This Sunday was the latest edition of Ponies and Snakes, the Bay Area Mustang Association's annual car show. I didn't take as many photos this year as I usually do:
The Papa Sheep
This, that an'tother
Sunday, June 22, 2025
Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Reviving the 351 Windsor V8 Part 1
If you can remember back to this post, you'll know that I have a serious problem with the 351 Windsor engine in the Mustang: namely no oil pressure whatsoever and fine metal particles in the oil pan and filter. I actually started preparing to pull the engine at the end of last year, and I only stopped because I decided to concentrate on the F250. This is what I came back to:
I previously drained the oil and the coolant, and pulled the valve covers and the air cleaner. Next to go was the intake manifold and carburetor:
After that I had Amy Sheep help me remove the hood. It has to go eventually, and it will make the rest of the preparations much easier. I loved working on the F250 because there was SO MUCH SPACE around the engine, and I can get under the truck without needing to jack it up. The Mustang is a tight fit; it doesn't help that I'm using an engine from 1969 that wasn't designed to fit into the 1968 engine bay.
There is one header bolt that is extremely difficult to get at:
The transmission was next to go:
Monday, May 26, 2025
Swapping the Engine in the '67 F250 Part 11
At the end of the last post, the replacement engine was running, which was huge milestone, but it still needed tuning and there were a few things left to install. As it turned out, there were a few teething problems to solve as well.
The first issue was a coolant leak or leaks. I noticed drops of coolant in the engine bay, but there was no obvious source, and the leak was only active when the engine was running, and water was circulating. I added some florescence emitting dye to the cooling system and then let the engine idle for a few minutes while shining a UV lamp on the radiator and all the connections. I found two (2) very small leaks this way, one at the intake manifold hose and one at the water pump. I had to drain the coolant before I could fix the leaks, but otherwise it was straightforward.
I imagine that the hole in the dash was filled with some sort of plug when the truck left the factory, and I dare say I could have made something to fill or cover the hole. But I had a better idea.
I bought a basic push/pull switch from some place on the internet, and I acquired a suitable reproduction control knob and a trim ring from Dennis Carpenter.
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Preparation stage #1 |
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Preparation stage #2 |
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Implementation complete |
After that, I installed the new switch behind the dash. You may remember from this post, that the truck does not have a Neutral Safety Switch (NSS). To run the engine without one is a simple matter of connecting the incoming and outgoing NSS wires together, which is what I did. This time I decoupled the two NSS wires and re-connected them with the switch in between. This is the overall look after the reproduction trim ring and control knob have been installed. For the ignition to work, even if you have the key, the control knob must be switched to the "auxiliary" fuel tank.
Sunday, May 11, 2025
Swapping the Engine in the '67 F250 Part 10
Ever since I got done with installing the new wiring harness and making all the dash and interior connections, which was documented in the Part 9, I have been chipping away at transforming the engine from a bare hulk to an operational motion provider. There have been some issues along the way, a few to-and-fros, several components have been installed and the re-installed two or even three times. What follows is a potted history of this process; the triumphs without the tears, so to speak.
I started with bolting on the parts I previously restored:
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starter motor |
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headers |
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oil pressure sender, fuel pump and oil filter |
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power steering pump and fan belt |
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heater hoses and carburetor |
This is later, after I installed a brand new Powermaster alternator and started working through the wiring connections in the engine compartment:
The new master fuse box comes with the American Autowire harness:
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