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#1
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How do I get this Mustang (ouch) going?
I usually post on the diesel section, but this is not about a diesel or a Benz, so at the risk of my post getting thrown off for a double infraction, I'll make this inquiry here.
My wife's uncle has a '69 Mustang convertible. He has had it in a barn for 4 years. He was asking what I know about the value when I saw him at Christmas time and after some discussion I learned that he wants to sell it. It was purchased new by his brother. He is now 90 and no longer drives. So I asked him to get it out of the barn and towed on a flatbed up to his garage so I could look at it. I saw it about 10 years ago and it was pretty sharp looking then. We are going to visit this weekend and I told him I would bring my tools and get it running. I am thinking that I need to blow off the spark plugs, remove them and squirt some oil into the cylinders. Should I use oil or WD-40? Should I expect the gas in the tank to be any good or should I be prepared to siphon it out and put in fresh gas? Should I change the oil before I try to start it? Anything else I should be thinking about? I will of course check the coolant and am expecting to have to charge the battery before I start. Thanks for any input. Richard
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85 300D 75K Anthracite Grey 0-60 in 13 seconds **For Sale** 84 300D 333K Black (The Velveteen Rabbit) 0-60 in 14 seconds 00 Toyota Sienna 208K (Sold) 15 Subaru Outback 43K 11 Subaru Outback 67K 98 Ford Taurus 100K (Gertie - Was Grandma's - drove it to church and shopping - really) Daughter's car now. 30 Model A Ford 2 Door Sedan (Sold) 0-60 in . . . Never reached 60 |
#2
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I would do the following:
Change oil and filter. Check coolant. Siphon fuel from the tank. Remove the fuel supply into the fuel pump located on the front lower side of the engine. Remove air filter and spray all linkages and orifaces with carb cleaner and make sure they're free. Remove spark plugs and wire brush them off and squirt some oil into the cylinders. Remove the distributor cap and clean the points and distributor contacts and rotor. Check gap on points. Crank engine with plugs out to distribute oil. While cranking, connect a spark plug and lay it on the engine block to check for spark. Take a cotton swab and smear a bit of oil on all surfaces of the point cam. Put a couple drops of oil in the cam wiper too. (You probably have already replaced the battery by now) Attach a temporary hose and place into a fresh container of gas. Get in and crank for about 10 seconds and let it rest about 10 then crank again and pump the accelerator like mad until it fires.
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-Evan Benz Fleet: 1968 UNIMOG 404.114 1998 E300 2008 E63 Non-Benz Fleet: 1992 Aerostar 1993 MR2 2000 F250 |
#3
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you might want to get a small bottle with a small squirt tip.and fill the carb thru the vent pipe.this will save having to pump the crap out of the accelerator.also this will reveal if the accelerator pump is junk or not.if it starts leaking gas from the right front corner of the carb,if it's a 2 barrel the pump is on the front of the carb and held on with 4 1/4 headed bolts.they can be changed in about 5 minutes.but you will probably have to buy a carb kit to get one as not many places sell them separate.
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#4
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Good point, catman. Oh and by the way, I just happen to have a friend who's in the market for a '69 conv! Literally, he asked me about them only a couple days ago...
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-Evan Benz Fleet: 1968 UNIMOG 404.114 1998 E300 2008 E63 Non-Benz Fleet: 1992 Aerostar 1993 MR2 2000 F250 |
#5
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Quote:
Richard
__________________
85 300D 75K Anthracite Grey 0-60 in 13 seconds **For Sale** 84 300D 333K Black (The Velveteen Rabbit) 0-60 in 14 seconds 00 Toyota Sienna 208K (Sold) 15 Subaru Outback 43K 11 Subaru Outback 67K 98 Ford Taurus 100K (Gertie - Was Grandma's - drove it to church and shopping - really) Daughter's car now. 30 Model A Ford 2 Door Sedan (Sold) 0-60 in . . . Never reached 60 |
#6
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I would replace all fluids. They do make a fogging spray for storage of engines. You spray it in the cylinder. NAPA and other should sell it. I'd take to coil wire off and trun the motor over till oil pressure comes up. That is with the new oil in there. Then with new gas, try firing it up. I'd probably change the spark plugs, cap and rotor and wires too. I'd run it 20 to 30 minutes, then change the oil again. I'd probably change all the fluids a few times.
Tom |
#7
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hopefully they put some fuel stabilizer in there, carbs dont like gas drying out in them.
dont be surprised if you find a lot of mouse damage, and by the nest that gets shot out of the tailpipe
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1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale 2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold 2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably) 1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast) 1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style) 2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails) |
#8
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I'd also keep a fire exstingsher on hand. Old carb leaking fuel and electrical components around are not a good mixture.
Tom |
#9
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Nice car ,had a 69 fastback back five years ,302 4spd ,fun car to drive.I agree about the carb being wasted ,the old gas in the tank may have also started to decompose the tank .Moisture combines with the gas to do some nasty stuff.Fuel lines the same .The great thing about these cars is theirs still parts being sold out their,I used Johns Mustang here in Houston for all my parts.If its been garaged then you might be ok on all fronts,its when cars are out in open fields that long grass grows around the body allowing for early morning moisture to cling to everyhing .Open up the spark plug holes and leave them out,add about six ounces of marvel to each hole and let it sit in their for 3 or more days ,then after that time come back and you first bump the motor over just a few times ,then with the plugs still out but with some rags in and around the holes ,go ahead and crank several times ,this will purge out any remaining Marvel oil.Install your plugs back after you feel youve pushed out all the oil.You can then feel sure that your now cranking up with some nice oil on the cylinder walls. Pretty messy but its a proven process on long time parkers. Good luck ,sounds like a fun car .
Last edited by chasinthesun; 02-24-2011 at 10:53 AM. |
#10
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Take a couple of batteries. The only other thing I would do in addiction to above is try to roll it over by hand with the fan with the spark plugs out. BEFORE the addition of any oils. just to see if its free one full turn.
the nice thing about engines of that era: Spark and fuel = running
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86 300SDL. 250,xxx on #14 Head. One eye always on temp gauge.. Cruising towards 300K |
#11
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Well, I leave in the morning to go see this car. I am guessing that the first thing I will have to do is charge the battery. I'll get it on the charger and come back later to start the other items suggested. Thanks for all the help. I'll post some pictures.
Richard
__________________
85 300D 75K Anthracite Grey 0-60 in 13 seconds **For Sale** 84 300D 333K Black (The Velveteen Rabbit) 0-60 in 14 seconds 00 Toyota Sienna 208K (Sold) 15 Subaru Outback 43K 11 Subaru Outback 67K 98 Ford Taurus 100K (Gertie - Was Grandma's - drove it to church and shopping - really) Daughter's car now. 30 Model A Ford 2 Door Sedan (Sold) 0-60 in . . . Never reached 60 |
#12
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Got to my Uncle's Joe's place today and saw the '69 Mustang. It does not have much serious rust that I can see so far but 5 years or so in a barn has not been kind to it. The paint is dried and flaking off. It will need a complete paint job. I scratched at some flakiing paint and was able to scratch easily to the primer. It looks to be a far cry from what Mercedes Benz uses for paint. The interior is musty and the driver's seat is split. The back window of the convertable top is not attached at the top and is hanging down in the car. I put the charger on the battery and by this evening it was charged back up to over 12 volts. I did not do anything else but will go back tomorrow, pull the plugs, put some oil in the cylinders and see if it turns over by hand.
My initial opinion of this car is that it is a candidate for a complete restoration. I do not think any kind of quick fixup will be feasable. The rubber components that I saw today all looked to be cracked and dry rotted. I'll post some pictures as soon as I get them from my camera to my computer, then uploaded. Richard
__________________
85 300D 75K Anthracite Grey 0-60 in 13 seconds **For Sale** 84 300D 333K Black (The Velveteen Rabbit) 0-60 in 14 seconds 00 Toyota Sienna 208K (Sold) 15 Subaru Outback 43K 11 Subaru Outback 67K 98 Ford Taurus 100K (Gertie - Was Grandma's - drove it to church and shopping - really) Daughter's car now. 30 Model A Ford 2 Door Sedan (Sold) 0-60 in . . . Never reached 60 |
#13
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A running/driving car is going to increase its value significantly so its certainly worth making the effort. Good luck.
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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k 1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k 1980 240D Stick China 188k 2001 CLK55 AMG 101k 2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!! |
#14
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You didn't say if the rear window was glass or vinyl. I believe OEM was a horizontally split glass unit with a vinyl tape "hinge" to allow it to fold. Replacement tops were available with either the OEM glass window, or the more traditional vinyl. The vinyl had a large zipper across the top edge, and "hook and loop" fasteners on each side to make a weather-tight seal. Its possible that the rear window is merely unzipped. Its also possible that all the stitching is gone.
I replaced the convertible top on my ( long gone) '64 Falcon, myself. I would say that the task is more "nerve-wracking" than difficult. I mean one you make a cut in the vinyl, its cut. You must be sure that you make the cuts right the first time. I spent a great deal more time trial fitting and studying than actually installing the top. The end result was that it came out perfectly. If you are patient, and careful, I don't see why anyone can not do the same. The pros get a lot of $$ for the installation because they know very few people are experienced at it. Paint technology has improved greatly over time. I don't know what paint MB was using in 1969. It may have been superior, but Ford was building Mustangs as fast as they could run the assembly lines. I believe Ford was using two different paints depending on the assembly line. My memory is getting foggy, and maybe a Mustanger will step up and give the definitive answer, but I seem to remember that the color of the warranty data plate ( black or blue?) indicated the type of paint originally used.
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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags |
#15
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speaking of paint tech.supposedly by law they have to use a water based paint starting within the next year.so figure on the price of paint and equipment to go up
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