A product called "Allmetal" It has metal particles in it. Some high-end body shops use All-metal with Evercoat metal glaze as a spot putty.

A trick to check the uniformity of a dent that had been filled. Place a cloth rag between the surface and your fingers as you checked the smoothness. It makes your fingers more sensitive to the irregularities.

Don't hand sand with sand paper alone, always use some kind of backing board, the longer and stiffer the better. Never sand with the length of the backing board, sand sideways with it. Also, to flatten an area, sand at an angle one way, then sand at the same angle, but mirrored so that you are crossing 90 degrees against your prior work. Don't sand over edges. Tape along one side, sand up to it, then tape where you sanded and sand the other side of the edge, sanding towards your tape. Use a paint stick wrapped in sandpaper to sand between panels, so as to create a uniform margin up and down the joint between the panels.

Put putty on in thin layers and sand off almost all of what you put on. If you are applying over bare metal, then use All-Metal or an equivalent product rather than the plastic filler since the former is water resistant and the latter is a "sponge" for water. Use body dollys and body hammers to get your metal close to where you want it, in terms of pounding a dent almost flush, just slightly dimpled, then use putty to flush coat.

Don't think it will be perfect until after you put on a base primer, then guide coat that primer with a cheap spray can of contrasting color, then sand with a flat board. The highs and lows will reveals themselves as you sand off the color.

Block sand the primer with 220 then 320 then 400 grit, 220 and 320 is ok dry, you'll like 400 better wet, paper that is.

Inspect the backing plates to ensure that they are smooth. This will prevent the brakes from binding and allow them to return to the correct place. I groves are worn into the backing plate, grind them out and.

Sequence to bleeding:

Go from farthest from the MC to the closest. RR, LR, RF, LF

Have someone pump the brakes until they feel stiff and then tell them to hold the pedal down, then you open the bleeder valve and close it after it bleeds. If the person holding the pedal down pumps while the valve is open then you will get air in the lines but if they hold it down you won't. After you close the valve have them pump it up again and repeat the process until you're satisfied the line is sufficiently bled. Don't let the reservoir go dry or you'll have to start over again.

To make sure the self-adjuster is working, back up quick and hit the brakes hard..2 or 3 times and see if the pedal comes up.

Whenever replacing flexible brake hoses to the wheel cylinder, or the cylinder itself, attach the hose to the cylinder first, then push the hose through the backing plate hole and finally bolt up the cylinder. It is almost impossible to get the correct angle on the brake line to get it attached to the wheel cylinder if you do not attach it to the wheel cylinder off the car.

"Mother's" polish works great on aluminum. It really works well if you use a low speed buffer. Polishing by hand gives good results if the surface is not rough.

Wenol, red tube for polishing, blue tube for final, and a little goes along way. (Best for smooth surfaces) The rims look like chrome with little effort, and the shine lasts along time. You can use a terry-cloth towel to apply but a buffer would do a better job.

One way to clean chrome is to scrub Turtle Wax chrome polish on with fine steel wool. Good results have been obtained with Mothers Metal and Mag Polish to clean it, then use Noxon to give it a shine. Noxon is a very old metal polish for pots and other household stuff. It has been in a green can for a long time.

Most open type shows only judge based on cleanliness and workmanship. It would be too hard for the judges to know all types of cars. So make sure everything looks good and then clean it again.

You can get a carpet brush at most automotive stores. They work pretty well.

? If your engine bay is real clean and has a bit of glitz (chrome, color-coordination), then definitely go hood up. If it's ho-hum under there go hood closed. This is especially true if it's popular-choice type judging. These spectators will get their fill of eat-off-it clean and chrome up the wazoo.

If it's popular-choice, concentrate on the obvious. These people will spend .02 microseconds on your car, make 'em count. Things like blackened tires with refresh on the white letters, sparkling (especially the wheels),and shiny vinyl inside will get votesNobody's going to crawl under the thing, check treads for pebbles, or check radiator for bees.!

Clean your tires and use a product like Meguiar's Endurance to make the black color look better. As a judge, nothing turns me off a car at first glance then to see a beautifully cleaned exterior and gray, dirty tires and wheels. Also clean the treads and put the product on the treads (at the show once parked in place). Other things to do are clean your windows, use a hand cleaner on your hoses and then wipe it off (makes them shine really nice), polish all your chrome, get old wax out from under your chrome, clean your door jambs and sills, clean your battery, and clean as much as you can of the engine walls. Use one of those dusting cloths (Swiffer?) to dust in the engine bay after you get to the show. For the exterior, I wash, then use the bar, then use Meguiars Show Car Glaze, but no wax. Black carpets are tough. Be sure to vacuum the seams in your seats and dust your dash and instrument panel. Lay out your seatbelts so they look orderly--either cross them or straight out--but all the same.

Go to a car wash before a show to use their vacuums. They are so strong they about suck your carpet inside out. Clean the motor as if you were going to eat off of it. Use plenty of armorall to shine hoses, and any other plastic parts under the hood. Clean inside of the fender wells as soon as you arrive and are parked in your spot. Get busy on the tires. Clean not only the outside part but also use armorall on the treads. It looks lousy when the tires are clean and the treads are full of debris. One last thing, most shows will also want you to keep your trunk open. Make sure it is spotless as well. As far as your carpet goes, black is a real pain. Bring along a roll of masking tape to pick up any specs you have missed.

If you have that plastic loom around hoses and wires. Use WD-40 on them. It's also good for those hard to reach places. Wire brush on the alternator housing helps clean it up a bit.

Use a magic marker, the color of your paint, to touch up any nicks or scratches where the primer shows through.

I look at the underside (bottom) of the hood, that nasty little area around the distributor/water pump, dirt underneath the hood hinges, corners of the windshield, back glass. DA marks on the windshield or vent window chrome, good straight, non-cracked dash pad, all interior chrome nice and shiny. NO DIRT! Nice, shiny (but not too glossy) tires. PET PEEVE Armor All "overspray" on the parking lot. (Tacky)!

After a rebuild or on a new engine, change it at 500 miles and then again at 1000 miles and then every 2,000 after that. Then switch to Mobil 1 at about 5,000 miles.

Long tube headers: Produce most hp, mid range & up the RPM scale, time consuming install, ie get out the ball peen hammer for some fine tuning. Shorties: Don't do anything real great, don't do anything real bad, but are good if they install easy in your application. Typically great in street rods, a pain with street cars, might as well use full length headers in most cases.Tri-Y's: Produce good HP, low and mid range, easier install (typically but not always) Don't be cheap, buy good 1st time (Not Used!!) from a major mfg, Hedmann, Hooker, Cyclone, Sanders. Check for thick flanges, heavy gauge tubing, full thickness welds (no spot welding).

Flowmasters, even 3 chambers are loud. They sound great, but they are loud.

If you really want a quiet exhaust, without alot of restriction, you can do a couple things. First, install a cross over pipe. Second, have the mufflers offset, so that one is 6-10" in front of the other. Finally you can use two different types of mufflers, they tend to off sent each others resonance.

• Like it loud & mean? --- hands down it's Flowmaster.
• Like it somewhat loud & powerfull? --- Dynomax
• Like it exotic and deep? --- Borla

If you want more performance, run 8mm wires. As far as plugs go, stick with the Autolites. Autolites are dependable and cheap

Bosch Platinum plugs won't corrode, and have a much longer life than normal plugs, and they only cost about $1.25 apiece. Bosch are the good because it stays clean, fires great, last a real long time. (The platinum core) NEVER BUY SPLITFIRES! THEY RUN HOT, BURN TOO MUCH, AND EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE. Pick 'em wisely. The split fire plugs are about $5 apiece, and I doubt their performance justifies their cost.

Motorcraft parts will work just fine for a stock motor. No use in spending more money for performance parts you don't need.

Someone was talking about a car smoking and I replied to it with my car smoking too. Detergent oil -v- non? Well, today I did an oil change and I found that my oil was THIN! bigtime. So when I bought the new stuff, I put in 20-50 oil instead of 10-40. No smoke, the oil pressure stays up, The car runs about 5deg cooler, and seems to run smother. I guess that that prolong stuff isn't necessary. Buy the 20w oil, works! Not to mention that the older engines WERE made to run w/ 20w oil. Just a cheap easy way to fix the smoke / oil burning prob.

I would recommend a 2,500 mi "break in" with straight 30 weight petroleum based oil, then change to Mobil1 10/30

synthetic. You can mix Mobil1 5/30 and 15/50 to get 10/40. Less frictional loss, better hi-temperature characteristics, and doesn't form acids or sludge like petro oils.

Drafting tape works well whenever you need to avoid lifting a surface. It has a much lower adhesion than most other tapes. Your local office supply house might be able to get it for you.

Hood Stripes are the stripes are 13 inches wide.

Last summer a friend of mine painted his floor with Behr one part epoxy, while I did mine in Rustoleum two part epoxy. He is getting ready to do his again, while mine is still excellent. The Behr came out really flat, absorbed oil, and lifted, while the Rustoleum is glossy, and durable. Battery acid which leaked out of my tractor and sat on the floor all winter made a faded and dull spot on my floor, but nothing else has harmed the floor at all except for spinning tires - and then only a surface scuff. I put down two coats, which takes almost a week due to the cure time. The Rustoleum was well worth the money and effort I think, because any other coating I've seen suffers from hot tire lift. The glossy paint is slippery when wet, though.

To refinish the dash, you do not need to strip, if the paint is sound. But before you break out the sandpaper, get a good quality wax degreaser to remove any impurities BEFORE you start sanding. That way, you don't grind in the garbage when sanding. IF the pain is sound, you can start with around 240 wet/dry use wet and work your way up to 400. Make sure you use a good primer to give the new paint something to sink into. Try to work in as dust free environment as possible, as dust in a dash can really spoil the finish.

The beginning place is to find a good restoration shop and ask them how much they would charge to paint your car, the products they would use, and the entire process of how they would do it. This gives you free advice to follow for doing it yourself. Call several shops and compare techniques, recommendations.

If you are considering going with a metallic finish, I would not recommend painting the car yourself, in terms of final coat (color/clear). Metallic paint is tricky to lay down in an even, smooth finish. Plus, a downdraft booth and baked on finish is almost always necessary when using the clear coats. The real cost of painting a car, in any event, is not in the labor associated with color painting and putting on the clear coats. It is in the prep!!!!!!

On eof the mustang magazines last year had an article describing an inexpensive, do it yourself paint job. The article said do all of the prep and primer yourself, then go to a reputable "chain" paint shop and have them spray out the color/clear coats.

The first step is to get your car media blasted. Sandblasting in inexpert hands can warp body panels. Media (plastic pellets) blasting will not warp the body panels. This will expose all of the body putty, bondo, missing seam sealer, etc. which you don't know is under your paint. Note that media blasting will not take off rust. Rust removal requires sandblasting/cut and patch. Chemical catalysts like Extend help, but are no substitute for physically removing the rust, in the long term. Sanding by hand will not remove the rust. Rust is a molecular level cancer and has to be treated like that. It is in the surrounding metal where you don't think you can "see" it. A professional knows this and will usually remove a large area and weld in a patch panel, rather than attempting to grind and fill. When you get the car media blasted you get into the question of doing the engine compartment and undercarriage as well. If the engine is out, I recommend doing both of these. Removing a lot of unsightly undercoating takes off weight and exposes hidden rust which can occur under loose undercoating. A good shop will put your car in a dolly and rotate it, like on a rotary spit for barbecuing chicken, when media blasting the entire car. Only when the car is down to the bare metal everywhere, are you assured that your new paint job will not have rust bubble up underneath it later.

Now you are down to the metal. What next? Lead or bondo? A good body shop will repair dings and dents with lead. There are not many folks out there that do this, cause it is more time consuming. Lakewood sells lead kits through their catalog for doing this yourself, which is, using lead instead of bondo. If you elect to use lead, remember the fumes are toxic and work in a well-ventilated area and use a respirator if you have one. Lead is soft and is pretty easy to work with. Lead melts at 900 degrees, so it is relatively easy to work with. Some folks try to fix dents, dings, and cracks with brazing rods (I tried that). The downside of that is that the amount of heat necessary to melt a brazing rod is so hot that the metal in your body panel will distort, creating problems. In the old days, some folks use to get hail damage out of cars and parking lot dings out of cars by this method -- heat the sheetmetal cherry read and it pops out the dent. If you know what you are doing you could do this also, but I do not recommend it. It is more art than science.

If you use bondo, I suggest using the kind with fibreglass fibres in it. It is stronger. For shallow or small areas, the regular style is ok. I used a bondo equivalent put out by my local painters supply company. Worked great. Before doing any body work; however, consider how long you plan to work on the body. I say this because rust will start forming on bare metal in about 24 hours. The experts advise priming the bare metal before doing the body work. I did not agree with this approach and ended up having to grind out surface rust twice. It will always take you longer than you think to do a good job of body work. What primer should you use on bare metal? Only an epoxy, self-etching primer. Non-epoxy primers do NOT form a water seal. Rust will develop underneath a regular primer. Before priming; however, wash the metal down with a degreaser then use metal prep. Dupont makes a good quality degreaser and also a good quality metal prep. You might want to wash it down with the degreaser again after the metal prep. One Dupont degreaser is an alcohol based product so you don't have to dry off the car afterwards and get lint on it. NOTE, wear gloves all through the painting process. Your fingers/hands will re-deposit grease on the surface which will effect the quality of the paint job. The cheap latex gloves (19 cents each at my hardware store) work just fine. Plus, the gloves keep the body putty from sticking to your skin.

For paint products, either PPG or Dupont will give you good results. I am using PPG. PPG DP90 is a good epoxy primer. Lay it down in a wet coat. If you can use a low pressure gun, use it. The high volume/low pressure guns have about 80 percent less overspray, which saves money and makes clean up easier. Plus, it avoids a mist of overspray on your work. Lay down one or at most two coats. Then turn to the body work.

When it comes to body putty, do not hand sand. As much as possible use block sanders. What I mean by this is do not put the sandpaper in your hand and use it that way. Use a block as backing. The flexible long, narrow thing which looks almost like a block plane is a handy tool. The reason to use some type of block sanding is that it will provide a smooth finished surface, avoiding the ripples which are inevitable with sandpaper alone. Some people use a grinder with 40 or 80 grit to first attack the putty. I have seldom done that, finding that power means making bigger mistakes, faster. Hand block sanding means your mistakes take longer to make and are smaller. This means you can stop yourself before you really goof up. A good grit to start with is 80 for lumpy surfaces and 150 where you have a pretty smooth surface. HINT, get some acetone or lacquer thinner and use that to clean your plastic "spatulas" which you are using to spread the putty. Keeping the edges clean will keep you from leaving lines in the putty when you apply it.

Do not worry about getting deep places filled in one coating or getting it smooth all at once. I took 12 coats, sanding almost all of each coat off, to get my hood just right.

After the body putty is done, then spray again with the epoxy primer. This is because you will most likely have sanded down to the bare metal again in spots. Ruff up the primer with 150 then paint with a blocking primer, like PPG 270 or 271. Lay down two coats of this, which fills little scratches, etc. and creates a smooth surface. Now here is the fun part. Get a cheap couple cans of primer from the auto store (NOT rustoleum brand) and lightly fog on a coat of different color primer. This is called a guide coat. You will then sand the car body with 150, to remove this guide coat. As you sand, the high and low spots will reveal themselves. You can beat down the high spots with body dollies (never hit the metal directly with the hammer - it pocks it badly, the dolly spreads the impact) or feather them if they are small, and fill the low spots where the guide coat remains. Then lay down another two coats of the blocking primer. Put down another guide coat, and go at it again with the 150, fill the lows, take care of the highs. Go one coat of the blocking primer, then sand with 150 then 360. Then lay down a sealer. You can use the DP90 again as a sealer. Some folks recommend thinning the epoxy primer when using it as a sealer. Generally speaking, your paint shop can paint anytime up to 5 days after the epoxy primer is put down, by just scuffing and then painting with color. After 5 days, they have to lay down primer again then go with the color.

Generally, PPG color coats are 2-3 coats of color, followed by 3-4 coats of clear. Color coat all parts at the same time. Color variations can occur, even with the same can of paint, depending upon variations in temperature and humidity, particularly with metallic paints. Therefore, do not do the hood on Monday, roof, on Tuesday, trunk on Wednesday, etc. Another mention: The PPG products I am recommending are the urethane two-part paints, not lacquer. The factory paints on your stang were lacquer. lacquer finish is a one-step, quick process, but does not have the longevity or hardness of the urethanes. Lacquer dries by evaporation whereas the urethanes dry by a catalytic action. The later is typically quicker, meaning less dust to get trapped in the paint.

Questions people have are whether to re-assemble the car then paint, or paint stuff off the car. The theory is that if the parts are off the car, you get all of the edges, etc. where rust could develop if the paint is thin. On the other hand, if parts are finished off the car, there is the possibility that paint will chip by parts banging together when they are reinstalled. Your shop will want to have body panels all installed so that they can align them, doing any bending, forming, tweaking, before doing the finish paint. My shop recommended that I do all of the priming with as many panels off the car as possible. This is cool cause you can use the DP90 on the backsides of fenders, etc. to form a nice seal against water. Then, you could either paint the inside of the fenders with accessories black or have body shutz (undercoating) sprayed over the DP90. Makes a good rust barrier. Some folks will put Extend on the bare, prepped metal, on the inside of fenders, wheel wells, before putting on the DP90, just as added insurance.

Some shops will take panels when they are off the car and "cut in" the edges with the color coat, then reassemble the panels on the car, then shoot the car with the color coat. This is actually the most common way.

Sanding hints: DO NOT sand over bodylines. It dulls the sharp edges or crispness of the lines. Instead, take tape (I use duct tape, although masking tape works) and tape one side of the bodyline. Sand up to the tape. Then remove the tape and put tape on the other side of the bodyline, sanding the other side, up to the tape. This is a technique, which my restoration shop follows. Most shops do not get that subtle with it. It does make a difference, however, for a show car paint job.

Remember that the key to a good paint job is prep and also, the fewer coats of paint the better. It makes the paint more flexible when it is thinner, so it is less likely to chip, crack over time.

I used Ditzler Dp90 for the floor pans, use Dp40 if you want red. Its a two part urethane paint that really seals out the weather. I have seen several magazine articles recommending it. Its not cheap, about 70 to 80 bucks a gallon. Make sure you have taken care of any rust before applying. I sandblasted all the bad areas first.

Once I have completed a weld I use Eastwood's corroless in a spraycan just to cover the welded area (but any rust prohibitive primer would do). When I have finished with ALL my welding, not just the pans, I have the car re-sandblasted. I then blow all the sand out (and this takes time and patience) and begin the priming process. I use Dupont Vari-Prime for the first layer-make sure you get good coverage generally 2 or 3 coats, but do not use more than you need to avoid build up. I follow that with a generous coat of PPG DP (Black). You can also add up to 15% lacquer thinner to the final coat and this will serve as a sealer. After about 10 days of +50 degree weather I will use a "Scotch" pad to scuff the primed areas and use a semi-gloss polyurethane clear over the entire area. This will give you close to the semi-gloss black appearance you are looking for under the hood and under the car. It matches quite well. I have done several cars and none of them have ever lost points due to incorrect color under the hood or under the car. One word of caution, these products are very dangerous. Both to your body and the environment. Take great care to apply and dispose of them properly. Clean-up your equipment immediately after use. I use lacquer thinner, but be careful not to get anything on your skin. Also, use a good mask when you mix these materials up.

DP-74, this is a urethane primer isn't it? If anyone has used this, does it have a semi-gloss finish? The primer under my car looks like it has a semi-gloss finish. I am about ready to go down and get this primer mixed in lacquer. My floor pans look excellent, and there are only a few places where there is surface rust. I wonder if lacquer would be OK. Also, the car I am driving is being restored to driven concours.

The DP-74 is a flat primer and that is why I don't like using it. I have used it on third members only. The original primer was a epoxy and worked as a primer/sealer. In later years the gloss in the primer increased because of the addition of the exterior colors into the paint.

You can use spray on oven cleaner to remove some kinds of paint. It also works good on cleaning chrome or vinyl such as door arm rest or steering wheel center pads. Spray on and let sit for 10 minutes, then use an old tooth

brush to loosen heavy deposits, et sit another 10 minutes, then rinse with

water. Repeat if needed. Be careful to use gloves and use news paper to catch over spray.

The Loctite product is good for a wide variety of plastics and may be the better of the 2 for your application.

1. D & D Plastic Chrome Plating, Ohio 419-389-1748

Yes you can have all three pieces, bezel & dash panels rechromed. I've been doing business with a gentlemen selling him reuseable cores. His name and e-mail: Raymond Azcue <mailto:fast67@home.com>. He's easy to deal with. His rechrome bezels sure beat those repros. Been there done that. Just one mans opinion.

Concrete Accessories in Dallas has a product called MelRoll. It is used to waterproof concrete overpasses. This will cost you about $60.00 for a large roll. Use this on horizontal areas. Two coats are supreme.

Cascade Audio has a product called VB-1 that is a liquid and requires a spray gun. You can order it in 5-gal container; I don't know the cost. Autotronix in Irving carries the stuff. 972-721-9506.

Snakeoyl products they carry a line of sound deadening products.

Dynamat. I bought the Dynamat Super. It comes in sheets appx. 33"x52". I used three sheets just on my floorboards. I plan on covering the inside of my trunk lid, interior quarter panels, inside the doors, and any other place I can think of. Here is the cheapest I could find it:

http://discountautosound.com/dynamat.htm

Here's some info off their website:

Dynamat Super is a Styrene-Butyadine-Rubber based mastic with an Aluminum constraining layer and Pressure Sensitive Adhesive on application side, Heat Bondable, Sheet Metal Vibration Damper. This product is made to be applied to flat or slightly contoured automotive body surfaces such as floor pans. Product shall be die cut to rectangular size and placed onto the floor pan after sheet metal cleaning operation and prior to the paint system (typically at the sealer application operation) or on painted panels. Adhesive side is smooth, giving complete contact with the underlying surface without any air pockets of channels. Both material and adhesive can withstand temperature ranges between -34C to +232C(-30F to +450F) and are highly resistant to aging.

The acoustic loss factor ‘n’ is used as a measure of ability to damp structure-borne sound. It states how much vibrational energy (in steel sheets, for instance) is converted into heat rather than sound. For constructions containing several layers, the combined loss factor ‘n comb’ is used. The theoretical maximum loss factor is about 1. An undamped steel panel 1 mm thick has a loss factor of roughly 0.001 at 200 Hz. Damped with Dynamat Super the loss factor would be about 0.15 at +15C(59F). Multiple layers of Dynamat Super can be used to improve sound damping still futher.

Application

Dynamat Super is used as treatment for metal panels, partitions, ducts, doors, bins, panels, etc. in railroad cars, buses, automobiles, and ships. It is also used for ventilation ducts, relay cabinets, steel furniture, sink units, office machine, computer equipment, machine tools, and for many other purposes

Installation

Dynamat Super should be cut to the desired size and shape before the backing paper is removed. It may be cut with scissors, knife, or die. Remove dust, grease, moisture, and other foreign matter from the application surface. Peel off the backing paper. The simplest application technique is to bend the pad slightly and attach it along its shortest edge. The pad is then pressed firmly into place, preferably with a roller for larger pieces. This reduces the risk of leaving air pockets, which reduce the sound damping capacity. The temperature of the pad and application surface should not be below room temperature during fitting. Heating the material before applying is strongly recommend, and increases flexibility, strechability, and adhesion

You can get the entire unit restored by Eric Sutton of Sutton Auto Sounds for $175 (price as of a couple months ago.) His FM conversion work was featured in the April 1994 issue of "Mustang Monthly". I recently had him restore both my underdash 8-T and '66 AM-FM, with excellent results. From an e-mail he sent me at the time:

> Sutton Auto Sounds

> 60's & 70's Automobile Radio Restoration

> 3463 Rolling Trail, Palm Harbor, FL 34684-3526

> (813) 787-2717 FAX (813) 789-9215

> E-mail suttonauto@aol.com

> We replace all electrolytic capacitors, all paper capacitors, all oil filled capacitors.

> We replace any defective transistors.

> We replace any out-of-tolerance resistors.

> We precisely align the RF and IF circuits.

> We clean, lubricate, and realign the tuner and pushbuttons.

> We repair or replace, as required, pots, switches, coils, transformers, etc.

> We clean, lubricate, adjust and replace any worn or cracked rubber parts in the tape player.

> We replace the dial light bulb(s).

> We use components that typically have higher ratings and tighter tolerances than the original part.

> We guarantee the entire radio for One Full Year!

> Prices: (These were as of 1 April 1996 -- some may have changed!)

> AM radio $135.00.

> AM/FM radio $175.00.

> AM/8-track radio $175.00

> Add $40.00 for Town & Country, Wonderbar or other signal seeking radios.

> Add $40.00 if your radio is an FM Stereo Receiver with a separate multiplex adapter.

> Add $30.00 if your AM/FM radio includes a Tape Player.

> Reverb units $95.00.

> Stand alone Tape Players $135.00.

> FM conversion after AM radio restoration $150.00.

> We also stock 12 volt FM Converters.

> We can convert your AM radio to AM/FM without altering its originality!

> Our system is non destructive, low cost, undetectable and sounds great!

I suggest you e-mail or phone him for more information (who knows? He may even sell you the parts -- but I'd recommend sending the unit to him -- he can probably "beef up" your AM reception significantly.

POR-15 is a paint that can be applied directly over rust. The product is a rust neutralizer that converts the rust into an inert phosphate that can be painted over. The POR-15 is photo-sensitive so if it is to be used in an area exposed to direct sunlight, you have to paint over it while its still tacky so that the two coats "fuse" together. Once dried, the POR-15 is hard as granite, but if it has been over-sprayed with even a primer it can be "worked" like a regular paint. By the way, Krylon semi-flat black sprayed over the tacky POR-15 yields a near perfect match for the finish in engine compartments. My experience has been that the POR-15 is not the cure all that the manufacturers want you to think. So take their claims with a grain of salt. The POR-15 sell for about $20 a pint! No bargain either, but if it even slows down the rust it's probably worth it.

When I re-built the front end. I completely stripped every part of the car from the firewall forward. I had all of the non-sheetmeatl parts sandblasted then painted them with POR-15 and overcoated with the Krylon while still tacky. Like I said earlier, loved the final finish. The frame rails and sheetmetal that needed touching up were scraped where needed and wire brushed with an electric drill. Then these parts were painted in the same manner. This was all done three years ago. All of the frame parts, including several that had been sandblasted, are starting to display little rainbow hued areas where the rust is starting to poke through again. There are also several places where the painted area has had good sized chips flake off. Now the POR-15 reps will tell you this won't, and maybe even, can't happen. When I recently asked a rep about my experience (with several interested buyers listening) I was told that sandblasted parts must be cleaned with their conditioner prior to painting in order to remove the oil that is present in the airstream of any compressor. This however doesn't explain the what is the deal with the non-blasted parts. This is all on a car that is rarely even rained on, let alone exposed to the worst that out environment has to offer.

To fill small holes in the floor pans, POR-15 with either epoxy putty (small holes) or fiberglas cloth (bigger holes) works great. Apply POR-15 per their instructions first, then apply putty/cloth, then go over with more POR-15. If using the fiberglass cloth, saturate the cloth with POR-15 and apply it. The neat thing about POR-15 is it cures thick and rock-hard.

I'm using the Ford SVO hi-torque mini starter on my 66 with a 302 and it works great. It was the only way I could install the headers anyway.

I want a blend of performance and ride quality. I plan on changing the 2.79 gears with 3.25s. I want to keep my stock tires. Also my passenger side axle wobbles and appears to be bent, Should I get both new or just replace the bent one?

Change out a bent axle

I have a new set of KYB rear shocks.

Need new ?…

Axle bearings

4 1/2 leaf springs (Mid eyed) - replace old originals (GT Rated? What does this mean) Available from local Ford dealer?

poly, greasable poly or polygraphite bushings?

Laurel Mtn Mustang

Eaton Springs www.eatonsprings.com

I recently installed the "Real Big Kit" from Canadian Mustang

Auburn makes a Posi for an 8" rear end. You can order it from Jegs.

Mark Williams Enterprises (www.markwilliams.com),

National Drivetrain

Drivetrain direct,

Randy's ring and pinion service

Spicer U-Joints from Dana Corp. are recommended

The Mogul ones are probably fine.

The extra 1/2-leaf (in 4 1/2) seems to eliminate tramp (what is this) without stiffening the ride. The mideye springs for a little more flexibility.

The gasket for the chunk is available from NPD, and the copper washers you can get at a auto parts store. This would be an excellent time to inspect your axle bearings. Pep Boys carries the bearing and charged me only $7.50 to press it on the axle. Also inspect your axle shaft seals. If in doubt, replace 'em. Autozone carries them plus you can rent a big socket to use as a driver. Finally, check the paper gaskets between the backing (carrier) plate and the axle flange, and the axle shaft retainer and carrier plate.

Would also be a good time to change out the pinion seal. The school solution is to mark the location of the nut and yoke on the pinion stem prior to removing the nut and yoke, change out the seal, than reinstall the yoke and nut being sure to tighten the nut beyond the original location - approximately a quarter turn for preload. A more purest approach would be to remove the entire pinion assembly, install a new crush sleeve and seal and set to a preload of 10-15 in-lbs (used bearings) and reinstall using the same depth shim and being careful to put the teeth in the original timing. If your chunk has never been rebuilt there is an excellent chance the bearings need to be changed. Now would be the time to do that. A seal and bearing kit cost about $100.00.

If it's an 8" rear the gasket is also available at your parts store(Victor/Dana part # P27807).Replace the axle seals and the paper gaskets. I could not find the paper gaskets anywhere so I made some from some cork material and it works fine.

When I put mine back together, I used black RTV sealant on both sides of the gasket so it would stop leaking. I also removed mine and wire wheeled it. To remove the axle seals, since I had the entire rearend out of the car, I slid the handle of my floor jack through the housing and whacked the seal a few times till it popped out. I wrapped a plastic grocery bag around the chunk while it sat on the garage floor. Check out my website for photos of the old vs. new.

The camber angles are adjusted with the suspension in full down position. The angle can be measured with a camber gauge. The angle between the vertical and the wheel is called camber, and can be positive or negative. Because the camber angle is measured with the wheels hanging down, the angle is always positive. This is the camber-out angle. The front camber angle is adjusted by turning in or out the upper steering balls. When setting-up the chassis it is better to adjust the camber angles with the shock absorbers removed and the front anti-roll bar disconnected to make sure that they do not interfere.

The reason to measure the camber angle in suspension-down position (camber-out angle) is to get a good starting point for the geometry. First the down-stops are adjusted, then the camber-out angle, and next the ride height, which is not measured by chassis clearance but by the camber-in angle (with the car standing on its wheels in stationary position). In this way the suspension can be set independent of tire size.

Camber angles are not always set the same left and right. On a clockwise ran track with mostly right turns, it could actually be better to adjust 0.5 to max. 1 degree less positive camber to the outside left wheel to compensate for excessive wear. If left and right are adjusted with some difference, the same difference should be maintained when setting the ride-height angles.

Camber is not the most intensive used adjustment but it should be set properly to start with. Even when tire wear is not equal left and right it is better to first work on ride-height, spring selection or anti-roll bar adjustment before changing the camber angle.

increasing the positive camber-out angle

- increased traction-rolling

- less conical tire-wear to the inside

decreasing the positive camber-out

- reduced traction-rolling

- more conical tire-wear to the inside

The Ride height

The ride height is the distance of chassis to the track surface in

stationary position (with full car weight on the wheels). The ride

height affects the amount of roll of the chassis and the weight transfer

(see Anti roll-bars).

Lowering the ride-height (lowering the chassis) means less roll and less

weight transfer, and therefore more side traction. But

there are limits to how low you can set the car. Too little ride height

will make the chassis drag on the track. Also as tires wear

down the chassis will hit the track more often, reducing cornering

stability.

The actual ride-height or chassis clearance is not measured when using the

Set-Up Procedure, because this would change when

tire diameters change. Instead, after having set the camber angles in full

down suspension position, the ride height is then set by

measuring the camber angle in 'ride-height' position, and the adjustment is

made by adjusting the coil-over springs on the front

and rear shocks until the required camber-angle in of the front and rear

wheels is achieved.

HANDLING EFFECTS 2-WD/4-WD

FRONT CAMBER-IN ANGLE ADJUSTMENT

more negative angle

- lower ride-height, lower center of gravity

- less chassis clearance

- quicker steering response

- more overall side traction

- reduced chance of traction rolling

- increased chassis drag on bumpy tracks

- increased chassis drag under braking

less negative camber-in angle

- more ride-height, higher center of gravity

- more chassis clearance

- less overall side-traction

- increased chance of traction rolling

HANDLING EFFECTS 2-WD/4-WD

REAR CAMBER-IN ANGLE ADJUSTMENT

- more overall side traction

- more traction under braking

- reduced chance of traction rolling

- more conical tire wear

- increased chassis drag on bumpy tracks

- increased chassis drag under braking

Caster

The caster-angle is the backward angle of the steering block, determined by the imaginary line between the upper and the lower steering ball. The caster angle is not easy to measure and therefore the amount of caster is measured by the gap between the upper suspension bracket and the upper suspension arm. This angle can be changed by sliding the upper suspension arm backwards (more caster) and forwards (less caster). To do this, the grub-screw that fixes the upper suspension arm on the upper pivot pin must be loosened. The caster angle determines the angle of the front wheel when steering. The more caster angle, the more the camber changes and the more the inside front tire will be pushed downwards. This affects the balance of the chassis and the amount of steering and forward traction (4-WD) of the front wheels.

4-WD cars run with the less caster angle than 2-WD cars, because of the required forward traction of the front wheels.

HANDLING EFFECTS 4-WD CASTER ANGLE ADJUSTMENT

less caster

- more steering into the corner

- less straight-line stability

more caster

- more understeer into the corner

- more oversteer out of the corner

- more straight-line stability

HANDLING EFFECTS 2-WD

CASTER ANGLE ADJUSTMENT

less caster

- when using diff.

- more steering into the corner

- better acceleration out of the corner

- when using Flex-drive solid rear axle

- less steering into the corner

more caster

- when using diff.

- unloads the diff., inside rear tire will spin

- less acceleration`

- when using Flex-drive solid rear axle

- changes the tire load to the inside front and outside rear

- more steering into the corner

- more steering out of the corner

Lowering Upper A Arm

What happens when you lower it?

Well, the car becomes lower, so we accomplished that. The other factors

that occur are camber, caster,

Toe, and Weight

Suspension

The suspension system has a direct effect on how a vehicle handles and

performs -- it determines how well

a car can "hug the road," or the level of comfort it can provide. Creating

an effective suspension system

is a science. The term "suspension" refers to the various springs, shock

absorbers and linkages used to

suspend a vehicle's body, engine and drive train above the wheels.

Every suspension system must perform three basic duties:

1.It has to support the weight of the vehicle and its cargo.

2.It should insulate the driver and passengers from the ruts and bumps in

the road. This occurs when the wheels move up and down over bumps, causing the suspension to react accordingly.

3.The suspension must keep the tires in contact with the ground. This is necessary to ensure good traction.

There are a limited number of suspension systems in use today. They fall into one of two categories -- rigid or independent.

Rigid suspension as its name implies, means the wheel hubs are bolted solidly to a single axle (both the left and right wheels are attached to this axle). With this system, when one wheel hits a bump, both wheels are affected. Rigid axles are still in use in many vehicles -- for some, they're used because they're cost-effective to produce. A rigid axle is used at the rear because it can carry heavier loads and stand up to the punishment of off-highway use.

With a "live" axle the rear drive axle is the key part of the suspension system because it "locates" the rear wheels. The live axle can be suspended with leaf springs, or it can use multiple links to control wheel movement.

Independent suspension means that each wheel has its own independent suspension components; when one

wheel hits a bump, that force is not transmitted to the opposite wheel.

This design provides a more comfortable ride.

Following are descriptions of the most popular suspension systems. Keep in

mind that these systems can be "mixed-and-matched." For instance, a MacPherson strut front

suspension system can be combined with a multi-link rear suspension.

MacPherson strut (also known as "strut-type" suspension) suspension systems feature "struts" that combine the coil spring and shock absorber in one unit. In many instances, the strut plays an integral role in the suspension: usually, there is a lower control arm to support the suspension at the bottom, while the strut provides the suspension's upper mounting. What makes the MacPherson strut suspension so popular is that it uses fewer parts than double-wishbone or multi-link systems. Therefore, this system is lighter in weight and easier to produce.

Double-wishbone (also known as double A-arm) is a type of suspension that has each wheel located on a "knuckle" that's connected by ball joints to an upper A-arm and a lower A-arm (typically, the lower A-arm is longer). This suspension gets its name from the shape of the suspension components, which resemble an "A" or a wishbone.

The benefit of a double-wishbone system is that it provides minimal changes in camber when the suspension is under load, as when going over bumps or in hard cornering.

Multi-link suspension is similar to the double-wishbone design, but in this instance, there are more links (or suspension components) added to the system to control wheel movement.

The chassis itself also plays a vital role in how a vehicle handles because all of the suspension components mount to the chassis. A rigid chassis minimizes any flex that may occur in the vehicle and allows for the more precise movement of the suspension components.

Mustangs are not that rigid.

Camber is a measurement of how parallel two tires, on the same axle, are to each other when viewed from the front. Specifically, it is the angle of tilt of the top of the wheel toward or away from the vehicle. If a wheel has positive camber, it tilts outward; if it has negative camber, it tilts inward. A wheel that is perfectly vertical has zero camber. Most wheels are aligned with a slight positive camber since there is a natural tendency for tires to tilt inward due to suspension wear or vehicle overloading. The positive camber setting and physical forces cancel each other, and the tires roll vertically without leaning.

- lower ride-height, lower center of gravity

- less chassis clearance

- quicker steering response

- more overall side traction

- reduced chance of traction rolling

- increased chassis drag on bumpy tracks

- increased chassis drag under braking

less negative camber-in angle

- more ride-height, higher center of gravity

- more chassis clearance

- less overall side-traction

- increased chance of traction rolling

Caster is a measurement of tilt in the steering knuckle of the car as viewed from the side. Specifically, it is the angle of tilt (in degrees) from the vertical of an imaginary line drawn through the upper and lower ball joints. If the wheel has positive caster, the steering axis leans backward (like on a bicycle); if the wheel has negative caster, the steering axis leans forward (like on a roller chair). Caster is important for directional control, feedback through the steering wheel, and natural return to straight-ahead after completing a turn.

Positive caster wheels resist turning because they lift the vehicle front end slightly as they are turned. They have a beneficial tendency to return to a straight-ahead position. Most vehicles with power steering have their front wheels set with positive caster. Conversely, most vehicles without power steering have their front wheels set with negative caster to reduce steering effort. Negative caster wheels are easy to turn, but they swivel and follow road irregularities.

- more steering into the corner

- less straight-line stability

- more understeer into the corner

- more oversteer out of the corner

- more straight-line stability

Toe

Toe is a measurement of how parallel two tires, on the same axle, are to

each other when viewed from

above. Specifically, it is the difference in distance between the two front

treads and the two rear treads.

If the tires were perfectly parallel to each other, toe would be 0". If two

tires point inward toward each

other, they have toe-in, or positive toe. If the tires point outward away

from each other, they have toe-out,

or negative toe. Most wheels are aligned with toe-in since there is a

natural tendency for non-driving wheels

to spread outward when in motion, particularly at high speed. The toe-in

setting and physical forces cancel each

other, and the tires roll straight ahead without tread scrubbing. However, if the front wheels are driving wheels, they require toe-out to counteract their toe-in tendency under motion due to engine torque. Toe setting is obtained by adjusting the length of the tie rods. Correct toe setting is very important for minimizing tire wear.

1. The weight distribution in a four-wheel vehicle is indeterminate since there are four unknown vertical load and only three independent equations which can be formulated. However, by considering the problem of evaluating the tire forces as a contact problem, the linear programming algorithm with the modified entry rule is effective to determine the weight distribution.
2. When a vehicle is operating on a level ground, due to the vehicle parameters and different maneuvering conditions the vertical loads on the tires generally have different values. The total sum of the vertical loads on the tires, however, is equal to the weight of the vehicle.
3. When a vehicle is operating on a slope or a banked track, additional longitudinal and lateral weight transfers are introduced and the total sum of the vertical loads on the tires is smaller than the weight of the vehicle. This reduction of the vertical load results in a decrease of the available maximum friction force, and therefore affects the longitudinal performance and cornering ability of the vehicle.

That is why people put sway bars on the front and rear of the car, less weight transfer.

Now everyone knows that when they lower the upper arm that alignment changes. My intent is to help understand why. Once you lower the upper arm, camber is more negative which can be good. You must understand how that will effect the car, too much lowering and you will have a lot of problems. Negative camber puts the top of the wheel closer too the inner fender. The same effect is putting a V8 in a 6 cyl, because weight lowers the vehicle and the suspension is not made to handle a v8. Once its lowered you now have to adjust alignment, which might be to add camber, which increases ride height for one. So before you lower that arm, know what effect its going to have. Hope this helps.

Use original Autolite, or Motorcraft BF42 for city driving or BF32 (colder spark) sparkplugs for racing. The BF42 plugs are original equipment for the 289 engine, except for the K-code 289 Hi-Performance V8. The BF32 was original equipment in the Hi-Po 289.

The recommended gap is .032-.035 inches. If you have a hot coil (non-stock) go with 38 - 45.

For 85 Heads use 25s for a hotter plug.

Inner rubber splash guards-not as hard as you think! There is an easy way to install inner front fender rubber splashguards.

Remove all the old rubber and as much dirt and rust as possible, with some coarse sandpaper, scuff up the rubber where it attaches to the metal, Get some black 3M Super Weather-strip Adhesive and coat BOTH the rubber and the metal (as per adhesive instructions) and glue the rubber onto the guards. With a 1/16" drill, go BACK through the factory staple holes so you will transfer the holes from the metal guards into the rubber. Insert the staples, a little bending may be required, and flatten them out with a hammer.

Mark the bows and the holes where they go so you can put them back the same way they came out. It is helpful to mark the left side of the bow also.

When putting the headliner on the bows, cut the listings so there is about 1/2 to 1 inch of metal bow showing at each end. If you cut too much, the headliner will not "curve" at near the tops of the doors, but will make more of an angle and go straight. If you don't cut enough, you'll never get it pulled tight.

If it does not fit well, try using different holes for the bows. Once pushed up, they should fit real snug against the roof, and it actually takes a little effort to "flip them back down". The rear hooks will not be real stable until you start getting it all together, and start stretching it to apply tension on them. They will lay along the roof, and the bow fits "under" it and into the hooks.

Tip: You can cut a slit in the center bow listing and slip a piece of duct tape through it to help hold it against the roof.

Use 2 appropriate strength & length springs from a hardware store, and attach them in 2 small holes near the front glass, and slit the listing at the first bow and attached them. With the bow hooks attached at the rear, this kept the headliner taught from front to rear. Leaving it this way overnight stretched the headliner and removed the wrinkles.

The following night, it cut the listing (a little at a time) as described and pulled it and temporarily attached it using cut up pieces (about 1 inch long) of the old windlace. It works great as mini clamps that you can use to secure the liner to the sides.

Then begin gluing the sides working from the front to the rear springs still in on the first bow, keeping it taught from front to rear and keeps the bows from falling down. Saved the area at the front glass as last. Then removed the springs and glued the lace to the front windshield are as needed.

Tip: If you put a tarp over the car to cover the holes where the windshield and back glass were and put a good electric space heater in the car, the headliner gets real floppy and easy to stretch from the heat.

Use spray-on adhesive made by 3M. The spray pattern was nearly a pencil line it was incredibly easy to lay down a thin strip of adhesive both on the metal flange and the headliner, let tack dry, and apply. It could even be removed with gentle pressure for some fine adjustments.

Meguier's Endurance is the best I've used on my black top.

It is known as EC2216 by 3M. This is some serious stuff. Once applied it is impossible to break the bond without destroying whatever it is bonding together.

Fortunately, 3M makes a product specifically for this -- a spray "Release Agent" which softens the adhesive, and allows you to remove it from both the body and the weatherstrip (on any that's still reusable).

You may be able to find this at your local Auto Parts Store, or you can order it from Eastwood (1-800-345-1178, P/N 4341Z, $8.99/16 oz.)

You might want to look into buying your own welder. I have recently bought a Lincoln Wire Feed Wed-Pak 100 and I have nothing but great things to say about it. I had no welding experience and I was welding perfect joints within a few minutes of trying it out. The Pak comes complete with everything you need to weld with including a video on how to use the welder. It can also be converted to a MIG welder. The only difference is that the Mig uses shielding gas. I have stared welding my new floor pans in My 66 coupe and it looks great. The welder only set me back $359 new. I have seen it cheaper since I bought. Home Depot has it for $299. The Mig conversion will run about $60.

If your retaining clip studs have broken off, rivet them in. If any of your retaining clips are missing, replace them. Make sure you clean the windshield channel extremely well. You can find articles in Mustang Monthly in the following issues for various years:

Mar. 1986 pg 28

Oct. 1987 pg 54

Dec. 1987 pg 36

Dec. 1996 pg 40

A good way to clean up the wires is to use a "waterless" cream hand cleaner, it also works good for plastic and rubber parts.