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.
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.
These little snippets are by chance photos of interesting cars.
During a trip to Jerome, AZ I was investigating this nicely cared for 1969 Chevy Nova.
Great Body Style
Love the Poverty Caps
Got the Camaro taillights.
The ’69 Nova was really just a pedestrian car and perhaps the worse evolution possible of the Chevelle, Chevy II of the early ’60. (Of course it got much worse in the late ’70s and early ’80s!!!)
These came in 3 main engine groups….4, 6 and 8 cylinders – yes 4 cylinders!!! There were 6,103 4 cylinders produced (make them a rather rare find in original condition), 157,400 6 cylinders and 88,400 V-8s ( 17,654 of those were in Super Sport trim). The horse power ranged from a weak 90 hp to meager (by todays standards) 200 hp.
As I was standing back to get the little more distance on the shot I noticed something in the view finder:
In the background
Getting closer
Oh so nice!!!
And a wave!!!
Yes a very nice ’71 or ’72 Mustang. One year later I’d own a 1973 Mustang, the last of the big ‘Stangs!!!
So this is my last post for 2015.
I wish all of my readers/followers and other fellow gear heads, car nuts, car peeps a super New Year and all the best in 2016!!
Coming up in 2016 I’ll be working straight out to finish the 1973 Mustang Sports Roof (#ProjectSportsRoof) – got to get is show ready in the next year – so keep checking back for updates (floor pan, vacuum system and much more coming up next month). We also will attempt to get pod-casts rolling but you’ll also be able to keep up on our hobby with C.N.N. (Car News Now), special pieces on the 351 Cleveland engine and more parking lot spotlights, AutoFactoids (#AutoFactoids), Engine Line Ups and much more.
See you all in 2016 – maybe at Barrett Jackson in Scottsdale, AZ Jan 23, 2016?
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 on this ‘plain old’ sports roof.
This was pretty much straight forward, with a small change.
If you recall on the last post we started with a NOS Mach 1 grille I acquired from Ebay…..SCORE!!!
NOS in original box
Box label – so what? Hey it’s cool!!!
For now I’m using the signal lights from the old grille and a new proper pony badge.
New Pony Badge
The new badge is different from the original (that being just a large Mustang running), which I preferred. Of course this new badge is made in Taiwan and not as sturdy as I would have liked. In fact while tightening the one of the nuts provided the prong sheered off. Luckily there were enough threads to make it secure.
Here it is installed:
Here are a couple of videos on the install.
Now there are still a few thing I need to buy to finish up the grille:
This is the wrap up on the compression testing for the 1973 Mustang w/ a 1972 351 Cleveland power plant. You’ll might have notices that I referred to the remote tester, which is my code for remote starter…yeah…that’s it!!! All of these tests were dry test and I should have done a …
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.
Well win some and you lose some. If you’ve seen my other posts related the replacement of the points and condenser for the 351C you’ll notice that I gave conversion high marks. This was all based on the years of use I got out of the conversion I did on the 1970 Mustang 302 engine. One install and no problems.
As you know I had the heads rebuilt for the 351C and after re-installing them and all the components (intake, distributor…etc.) the car would not start. Popping the distributor cap showed why:
Drop me a note if you’ve had a similar experience.
#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 …
Any diagram I find has the hose vacuum from the Distr going to the Valve assy.
The Valve assy has nothing attached which is located on the front right side next to the alternator on the water pump housing.
The diagram for the 1972 351C shows that instead of going directly to the carb, the hoses from the distributor vacuum run to the Valve Assy. There also seems to be a second line running from the back of the distributor (in the diagram) – but that isn’t very clear.
Any ideas? Clearly the car runs without any of these connected – do I just plug them all?
For the purpose of these series of posts let’s assume that I want to seriously limit the performance and power of #ProjectSportsRoof’s beautiful 351C and restore it back to factory configuration. Now if you are expecting an …
#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 …
Most car enthusiasts know that by the 1970’s all cars even ‘former’ muscle cars, were strangled in terms of power by a host of tubes, solenoids and funny looking flat or funnel like space age devices that were responsible for eliminating harmful emissions. In some cases they funneled fumes back in to the engine to be burned and supposedly rendering them less harmful.
When you are restoring a car of this vintage – especially one like my 1973 Mustang that has been sitting around a while, those tubes/hoses are often cracked, dried, split or ends stretched at the least for missing all together.
You have the option to remove all the space ag hardware (depending on the emissions regulations in your area) or replacing it all to restore to factory specifications. For the purpose of these series of posts let’s assume that I want to seriously limit the performance and power of #ProjectSportsRoof’s beautiful 351C and restore it back to factory configuration.
Now if you are expecting an expert run down on the care and feeding of the vacuum system for this project – you aren’t going to get that right up front. Why? Because it’s really not that straight forward at first and I have a few questions.
As I look at the diagrams for the vacuum system on a 1972 351C, I am not seeing anything that matches my set up.
Let me start back of the engine.
There is a solenoid on the back of the manifold (only bolted there) that I think is some diagrams is shown on the opposite side and in the front.
Here’s a better shot.
As you can see it has no power connected nor hoses. Is that the Solenoid Dist vacuum? I think so.
For the 1972 351C. The solenoid is #12 in the diagram –
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.
#ProjectSportsRoof. 1973 Mustang – Project SportsRoof – Compression, Rods … Thanks for check in on #ProjectSportsRoof. If you remember a of couple months back, shortly after bringing the ’73 Mustang home, I conducted …
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