Low$$$ Tips And Tricks!

I belong to a Car Club called "PoMoFo Racing" here in Houston. Our local 1/8th mile track has monthly events with a points system. About 10 clubs compete for the yearly trophy (and a little money - nothing much- just icing on the cake). It's really an excuse for the guys to get together, eat some BBQ and benchrace. There's the competition factor also (between clubs). I'ts a blast.

The home page reads:

"PoMoFoRacing is a website geared towards any auto performance enthusiast whose right foot is heavier than their wallet. No matter the make or model, if you like to do your own wrenching, this is the place for you. Here you will find everything from tech articles to forums to tech day and track event listings."

It's mostly late model Mustangs but they have some good tech articles on saving bucks (DIY type stuff) in general.


Tell em "maveRick" sent ya and get a complimentary compliment

 

Another one...When I swapped from the original 6cyl to my current 351W I figured I might need to upgrade my driveshaft. I found that the shaft off a 5.0 mustang is a perfect fit. All I did was swap the yoke from the 5.0's short one to my original long one. Even the U-joints where the same!

 

more tricks

I'm glad to see people keepin this thread goin!!
heres some more:
1) for those that want to keep the stock steering wheel in there car and the thing has a crack in it, use some plain old "bondo" fill in the crack sand it smooth and paint the steering wheel to match the color of the interior.

2) if your marker or tail light lenses have "dulled" over the yrs. sand them down with some 1000grt. paper and polish them with some meguires polishing compound(not sure on the number of it, I don't keep a bottle at the house) but its a finishing polish,or you can use some motorcycle helmet face shield polish available at most local bike shops.

3) I recomend everyone carries a fire extinguisher in there cars!!!
last winter my buddy and myself jumped into his 68' elcamino, went to start it and it backed fired, starting his engine on fire, by the time we ran back to the house unlocked the door and found something to extinguish the fire he lost the carb,distributor, wiper motor and most of the underhood wiring plus the paint on the hood!!! I imediatlly bought a fire extingusher for my car!!.....WATER DEFINATLLY NOT FOR A GAS FIRE!!!!!

 

yet another:
I swapped a custom steering wheel out of a 78 Mustang (it looks simular to a aftermarket type but its stock) but took the horn button apart to remove the Mustang symbol and replaced it with a round maverick symbol that i got off an old door panel. It looks super and everyone thinks it stock, and best of all, no one else has one!

 

Here's a tip

Everyone might already know, but I just got it a few months ago. When changing the rear end gear or just changing the fluid. Put the 3rd member back in and put the axle and wheel on one side. Let that side down and jack the other side up. Use a long funnel and put the new fluid in through the axle. Then put that axle and tire on. It is ALOT easier than trying to put it in through the 3rd member.

 

little odds and ends

ok, I have a few things I might be doing to my 70 to make it MY 70.
here we go:
-Cut the steerhead out of the maverick fender insignia, bent it a bit, and mount it to the front lip of the hood
-take out your door panel, trace it onto a peice of black plexiglass. then order the big steerhead from ebay or angrybison or whoever sells 'em and paint the decal the color of your exterior. then you have custom door panels with the maverick thing inside
-I've always wanted to do this- take corvette doorhandles from a 69 or that era and shave the mav ones. then put the vette handle on the top of the door part right next to the window(I don't know if that is possible,I just think it would be cool)

just a few cheap ideas.

 

ah yes

I saw pneumatic hood hinges on a late eighties lincoln town car and thought it would be cool if I could fandangle them onto my mav. There is nothing more I hate then to see my beautiful grills almost go to peices and boy to those pole things bother me. Plus, it'd be one less thing to have to work around in the engine compartment!

 

Burnout time!!

1)dual purpose street machines should be burn out ready at all times! to acomplishg this mount an old washer fluid reservoir in the trunk, plumb a couple squirters into the wheel wells, fill the tank with a mixture of water&bleach,and a little armorall helps to hit the switch for a few sec. and your ready for one hell of a burnout!!

2) if you want some cheap "chrome" wire loom mounting clamps pick up a cheap universal chrome coil cover( I use mr Gasket brand)lay it out flat draw lines across it about an inch wide ,grab a tinsnips and start cutting it into strips,bend it around the loom run a screw through it and there it is, cheap chrome wire loom fasteners!!

 

1) Stop paying out the butt for V8 throttle cables ... Most early , mid to late 70's and even some later Fords & Lincolns with a 302 use almost the exact cable .... You can get them all day for peanuts ....

2) Dont ruin your drip rail trim ... Use a Bottle opener with black tape wraped around the end ,Gently pry off from front to back no muss no fuss

3) Anyone using a later 5.0 ... Running rough ? Stalls ? Surges at idle speed ? Most likely your MAS ... Tip ... Before replacing it simply remove it and spray liberally with electronic parts cleaner let it dry and re-install .... The ford dealer will tell you it needs replacing ... I found out the hard way that infact it can be cleaned ...

4) Rusted Bolts and buts ? Spray liberally with PB Blaster ( the best penetrating spray i have seen so far ) Try tightening the bolt or nut first then back off ... If it binds up try tightening again then spray again ... Believe it or not the next best thing i have used is Coke ... LOL no not the illegal narcotic but the soft drink ...

5) Use an electric buffer with rubbing coumpound to restore plastic emblems ... Mount the buffer in a vice and apply rubbing compound ... Keep buffing and you can literally buff out any and all scratches or even chips ....

6) Check out working with lead instead of bondo .... It is so much better and so much easier than welding .... I can post an article on using lead if anyone wants ...

 

more

I'd like to learn more about "lead-ing"it seems to be kind of a lost art!

these are not so much for a maverick ,but work well around the shop.. how many have tried dragging the air hose or an extension cord around your car only to find the hose or cord wedged under the tire?
... to fix this keep a few old brake shoes around, place the in front of and behind the wheels, when pulling the hose they'll slide right past the rounded ends of the shoes... works well while painting!!

....try this with your new bottle of anti-seize add a little motor oil to it to thin it out, stir it up a little. it makes it brush on alot easier and smoother and makes the bottle last longer!