Tuesday, January 1st, 2008
My brother has gotten to the point of rebuilding the engine of his 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1. The engine is a 1970 351 Cleveland that was built on Aug 10, 1969. That’s a pretty long time ago.
I gave Jeff a call yesterday and he told me about what he was doing. I got excited, because it reminded me of the days when I was cool…rebuilding engines of my own. I am partial to Chevy small blocks, but I guess Fords are ok too. I remember every detail of rebuilding all my engines. It is quite interesting, because you get to see how everything works and how different parts have different effects on performance.
So, here is what he told me. He pulled the engine a while back. He recently took the heads off to measure the bore of the cylinders. This is important because if the bore of the cylinders is too large, that means the cylinders are worn and they need to be bored out. You hear this kind of talk a lot among 16 year olds that ride 2-stroke dirt bikes. They are always talking about “boring out” their engines. I know this, because I was one of them (16 year old, that is). Remember, if measuring the diameter of the cylinders, make sure you take the measurement more than a half-inch down, inside the cylinders. The top half-inch of the cylinder doesn’t get touched by the piston rings…the part that wears the cylinder.
Anyway, there is another important measurement that Jeff needed to take, and that was the diameter of the bottom of the cylinder compared to the top of the same cylinder. This is a measurement to see if the cylinders are “tapered,” meaning, one part of the cylinder is worn more than the other. Since this is kind of a tough measurement to take, Jeff brought the engine down to his local machine shop. He is getting a bunch of work done to the engine down there. Here is a list of what they are going to do:
- Measure the cylinder diameters (like I described above)
- If ok, (which they are…it was already done) hone the cylinders the proper way for the type of rings that will be installed
- Clean the outside of the engine block and heads
- Flush the inside of the engine block and install new freeze out plugs
- Install new camshaft bearings
- Give the cylinder heads a valve job
- Install hardened valve seats to allow for unleaded gasoline
I am probably missing something. I forget a lot in these later years of life. In any event, this is all the stuff that requires professional attention. Jeff can take care of the other stuff, like installing the camshaft, the timing set, etc… All that takes in a steady hand and a torque wrench. I am sure the engine will come out very nicely. Jeff is currently looking for genuine Ford colored engine paint, to get the color just right. This is important with an engine like this because it is going to be restored to original specs. With a “matching numbers” car like this, you can’t make mistakes like painting the engine the wrong color.
Here are some “before” photos of the engine:
Jeff is also sending the carburetor out to Pony Carburetors for a total rebuild. Apparently, their rebuild techniques take a lot of natural issues out of the carburetor. I am sure there will be a post dedicated to that alone.
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Thursday, August 30th, 2007
Jeff sent me a few photos of the most recent transition of his 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1. I have been a very bad brother and haven’t posted them. I blame my selfish greed for this. I will try to do better in the future.
Ok, so here they are…
July 21-22
Here are photos of the right floor firewall extension (where the passenger’s feet go).
This photo is the damage as it looked before cutting anything away.
This one is cutting the inner skin off.
The third is the sheet metal patch that was cut out to fit the hole from a replacement part.
Photo four is after the welding and grinding was done.
The fifth photo is the left floor pan seat riser installed and ready for priming and seam sealer.
August 3
Rear interior of car in primer.
Aug 8
Outside of car ready for primer.
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Thursday, June 21st, 2007
I received an email yesterday from Jeff the man. He had a very important update on the 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 for me to place on the blog.
Here goes…
The rear photos were taken on June 2, 2007. Now, the entire rear is welded together. The roof is also stripped to bare metal so it shines in the sun.
The front photo was taken today, June 19, 2007. The front aprons and firewall are completely stripped and ready for epoxy primer.
…and here are the photos…
Oh yeah, just in case you wanted to know who the mad-man is behind the scenes doing all the work, it’s this crazy guy. Look how neat and clean he is at work. I wonder if he looks this good while he is wrestling with door skins and truck lids.
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Thursday, May 17th, 2007
So this is a pretty exciting time during any automobile restoration.
Basically, your car is stripped down and looking very uninspiring…then comes the quarter panels. It can make a real difference in the way the car looks.
Here are some photos of the left quarter panel getting glued and welded on the 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1. The quarter panel was made by Dynacorn and purchased at Mustangs Unlimited in CT.
Related links:
- Ford Mustang
- 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1
Ford : Mustang
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Friday, May 11th, 2007
Well someone was pretty busy yesterday. I think Jeff is a very happy man, now that he has somewhere to post all his Ford Mustang photos and brag about all his hard work. Anyway, here are a few more photos of yesterday’s work:
- The driver’s side door was temporarily hung on vehicle to check for proper fit.
- Remember yesterday’s photo of the rusty lower lock pillar? Well, nice and new now. The rust was removed and a patch was welded on and ground smooth. Any imperfections were filled.
- The rear trunk floor crossmember was bonded and welded, and
- The left rear frame underside was completed
Here is a photo of that previously rusty center pillar plate…
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Thursday, May 10th, 2007
More work completed on Jeff Gaulard’s 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1.
The photos of the rust hole on the lower lock pillar was cut out and a patch panel welded in on May 3rd. I will post a “completed” photo in the next post.
The photos of the door skin replacement was done on May 5th – 6th. Jeff got the skin from Mustangs Unlimited in Manchester CT. I will upload a photo of the completed door fitted to the car in the next post.
The photos of the left rear floor pan are from today, May 9th. He adhesively bonded the panel in yesterday and welded it in place today giving about 24 hours for the adhesive to dry. It is 3m panel bonding adhesive. You don’t want to glue your tools to the floor by accident because chanches are you wont get them off. The weld seams were ground down and filled over with Polyester Rage Extreme.
The rear frame rails were coated on the inside prior to the floor replace with internal rust inhibitor. This was applied with a 3 foot spray wand.
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Friday, April 27th, 2007
Who da man? I’ll tell you…Jeff’s the man. I am trying to diversify these blog posts with something more than my own exciting life. I think you are in for a treat with this.
My brother, Jeff, recently purchased a 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 in somewhat of a compromised condition. Obviously, this car is worth money, regardless of the condition, so it is a worthwhile effort to restore it. The real value from this vehicle comes from the matching munbers…if you are a car buff, you know what I am talking about.
For years, I think since he was 18, this brother of mine has been into Volkswagens. Those stories are for other posts, but let me tell you one thing…the instant his eyes glaze over with the thought of restoring a car that needs TLC, just move over. Don’t get in his way and just watch. Soon enough, you will be looking at something pretty.
So here it is…this car was purchased in Michigan after a long drive with truck and trailer there and back. I received a few phone calls while Jeff was taking that trip and almost felt bad, of course until I remembered that he was in a crazed state.
Bought Nov 2006 in Michigan
1970 Mustang Mach 1
___________________
Matching number car
351 4v Cleveland
Competition suspension
Medium Red Code T
White Vinyl Deluxe Interior
Traction Loc Differential
Sport Deck fold down rear seats
Power steering
Front disc brakes
Tilt steering wheel
Factory Air – Selectaire
Am/FM strereo
Intermittent wipers
Tinted glass complete
Deluxe belts/ warning light
Tachometer
Front Bumper guards
Above are a few pics for a taste of what this car needs. I am waiting for more photos and Jeff and I will offer a complete log of what exactly this car is all about. The photos above were actually taken after many man hours of labor.
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