You got a lot done in this heat spell; you got air cond. work area? Been to hot for me doing in garage -- staying in the house. Also, great quality pictures!
All looks great Bruce, nice that you are back to working on it since you have a new ride it would be easy to just sit back and think you will get to it someday . Spark plug creates a big problem doesnt some one make a shorter plug that you might get to fit in ? Might have to build a special spark plug wrench to get so it is finger loose and take it out if you get antsy to get the headers fixed. Always something in the way of progress . It would be pretty neat to see you and Lindsay (sp) pull into a show with both cars if you can get her to drive something besides the Pinto
The good news is, you'll never have to change that plug because it'll burn the spark plug boot off long before you can wear out the plug... You're doing great work, thanks for sharing.
Thanks guys. No A/C here, just early mornings and late nights! Those pictures represent everything I've done since like, January though. I have a dehumidifier that keeps the garage at 50% which makes a HUGE difference until about 87 degrees hits. The header tube will definitely get moved, free of charge, just have to get a time that works for the both of us. Another project I did last fall was welded in my rear firewall/torsional stress reduction plate. It's far heavier than it needs to be, but we worked with that we had. With the battery in the trunk, this is a good investment. Bonus pic of the "other" red '71 and the girlfriend's '71 Pinto.
Nice! A few years ago someone did a Pro Touring build called SN65, a 1965 Mustang and therefore a pretty similar unibody structure to the Mav. the website is gone now, but the goal was to make a very stiff structure by augmenting the existing unibody rather than by adding an entirely new frame (and a whole bunch of weight) to a unibody car. They really got in the weeds to measure and document how much good they got from individual changes. At the back of the car just about the only thing which increased torsional rigidity was to add a firewall behind the back seat...but it helped quite a bit.
I was thinking that was the very same project I read years ago and it stuck in my mind - but I guess it was a different car. Here's the thread I read: https://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/threads/torsional-rigidity-test-67-coupe.723029/
Great thread! It was a good discussion and everyone was talking sensibly about it. I see there was some reference to the SN65 project as well. The best part of all of it is that it applies to all the Falcon-chassis cars from the early falcons to the last Torinos Mercury Monarchs.
Update - long story short - I put the wrong plugs in the heads a while back to keep dirt and moisture out, forgetting that the correct plug has a longer threaded shank for the aluminum heads and therefore does NOT have the clearance issues. We both called AFR the same day and came to the same conclusion separately. However, the flanges still needed to be massaged, so it worked out. Hazards of dragging a build out and forgetting when and why you did something. I don't feel too stupid because 5 of us didn't realize it right away just looking at it. Live and learn. On a side note, I threw my back out again, so I'll be restricted to small projects for a while.
I feel you on the back issues, I going tomorrow for mri, x-ray and ct scan of my lumbar and cervical. Getting old after being young and dumb is painful!
Small projects: I did a little side project for the "other" 1971, the driver. Right after I bought the car the voltage regulator died and I replaced it with a solid state unit. I've been meaning to swap the cover off the old unit for some time and I finally did. Partially drilling the rivets out and then driving them through with a punch did the trick with minimal work. I had also been dealing with the car bottoming out on large bumps, despite new shocks. I hit a pothole recently and it hit the subframe hard enough to make a dent and squash the fuel line. I decide it was time for new leafs, so I ordered some from St. Louis Spring Co, that has been in business here since WWII. I asked for '73 2-door 3-leaf specs. My only complaint is that since I didn't provide the old leafs to pattern, they were off by about 1/2" on the forward strap, making putting the parking brake straps back on a little challenging. Took the top center of the wheel arch from just under 25-7/8" to just under 28-1/8". It has settled about 1/4" so far and I haven't hit the bump stop, axle, shock, or exhaust since.
Hey Bruce -- If you installed those rear leaf springs; I don't consider that a small job/project for one w/ an ailing back. I have lower back issues -- I feel your pain -- Hope you feeling better!
Fortunately, I did the springs before the back problems started. Looks like a few weeks of PT and I'll know what is going on.
Another "small" project from May. In the driver car, the nearly new NPD Copper/brass Premium Radiator split its top seam while I was coming home one night. Took it to a local shop and they re-brazed the entire top tank. The local shop has been in business for a long time, and he said he sees one of these every few weeks with the same issue. I also flushed the system out and put some water wetter in. The coolant was pretty gross looking, probably from the motor being so new. I used VHT #SP139 GM Satin Black to repaint it, as the radiator shop's paint reacted badly and peeled off.
Good news here, not getting much done on the cars but I started PT for my back and things are going well.
