Thursday, March 26, 2015
Saturday, March 21, 2015
2015 Goodguys Spring Lone Star Nationals Outcome
It was definitely the best decision to not drive the Mustang to Goodguys. The weather was horrible.
My wife and I left the Holiday Inn Express for Texas Motor Speedway in the rain. We waited in the car at the speedway for a while watching the weather on our cell phones and questioning if it would clear up. The weather looked like it would clear in about 30 minutes so we waited. Sure enough, it cleared and we started walking to the gate wondering how many cars were parked inside. We paid admission and walked in to find most of the lots incredibly empty.
We looked around inside at some of the vendor booths. Cars then slowly started to show up and we were able to look around, It was quite a bit colder than we expected to we ended up buying a couple of Goodguys hoodies. We stayed until around 2 or 3 o'clock and saw plenty of cars so it turned out much better than I expected when we arrived to an empty lot.
My wife and I left the Holiday Inn Express for Texas Motor Speedway in the rain. We waited in the car at the speedway for a while watching the weather on our cell phones and questioning if it would clear up. The weather looked like it would clear in about 30 minutes so we waited. Sure enough, it cleared and we started walking to the gate wondering how many cars were parked inside. We paid admission and walked in to find most of the lots incredibly empty.
We looked around inside at some of the vendor booths. Cars then slowly started to show up and we were able to look around, It was quite a bit colder than we expected to we ended up buying a couple of Goodguys hoodies. We stayed until around 2 or 3 o'clock and saw plenty of cars so it turned out much better than I expected when we arrived to an empty lot.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Goodguys Preparation - Change in Plans
It has rained each weekend for the last several weeks. I've not been able to drive the Mustang as I wanted in advance of the trip due to all the rain. However, today, it stopped raining and I decided to take the car out for a 100 mile drive to ensure it was up to the task of driving up to Ft. Worth for Goodguys.
The Mustang was very hard to start. It seemed as if it was just not getting enough gas. I checked the clear fuel filter just before the fuel pump and found it contained much less gas that normal. There was so little, it really did not fill enough to even reach the line running out to the carburetor. With a full fuel tank, I knew the fuel pump was the most likely culprit. After all, it is now the only original engine part remaining since my rebuild.
After cranking for a while, I was able to get the car to start. It did not run well and the A/F gauge showed it running much leaner than normal. I turned it off and started to consider my two options. I could use a replacement style pump from a local auto part store in hopes of having it on the road for Goodguys or order a performance version from Summit and potentially pass on driving the Mustang to Goodguys.
In the end, I decided to order the better fuel pump from Summit. I made the decision after checking the weather and noticing the chance of rain during the Goodguys show was 80-90% on both days. I decided to go with an Edelbrock 1725 fuel pump rated at 110gph which produces a steady 6psi without a regulator. The pump arrived the day before I planned to leave but it was already pouring rain so I decided to wait to install it until I returned from Goodguys.
The Mustang was very hard to start. It seemed as if it was just not getting enough gas. I checked the clear fuel filter just before the fuel pump and found it contained much less gas that normal. There was so little, it really did not fill enough to even reach the line running out to the carburetor. With a full fuel tank, I knew the fuel pump was the most likely culprit. After all, it is now the only original engine part remaining since my rebuild.
After cranking for a while, I was able to get the car to start. It did not run well and the A/F gauge showed it running much leaner than normal. I turned it off and started to consider my two options. I could use a replacement style pump from a local auto part store in hopes of having it on the road for Goodguys or order a performance version from Summit and potentially pass on driving the Mustang to Goodguys.
In the end, I decided to order the better fuel pump from Summit. I made the decision after checking the weather and noticing the chance of rain during the Goodguys show was 80-90% on both days. I decided to go with an Edelbrock 1725 fuel pump rated at 110gph which produces a steady 6psi without a regulator. The pump arrived the day before I planned to leave but it was already pouring rain so I decided to wait to install it until I returned from Goodguys.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Birthday Presents - Arm Rests & Speedometer Cable
One of my birthday presents this year was a $50 gift card to CJ Pony Parts. I used it almost immediately to order a new set of arm rests and a new speedometer cable. I then installed them this week.
The arm rest were just a small change I've wanted to make for a while. The original arm rests are cracked and are an eye sore. The new ones were made by Dashes Direct. They are slightly larger than the original and the appearance of the texture is not as close to the original as I would like. However, they work well and are certainly an improvement.
The speedometer cable was needed as the last one was melted by the exhaust. I'd just happen to notice it a few days ago. When I took it out, I also noticed the o-ring which keeps the portion which connects to the transmission from leaking was rock hard and starting to leak. When I installed this one, I ran it a different way so it is far enough from the exhaust that I don't expect to have any problems.
The arm rest were just a small change I've wanted to make for a while. The original arm rests are cracked and are an eye sore. The new ones were made by Dashes Direct. They are slightly larger than the original and the appearance of the texture is not as close to the original as I would like. However, they work well and are certainly an improvement.
The speedometer cable was needed as the last one was melted by the exhaust. I'd just happen to notice it a few days ago. When I took it out, I also noticed the o-ring which keeps the portion which connects to the transmission from leaking was rock hard and starting to leak. When I installed this one, I ran it a different way so it is far enough from the exhaust that I don't expect to have any problems.
Goodguys Preparation - Repairing an Oil Leak
The oil pan has leaked in the Mustang since I rebuilt the engine several years ago. At first, I thought the engine was leaking from the rear seal as that is where the majority of the oil accumulated. Over time, I noticed it was actually leaking about 2/3rds of the way back on the passenger side of the oil pan.
This weekend I decided to take the oil pan off to repair the leak. I used a Fel Pro one piece pan gasket without RTV during the rebuild and hoped to reuse it. Unfortunately, it ripped when I removed the oil pan from the Mustang.
I examined the oil pan and found the mounting flange was not flat. The unevenness around the bolt holes can be barely seen in the following picture.
I spent last Sunday straightening the mounting flange all the way around. Once it was a flat as possible, I stripped the entire pan and repainted it with a fresh coat of Duplicolor Engine Enamel primer and Ford Blue paint (DE1606).
I purchased another FelPro OS13260T gasket at O'Reilly and then installed the oil pan this weekend. It was time for an oil change so I put on a new Fram oil filter and some 10w30 Brad Penn oil. It has rained for days so I've not driven it yet but I'm hopeful this eliminates the oil leak.
This weekend I decided to take the oil pan off to repair the leak. I used a Fel Pro one piece pan gasket without RTV during the rebuild and hoped to reuse it. Unfortunately, it ripped when I removed the oil pan from the Mustang.
I examined the oil pan and found the mounting flange was not flat. The unevenness around the bolt holes can be barely seen in the following picture.
I spent last Sunday straightening the mounting flange all the way around. Once it was a flat as possible, I stripped the entire pan and repainted it with a fresh coat of Duplicolor Engine Enamel primer and Ford Blue paint (DE1606).
I purchased another FelPro OS13260T gasket at O'Reilly and then installed the oil pan this weekend. It was time for an oil change so I put on a new Fram oil filter and some 10w30 Brad Penn oil. It has rained for days so I've not driven it yet but I'm hopeful this eliminates the oil leak.
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