Its getting late in the season, and I hope to get her out for bodywork this winter. What do you guys think of me getting tucked fiberglass bumpers? They sell for $225 each, and will take a bit of a bite out of my bodywork fund, but I think they really clean up the look, and will also save a substantial about of weight as the stock bumpers are massive, and weigh about 60 LBs a piece, and even after adding a little rebar for strength and safety, will still probably save around 70 - 80 LBs total. here are a few pictures for reference:
I'm hoping to to some much overdue maintenance this weekend. shes been running a bit rough for a couple weeks, so I'm going check my plugs and change the cap and rotor. If that doesn't fix it I'll drop the cash for a new set of MSD wires. If that still doesn't fix it, its time to install the MSD box which I've been putting off because I need an adapter to make my stock tachometer work with it. If I'm still not happy, I may do the head swap sooner than I was planning. I didn't want to rip into an engine that was starting right up and running almost perfect except for a small coolant consumption problem, but as I've gone through a couple gallons of coolant over this summer, and the fact that shes seen over 6700 RPM (stock tach pegs out ) on several occasions, and around 5000 rpm at least couple times a day, I have a feeling there may still be something wrong that's slowly getting worse. However, if she can hold together at 6700+ rpm, I would think that she's perfectly fine.But still, I think its time to do another compression check, and a leakdown check if I can find someone with a tester.
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Originally Posted by Township Rebellion
Yeah really, this thread has been going quite a while.
Soon I'll have my own little classic to take care of
Oh really? Do tell!!
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Originally Posted by ratfrink
I wish I had a classic car again.
I'll bet, you seemed really upset when you sold the Avenger.
if she's pulling to 6700 rpm's without a loss of power then most things should be fine. how is it still making power up there though without the new heads? lol. you should def go for a turbo set up similar to those in the 80's svo's. its pretty cheap, surprisingly. I almost bought an svo but it was a total pos when i went to look at it, but those 4 cylinder turbos can make hella good power.
Well, the cam in it is actually a truck cam (ranger roller) that's good to about 5500 RPM. She starts falling off around there, and I normally shift around 5300 - 5400 RPM when doing speed runs, but once in awhile I need to hear her scream for mercy. With a more or less stock cam, there's not too much usable power up there, but it sure is fun to hear her scream with the pretty much straight piped exhaust (Flowtech Warlock uncapped). Everyone tells me I should go turbo, but I still haven't decided what engine I'm going to go with. I'm going to build the 2.3 up a little more N/A as I already invested some money in a head, but in the end, I haven't decided whether to go turbo, or to swap in a V8. Miles per gallon is not an issue, the issue is smiles per gallon, and I haven't figured out which to do. Turbocharging a four cylinder costs a fair amount to get the amount of power I want, and in the end I don't know if I want a high revving buzz box that cost me 4 - $5,000 to build, or an earth shaking v8 that makes more power for the same price but sucks down fuel like it's still 25 cents a gallon.
Anyways, If I go turbo, it will have to be a blow-through carb setup as I am NOT taking the 4 BBL carb off of this thing. You guys would not believe the crowds that it draws when I take the air cleaner off. "A 4 BBL on a 4 cylinder? Geez, I've never seen anything like that before!!!" or even "Wow, I used to race one of those in the 80s."
Update: I had a suspension arm break on me, so it was time to get the new front suspension installed. The car now handles much better. not much else to report other than an oil change....
Holy shit am I ever glad I live in the desert.
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Originally Posted by TheGreenDoctor
... will take a bit of a bite out of my bodywork fund, but I think they really clean up the look, and will also save a substantial about of weight as the stock bumpers are massive, and weigh about 60 LBs a piece, and even after adding a little rebar for strength and safety, will still probably save around 70 - 80 LBs total.
I think you know what do do here.
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It's a vast conspiracy, and the complete lack of evidence is all the evidence I need.
All I know was that I was damn lucky that it didn't let go at 120+ MPH... I was literally less than 100 yards away from home when it happened. I was turning onto the last street from the main road, hit a bump, and felt the wheel pull hard to the right (and with manual steering, that's no joke); fought to keep the wheel straight to limp home, and park and get out to find my passenger side wheel at a 45 degree angle. I was a little upset, but I was all set with my errands for the day, and I was able to borrow someone elses car to get to and from work that day.
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Originally Posted by MediumD
I think you know what do do here.
Yeah, I just hope I'll have enough to pay the piper after the winter is over.
but once in awhile I need to hear her scream for mercy.
that's cool. i'll run my mustang up to 6200 sometimes just for the hell of it even though power drops off at 5200 lol. i hope you have upgraded valve springs so it doesn't float! lol. i think turbo would probably be a little less work for your car than a v8 swap, and it'd be pretty unique. idk what you're CR is at though that could be an issue.
This weekend I just did a tuneup. New cap and rotor, and I reset timing at 15* initial as well as tweaking the carb a little bit. Shes runs a bit better, but now I have a misfire that starts at 5500 RPM. I still think I'm running out of fuel. What do you guys think?
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Originally Posted by Pabst
that's cool. i'll run my mustang up to 6200 sometimes just for the hell of it even though power drops off at 5200 lol. i hope you have upgraded valve springs so it doesn't float! lol. i think turbo would probably be a little less work for your car than a v8 swap, and it'd be pretty unique. idk what you're CR is at though that could be an issue.
Compression is at 8 3/4 If I remember correctly. I probably could throw a turbo on and run like 8 PSI, bit I still don't know about that, pr even really trust it. I really don't know what the final power plant will be.
Update: I sheared a dizzy gear shortly after I last posted, and it just sheared another one. It turned out that the previous replacement was one size too small and it worked itself halfway out and sheared out. I drilled the gear and shaft up to 5/32, and installed a new roll pin. I'm back to running nice and smooth, but I'm due for another oil change. I've got my eye on a shiny new MSD dizzy though I'm hoping to get her in for bodywork this year, but I still need something to drive while its in the shop.
Also picked up some more sheet metal and a set of subframe connectors.
Rear quarters, floorpans, and a set of subframe connectors.The amount of fabrication needed is well beyond my capabilities, and I just don't have the time these days to really try to do it myself anymore.
As she was a couple days before she went in (along with the exterior trim being removed, not fun ) I put the drivers seat back in and drove it to the shop as shown.
Plus knowing the unibody is solid. Even with that "puny" 4 banger, I could feel the frame twisting on hard acceleration. It was like one of the rear wheels was coming off the ground. Lots of fun though as I could do some crazy burnouts that could probably put some v8s to shame, as well as toasting the hell out of a (probably v6) Camaro over this past summer.
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Plus knowing the unibody is solid. Even with that "puny" 4 banger, I could feel the frame twisting on hard acceleration. It was like one of the rear wheels was coming off the ground. Lots of fun though as I could do some crazy burnouts that could probably put some v8s to shame, as well as toasting the hell out of a (probably v6) Camaro over this past summer.
Knowing you beat a V6 Camaro with your Mustang II makes me smile
Knowing you beat a V6 Camaro with your Mustang II makes me smile
It was fun. I don't normally street race because its dangerous, but the road was completely clear and this guy was asking for it. He turned around on a divided highway for it and was being just plain obnoxious.
Anyway, he got next to me at a light, he revved, I revved, he looked at me in surprise, the light turned green and we were off!!! I got him off the line through first and second, as I was topping out in third he started to pass me a bit giving me the evil eye, but when I shifted into 4th and got back into my powerband that look quickly turned into surprise and disbelief as I blew past him at an undisclosed speed
I always loved your Mustang. I remember hearing the exhaust note when I saw the video you posted of it. Back in those days I was in the mindset of "V8 or nothing", but I was really envious of your restoration work.
Maybe that's why you never see them. Its a conspiracy to keep them off the roads! You will get a knock on your door from some obscure agency if you don't stop what you are doing.
You dont see them probably because (I think) Late 70's mustangs had the heaviest bodies, so they would be less likely used as drag cars. Fox bodies were lighter (but a lot uglier imo) I think late 60's notchbacks were the lightest. Mustangs looked so much better in the late 70's than camaros i wish they would have been thinking about performance
^^ The early 70s cars were the heaviest, and the foxes are only lighter than the IIs by around 200 pounds or so. Some of the early foxes were pretty bad in the power department as well. At one point they had a V8 rated at 119 HP.
I always loved your Mustang. I remember hearing the exhaust note when I saw the video you posted of it. Back in those days I was in the mindset of "V8 or nothing", but I was really envious of your restoration work.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm a "V8 or nothing" guy at heart as well (give me a '56 F100 with a 312 and I'll be as happy as a clam). Although, I have found (and I hate admitting) that with today's technology, a well tuned four cylinder has enough power to have some real fun, but I've also found that the average person doesn't have the knowledge to tap into that power. I've seen Honda civics that are loud and "aggressive sounding" but still have less bite than even I think a stock civic should have. I've even been on the tail of an Acura that sounded like it had power, but I easily kept on its tail with barely 3/4 throttle. I still want a v8 eventually, but I think of the current engine as a challenge to get a respectable amount of power out of a 4 cylinder and doing it differently than the current norm (turbocharging etc) but without breaking the bank by using many of the old racer tricks.
Anyway, not too much to report other than gathering up more parts. I did decide to go with the tucked bumpers and they are currently on order. I also have purchased some other parts such as an NOS turn signal lever, new carpeting, various body gaskets and plugs, and some OEM decals.
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Last edited by TheGreenDoctor; 03-19-2012 at 08:17 AM.
^^ The early 70s cars were the heaviest, and the foxes are only lighter than the IIs by around 200 pounds or so. Some of the early foxes were pretty bad in the power department as well. At one point they had a V8 rated at 119 HP.
Not to mention Fox-body mustangs are some of the ugliest cars ever made, where as your car has classic Gregory Peck good looks.
I got my tucked bumpers about a week ago, and I did a quick test fit last weekend to see what I need to modify to get them to fit properly. I still need to get some 2" angle iron to use as a support as the bumpers are made of fiberglass.
I remember seeing an episode of Top Gear USA that had the boys buy the shittiest cars they could, only to fix them up and sell them at auction. There was a Yugo, a Pontiac Aztek, and a Mustang II. The Mustang II was considered the worst! WTF. The yugo is of much poorer quality, and is already front drive and gay. The Aztek is just hideous and unlovable. Frankly, the second gen Mustang was the only car worth a shit, I look at it in sort of the same manner as air cooled Beetles: huge potential for modification and customization. I'm surprised how underrated the car is amongst enthusiasts.
Wull ya. Obviously it's all set up, I think the point I was trying to drive home however is the apparent misconception that the Mustang II is a terrible car. It can be, many of them are, but its design and layout has great potential and the shape doesn't really look bad at all. And cars are just metal and plastic and rubber and glass anyway, Green's car is clearly a prime example of doing it rite.
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I installed a new header as the old one had rotted out to the point of not being repairable for a 4th time. Its a nice stainless steel one from Speedway Motors. Here it is after about 2 1/2 hours of 4300 RPM driving
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I installed a new header as the old one had rotted out to the point of not being repairable for a 4th time. Its a nice stainless steel one from Speedway Motors. Here it is after about 2 1/2 hours of 4300 RPM driving
When you gonna pull that motor and spray it with some FOMOCO blue?
Re: My 1978 Mustang II restoration project
) on several occasions, and around 5000 rpm 
Re: My 1978 Mustang II restoration project
) 
Re: My 1978 Mustang II restoration project
you know what I meant.
Re: My 1978 Mustang II restoration project
