New Project: 1965 Mustang

[my68vert]

fantastic pics! Great to see you enjoying it to it's fullest

[mustang351]

All has been quiet on the Mustang front lately. I've just been driving the wheels off the car.

Finally bit the bullet and bought a new toy for the Mustang. I've been contemplating going with a rebuilt, integral box or a rack and pinion. I'm aware that a steering box can be setup to the point where it can perform on par with the rack, but I feel the rack will be more capable out of the box without much tuning. Looking forward to getting this installed and start autocrossing the car.

[protasone]

Looking good! You wont be sorry with the rack and pinion! Keep up the good work!

[bikefreak600]

I'm still procrastinating tearing the car apart. The weather has been too beautiful lately to tear it down and start working on it. Instead, I've just been enjoying it as much as possible. I had to install a new fuel pump and tune the carb as it was idling so low it would die at every stoplight or stop sign. Presumably due to the lower ambient air temps. A little adjustment and she is back to her normal self. Still painfully slow. But that's an easy fix.

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stunning car ! i love the other wheels in your drawing too !

[driveit]

Love the photos. Are you a professional photographer?

[mustang351]

Thank you, sir!

I shot professionally for 4-5 years actually. Just recently got away from it as turning it into a business began to tarnish my love for it. Put me through college, though!

[mustang351]

Not exactly a Mustang update, but an update.

The Atlanta Region SCCA announced that they are starting a new class called "Classic American Muscle" (CAM) after seeing the response to the GoodGuys AutoX and other PT type events. No engine, tire, or suspension restrictions. Just Pre-'82 American cars. And I've been thinking about getting more involved with the local SCCA so I attended their annual Autocross School. I've done it in the past but figure it can't hurt.



Unfortunately the Mustang wasn't ready so I took my menacing 07 Civic EX that I drive everyday and took her for a spin. First time driving a FWD car and I must say it wasn't very pleasurable. The car just wanted to push through every corner. It was definitely a blast though. Now just need to get the Mustang AutoX ready.

I was able to chase down my tach issue and adjusted my throttle. Turns out the pedal was hitting the manifold and I wasn't getting full wide-open throttle. Bent the rod a little and its like a whole new car.

After that I went out and did some steering tests in preparation for the rack install. I wanted to get a few baseline specs to do a before and after test.

Also tweaked my Dad's 64.5 that we just finished up. Feels good to have both in really great operating form.



Quick little video from one of my runs.

[85coupe50]

Very nice... I plan on posting up when I start my PT 66 Coupe. 347/Tremec with TA/PHB and coil over rear suspension. Front suspension is up in the air right now.

[mustang351]

Finally got the rack installed this weekend!

I am VERY impressed with the Unisteer Rack and Pinion kit for the early Mustangs. I got the kit from Summit (Part #: UIS-8001110-01). Prior to installing the kit I read pretty much every single thread and forum topic relating to the install so I was ready for any issues that were to come.

From the time I put the car on the lift, to the time I drove the car off the lift for the first test drive was a short 4 hours. That included removing the old power steering system. I will say, however, that I saved time by simple cutting the original steering shaft with a sawzall in order to make removing the old box/shaft combo easier.

When it came time to put the rack in I did have to do a little grinding on the lower control arm bracket, but I was expecting that. I have a stock style pan and didn't need to put any dents in it to get the cradle to fit.

After we got the rack fit I had to trim the threads on the end of the rack 1 inch on each side in order to thread the tie-rods on far enough to get the toe-in ball parked.

The column modification was very simple - I just had to cut off 3 1/8th inch from the bottom and tap in a new bearing.

I did have a little bit of play/slop in the steering when I initially put the rack in, but it turns out I didn't tighten the u-joints enough. I originally just tightened them as much as I could with a small allen, but later put a 6mm allen on a 3/8ths in socket and pulled with all my might.

Driving impressions: Steering slop is gone completely. I went from having 1.5-2 inches of steering wheel movement before it translated into tire movement. I now have about 1/4 inch of play, and I believe that is simply the result torquing (twisting) the steering shaft.

Going from power to manual will take getting used to, and the rack does have a few tight spots in it, but I only have about 12 miles on it so far. I'll keep driving it and after about 500 miles give an updated report.

Steering radius seems to be unchanged. I did pretty extensive "before" testing so as soon as I get the rack all worked in I will do an "after" test with quantitative data.

My father is testing out a new alignment shop on his car this week and if he likes they're work I'll take it to get re-aligned this weekend. I'll also take some photos next weekend when I get it on the rack. I want to make sure the u-joints are phased correctly.

All in all I am very happy with the install. I am INSANELY excited about now having to mop up power steering fluid every time I take the car out of the garage. Somehow there always seemed to be enough power steering fluid on the ground that a CSI team might be suspicious.

[Bossed]

Car really looks super, and it's cool to see you enjoying it.

PS. Your Dad's Mustang looks great too. Got any more pix of it?

[mustang351]

Spent a little more time weathering the pollen storm that's making its way through the South right now.

The front end is just about wrapped up after this weekend.

I was finally able to install new upper ball joints and performed the Arning drop. Lowered the front end quiet a bit!

The car is off to the alignment shop at the end of this week. Then all that's left is to build a metal rear-seat bulkhead and then the car will but AutoX ready! My aim is to have the car sorted by April 25th for the Summit Autorama show. The American Street Car Series will be on hand working the AutoX.

[mustang351]

The FedEx man is bringing a new toy!

[Crestronwizard]

Looks sweet!!

[mustang351]

Finally got the steering wheel installed! Took the car to work this morning and installed it during my lunch break! Overall the installation went fairly easy. I am going to have to take the hub back off the adjust the turn signal cancelling roll pins but aside from that it's a nice quality piece. Not only does it make driving the car more enjoyable as I appreciate the aesthetic, but the increased thickness in the wheel makes the car more enjoyable to drive.

[mustang351]

Well progress will likely slow down quite a bit for a while. Picked up a new daily driver this weekend. Planning to install shocks, springs, and sways and then drive/autocross the heck out of it, sans top, of course.