 25, 1927 and sold as 1928 model. Ford sold 607,592 units in 1928, nearly double that of the previous year.
1928 Model A
Thanks for reading
Tim
If you’d like to sponsor a week of Auto Factoids contact me directly.
Here are your Auto Factoids #AutoFactoids for the beginning of June, 2015. May 31, 1927 – Ford produced the last Model T. There is some debate as to actual date and it’s said that the 15th million Model T rolled off the production line on May 26th, 1927 and the Henry …
#ProjectSportsRoof. 73-17. 1973 Mustang Project Sportsroof – Engine Walk-Through. There is a quick walk-through of the 351C tucked between the fenders of the 1973 Mustang Sportsroof. (It took about 5 takes to get this …
#ProjectSportsRoof will be the way I want it, which I haven’t nailed down yet, so suggest way by dropping me a comment (got your crate motor idea swimming around in my head, Bill) and that will happen fast or slow and cost …
Thanks for checking back on the 1973 Mustang #ProjectSportsRoof.
The power steering cooler is pictured below. It’s pretty ugly even when cleaned up.
Keeping the Power Steering fluid cool!!
Non-A/C car power steering fluid cooler
Here is a little info from a fellow Mustang owner.
Steering coolers were an option from what I understand. My A/C car did not come with a cooler. I added one to my car later as it was just a simple bolt on.
Originally the extra long return line for the power steering box was U’d on top of the drivers side cowl brace that acted as a primitive cooler before returning back to the pump.
Someone told me that the ‘competition suspension’ option included the variable ratio power steering box and included the power steering cooler. However I have seen cars with the competition suspension option that did not have coolers. The owners claimed it never had one.
There are 2 different coolers one designed to be bolted on A/C cars over the compressor and the one designed for cars without A/C.
Ford had a revision to the return line in later cars, originally the return line was U’d on top of the drivers cowl brace then later they shortened the return line and just left it next to the high pressure line going to the box.
For the variable power steering box there was another power steering pump that had a different tag on it. HBA-CG was used with the variable box and HBA-CF was used with the standard box, nobody knows if the pumps are in fact different or not internally.The variable box was tagged SPA-T or SPA-V. The normal box was SPA-S and SPA-U.
I have a 72 H code originally with a FMX, A/C car, no competition suspension.
As for requiring a different pump, no, not that I am aware of I use standard power steering pump with the cooler, works fine.
Typical hose layouts for the coolers
Power Steering Fluid Coolers Diagrams
I’ve seen a with the cooler painted or powder coated. However, that would severely hamper it’s ability to cool the fluid. They do look better.
Here is the example in an A/C car – unpainted.
Another Mustang owner recommended spraying the cooler with black radiator paint. That should do the trick.
#ProjectSportsRoof will be the way I want it, which I haven’t nailed down yet, so suggest way by dropping me a comment (got your crate motor idea swimming around in my head, Bill) and that will happen fast or slow and cost …
#ProjectSportsRoof will be the way I want it, which I haven’t nailed down yet, so suggest way by dropping me a comment (got your crate motor idea swimming around in my head, Bill) and that will happen fast or slow and cost …
So after inspecting the head further, I noticed a few more reasons to have them reconditioned. Take a look:
Gonna Need some touching up.
As you can see there a lot of rust and old stuff plugging up some of the water passages.
The heads were sent out to a local machine shop run by an old hot rodder.
Here’s a quick video of the valves that were removed. You can see the build up as the oil (from the tappet hole) and the gas was continually ignited by the spark plug.
The good news the heads are back and installed. The bad news in my haste to get the car back together, I forget to get some shots of the completed heads. By the time I realized it was too late to go back.
The Cleveland is running strong, but needs a lot of work on the vacuum system and – I’m thinking of replacing the carb. Send me your on what to replace it with.
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.
Next up will be the install Pertronix system and cap and rotor, then plug and wires. Thanks for reading and drop me a note. Tim. #ProjectSportsRoof. projectsportsroof. 1973 Mustang Project SportsRoof – Interior Walk-Through.
Here are your Auto Factoids (#AutoFactoids) for the first week of Nov. 2015. I’m going to call this Packard Week (like Shark Week only on wheels)!!! Here is why:
Starting right off on the Nov. 1st 1955 Studebaker’s Hawk showed up on the car scene.
They when on sale in 1956 and came in the Flight Hawk, Golden Hawk and Power Hawk and Sky Hawk. As you may know these were tough time for Studebaker/Packard so the Flight, Power and Sky Hawk models were only available in 1956. The power plants for these cars ranged from Studebaker’s old straight 6 cylinder bored and stoked to displace 185 CIDs for the Flight Hawk, and their OHV 259″ V8, which came in a 2bbl and 4bbl configuration (180 HP and 195 HP ) for the Power Hawk to the Sky Hawk’s OHV 289 CID with the Golden Hawk sporting Packard’s 352 CID (5.8 L – V8) that managed to produce 275 BHP. That is pretty good power in fairly light car.
Sky Hawk
Flight Hawk
Golden Hawk
Power Hawk
On Nov. 2, 1935 we have two events.
Cord’s 810 debuted as did the Fords’ (Lincoln’s) Zephyr. Cord 810 was a beautiful and advanced car. It was the first US designed and built front wheel drive car with independent suspension and sported a set of very cool hidden headlights (operated with a crank on the dash-board) – another US first!! It was power by a Lycoming 289 V8 (125HP) and had a 4 speed overdrive transmission.
1935 Cord 810. This is the Sportsmen Convertible
The Zephyr was produced under the Lincoln sub-brand and was powered by 267 cu in (4.4 L) L-Head with 110 HP. It sold 15,000 units in its first with was over 50% of all Lincoln sales for 1936.
1936 Zephyr
Continuing on with Packard Week, on Nov. 5, 1863 John Ward Package was born.
Before building his first automobile in 1899, he successfully operated his own business, Packard Electric
John Ward Packard
On Nov. 6 is a very busy day in Automotive history we have 3 major mile stones.
On this day in Carlo (a.k.a. Karl) Abarth was born in Austria in 1908. He was ultimate gear-headed business man!!! Started out designing bicycle and motorcycle frames in Italy as a teenager for Castanga, then back to Austria and motorcycle racing where he managed to become 5 times European champion. After begin seriously injured in a racing accident he gave up racing, designed a sidecar and started a company with Ferry Porsche (and couple other guys) that was eventually called Cisitalia. They produced the Tipo 360 F1 prototype – which was a flop. Later on he founded the Abarth & C company that eventually produced racing cars with the scorpion logo then moved into the production of performance exhaust now called Abarth. He should the company to Fiat and they named a car after him.
Abarth Race Car
Logo
Edsel Ford was born in 1883 in Detroit, MI on this same day. Often only known for the Edsel sub brand he was instrumental in design and development of the Lincoln as well. But we all love the Edsel.
To finish up Packard Week the first Packard car was test driven on Nov. 6, 1899.
Here is this weeks AutoFactoids (#AutoFactoids). May 10, 1923 – GM names Alfred P. Sloan as president. They didn’t just pick from the streets. He was actually, a draftsman for a bearing company, Hyatt Roller Bearing.
Here are your Auto Factoids (#AutoFactoids) for the week. Actually, I’ve combined two weeks because I forgot last weeks and this week’s was limited. So let’s start off with the week of the 15th (’cause going in chronological …
I love it when a fellow car enthusiast shares their projects.
This is Lisa’s 1973 Mach 1
1973 Mach I
Saved after sitting in a junk yard for 21 years. WAY TO GO LISA!!! Daunting project to be sure…but you GOT THIS!!!
Lisa wrote:
“Thank you. That is the stock engine out of the original car. The car sat in a junk yard for 21 year before I got it, I thought for sure that it would be too far gone to do anything with but I was completely wrong. The fluids still looked new and once we had the engine out and sitting on a pallet, we rigged it so we could see if it would turn over and sure enough it did. Mine is also a 2v with a 4brl intake. ”
“I wanted to rebuild the engine as affordably as possible so the cam and lifters and the valve guides and seals are the only thing new other than the valve covers which I had to get because sand blasting the factory ones was pointless. The oil pan a friend of mine bought for me after I helped him install his transmission.”
My husband and I own a performance shop that also does machining and I was able to learn how to do the machining on my heads and block to save money on labor. I’ll definitely keep you posted as I progress. I hope you decide to get that mustang and restore it. I would love to see pictures.
You can definitely use my pictures on your blog.”
Here is the engine for Lisa Mach I.
Getting ready for some paint!!
So nicely done!!
Lisa, we are looking forward to seeing the progress on this beauty!!!
Oh…and google #ProjectSportsRoof or just stop by http://www.agcarrestoration.com/ and you can follow the progress on my 1973 Sports Roof.
Welcome back to #ProjectSportsRoof. I run my car projects much like I run my IT projects. You always have to know where to start and know the end game. As with any project that isn’t being built from scratch, in other word, you have to work with what you’ve got, …
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 …
Next up will be the install Pertronix system and cap and rotor, then plug and wires. Thanks for reading and drop me a note. Tim. #ProjectSportsRoof. projectsportsroof. 1973 Mustang Project SportsRoof – Interior Walk-Through.
