Nick i have watched your videos on the mustang .I have a 64.1/2 built April 14th with a 289 4bbl convertible Wilmington white i have noticed a few different things on my car then yours i see you have oil fill on timing cover mine is on valve cover my draft tube goes into valve cover my carb is also different do you have a electric choke ? i have a hot air tube coming into carb from manifold i am also having problems with my crank pulley do you have a part number or can you tell me where you got the pulley is your motor a 260 or 289 ? Thank you
Hey Jim, sounds like you have a very early Mustang. First of all, I know that the engine in my Mustang has been changed. The date code on the engine is a month later than the date code on the car. However, the engine still had the original data tag on it and it is a 289 from April of 1964. The road draft tube comes out of the intake manifold like all other Fords Ive seen. All Thunderbirds have the road draft tube coming out of the intake manifold too. Ive never seen a road draft tube come out of the valve cover. Doesn't sound right. I looked on line for 1964 1/2, 289 engine images and I see both types of oil fill types, one like mine and one like yours. I do not know which is correct of if both are correct. Very early Thunderbirds (1964 and older) had them in the intake manifold and later models had them in the valve cover. The car had the original C4 Autolite carb with a choke tube but the choke tube was damaged and I would have to remove the exhaust manifold to repair it so when I replaced the carb with a Holley Street Warrior, I got the electric choke. ON the crank, there is a harmonic balancer and pulley, they are two separate parts. Which did you mean? My car had the wrong power steering pump system including the wrong crank pulley on it so I purchased the correct parts for 1964 1/2. The crank pulley for power steering with no air is unique to the 1964 1/2 Mustang with the Eaton power steering pump so I ordered that from Mustangs Etc in Van Nuys California. Maybe your engine was changed sometime in its past like mine?? Thanks.
Hi Nick, I'm betting the original rear valance panel was damaged and somebody replaced it with a used one from a salvage yard that had the optional reverse lights in it. That would also explain why they were never wired because as you said, the car originally did not come with reverse lights which were optional on the '65 Mustang. Yes, reproduction parts are junk!!! NOS is the way to go, but they can be difficult to find and you will PAY for them! Scott
Hey Scott, boy isnt that the truth. If you can find NOS parts, the cost is usually 10 times the price for repos. I think your right, this rear valance has been changed at some point in the past. Who knows what has been done to this car in the past. Its probably gone through 10 owners. Fortunately the damage is minimal, one of the reasons why I bought it. Thanks.
Nick,
I don't see anything that looks hokey. Ya dun good, ole son. Tamie will be proud of you.
Regards,
John
Nick i have watched your videos on the mustang .I have a 64.1/2 built April 14th with a 289 4bbl convertible Wilmington white i have noticed a few different things on my car then yours i see you have oil fill on timing cover mine is on valve cover my draft tube goes into valve cover my carb is also different do you have a electric choke ? i have a hot air tube coming into carb from manifold i am also having problems with my crank pulley do you have a part number or can you tell me where you got the pulley is your motor a 260 or 289 ? Thank you
Hey Jim, sounds like you have a very early Mustang. First of all, I know that the engine in my Mustang has been changed. The date code on the engine is a month later than the date code on the car. However, the engine still had the original data tag on it and it is a 289 from April of 1964. The road draft tube comes out of the intake manifold like all other Fords Ive seen. All Thunderbirds have the road draft tube coming out of the intake manifold too. Ive never seen a road draft tube come out of the valve cover. Doesn't sound right. I looked on line for 1964 1/2, 289 engine images and I see both types of oil fill types, one like mine and one like yours. I do not know which is correct of if both are correct. Very early Thunderbirds (1964 and older) had them in the intake manifold and later models had them in the valve cover. The car had the original C4 Autolite carb with a choke tube but the choke tube was damaged and I would have to remove the exhaust manifold to repair it so when I replaced the carb with a Holley Street Warrior, I got the electric choke. ON the crank, there is a harmonic balancer and pulley, they are two separate parts. Which did you mean? My car had the wrong power steering pump system including the wrong crank pulley on it so I purchased the correct parts for 1964 1/2. The crank pulley for power steering with no air is unique to the 1964 1/2 Mustang with the Eaton power steering pump so I ordered that from Mustangs Etc in Van Nuys California. Maybe your engine was changed sometime in its past like mine?? Thanks.
Hi Nick, I'm betting the original rear valance panel was damaged and somebody replaced it with a used one from a salvage yard that had the optional reverse lights in it. That would also explain why they were never wired because as you said, the car originally did not come with reverse lights which were optional on the '65 Mustang. Yes, reproduction parts are junk!!! NOS is the way to go, but they can be difficult to find and you will PAY for them!
Scott
Hey Scott, boy isnt that the truth. If you can find NOS parts, the cost is usually 10 times the price for repos. I think your right, this rear valance has been changed at some point in the past. Who knows what has been done to this car in the past. Its probably gone through 10 owners. Fortunately the damage is minimal, one of the reasons why I bought it. Thanks.