I've been a MoPar guy for 50 plus years, came over to Kiwi's channel from Uncle T's recommendation. The Ford folks have the same problem we MoPar guys do. The 'low information' owners keep falling for Video Hype on 'improving' their classics. It's so sad.... I've seen countless MoPars that were 'improved' right into the Scrap Yard with THOUSANDS of dollars invested in janky aftermarket parts. I learned early on, if you want your classic to LAST and be Dependable, leave it as close to 'stock' as you possibly can.
GM too, its all of it, virtually none of that chromed out hot rod crap is half as well engineered and built as what the factory put there, or put in some other car in the junkyard. But that's harder to brag about at the car show. Doesn't help they don't read, I bet every electronic ignition kit has big warnings on the install sheet about the old resistive power feed and running a new #10 wire or something along those lines.
This true, leave it as stock/factory as possible and the car will drive/handle safely. I drive my Valiant regularly and tracks straight down the road without issue, all stock and a good alignment is that is needed
Seeing how they swindled a female buyer makes me think of a phrase I use: “…I just want to go and smack the seller’s mother” because it’s a matter of conscience to rip a fellow human off!! They should be ashamed of themselves for making a new owner buy, and then drive such a dangerous car! Thanks Kiwi for being an honest man and for your awesome skills.
Kiwi - when you were sawing the steering wheel back and forth you reminded me of the old time movies when actors pretended to drive. That mustang pretended to steer!
I helped install one of those Flaming River kits once, it was a real pain. Basically gives you the shafts, joints, and a hanger bearing and you figure out the rest. I mocked the shafts up with wooden dowels, cause once you cut the metal shafts you are done if you cut too short. In all it was a real pain to clear the exhaust, and not bind etc, nearly impossible.
Thank you for what you do sir. I had a teacher in the 6th grade that had a 1st generation Mustang and she was so happy when she left the yard in her Mustang, Red and must have been in 1965 as I graduated in 1967. In Yonkers NY. I would buy her a restored one by your standards if I could meet her again. I guess it is called life. SOME NEVER FORGET! ALL THE WAY SIR!! Blessings.
Hack job. Stock parts would have made it a dream to drive. All those “upgrades” not only don’t improve the car, they don’t even do the minimum correctly nor safely. Good luck and good eye you have.
Thanks for the insight on removing the resistor wire on a points replacement kit, Kiwi! I bet that explains most of the ~20% giving one-star-failures seen on the Amazon purchases. She's not a Rustang-On-The-Rack, but she needs the Master's touch. The owner brought it to the right man for the job. The minute I saw 1965 quarter panel trim chrome on a car that Kiwi tells us is a 1966, I thought, "California shop doesn't do Mustangs like Kiwi does Mustangs."
I'm pretty sure that car is a 65, due to the trim (especially by the rear 'scoops' between the door and rear wheel wells), grille, and the instrument cluster.
The Folks got one new off the lot in 66 … Midnight Blue , 289 , automatic. Mom used to whip that thang around like she was autocrossing … I was a kid in the back seat sliding around 👌🏼⛽️…. Fo Mo Co fever 👍🏼
Thanks for the lovely reminder of happy childhood memories.. family daily was a 66 coupe, metallic root beer brown with a red pony interior. 289 4spd posi car. Mother used to drive it in anger.. loads of fun! JCWhitney headers and glasspacks.
Kiwi sure knows his stuff. 😊Gotta say that I am always amazed that people still mount the electric fuel pump in the engine compartment. This is not new technology at this point.
"... amazed that people still mount the electric fuel pump in the engine compartment." That is just evidence of how little many so-called mechanics actually know.
Nice looking car! It seems to be suffering from the "let's buy aftermarket stuff we don't need and make it better" syndrome and usually has the opposite effect.. That car would be better in every way making it closer to stock. I'd restore the steering box and linkage, lose the headers, and any other bit I could find. The unneeded electric fuel pump is always a bad sign of aftermarketitus. I think the person that did the wiring must have gotten butt splices by the pallet load.
I have a 68 and it is a made up of a hoard of different parts. It has manual steering, 5 speed, and power front disk brakes with large 73 montego drums on the back. I used a fox body proportioning valve to control it. All junkyard parts and it has no problems stopping. Now I am going with a borgesson steering box in the near future. I am glad you recommended it. 😊
The Pertronix explanation was valuable. I had one go bad on my 66 Coronet and I was running the stock coil and ballast resistor. When I bought the replacement, I bought the Pertronix coil and bypassed the ballast resistor. So far so good. I run it with the factory setting of 10 degrees advanced.
For some odd reason I've heard of more people getting tires rotated or changed on Mustangs and the shop leave the lugs loose. When the tire came off it warped the frame on my Aunt's 67 and never was right, until the frame was put through the test at a body shop. The right front wheel came off and pulled to the right under braking from then on. Drove straight as an arrow any other time until you pushed the brake pedal.
Hey kiwi, you finally got one in the shop that has frame rails 😂 amazing what people do with "upgrades" during install...zip ties, cobbled up wiring, ect...That rack would scare the shit outta me, had a bad experience with one locking up at speed and scared me for life 😂
Here in the UK, where we have those odd things called "corners" the precision offered by a rack and pinion is a valuable and useful improvement. In the US, corners don't really exist in any proximity to each other, so a steering box, especially a fresh one, that doesn't have a couple hundred thousand miles under it's belt, is probably more than adequate. The car also needs some attention to brake balance control. Is it my imagination, or camera angles, or is that thing actually toeing out about 5 degrees? Judging by the way you were sawing away at the wheel, it looked like it didn't know where straight ahead even was! A sure sign of bad alignment. But at least it's not rotten and the paint job is magnificent, I wish I could paint that good. This looks like a car that was built by a body man. The body is lovely, the mechanical bits were done by a guy who was a little outside his wheelhouse - and it shows! Me, i'm the other way round, it'll run and drive perfect, go like s**t off a shovel and be sound underneath (Brit rules, like Kiwi ones are a LOT tougher on rust) but it'll never win any cups for paintwork!
I have owned two 66s over the years. Both were stock suspension and manual steering, but solid drivers with no issues. I am a firm believer that these are nice enough to drive without a bunch of upgrades. I also live in northern Calif, where even our highways have lots of curves.
It looked to me, when it was on the hoist, that the front end was badly toed OUT!! That's why the tire are scuffed. It will never track straight that way.
I like how you go over all the stuff and help a person that’s thinking about getting a classic car what to look for I don’t know where you’re located, but it would be nice if you were closer to me in Kentucky. I’m actually on my way tomorrow to Wisconsin to pick up a 1961 Oldsmobile dynamic 88. I originally bought it about 25 years ago down here and then sold it to my buddy after it was in storage for a while and his barn because I was gonna buy a 1970 rallye 350 but that didn’t go through and so my buddies had it in Wisconsin and his barn so I’m happy to go get it back.
Man that car is a death trap, it's going to kill someone. You're a brave man taking it out on the road mate. This car would never see the road legally in NZ .
I was told my 62 was a death trap ...not that anything was wrong with it just that it was old. No one ever wrote any books about people playing it safe.
I just retired from the vintage car repair business and the things you see are really scary. Hardly any of the rack & pinion conversions work correctly, besides bump steer most of them don't have the turning radius of a regular gear box, and if it's a manual rack you feel every crack in the road. Flaming River sells a lot of poorly engineered junk but their fancy advertising sucks the unaware in.
The classic Mustang is probably the most hacked together car in history. People do the worst things to them to make them presentable enough to sell. The sellers think every Mustang ever made is worth a bank full of cash.
It sounded nice on the audio, but the binding in the steering was plainly visible. I guess the front discs are not working correctly if at all. I fixed up and drove a64 and it was just fine stock. I do remember it stalling out in deep twilight on an interstate in West Virginia, no flashlight. I was pretty sure the points had closed up and managed to gap the points blind with a scrap of cardboard. Fortunately I was right. Having to do tuneups so often back then made sure you knew exactly where things were in the distributor, so no big deal in a pinch.
well...@ least it wasent a rot bucket 4 a change...cant belive the drain plug,,,!..looks to me the banjo could be the biggest hit cost wise...unless...it can be welded...or u can find a good used one...!..?..u should change your name to "mr. mustang"..😉..i have never seen the banjo leak on the weld on an 8" or a 9" ford...the vent is on the drivers side,top..so cant see it b'n that..?...love this videos...since i dought i will ever have the coin to buy an older car with the coin they r get 4 them...!....thanks Kiwi...look'n forward to part 2...!..
I love the tranny lines zip-tied to the lower rad hose. Chef's kiss! High grade mechanical work there. Your test drive was much like a 68 Camaro SS convertible I rented in Las Vegas about 20 some odd years ago. Thing looked beautiful, but what an f-ing nightmare to drive. The rental company had the timing so far off (probably to deter shenanigans) that the thing ran like crap and I was almost ready to buy a screwdriver to advance it a bit, the brakes would do nothing until the rears locked up, and the steering had about a half turn before anything happened, which made driving the 2 lanes out to the Hoover dam a fun experience.
Something that I have learned...if you are having someone else install and maintain you need to get their opinion and assurance that they will do it. E.g. I wanted two sommer garage door openers, not exactly common in my area.I did buy them I found an installer that was familiar and let them get them Also learned they don't sell a 1 piece rail like most other manufacturers do.
I have a 68 Mustang that I'm having to tear it all down again because my son wreck it. Plus, other things. I installed the Borenson power steering system, which I am very satisfied with it. It was worth the money.
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 yes, completely stripped and cleaned. Ground out the old weld and ran a bead all the way around. After I would lay it on its back and fill the bowl with kerosene and check for leaks. Tedious but no one wants a rebuilt axle that leaks.
people have this "upgrade" mentality that is not better then what was designed into the car as a whole.. some time yeah it works but its applied on too many things just because its this idea its "better"..and ill stick to points as i was stuck in the desert when the electronic ignition died on my 62 and i found old dusty points in the trunk that got me home ..
@@LongIslandMopars exactly.... I always carry spares now...the other day I had the roter come apart on me.. The metal tang came off and I found it on the points plate. The rivit failed,,, I tied it back on with bits of string I found and it got me home again. Then I tapped it with a screw instead but baught a replacment to stick in the trunk. Along with new wires and a cap.
All older cars should be bought with your eyes wide open to the fact that no matter how nice everything may look, that you have just bought a project car at some level of completion. The sobering reality is that there are very few Kiwi’s out there who can sort through the soup of factory and mis matched aftermarket parts to make the car pleasant and safe to drive.
All that cash invested in “upgrades” and the oil drain plug is held in by RTV! Not to mention the gob welds on the diff. People spend a bunch for their dream car and have no idea what they are buying. At least it’s a west coast car so everything structural isn’t weakened by rust. By now the junkyards in CA must be picked clean of classic cars
Sadly according to BABVVO laws from 2030 on all combustion cars, trucks and busses including classics will be banned from public streets in entire EU and Scandinavia :-( In Germany, the Green Peoples Party gave order to shorten fuel supply from 2025 on by reducing petrol stations to only one state operated central gas station per city. From 2027 on in the EU certain car spare parts will be banned too....as exhaust systems, turbo chargers and even some engine and gearbox oils...California and New York will do the same from 2027 on.... So no investments should be done in oil burning cars any longer....They even created a new kind of crime here, called emissions and smoke crime!!!
I am a political/economic/social refugee from Kaligrad, now out of state. I await this Stalinist mandate with great anticipation. However, 51 years in L.A. taught me not to expect much opposition from the sheeple there. I think this will cause the greatest disruption, economic destruction so far. Can't wait as they are like a person of addiction; they must hit rock bottom before change. ? what is the difference b/t a Conservative & a Demoncom? The D. is obsessed with command & control-telling us what to think, what to say, what to do, then making it law. The C. doesn't care about any of that, as long as you don't impose your will on us.
i applaud your use of the mechanical fuel pump but I don't think I would change the alternator unless it was broke. the front end on that is outrageous. there's a good reason why ford built them the way they did.
@@craigmorrell1052 it's got A/C, power windows, power locks, upgraded headlights and a good stereo. The price between a 100 amp and a 150 amp is negligible so why not
On the brakes wouldn't that mean that the proportional valve is wrong or maybe the master cylinder is wrong for the size of wheel cylinders on the rear brakes.
It has an adjustable prop valve to the rear so I can dial them down some but I need to address the fact that it's only grabbing one rear wheel not both. I'll get into that on the next video
I don't know why so many think they need all these "upgrades". I'll sometime take a customer out in my '79 bird to show em how well it drives, they're always impressed, and then when I tell them it's all mostly bone stock, they're surprised lol
Those rack conversions are terrible. On most cars they created a terrible turning radius and the binding of the universe joints are both a problem. A nice full power Borgeson box is the way to go.
Looking at the quality of the installation it seems as though it is a common theme with installing these aftermarket modifications, in that the technicians that get these jobs way underestimate the amount of things that need to be done and of course this business being a flat rate business, the more time you put in a job the less you make so we get these shortcuts in detail. It is OK to upgrade these cars to some more modern features but we also have to realize that we are re-engineering the vehicle as well. I have posted in the past about Revology motors down in Orlando Fl and the Mustangs that they actually manufacture and design to use the latest drivetrain technology. One can get a Mustang done any way they want to suit their tastes, but of course the price tag is quite expensive (into six figures). I have also seen advertisement for this Kindred motor outfit which provides a restomod vehicle but it is EV powered and the price tag on those vehicles are six figures. But the point here is that these vehicles are engineered to work. My experience (back in the eighties) with aftermarket stuff is that it is just not a simple bolt in arraignment and there has to be more work done to have a reliable installation. Of course this lady has acquired a vehicle that has all kinds of issues and although as you pointed out some of the modifications were acceptable, there are some that are downright dangerous especially the steering. One thing about it you will never run out of business to take care of this stuff. But it is sad that most people are just not educated about this stuff until after they have spent good money. Your post are direct and to the point and it is a very good attempt to educate folks as to what to expect and to be able to judge with their reasoning as opposed to making decisions with their heart strings.
There is, but the rears should at least be working evenly not just one side. I'm gonna try and get the fronts working better before I dial down the rears though
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 I just figured with how that car seemed to be rushed, well as you've shown us a few times, not all shops out there build good cars. The really hurt the hobby we're trying to save and continue. At least this car is fairly solid, looks worth saving
That's not a Mustang....it's a Tennessee walker....walking all over the road! That 'California special " just needs a little Kiwi TLC. I was trying to get out for a visit, convince you to 2 tone green Large Marge but health intervened, on the mend now.
I'm not a fan of heim joints on the street. It's metal to metal with no protection from water and dirt, requiring constant lubrication that attracts even more dirt and accelerates the wear.
I'm just watching the test drive and I was nervous. Chris, you CANNOT give this car back to the owner with that Flaming pile of crap steering linkage. Please do your best to persuade her to spring for steering system upgrade. No doubt you will have cleaned up the rest of the funk you've showed us, most critical being the piss poor brakes. Brake fluid not properly distributed? Looking forward to your usual top flight work getting this old pony performing like a spirited young colt again! How's Marge doing?
Kiwi, good morning! I greatly appreciate your videos as insight to these older Fords. In watching this video much was mentioned of the steering rack ( or more so linkage to/from column to the rack) I understand the issues, I’m looking at installing a RRS rack which will directly bolt in to my 69 Fairlane; appears once in the height of the rack can be adjusted to minimize bump steer. I was curious if you had an opinion of the RRS rack, I realize, like any rack, the linkage plays a big part in getting the angles right to have clean steering. I’ve considered the Borgeson box but am hoping for a tighter ratio found in the rack. In brief, any thoughts or insight of the RRS rack, racks in general ( in older Fords) vs the Borgeson box. Thank you again, and I greatly appreciate your videos. Very best of regards to you & yours
Sounds like if a dual master cylinder was added they have the brake lines switched? The front brake line should be on the back and the rear brake line should be on the front. If those are switched the rear brakes will lockup like what's happening to that car.🤷
I've been a MoPar guy for 50 plus years, came over to Kiwi's channel from Uncle T's recommendation.
The Ford folks have the same problem we MoPar guys do. The 'low information' owners keep falling for Video Hype on 'improving' their classics. It's so sad.... I've seen countless MoPars that were 'improved' right into the Scrap Yard with THOUSANDS of dollars invested in janky aftermarket parts.
I learned early on, if you want your classic to LAST and be Dependable, leave it as close to 'stock' as you possibly can.
GM too, its all of it, virtually none of that chromed out hot rod crap is half as well engineered and built as what the factory put there, or put in some other car in the junkyard. But that's harder to brag about at the car show. Doesn't help they don't read, I bet every electronic ignition kit has big warnings on the install sheet about the old resistive power feed and running a new #10 wire or something along those lines.
boy....truer words could never have been spoken...!...!..👍👍
Lift kits!!!
This true, leave it as stock/factory as possible and the car will drive/handle safely. I drive my Valiant regularly and tracks straight down the road without issue, all stock and a good alignment is that is needed
If anyone can fix it--Kiwi can!😎
Seeing how they swindled a female buyer makes me think of a phrase I use: “…I just want to go and smack the seller’s mother” because it’s a matter of conscience to rip a fellow human off!! They should be ashamed of themselves for making a new owner buy, and then drive such a dangerous car!
Thanks Kiwi for being an honest man and for your awesome skills.
This one is pretty tame compared to some of the hack jobs kiwi has had on the rack. Scum will sell these cars to anyone willing to buy em
Kiwi - when you were sawing the steering wheel back and forth you reminded me of the old time movies when actors pretended to drive. That mustang pretended to steer!
😂🤣. Yeah it's an adventure !!
I helped install one of those Flaming River kits once, it was a real pain. Basically gives you the shafts, joints, and a hanger bearing and you figure out the rest. I mocked the shafts up with wooden dowels, cause once you cut the metal shafts you are done if you cut too short. In all it was a real pain to clear the exhaust, and not bind etc, nearly impossible.
Good thing that you can do the nearly impossible, cheers!
I used a Randall Rack it was a nice installation.
Definitely needs the kiwi touch !
Your on to it Kiwi, amazing how so called custom shops can put out this type of work and the demand top dollar🤦♂️
The 'key word' for 95% of those so called custom shops is ....DOLLAR....
Thank you for what you do sir. I had a teacher in the 6th grade that had a 1st generation Mustang and she was so happy when she left the yard in her Mustang, Red and must have been in 1965 as I graduated in 1967. In Yonkers NY. I would buy her a restored one by your standards if I could meet her again. I guess it is called life. SOME NEVER FORGET! ALL THE WAY SIR!! Blessings.
Hack job. Stock parts would have made it a dream to drive. All those “upgrades” not only don’t improve the car, they don’t even do the minimum correctly nor safely. Good luck and good eye you have.
Thanks for the insight on removing the resistor wire on a points replacement kit, Kiwi! I bet that explains most of the ~20% giving one-star-failures seen on the Amazon purchases. She's not a Rustang-On-The-Rack, but she needs the Master's touch. The owner brought it to the right man for the job. The minute I saw 1965 quarter panel trim chrome on a car that Kiwi tells us is a 1966, I thought, "California shop doesn't do Mustangs like Kiwi does Mustangs."
I'm pretty sure that car is a 65, due to the trim (especially by the rear 'scoops' between the door and rear wheel wells), grille, and the instrument cluster.
The license plates also indicate it was first registered late '64, early '65.
The Folks got one new off the lot in 66 …
Midnight Blue , 289 , automatic.
Mom used to whip that thang around like she was autocrossing …
I was a kid in the back seat sliding around 👌🏼⛽️….
Fo Mo Co fever 👍🏼
Good memories👍😎
Thanks for the lovely reminder of happy childhood memories.. family daily was a 66 coupe, metallic root beer brown with a red pony interior. 289 4spd posi car. Mother used to drive it in anger.. loads of fun! JCWhitney headers and glasspacks.
@@kennethjorgensen6624 glad you enjoyed it!!
@@kennethjorgensen6624 thanks for sharing !!!😎😁
Kiwi sure knows his stuff. 😊Gotta say that I am always amazed that people still mount the electric fuel pump in the engine compartment. This is not new technology at this point.
Right!! 🤦
"... amazed that people still mount the electric fuel pump in the engine compartment."
That is just evidence of how little many so-called mechanics actually know.
Nice looking car! It seems to be suffering from the "let's buy aftermarket stuff we don't need and make it better" syndrome and usually has the opposite effect.. That car would be better in every way making it closer to stock. I'd restore the steering box and linkage, lose the headers, and any other bit I could find. The unneeded electric fuel pump is always a bad sign of aftermarketitus. I think the person that did the wiring must have gotten butt splices by the pallet load.
I have a 68 and it is a made up of a hoard of different parts. It has manual steering, 5 speed, and power front disk brakes with large 73 montego drums on the back. I used a fox body proportioning valve to control it. All junkyard parts and it has no problems stopping. Now I am going with a borgesson steering box in the near future. I am glad you recommended it. 😊
Sweet.
Im really happy with the borgeson from manual steering, used an original pump too
@Timrsnakess Do you run a Cleveland? If so, do you run longtube headers.
@@JimsFastbackGarage Hooker super comps, no clearance issues since I run a hydraulic clutch
I call that OE+ mods. All the bits the factory should have added
The Pertronix explanation was valuable. I had one go bad on my 66 Coronet and I was running the stock coil and ballast resistor. When I bought the replacement, I bought the Pertronix coil and bypassed the ballast resistor. So far so good. I run it with the factory setting of 10 degrees advanced.
Stock Mustang steering was actually pretty good. I'm surprised (and glad) that someone hasn't been hurt or worse by this Flaming River conversion.
For some odd reason I've heard of more people getting tires rotated or changed on Mustangs and the shop leave the lugs loose. When the tire came off it warped the frame on my Aunt's 67 and never was right, until the frame was put through the test at a body shop. The right front wheel came off and pulled to the right under braking from then on. Drove straight as an arrow any other time until you pushed the brake pedal.
I fixed the aftermarket rack on my '64 Jag, by going to small CV joints. nz.
Hey kiwi, you finally got one in the shop that has frame rails 😂 amazing what people do with "upgrades" during install...zip ties, cobbled up wiring, ect...That rack would scare the shit outta me, had a bad experience with one locking up at speed and scared me for life 😂
Here in the UK, where we have those odd things called "corners" the precision offered by a rack and pinion is a valuable and useful improvement. In the US, corners don't really exist in any proximity to each other, so a steering box, especially a fresh one, that doesn't have a couple hundred thousand miles under it's belt, is probably more than adequate. The car also needs some attention to brake balance control.
Is it my imagination, or camera angles, or is that thing actually toeing out about 5 degrees? Judging by the way you were sawing away at the wheel, it looked like it didn't know where straight ahead even was! A sure sign of bad alignment.
But at least it's not rotten and the paint job is magnificent, I wish I could paint that good. This looks like a car that was built by a body man. The body is lovely, the mechanical bits were done by a guy who was a little outside his wheelhouse - and it shows!
Me, i'm the other way round, it'll run and drive perfect, go like s**t off a shovel and be sound underneath (Brit rules, like Kiwi ones are a LOT tougher on rust) but it'll never win any cups for paintwork!
I have owned two 66s over the years. Both were stock suspension and manual steering, but solid drivers with no issues. I am a firm believer that these are nice enough to drive without a bunch of upgrades. I also live in northern Calif, where even our highways have lots of curves.
Those brakes are a nightmare , and the entire front suspension setup is possessed. That would be a frightening car to drive. Good luck!
It looked to me, when it was on the hoist, that the front end was badly toed OUT!! That's why the tire are scuffed. It will never track straight that way.
Wow, that looked pretty spooky on the road.
It is wonderful the 'improvements' people make to older cars when they already work pretty good to start with.
It's amazing the cars made it 40 plus years with no problem before all these alleged improvements and updates.
I like how you go over all the stuff and help a person that’s thinking about getting a classic car what to look for I don’t know where you’re located, but it would be nice if you were closer to me in Kentucky. I’m actually on my way tomorrow to Wisconsin to pick up a 1961 Oldsmobile dynamic 88. I originally bought it about 25 years ago down here and then sold it to my buddy after it was in storage for a while and his barn because I was gonna buy a 1970 rallye 350 but that didn’t go through and so my buddies had it in Wisconsin and his barn so I’m happy to go get it back.
Not far away, Franklin TN
Man that car is a death trap, it's going to kill someone. You're a brave man taking it out on the road mate. This car would never see the road legally in NZ .
I was told my 62 was a death trap ...not that anything was wrong with it just that it was old. No one ever wrote any books about people playing it safe.
NO WAY! Minor stuff. You obviously have never driven a car from the 60's.
Thanks for pointing out the resistor wire issue. Have a pertronix I in the maverick... one more thing to look at!
It catches 90% of people !
Master class, excellent knowledge. Thanks
Thanks man and thanks for watching!!
Keep your hands on the wheel your eyes upon the road.... LOLLL
I'll say it again, it is a good thing this car found you
Thanks man and thanks for watching!!
Have you seen the RRS rack and pinion conversions? They still use standard style inner and outer tie rod ends.
These are interesting videos especially for those buying Mustangs for the first time. Keep it up. I hope there is a follow-up video for this car.
Another great video. Thanks
Thanks man and thanks for watching!!
I just retired from the vintage car repair business and the things you see are really scary. Hardly any of the rack & pinion conversions work correctly, besides bump steer most of them don't have the turning radius of a regular gear box, and if it's a manual rack you feel every crack in the road. Flaming River sells a lot of poorly engineered junk but their fancy advertising sucks the unaware in.
The classic Mustang is probably the most hacked together car in history. People do the worst things to them to make them presentable enough to sell. The sellers think every Mustang ever made is worth a bank full of cash.
It sounded nice on the audio, but the binding in the steering was plainly visible. I guess the front discs are not working correctly if at all. I fixed up and drove a64 and it was just fine stock. I do remember it stalling out in deep twilight on an interstate in West Virginia, no flashlight. I was pretty sure the points had closed up and managed to gap the points blind with a scrap of cardboard. Fortunately I was right. Having to do tuneups so often back then made sure you knew exactly where things were in the distributor, so no big deal in a pinch.
The recommended "feeler gauge" for FORD points has always been a matchbook cover. They're right at .020".
well...@ least it wasent a rot bucket 4 a change...cant belive the drain plug,,,!..looks to me the banjo could be the biggest hit cost wise...unless...it can be welded...or u can find a good used one...!..?..u should change your name to "mr. mustang"..😉..i have never seen the banjo leak on the weld on an 8" or a 9" ford...the vent is on the drivers side,top..so cant see it b'n that..?...love this videos...since i dought i will ever have the coin to buy an older car with the coin they r get 4 them...!....thanks Kiwi...look'n forward to part 2...!..
Sweet car in the best of hands!
Given how the exhaust is baking the steering shaft (and grease in the ujoints) you'll always have notchy steering problems with that setup.
Just not enough room to make it work correctly!!
I love the tranny lines zip-tied to the lower rad hose. Chef's kiss! High grade mechanical work there. Your test drive was much like a 68 Camaro SS convertible I rented in Las Vegas about 20 some odd years ago. Thing looked beautiful, but what an f-ing nightmare to drive. The rental company had the timing so far off (probably to deter shenanigans) that the thing ran like crap and I was almost ready to buy a screwdriver to advance it a bit, the brakes would do nothing until the rears locked up, and the steering had about a half turn before anything happened, which made driving the 2 lanes out to the Hoover dam a fun experience.
Never heard of anyone using a screwdriver to set timing on a sbc before
The yokes going to the rack need to be out of time a 1/4 so you’re not fighting with both unjoints when turning
Something that I have learned...if you are having someone else install and maintain you need to get their opinion and assurance that they will do it. E.g. I wanted two sommer garage door openers, not exactly common in my area.I did buy them I found an installer that was familiar and let them get them Also learned they don't sell a 1 piece rail like most other manufacturers do.
I have a 68 Mustang that I'm having to tear it all down again because my son wreck it. Plus, other things. I installed the Borenson power steering system, which I am very satisfied with it. It was worth the money.
That's too bad!! Still, you know your way around it now😬. Borgeson is well worth the money!!
I've run into the leaky axle housing quite a bit. Mostly on the 9" in trucks.
Did you weld them up?
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 yes, completely stripped and cleaned. Ground out the old weld and ran a bead all the way around. After I would lay it on its back and fill the bowl with kerosene and check for leaks. Tedious but no one wants a rebuilt axle that leaks.
Trying to out smart the factory boys there with the steering.
Trying being the operative word !!
nice paint job!
Nice job Kiwi 👍
Seems like it’s got some good bones so that’s a positive. So far anyway. lol. Take care
looks like a great drive. Not as bad as you make it.
people have this "upgrade" mentality that is not better then what was designed into the car as a whole.. some time yeah it works but its applied on too many things just because its this idea its "better"..and ill stick to points as i was stuck in the desert when the electronic ignition died on my 62 and i found old dusty points in the trunk that got me home ..
Points will always get you home. I'm running a Pertronix in my 66 Coronet but I've got points and a condenser in the glovebox.
@@LongIslandMopars exactly.... I always carry spares now...the other day I had the roter come apart on me.. The metal tang came off and I found it on the points plate. The rivit failed,,, I tied it back on with bits of string I found and it got me home again. Then I tapped it with a screw instead but baught a replacment to stick in the trunk. Along with new wires and a cap.
@@chuckthebull Nice.
Real interested to see what you do with this one. Need to un-do mistakes I did on mine years ago.
All older cars should be bought with your eyes wide open to the fact that no matter how nice everything may look, that you have just bought a project car at some level of completion. The sobering reality is that there are very few Kiwi’s out there who can sort through the soup of factory and mis matched aftermarket parts to make the car pleasant and safe to drive.
That color is nice
Looks like toyota graphite grey. I painted my pontiac the same colour, looks good against the chrome.
All that cash invested in “upgrades” and the oil drain plug is held in by RTV! Not to mention the gob welds on the diff. People spend a bunch for their dream car and have no idea what they are buying.
At least it’s a west coast car so everything structural isn’t weakened by rust. By now the junkyards in CA must be picked clean of classic cars
I can't stand how sweet that thing is.
Pretty clean. Just needs some tlc, and maybe a slight diff gear change since it looks like the rear is in need of welding?
It amazes me how many hack mechanics are out there. If I couldn't do it any better than that I wouldn't do it at all.
I thought the wiring was the worst of it until I saw the suspension. Probably got wrong master cylinder for the disks.
Found ya just in time, Lady's got a nice Mustang, in the end .
At least the sheetmetal is solid. Now for the mechanical! Scary business buying or having a car rebuilt when you don’t know much about them. 😬
Sadly according to BABVVO laws from 2030 on all combustion cars, trucks and busses including classics will be banned from public streets in entire EU and Scandinavia :-( In Germany, the Green Peoples Party gave order to shorten fuel supply from 2025 on by reducing petrol stations to only one state operated central gas station per city. From 2027 on in the EU certain car spare parts will be banned too....as exhaust systems, turbo chargers and even some engine and gearbox oils...California and New York will do the same from 2027 on.... So no investments should be done in oil burning cars any longer....They even created a new kind of crime here, called emissions and smoke crime!!!
Could you post a link to that info, I'd really like to read up on that !!
I am a political/economic/social refugee from Kaligrad, now out of state. I await this Stalinist mandate with great anticipation. However, 51 years in L.A. taught me not to expect much opposition from the sheeple there. I think this will cause the greatest disruption, economic destruction so far. Can't wait as they are like a person of addiction; they must hit rock bottom before change. ? what is the difference b/t a Conservative & a Demoncom? The D. is obsessed with command & control-telling us what to think, what to say, what to do, then making it law. The C. doesn't care about any of that, as long as you don't impose your will on us.
@@glennhelm9525 China rules all western politicians and they want that!
You are so correct and people of classic cars have no idea what’s heading their way, so sad
Think we'll have to wait and see, rules change
Some of those Mustang steering wheels say Falcon Sprint underneath the center piece.
I got a 66 in 1976. Had rust holes in floor. 10 yrs old?
Yeah it was a problem!!
How about some videos on that sunbeam in the background.
Coming soon!😁👍
A double jointed steering U joint would help in this situation.
It has one but it's still not really enough...
i applaud your use of the mechanical fuel pump but I don't think I would change the alternator unless it was broke. the front end on that is outrageous. there's a good reason why ford built them the way they did.
The alternator wasn't charging so upgraded to a 150 amp single wire unit
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 wow 150 amps seems excessive considering it is not running any electric fans or high amp loads.
@@craigmorrell1052 it's got A/C, power windows, power locks, upgraded headlights and a good stereo. The price between a 100 amp and a 150 amp is negligible so why not
On the brakes wouldn't that mean that the proportional valve is wrong or maybe the master cylinder is wrong for the size of wheel cylinders on the rear brakes.
It has an adjustable prop valve to the rear so I can dial them down some but I need to address the fact that it's only grabbing one rear wheel not both. I'll get into that on the next video
Ditch the headers for steering linkage, and then chase the other gremlins.
That's the plan!!
I don't know why so many think they need all these "upgrades".
I'll sometime take a customer out in my '79 bird to show em how well it drives, they're always impressed, and then when I tell them it's all mostly bone stock, they're surprised lol
Good luck getting the oil out of the diff housing crack so it can be welded.
Hey Kiwi. Is that a Sunbeam Tiger, that Kev was sitting on, at the start of video? What is it in for? I’ve been meaning to ask for a while now.
Those rack conversions are terrible. On most cars they created a terrible turning radius and the binding of the universe joints are both a problem. A nice full power Borgeson box is the way to go.
Yea that steering would have to go .Seems like it could be a pretty nice car once the mechanicals are sorted out properly.
That second U-joint, coming from the rack, needs to be up further toward the column, in my opinion.
The only real solution is to replace the u-joint with a CV joint.
THEY SAY BEAUTY IS ONLY SKIN DEEP. But leave it to KIWI to make the whole car functional and beautiful.
Can you not releive the U joint with a Dremel?
You can but that doesn't fix the problem. A u joint will only operate smoothly to about 30 deg, beyond that you have a "lumpy" rotation.
Looking at the quality of the installation it seems as though it is a common theme with installing these aftermarket modifications, in that the technicians that get these jobs way underestimate the amount of things that need to be done and of course this business being a flat rate business, the more time you put in a job the less you make so we get these shortcuts in detail. It is OK to upgrade these cars to some more modern features but we also have to realize that we are re-engineering the vehicle as well. I have posted in the past about Revology motors down in Orlando Fl and the Mustangs that they actually manufacture and design to use the latest drivetrain technology. One can get a Mustang done any way they want to suit their tastes, but of course the price tag is quite expensive (into six figures). I have also seen advertisement for this Kindred motor outfit which provides a restomod vehicle but it is EV powered and the price tag on those vehicles are six figures. But the point here is that these vehicles are engineered to work. My experience (back in the eighties) with aftermarket stuff is that it is just not a simple bolt in arraignment and there has to be more work done to have a reliable installation. Of course this lady has acquired a vehicle that has all kinds of issues and although as you pointed out some of the modifications were acceptable, there are some that are downright dangerous especially the steering. One thing about it you will never run out of business to take care of this stuff. But it is sad that most people are just not educated about this stuff until after they have spent good money. Your post are direct and to the point and it is a very good attempt to educate folks as to what to expect and to be able to judge with their reasoning as opposed to making decisions with their heart strings.
A Revology Mustang is a long way into six figures.
@@johnbriggs3916 Yes sir it is.
Is there a proportioning valve in it 🤔
There is, but the rears should at least be working evenly not just one side. I'm gonna try and get the fronts working better before I dial down the rears though
@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 I just figured with how that car seemed to be rushed, well as you've shown us a few times, not all shops out there build good cars. The really hurt the hobby we're trying to save and continue.
At least this car is fairly solid, looks worth saving
Dang! This is the quietest car I've ever hardly heard on the youtube!
That's not a Mustang....it's a Tennessee walker....walking all over the road! That 'California special " just needs a little Kiwi TLC. I was trying to get out for a visit, convince you to 2 tone green Large Marge but health intervened, on the mend now.
Glad you're getting better!!
Good video, if you work the kinks out of it i’m sure she’ll really enjoy it!👍🏿
3.50 gear would work great with the AOD Trans. 👍
I'm not a fan of heim joints on the street. It's metal to metal with no protection from water and dirt, requiring constant lubrication that attracts even more dirt and accelerates the wear.
I agree completely!! Heims are for race cars.
I'm just watching the test drive and I was nervous. Chris, you CANNOT give this car back to the owner with that Flaming pile of crap steering linkage. Please do your best to persuade her to spring for steering system upgrade. No doubt you will have cleaned up the rest of the funk you've showed us, most critical being the piss poor brakes. Brake fluid not properly distributed? Looking forward to your usual top flight work getting this old pony performing like a spirited young colt again! How's Marge doing?
How do roadworthies work over there? How is this deathtrap even registered?
A few states have a very basic safety inspection but for the most part it's just "have at it lads! ".
Pretty scary situation all round.
Booger welds on that differential are horrible.
Yes!! I guess they thought it was ok though.....
I thought all older Fords just came with that little exhaust tick stock from the factory?
The ride needs to be safe and work properly, this Mustang needs Kiwi's help!
Looks like they left the apprentice to finish it off! without checking his work!
Is that power brake? Is it non posi? Interesting brake problem!
OH GOD THAT EXHAUST LEAK!!!! ARGH!
Turned out to be an incomplete weld where a primary tube goes into the cylinder head flange. Small but noisy
White letters in ? 😕
Yeah that's quite common.
Wow , 'MOPAR Connection magazine' channel , '600' vid. Herb's parts. Gotta be stuff for Marge there ay?
I'll go check it out, thanks!
Kiwi, good morning! I greatly appreciate your videos as insight to these older Fords. In watching this video much was mentioned of the steering rack ( or more so linkage to/from column to the rack)
I understand the issues, I’m looking at installing a RRS rack which will directly bolt in to my 69 Fairlane; appears once in the height of the rack can be adjusted to minimize bump steer.
I was curious if you had an opinion of the RRS rack, I realize, like any rack, the linkage plays a big part in getting the angles right to have clean steering.
I’ve considered the Borgeson box but am hoping for a tighter ratio found in the rack.
In brief, any thoughts or insight of the RRS rack, racks in general ( in older Fords) vs the Borgeson box. Thank you again, and I greatly appreciate your videos. Very best of regards to you & yours
With the rears locking up its literally set up for drifting😅
All minor stuff. The body isn't a hack job>>THAT is what is most important.
I agree!!
This one looks more doable then some of the others.
How do all the Mustangs find their way to you?
Sounds like if a dual master cylinder was added they have the brake lines switched? The front brake line should be on the back and the rear brake line should be on the front. If those are switched the rear brakes will lockup like what's happening to that car.🤷
My guess is its the factory master. But they didn’t add a proportioning valve
We need to call this man Dr kiwi. After all UT Dr Art have 2 names..