*Updated* Arin's Uber "76" Mustang II Buildup
7/22/14, 09:08 PM
#2182
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Yes, there was one here, you didn't see it?
https://themustangsource.com/f633/up...9/#post6789425
Pretty nifty design, I think.
https://themustangsource.com/f633/up...9/#post6789425
Pretty nifty design, I think.
4/9/15, 04:59 AM
#2183
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Sooooooo I recently had the cooling system in the II thouroughly gone over. They found a number of ridiculous issues that suprisingly, aren't Arin's fault (insert gasp)
First of all.. My fans were cutting out after a few minutes when I started the car. Turns out they were on circuit breakers, which would overheat after 2 minutes, and kill the fans, contributing to the overheating
THEN they found that the intake gasket had been installed incorrectly and had been blocking coolant passages. This was remedied.
Also, a similar circuit breaker related problem was coming up with my headlights, as soon as they were turned on, the breakers tripped and the car stalled. No more, huzzah.
But as with all older cars the fear of imminent and spectacular failure looms over every short jaunt. So I decided to take my car to Cars and Coffee on Treasure Island last saturday, and then take it into the city to go to school. Got a little close to the H a few times, usually under hard throttle of around 2-3 minutes or more, or going up very steep hills. It amazingly handled traffic pretty well and actually would cool down during standstills rather than heat up. It seems heavy load is more related to my temperature change now, which while not ideal is certainly better lol.
The car had definitely been sitting for a while, being run intermittently. I think all the old gas is finally gone and I plan to drive it into the city every weekend now, when there is less chance heavy traffic and more parking available (My classrooms are on a pretty steep hill, and based on the drive through the city, going around the block a few times in that area could be bad times indeed)
Also, in addition to all tha good stuff, the car feels like its like... working. Never had this much torque before, and even with the C4 it pulls pretty hard on the freeway now. Nowhere near the Bullitt lol, but gettin there
If anyone with 5.0 EFI experience has noticed similar stuff, I'd love some input. In return, pics galore:
First of all.. My fans were cutting out after a few minutes when I started the car. Turns out they were on circuit breakers, which would overheat after 2 minutes, and kill the fans, contributing to the overheating
THEN they found that the intake gasket had been installed incorrectly and had been blocking coolant passages. This was remedied.
Also, a similar circuit breaker related problem was coming up with my headlights, as soon as they were turned on, the breakers tripped and the car stalled. No more, huzzah.
But as with all older cars the fear of imminent and spectacular failure looms over every short jaunt. So I decided to take my car to Cars and Coffee on Treasure Island last saturday, and then take it into the city to go to school. Got a little close to the H a few times, usually under hard throttle of around 2-3 minutes or more, or going up very steep hills. It amazingly handled traffic pretty well and actually would cool down during standstills rather than heat up. It seems heavy load is more related to my temperature change now, which while not ideal is certainly better lol.
The car had definitely been sitting for a while, being run intermittently. I think all the old gas is finally gone and I plan to drive it into the city every weekend now, when there is less chance heavy traffic and more parking available (My classrooms are on a pretty steep hill, and based on the drive through the city, going around the block a few times in that area could be bad times indeed)
Also, in addition to all tha good stuff, the car feels like its like... working. Never had this much torque before, and even with the C4 it pulls pretty hard on the freeway now. Nowhere near the Bullitt lol, but gettin there
If anyone with 5.0 EFI experience has noticed similar stuff, I'd love some input. In return, pics galore:
4/9/15, 09:00 PM
#2185
Legacy TMS Member
I am seriously diggin' the look you're gettin' on that II, Arin. 
That hood scoop looks right at home on that car.
Wonderin' if you're getting cavitation in the water pump, or there's an air bubble in the system somewhere. Like there's a high spot in it.
Only other thing is that your radiator is clogged, or simply not big enough?
That hood scoop looks right at home on that car. Wonderin' if you're getting cavitation in the water pump, or there's an air bubble in the system somewhere. Like there's a high spot in it.
Only other thing is that your radiator is clogged, or simply not big enough?
4/9/15, 09:41 PM
#2186
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Thanks guys!
I got that scoop from autotooner yeaaaaaars ago. I believe it was from an '82 GT and I think it really fits the width of the hood well. I need to finally properly affix it though; it was definitely flappin about on the freeway lol.
I have often thought a bigger and better radiator would be a good idea. Plus it would probably make me get off my butt and finally design a nose with more airflow to the rad.
Dunno about the water pump.. The shop did say there was an air bubble in the system until they corrected the gasket issue.
It has also donned on me that perhaps this gauge is not calibrated to my engine. After all it is the gauge from the V6, though Idk if that is relevant.
I got that scoop from autotooner yeaaaaaars ago. I believe it was from an '82 GT and I think it really fits the width of the hood well. I need to finally properly affix it though; it was definitely flappin about on the freeway lol.
I have often thought a bigger and better radiator would be a good idea. Plus it would probably make me get off my butt and finally design a nose with more airflow to the rad.
Dunno about the water pump.. The shop did say there was an air bubble in the system until they corrected the gasket issue.
It has also donned on me that perhaps this gauge is not calibrated to my engine. After all it is the gauge from the V6, though Idk if that is relevant.
4/9/15, 09:53 PM
#2187
It's like looking at Lee's GT500, only 40 years from now
Nice to see it on the road and running
Hopefully the sight of it will give some lefty California type a coronary on the freeway
Nice to see it on the road and running
Hopefully the sight of it will give some lefty California type a coronary on the freeway
4/9/15, 10:13 PM
#2188
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Hah yeah those hippies are probably none too pleased about another "clunker" on the road :P
it really does feel good just to drive it again. Now hopefully I can just take out little projects here and there so by the time I hit 80 or so, the car might be close to possibly done-ish
it really does feel good just to drive it again. Now hopefully I can just take out little projects here and there so by the time I hit 80 or so, the car might be close to possibly done-ish
4/9/15, 10:43 PM
#2189
Hah yeah those hippies are probably none too pleased about another "clunker" on the road :P it really does feel good just to drive it again. Now hopefully I can just take out little projects here and there so by the time I hit 80 or so, the car might be close to possibly done-ish
Little a time is good
I've got a car that I tore apart to do all at once and after 2.5 years I've done nothing at all. Sometimes less is more.
4/10/15, 12:04 AM
#2190
It's coming together very nicely! Good to see she's getting out.
4/10/15, 07:33 PM
#2191
Legacy TMS Member
Go get a digital numeric temp gauge and the sender kit instead of that needle one to solve that problem, Arin.
Unless it's stock, you'll never get it right, and they are sloppy to begin with anyway.
Also, this gauge setup.
Do it.
DO IT.
DO IT NAO.
...but... y'know... no pressure or anything...
Unless it's stock, you'll never get it right, and they are sloppy to begin with anyway.
Also, this gauge setup.
Do it.
DO IT.
DO IT NAO.
...but... y'know... no pressure or anything...
Last edited by houtex; 4/10/15 at 07:36 PM.
4/11/15, 02:32 AM
#2192
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I actually have a plan for the gauges. it will be this:
plus this:
Dakota digital internals on their foureyed GT setup inside the aircraft style "pods" of the 84(ish?) GTs seperated and mounted on the cobra II aluminum panel. That should give it the sort of Millenium Falcon feel I want it to have lol, and also give me much more accurate and also working gauges. Right now the only ones working are temp, volts and fuel, with my aftermarket tach ocasionally deciding it wants to inform me of rpm
plus this:
Dakota digital internals on their foureyed GT setup inside the aircraft style "pods" of the 84(ish?) GTs seperated and mounted on the cobra II aluminum panel. That should give it the sort of Millenium Falcon feel I want it to have lol, and also give me much more accurate and also working gauges. Right now the only ones working are temp, volts and fuel, with my aftermarket tach ocasionally deciding it wants to inform me of rpm
4/16/15, 01:46 AM
#2193
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So I'm just home from school again in the third consecutive day of driving the II around this week (man.. I can't even remember the last time I even started this car this frequently, let alone drove it)
interestingly, the temp levels have dropped pretty dramatically over the last few days. I think being used as a DD on my commute to SF every morning/night has helped bring it back to life. dunno how really, but I guess it helps to run her alot.
Also, today I took out alot of the stuff I was storing in this car when it was parked. Took out the Mach 1 wheels with MTs, the 5.0's stock alt, the steeda rear swaybar kit ive yet to install on the bullitt and a bunch of other stuff to the tune of probably around 200lbs
This definitely must have helped the tired car out and the temps were way lower in traffic and after heavy load (usually theres a spike in temp if I've been driving hard and slow down, but never in the danger zone)
But more importantly than all that... HOT **** this car scoots now. I literally cannot believe how spritely this car has become.
Also for anyone interested, a mustang II with an EFI 302 and a C4 (with all that junk in the trunk) returned 8.4mpg on my commute hahahahahah. this car is just plain silly
interestingly, the temp levels have dropped pretty dramatically over the last few days. I think being used as a DD on my commute to SF every morning/night has helped bring it back to life. dunno how really, but I guess it helps to run her alot.
Also, today I took out alot of the stuff I was storing in this car when it was parked. Took out the Mach 1 wheels with MTs, the 5.0's stock alt, the steeda rear swaybar kit ive yet to install on the bullitt and a bunch of other stuff to the tune of probably around 200lbs
This definitely must have helped the tired car out and the temps were way lower in traffic and after heavy load (usually theres a spike in temp if I've been driving hard and slow down, but never in the danger zone)
But more importantly than all that... HOT **** this car scoots now. I literally cannot believe how spritely this car has become.
Also for anyone interested, a mustang II with an EFI 302 and a C4 (with all that junk in the trunk) returned 8.4mpg on my commute hahahahahah. this car is just plain silly
4/16/15, 07:29 AM
#2194
Legacy TMS Member
Glad once again that you are keeping that II going. If it wasn't for the IIs, we probably would not be enjoying Mustangs today.
As for the 8.4 mpg, that reminds me of my '69 302 2 barrel C4 setup, which averaged a lovely 10 mpg most of the time.
I miss the car. I do not miss 10 mpg.
As for the 8.4 mpg, that reminds me of my '69 302 2 barrel C4 setup, which averaged a lovely 10 mpg most of the time.
I miss the car. I do not miss 10 mpg.
4/16/15, 10:06 PM
#2196
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well the MPG went up to 10 today 
I think she really just needs to be run. I also have a feeling that with some other optimizations I could get it well into the teens lol. I imagine witha T5 I could probably get close to 20, once the everything is spruced up just right
What state is the notch in nathan? because regardless of the answer to that its in the perfect state for an EB2.3 swap
in other news there is a pretty severe klunk coming from the front end. I need to examine that some more before I keep driving it to SF. Those roads are straight ****ed. with my 2" drop spindles every single pothole is a nightmare lol
I have a feeling it may be my end link on the pass side. I recall it being kinda crappy for some reason, but not what that reason actually was lol. probably won't be able to iron it out til after the semester ends.
I think she really just needs to be run. I also have a feeling that with some other optimizations I could get it well into the teens lol. I imagine witha T5 I could probably get close to 20, once the everything is spruced up just rightWhat state is the notch in nathan? because regardless of the answer to that its in the perfect state for an EB2.3 swap
in other news there is a pretty severe klunk coming from the front end. I need to examine that some more before I keep driving it to SF. Those roads are straight ****ed. with my 2" drop spindles every single pothole is a nightmare lol
I have a feeling it may be my end link on the pass side. I recall it being kinda crappy for some reason, but not what that reason actually was lol. probably won't be able to iron it out til after the semester ends.
4/17/15, 08:15 AM
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I've had thoughts about the EB as well, but that's a lot to tackle. There's so many more resources for swapping in a 5.0.
5/2/15, 11:58 AM
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no real updates today; haven't had much time to tinker as my finals are near and everyday is just nothing but clay modeling lol
been talking to a lot of the better higher up students and everyone has side projects outside of school to improve their portfolios. Since I don't have much moolah for performance these days I've decided to at least start designing my body changes. if I do it in the same sort of design process we use at school I think I could turn the custom work into a real cool portfolio piece. most students don't really work in 1:1 scale until they get hired so this could be very good practice. Plus, I feel I now actually have the beginnings of the correct skillset to change the exterior in ways that I want that accentuate the original design while eliminating some of the flaws found on most mid70s American cars. I have to compile the dozens of other ones I have around but its safe to say I'll be sketching IIs a lot more in the near future, and with a real purpose. this should be fun. these are just some quick doodles, but I really want to do a full tape drawing, rhino model and high quality renders at some point as well
main goals are to produced a more road friendly/finished interpretation of the Kemp Cobra IMSA car. I want to do away with all the flatness on the sides and spoiler. This stuff is all well and good for a racecar, but I want to DD this car someday.
Definitely going to have to do something about the rear body line. I've never really dug that it was so much lower than the line coming off the front of the fender. The real problem is the greenhouse/cpillar rolls over into the bodyside unlike the first gens which have a break for hips or haunches and separates the greenhouse from the rest of the car.
The car also has to be much, much wider. not sure on tire size but wheels will probably be in the 17x9 range. the bumpers also need to be tucked in moreso than they are now and be more seamless with the contours of the body, rather than bricks on either end of the car lol. Definitely going to want to open up the face a bit with some aero/cooling ducting and improve the slanted nose of the racecar. I never like that the grill on the Kemp Cobra became pretty rectangular either, gonna have to keep it more mustang in my rendition.
If I ever get stupid money and can do a full protouring build or something I want to extend the wheelbase and shorten the front overhang as well. but now I'm getting ahead of myself lol..
so yeah sketches. I plan to keep documenting the process and figured y'all might enjoy as well as have some mustang related feedback lol
plus i've really fallen behind in post count
been talking to a lot of the better higher up students and everyone has side projects outside of school to improve their portfolios. Since I don't have much moolah for performance these days I've decided to at least start designing my body changes. if I do it in the same sort of design process we use at school I think I could turn the custom work into a real cool portfolio piece. most students don't really work in 1:1 scale until they get hired so this could be very good practice. Plus, I feel I now actually have the beginnings of the correct skillset to change the exterior in ways that I want that accentuate the original design while eliminating some of the flaws found on most mid70s American cars. I have to compile the dozens of other ones I have around but its safe to say I'll be sketching IIs a lot more in the near future, and with a real purpose. this should be fun. these are just some quick doodles, but I really want to do a full tape drawing, rhino model and high quality renders at some point as well
main goals are to produced a more road friendly/finished interpretation of the Kemp Cobra IMSA car. I want to do away with all the flatness on the sides and spoiler. This stuff is all well and good for a racecar, but I want to DD this car someday.
Definitely going to have to do something about the rear body line. I've never really dug that it was so much lower than the line coming off the front of the fender. The real problem is the greenhouse/cpillar rolls over into the bodyside unlike the first gens which have a break for hips or haunches and separates the greenhouse from the rest of the car.
The car also has to be much, much wider. not sure on tire size but wheels will probably be in the 17x9 range. the bumpers also need to be tucked in moreso than they are now and be more seamless with the contours of the body, rather than bricks on either end of the car lol. Definitely going to want to open up the face a bit with some aero/cooling ducting and improve the slanted nose of the racecar. I never like that the grill on the Kemp Cobra became pretty rectangular either, gonna have to keep it more mustang in my rendition.
If I ever get stupid money and can do a full protouring build or something I want to extend the wheelbase and shorten the front overhang as well. but now I'm getting ahead of myself lol..
so yeah sketches. I plan to keep documenting the process and figured y'all might enjoy as well as have some mustang related feedback lol
plus i've really fallen behind in post count