Instead of clogging up the forum with little threads for each small project I do, I thought I'd just make in big thread and post up my progress here.
So today I started in on my throttle linkage project. My original one was really loose and had a lot of slop in it, so I decided to upgrade to a heim joint linkage. I've seen them online for about $40, but making my own sounded much more fun. Plus this way I can make it fit my application perfectly. Here is what I was originally working with:
Looking on summit, I found a set of joints and tube ends. I went with the economy ones because it's only a throttle linkage after all.
Total coat from Summit: $17.47.
The shoulder bolts I found only at Ace hardware, not surprised that the big box store didn't have them. I also grabbed some various hardware: $5.20.
I found the right sized tube at Home Depot for $8.20 out the door. Of course it's a 4ft piece and I only need 7". I was debating between aluminum and steel, and went with steel. Why engineer it when you can over-engineer it?
So total parts bill: $30.87. Not too bad. Here is my mock up:
Everything actuates without issue. I'm JB Welding the ends into the tubes - should be more than adequate, but that means I can't work in it until tomorrow...bummer. I'll post up more as I progress.
Looks good. I made one similar for mine the little clips that held the rod on would always pop off and leave me stranded so i said f it and made one for my self!
I went for a spin today to test out my throttle linkage and vacuum advance. Also pretty much had to to celebrate Mustang's 50th. Only a few pine needles came flying out of the vents this time.
Linkage worked great - ill post up pictures once I get the finishing touches on it.
The advance seems to really help the general feel and power (so it's working), but there still seems to be something not quite right. It seems like it doesn't have the power it should.
I think the next steps are checking spark and compression, and seeing about having the carb jetted. I know I'm at a higher altitude than the PO, and I don't know if it was rejetted when it came from sea level, so it might be running fairly rich.
You might check that the advance isn't sticking. Since it hasn't been hooked up for a while. In the bottom of the distributor, the advance linkage can get corroded and stick, try lubing there. But also check the other stuff.
You're making great progress.
Thanks guys! As for the engine, I think testing the compression, spark, etc is a good next step, but I will definitely look into the advance. The dizzy is a relatively new pertronix deal though, so I'm guessing the issues most like lay lie elsewhere.
But as for the less important project, here is how the throttle linkage turned out:
I probably could have made it for less, but it ties into a longer-term design plan for under the hood.
I'm guessing next weekend I'll have some time to look deeper into the engine. Shorter term, I need to replace the temp sending unit - already have the replacement in hand. It'd be nice to see how things are heating up.
I had a few minutes to look into my vacuum and brake booster today. With all the hoses properly replaced, I'm now holding 16" of vac at the booster port at idle, and the new check valve is working properly. Using my hand pump, I was only able to get about 5-6" vac in the booster itself, but it held it. Not sure if that's reasonable.
Looking at the routing through the proportioning valve:
The larger rear reservoir is hooked up to the upper rear of the proportioning valve. The smaller front reservoir is hooked up the the upper front of the proportioning valve. The lower rear goes to the rear brakes and lower front and front go to their respective front brakes.
Starting the car, the pedal does drop a little as it should, but the pedal still feels very firm. Any thoughts? I found conflicting info on the line routing, any input there?
The lines are right. The vacuum reading is right. But as far as the vacuum at the booster i have no idea. You could call wilwood or summit and I'm sure they will be able to help you with that part
I have the CSRP 67 style power disc swap in my car and the pedal is still relatively firm. My dad also had a 1978 911 sc and the power brakes felt the same.
Does your pedal seem like it doesn't come all the way back up? The brakes will lock up and the pedal is also firm ( seems a little too firm). But the pedal doesn't come all the way up and there aren't any leaks. The kit was already in the car when I got it. I was looking at some other kits and one of the them required relocating the brake pedal mounting location when going from manual to power. Is that a requirement for all of the upgrades to from manual to power? I guess it's possible mine was power drum first.
Thanks guys, so I double checked everything yesterday and after doing a lot of research, I decided to try testing the vac in the booster again. So I went to town on the booster with the hand pump. A long time later, I was able to build up about 12" of vac, and it held, so it's looking like the booster isn't actually my issue. I've been way too busy to actually take it out and see if my vac changes actually made a difference in braking, so hopefully this weekend I'll have time to take her out. I'll keep you posted!
I had a chance to get her out in the road today before it rained. The engine feels decent - I still need to get the carb jetted though. So doing some brake tests, the pedal is still very firm, but I was able to lock the wheels braking from about 50 mpg, but I really had to use some leg muscles to make it happen. As long as I'm aware of it, I feel safe enough - I'll revisit the brakes another time. So I think for the moment, I'm going to leave the brakes and focus on a couple other things.
Next up, I have a new turn signal switch on the way. I'm hoping that will fix my nonexistent left turn signal. Then I need to replace my temp sensor so I can see how hot things are getting. And while I'm at that, I'll replace hoses and flush the rad.
I had some time - I love Fridays - so I replaced my turn signal switch in hopes of sorting out my left brake light/turn signal issue. It definitely needed replacing, but it didn't actually make a difference. I'm guessing next step is testing the brake switch, or keep looking around for a brake in the wire. But looking under the dash, I'm really considering replacing all the wiring sooner rather than later.
Anyway, I also got halogen H4 housings to replace the dim sealed beams, and while I was in there replaced the hardware and cleaned up the nasty headlight bowls and got some rust encapsulator on them. Tomorrow I'll get everything back together and get some pictures. I have yet to do night driving but it will be nice to feel like I can see when I do.
So, last night, no left brake/signal light. This morning, I'm installing the headlights, go to test them out and notice the left tail light is in with the headlights. I check it and everything is working perfectly; signal, brake light, hazard. Then I finish installing the headlights, and now no left turn signal - but the left tail light comes in with the headlights. Very frustrating! And concerning because in my mind this points to a short somewhere. What do you think?
Anyway, here are the new headlights installed. I didn't really like them off the car, but I think they are okay installed. They look clean.
So, last night, no left brake/signal light. This morning, I'm installing the headlights, go to test them out and notice the left tail light is in with the headlights. I check it and everything is working perfectly; signal, brake light, hazard. Then I finish installing the headlights, and now no left turn signal - but the left tail light comes in with the headlights. Very frustrating! And concerning because in my mind this points to a short somewhere. What do you think?
Anyway, here are the new headlights installed. I didn't really like them off the car, but I think they are okay installed. They look clean. View attachment 155780
Weird.... I had similar problems with my mustang i just said f it and got a new harness. Im sure you can fix it tho. Get a power probe and I'm sure you'll be able to sort it all out. That tool is pretty ba!
Yeah, I'm probably headed that direction rapidly - it all needs replacing, so why mess around patching things if it all needs replacing anyway. But that's a little down the road.
Because of the snow we didn't go to the in laws for Mother's Day - instead I spent some time in the garage (win!).
I replaced and tested my temp sensor. Dipped the end in boiling water with it hooked up and grounded and the gauge went up as expected.
I also drained the radiator and took off the hoses, then flushed out both the rad and block. It turns out everything on the block side was green colored while the fluid from the radiator was rusty brown.
I went to test fit the new shroud and no big surprise it doesn't come close to fitting. Well a new rad and fan were already on the to-do list, but the state it's in and my annoyance with the shroud made me just move forward and order a new rad and an electric fan. I'm going to return the shroud, cut my losses and move forward. I'd have to fabricate mounting brackets, get a new fan spacer, etc to make the shroud fit correctly (prob why it didn't have one), just to remove it in the future anyway. Didn't seem worth it.
Nice. I got an American Autowire kit it was really nice. A little confusing at first but it was pretty simple after laying it out it even has wires for power windows and electric fans already so you don't have a bunch of extra harnesses in your engine bay
Yeah, I was looking at those. Tough question: how many hours would you guess it took? And would it make sense to wait until future body work/interior/paint is done?
You wouldnt be able to take it out without cutting the connectors off but you would be able to tape it off. Its really not that big of deal. If you put it in before paint.
I see your point. I might have a compromise in mind, but I need to do more research. But in the meantime I need to find what's loose! Hopefully life will get less busy and I'll have more than an hour here and there to get some work done. Thanks for your responses!
So I got the busted radiator out and cleaned the leaf collection out from behind it:
No wonder the radiator was spraying coolant onto the fan when it came up to temp...the new rad is on the way.
Then I started digging into the electrical issue with my probe. First issue I came across was on the heater panel. It turns out when the heater switch was on, the entire heater panel was receiving charge, switch and all! So I pulled the switch out and taped off the connection.
My rear light issue turned out to be a wire that had pulled a little loose from its harness behind the dash. I had the turn signal "on", and was probing different places when I brushed against a wire and suddenly the signal started blinking. After pushing it back in, brake lights and signals all working perfectly. Booyah!
So I got my shiny new radiator and electric fan and shroud. The bummer is that it of course doesn't fit...seems like a theme, but I was expecting this. The width of the 3 row radiator plus the electric fan doesn't give enough room for the water pump pulley. I think with some creativity and minor modifications to the shroud I can make things work with enough clearance.
I was hopeful I get it up and running again by this weekend, but I don't see that happening. I'll see if I have time for the modification and installation this weekend. I'll keep you posted!
Okay. After much gentle persuasion and minor modification, I got the fan and radiator mounted and wired up. I had to get creative with the shroud, so I widened the hole about 1/8" all around and mounted the fan on the inside. Still plenty of room between fan and rad, but that gave me the extra room I needed. I have about 5/8 - 3/4 inch of clearance between the fan and the water pump pulley now, so I feel pretty good about that. I got some of the super thin radiator spray paint and did the area visible from the grille so the shiny rad doesn't show through. Of course everything else that needs paint is now painfully obvious
The thing I screwed up was the easy part. When I replaced the thermostat, it must have slipped a little before I torqued down the housing bolts. When I filled it with water, it came gushing out the housing bottom. The thermostat got caught between the housing and the engine so it didn't actually seal. I picked up a new housing just in case I warped the old one - it was fairly cheap. So tomorrow I should be able to mount it back up...wish me luck!
Okay, I've tested the fan thermal switch - both seem to be working well. I tested the new temp sensor, and that seems to work well, and the new thermostat works well. The thermostat was installed without slipping under the housing this time, so score.
And the weather forecast is calling for rain tomorrow through the whole weekend. Awesome. Hopefully I'll have a little time to drive around in between thunderstorms and flash floods
It's going to be in the 60s/70s, just this time of year tends to have afternoon tstorms which bring hail and occasional flash floods. But CO is drunk, it goes from sunny to downpour to sunny in an hour.
---------- Post added at 07:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:44 AM ----------
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