Project SportsRoof – 73 Mustang Update

Let me start out with a couple of pics of something most followers of my sight haven’t see in a couple years.

Project SportsRoof – not up on jack stands!!!!

The Stang getting a full tank….IN PERSON!!!!

It’s great to have it back on the road!!

As you know, I had a recommendation to have some work done on #ProjectSportsRoof. The story was this shop was expanding into Tucson and the son of the owner was going to run local ‘branch’. That was only 20% true. The son (for whatever reason) rented a bay from a garage here in town. Instead of paying rent he was going to do free repairs for the shop owner. Shortly after the Mustang was at the location, his deal with the owner went south and so did my car!!!

For two weeks I could not get hold of guy and when I showed up at the place he was supposed to be working, I was told they had no idea what was going on.  Shortening the story about 2 months, my car is finally returned to me.  Running great, but missing ‘stuff’.  You can see the that part of the story here:  https://wp.me/p2YxYx-5fK

BTW Twisted Addiction was the name of the shop and I still hear good things about the work they do in a town about 50 miles from here.  But my experience was beyond crappy!!!

After wrestling with the shifting lever I needed to get the car on the road (O.K. – more like a want) I turned to a unique garage.   They are unique not because they are one of a kind, in fact they are a chain.   They are unique because the owner/partner pushed the envelope on the range of cars he would allow his team to work on.   Work on older cars was  (and is) not part of the chain’s business model, and certainly helping out the locals on their old project cars wasn’t either.  But they did and with the new owner/partner, they’ve grandfather me and my project in.  They were there when I needed help on my current project.  From my 1970 Mustang to my 1984 Corvette and now with 73 Mustang (#ProjectSportsRoof) they didn’t hesitate.

I had the SportsRoof towed to the shop and the damage to the suspension wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but there was not need for it to occur.  You can see the story here: https://wp.me/p2YxYx-5hV.

I have the Mustang back and there was a mix of used and new parts added to fix the suspension damage.

And now I have it back and still stinging from the series of set backs, but happy to have it drivable again.  Here is a video update.

 




I am looking forward to finishing up the interior, some electoral,  dash components, heater/AC box, and more.  So check back.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

1973 Mustang Project SportsRoof – Exterior Walk-Around

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, …

1973 Mustang – Project Sports Roof – Pertronix Ignitor Update

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 …

Project SportsRoof – 73 Mustang – Suspension Damage.

So today the Mustang was going to make a quick trip the shop down the street to have the valve body put back in the transmission. The tow truck driver got the ‘Stang off-center on the flatbed and decided to winch it sideways. Only problem he wrapped the chain around the lower control arm. I was on the phone and heard a sickening snap. The bottom of the lower control arm is now facing the front of the car and you can see the rest here.  Video is below the pic.


Hoping the frame isn’t bent…but it might be. That would require some framework. If that doesn’t work then it might require a new front end.

Will update when I have news.

Thanks for reading.
Tim
#ProjectSportsRoof

1973 Mustang – Project SportsRoof – Compression Test Part I

I’ve done all the clean up and all the adjustments necessary to get a good reading on the health of the ’72 351C engine in my 1973 Mustang. The next step is to check the compression. First up was to warm the car a bit and then pull the plugs. Here’s what the …

Restoring Tach for 68 Road Runner – Project BeepBeep Part IV

Finishing up the rare Tach option project for #ProjectBeepBeep. Another great tip in this one.

Here are a couple photos of BeepBeep’s Tach:

 

Here is the wrap up video.


Thanks for reading!!

Tim

Restoring Tach for 68 Road Runner – Project BeepBeep

Bill gets “techie” in a “tachful” way as he restores the rare Tach option on his 68 Road Runner. #ProjectBeepBeep     More coming up!!! Thanks for reading!! Tim #ProjectBeepBeep #ProjectSportRoof Project BeepBeep – 68 RoadRunner – Body Bumpers Kit Bill takes a look at MOPAR Body Bumper Kit for #ProjectBeepBeep and shows a common mistake made when a …

Restoring Tach for 68 Road Runner – Project BeepBeep Part III

We are back with #ProjectBeepBeep. Bill continues give some great information on his MOPAR’s rare tach option.

There is a great section in the video with a great tip for protecting your electronic dashboard components.


Thanks for following the progress. Part IV coming up.

Tim
#ProjectBeepBeep
#ProjectSportsRoof

Project SportsRoof Shifting Linkage Part IV

More work on my 73 Mustang’s shift lever. I have the pan off and removed the valve body. You can get a good look at the what needs to happen next.

 

 

Here is the bolt pattern for the valve.

The dots show the bolts to remove.

Over on www.7173Mustangs.com one of the experts modified a open end wrench like this:

We’ll see what I can find to remove this nut.  That will be coming up shortly.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

#ProjectSportsRoof

1973 Mustang – Project Sports Roof – Vacuum System Part II

Thanks for checking on #ProjectSportsRoof.   So here is the last set of initial questions. Here is an image of the current set up: 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 …
Project SportsRoof Shifting Linkage Part II

Thanks for checking back in on #ProjectSportsRoof.  My 73 Mustang doesn’t what to get it in gear so I have to troubleshoot the shifting linkage. For this round, I’m putting in new bushings to remove the slop when shifting. Here is the video: I’ll be tightening up the shift lever and linkage to …
Project SportsRoof Shifting Linkage Part III

Welcome back to Project Sports Roof (#ProjectSportsRoof).   The struggle is real!!! You saw in the last video my replacement of the linkage that was lost by the repair shop (along with my new battery and started).   This repair shone the light (as often happens with older cars) on a previous …
Wrenchin’ Tip – ’70 Mustang Transmission Swap

As I get ready to start the new round of mods for my 1970 Mustang Coupe, I’m reminded of a couple of issues that came up when I was assisting  a fellow Mustang owner doing a trans –  transplant. The first tip is partially dependent on what stage you are in …

 

Project SportsRoof Shifting Linkage Part III

Welcome back to Project Sports Roof (#ProjectSportsRoof).   The struggle is real!!!

You saw in the last video my replacement of the linkage that was lost by the repair shop (along with my new battery and started).   This repair shone the light (as often happens with older cars) on a previous repair.  Some might call it a hack and I get it,  there are times when you need to take short cuts, but as usual short cuts often have short life spans.

Take a look at the video:


 

 

When you have issues with shifting an automatic transmission and it’s related to the linkage you have the option of fixing it right or fixing it “wrong” (i.e., short cut).  At some point in my Mustangs earlier life the C4 transmission was swapped our for a used C6.  It seems that the C6 (from a 1972 Ford – which really doesn’t matter the C6 has changed much in all this time) had a broken shift lever.  Take a look:

Here the run down:

A is the broken shift lever.  What you should see there is something like this:

B is what is commonly called a ratcheting shift lever.  It’s a replacement that is ‘clamped’ on to the stub of the shift lever to shift the trans.  This is done because to replace the unit you have to drain the transmission, remove the pan, the filter and the valve.  This is a PITA.  Especially true,  if you just put the transmission in and filled it with fluid!!!)  So the after market ratcheting shift lever is common. This what the parts looked like when I took them off:

Custom hack

Of course C is a washer and D….well, D is a very special customization or it’s just a hose clamp.

As you can see at the end of the video the ratcheting shift lever was just sliding.  I suppose I could have just tightened clamp down and see if it shifted, but how reliable would it be…might as well fix it right!!!

Thanks for checking on #ProjectSportRoof.

I have more coming up on my 1973 Stang and more on Bill’s ProjectBeepBeep as well.

Tim

ProjectSportsRoof

 

Project SportsRoof Shifting Linkage Part II

Project SportsRoof Shifting Linkage Part II

Thanks for checking back in on #ProjectSportsRoof.  My 73 Mustang doesn’t what to get it in gear so I have to troubleshoot the shifting linkage.

For this round, I’m putting in new bushings to remove the slop when shifting.

Here is the video:


I’ll be tightening up the shift lever and linkage to make sure that it’s getting turned. I suspect that this may be the issue.

More coming up.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Project SportsRoof Shifting Linkage Part 1

Welcome back to my 1973 Mustang project #ProjectSportsRoof. In the last post I mentioned that some how the shift linkage bar was lost when I had the car in a local shop to help put with the transmission.  They took another look around their place and I did the same…no luck.  …

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 – Project SportsRoof – Fender Removal

In case you didn’t notice, the fenders that were on #ProjectSportsRoof look as though car had driven into a half pipe at a skate park. Left Fender – major dent a lot of rebuilding necessary Right Side Fender – lots of crinkles, a few creases and good size dent. Now, these …

 

Project SportsRoof Shifting Linkage Part 1

Welcome back to my 1973 Mustang project #ProjectSportsRoof.

In the last post I mentioned that some how the shift linkage bar was lost when I had the car in a local shop to help put with the transmission.  They took another look around their place and I did the same…no luck.  So I purchased a replacement link. 

Take a look….warning the audio is not great in spots.

 

 

Well we are now moving into, what I hope is an adjustment phase for the transmission.  However, it might be something….more expensive!!!

Stay tuned.

Thanks for reading

Tim

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Project SportsRoof (73 Mustang) Gets the Shaft – Drive Shaft.

After many month and some craziness my 73 Mustang is back and it’s sporting a new drive Shaft.

If you recall when I purchased the Mustang the car looked like it had driven into a concrete tube, mashing in both front fenders and doing damage to the front end.  Here are the pics from the day I purchased it:

As you can see the damage on the fenders are similar.  The story didn’t match the damage but I didn’t care, just interesting.   What I didn’t notice then or even when I pulled it off the car was that the drive shaft had been welded about 5 inches from the rear end.  I also didn’t notice, when I removed the u-joints that the yoke was damaged – flattened on multiple sides.

When the shop tried to replace the u-joints the new ones would not go into the yoke.  (I wish I had saved the pic of that damage.)  The specialty shop give an estimate for what the repair might be, but after discovering the welded repair and the damaged yoke, they decided to replace everything.  What was really cool is they did it for the same price!!!

Here’s a look at the new shaft.  (NOT A CRANK SHAFT….geezzz  – you see…).


I have a lot of projects to get to on #ProjectSportsRoof and I can’t wait to get started.

 

Thanks for reading.

Tim

1973 Mustang Project SportsRoof – Exterior Walk-Around

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, …

1973 Mustang – Project SportsRoof – Engine Bay Components.

I thought I’d take a minute and catch the readers up on #ProjectSportsRoof. I wanted to touch up some of the engine bay components, horns, vacuum canister and battery tray.  I didn’t want to alter some of these too much, I like having the numbers, logos and other info visible, not …

73 Mustang is back!! Project SportsRoof is Alive!

Well this day was long time coming.  My 1973 Mustang has finally returned home and it sounds fantastic!!

You followed #ProjectSporstRoof, you may recall  I ran into time issues and ability, to get the transmission mated back up to the engine and the components had to be placed back under the hood and new radiator installed. I had disassembled the engine, send it out to be bored (.040) and crank was milled a bit and rebuilt. That was over a year and half ago. In Feb of this year I decided to get some help getting it running.

 

 

A relative had an acquaintance that was starting a second shop here in Tucson to match the success of their first shop that was about an hour way. I wanted to keep the car local so I could check in on the work being done. So I asked and received an estimate and the price was fair. My only stipulation was that the car stay in Tucson and not their out-of-town shop. What I didn’t know was that their idea of starting a shop was to use a garage at a start-up/pop-up used car lot. In return they would be doing really cheap work for the car dealer in lieu of paying expensive rent.

There’s very few times such a plan works out and one day my Mustang disappeared and I wasn’t informed. I eventually (weeks) got a hold of them and found that my car was right where it I didn’t want it…at the out-of-town shop.

Now, I understand business deals falling part, especially when you start-up with little capital and hook-up with another start-up with little capital. What I didn’t like was not knowing that my car was now no longer in the city. Checking on the progress was going to be impossible and as it turned our some of my parts were left/lost at the Tucson shop. An additional problem was that I forgotten to pack a few parts and it took massive coordination effort to get the items to them.

 


So lets total this up real quick:
1. Missing car
2. Found car
3. Missing/Miss placed parts
4. Lost parts
5. Long periods of un-returned text and voice messages.
6. Lack of trust.

Number 6 is huge!!!

If you don’t have trust in the shop then everything, even the normal things, that arises when you are restoring a car are suspect. Combine that with a newly rebuild engine, never fired-up, well lets just say I was concerned that the proper cautions would be attended to and I’d end up with a pile of ugly Mustang parts in my driveway that I’d have to get rid of or sell the house to afford to fix it!!! So I held my breath and reluctantly had them push on.

Only two real issues came up, one was the drive shaft, it has been repaired a some point in the car’s history and poorly done at that and the yoke was in rough shape. A local shop said that could fix it for a set price, they couldn’t and ended up replacing the shaft and for the original price quoted. The other issue was a panic call/video from the shop, showing my Mustang vomiting radiator fluid in the air like Hawaii’s Kīlauea. That of course is what happens when you put a Windsor thermostat in a 351 Cleveland.

So I reduced my expectations and told them all I wanted was for the car to be mobile. I wanted it driven off the trailer and driven in my driveway and I’d be finished with them. The manual shifting you saw in the video is a result of a lost part.

Now #ProjectSportsRoof is back and I can get on with all the little projects that are left…like installing the shift linkage…yea…that should be first!!!

 

Thanks for reading and I can now say…there’s more coming up for #ProjectSportsRoof!!!

Tim

1973 Mustang Project SportsRoof – Exterior Walk-Around

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, …
1973 Mustang – Engine Bay Work

If you look back at #ProjectSportsRoof post you’ll see the condition engine bay.  During those videos I mentioned that I was going to clean it up and hit it with a rattle can.  Again this isn’t going to be a concours restoration, it’s going to look nice and it’s going …
1973 Mustang – Project Sports Roof

As I posted before, after a vigorous (not read ‘desperate’) I finally found my next personal project.  The 1973 Mustang Sports Roof  Fastback is what I settled on.  Now we start the project that has been dubbed #ProjectSportsRoof (yes I find it necessary to use the ‘hash’). 1973 Mustang Color …
1973 Mustang – Project Sports Roof – Pertronix Ignitor Update

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 …