Help with my '68 Mustang

Chaduro

Active member
I took a bunch of pictures of my Mustang and in the description and titles asked questions and stated my concerns, any help would be undoubtedly appreciated, rather than commenting on the picture itself, could you reply to the picture on this thread? Like put the title of the picture and then your answer.

Pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60731417@N ... 434040489/

Thanks!
 
Welcome to the Forum! Congrats! You've got yourself a project! IIRC you mentioned in your other thread that you're 16, this project will be a handful for you and keep you very busy, but can teach you a ton about cars :thumbup: An attempted word of wisdom from someone who has been where you are many, many moons ago...patience and focus!

Many youg fellas might get ahold of car like this and want to gut it to the frame, drop a bent8 in, re-do the suspension, re-do the interior, etc, etc and mainly...they want to do it all at once :wink: Problem is in a 'tiger by the tail' approach like that you'll quickly find yourself overwhelmed with the amount of work needed, and possibly find little satisfaction, cause it can be difficult to complete a dozen projects all at once, and lacking completion of any single one will wear you down...seen it happen too many times. So please don't take offense to that short sermon, really intended as friendly words of advice.

As another venerated member of the forum mentioned in your other thread...start with what do you "want or need" to get out of this car...occasional race car...daily driver...somewhere in between?

IIWIYS, I'd pick one area/aspect/project to work on first that will yield some accomplishment=satisfaction=reward. So for arguments sake let's call 'Project 1:gettting running'...now within each bigger goal are smaller projects that will require their own focus, patience and above all knowledge and research :thumbup:

So 'part A of Project 1 is getting the carb functional' (maybe it should be a battery and checking if she'll turn over, but again for arguments sake let's use this as an example):
For example getting her running Part A...I'm gonna guess it's not been run regular, has it? In that vein, your carb looks like a holley 1940 service replacement (I am not positive) with some type of adapter on the base I am not familiar with. In order to get the linkage hooked up and operating you should research that carb, take some more pics of it closer up from all four angles, and first decide if it is a carb you will stick with, given the immediate goal (Project 1 Part A) or switch carbs. If sticking with it, then the first thing to do is likely a rebuild.

So you have to learn about rebuilding carbs, getting the right kit, the linkage, it's compatability with the current ignition system, etc, etc, etc.

Point of all this is not to give you a brush off by any means, but to suggest you approach something of this scope "pragmatically" which is where more patience and focus come into play...but saying that, you really need to narrow your focus...and no offense intended here...but to post 27 pictures and ask for 27 answers (correlated back to your pictures) is a bit too much to ask. There are plenty of people more than willing to help on this forum, and more than I'll think you'll find on many other forums, but it's still best to govern your approach...again just friendly advice :nod:

I or someone else could sit here and rattle off, 'the door under the glove box is a fresh air door, the duct tape looks like it's holding the heater plenum together, it looks like a 200 not a 250, the weather stripping on the window pictured is shot and the chrome trim is missing (window will have to be pulled and replaced), the pvc hose is not connected and should be reconnected (black hose going to nowhere pointing toward radiator with clamp on it), if water is leaking inside car then heater core or connections are shot, if leaking at radiator then radiator likely shot.......and this could go on, and on and on :bang:

Point of all of this is, you'll get the most hope, and the most help, and the most out of this if you slow down a bit and narrow you objective down considerably :nod: Again, not to give you the brush off cause I wouldn't take the time to type all this if personally I wasn't willing to help....but as in any situation help is most worthwhile for those willing to help themselves :thumbup: ....so I'd suggest picking an objective, reading as much as you can about what you have (you can answer a large number of your first questions by reading...tons of stuff here and on the web...search is a good thing), and asking for help as necessary....and most importantly, don't let my opinion, run you off :wink: :lol: ...but, (there's always a but) be realistic, again no offense, but posting all those pics and asking what all is wrong with your car and how to fix it under a thread very generally titled "Help with my 68 Mustang", is just not very realistic :wink:

So what do you think? Want to focus on seeing if it will run? Just a thought, and my $.02.....
 
Decoded your Mustang:

Year: 8 - 1968
Plant: T - Metuchen, NJ
Body Series:01- 2 Door Hardtop
Engine: T- 200 1v I6
Unit: 154922 - 154922

Body: 65A - 2 Door Hardtop, Standard Interior
Color: O - Seafoam Green
Trim: 2A - Black Crinkle Vinyl and Black Kiwi Vinyl, Standard Interior
Date: 23A- January 23, 1968
D.S.O: 17 - Washington
Axle: 4 - 2.83:1, Conventional
Trans: W - C4 Automatic

You can find the decoder here: http://www.mustangdecoder.com/decoder.html
 
Frankenstang, I really do appreciate your wise advice. :hmmm: I do tend to get a project, want to do everything at once and it never works out. Reading what you typed helped me realize that. The carb is brand new so I do not see why it would need a rebuild. The spacer was custom fabricated. The carb has never had gas ran through it. You are right, I need to focus on getting it running well and worry about everything else when I have completed my first task. Why would a newbie trying to clean an engine compartment, spraying it with water, cause 3-5 different liquids to drip non stop for 3 weeks until it was empty? After I have completed my task of getting the car running well, what do you guys think it would take to get the heater back in working order again? That's me going off on a tangent. :oopsie: Focus... get the engine running, Thanks!
 
Chaduro, I admire your enthusiasm, plus you have the benefit of youth (you won't be nearly as sore as I would these days with your various undertakings :lol: ).

Great! Carb should be okay, so does the battery have enough juice to turn her over? Keeping with the getting her running, as bubba mentioned in the other thread...I'd advise the plan of sticking with what you've got for now, because getting her running and moving under her own power will be it's own reward 8) :thumbup: plus make it a heckuvalot easier to move on to the next projects. For linkage which you'll need to get running, you might want to get a couple more angles of the carb from a little closer up.

NOTE! Before turning her over it might be worthwhile to prime up the oil system (you can do this by pulling the dizzy, or in your case I might just recommend disconnecting the coil wire from the dizzy and turning her over a few times with fresh oil & filter in place). If the car has sat for a 'long' while then I would also recommend draining the fuel tank and cleaning.

For the radiator and cooling, if you suspect the heater core is leaking (it's the little radiator coil built in under the dash that circulates the warm water and thus warm air...(sorry if this is overly simplified), then I'd recommend bypassing it for now.
Take the two heater hoses loose at/before the firewall and hook them together....then you can fill the radiator and test for leaks.

Chaduro":vqoyng7z said:
Focus... get the engine running

That's a good plan if you ask me...so keep it coming.

PS Ford Shop Manual is invaluable...they're available on disc now, which is convenient...until then these older versions still might help some...plus the pics on flickr are good and no need to waste that effort either, can refer back to them as you move along
http://falconfaq.dyndns.org/
 
Yep, brand new battery as well. It has been sitting for about 4 months. I'm sorry but what is a dizzy? Distributor? In reference to a question in your initial post, I'd like it to be a little bit of both occasional racer and daily driver. So get a few different angles of the carb and then post them on here? So when I'm ready to try and start the car, do a change of oil and filter? Sorry if I'm understanding these the wrong way, just that I'm completely new to this game. If that's not what you meant could you explain what exactly you do to prime up the oil system? Also, I was going to check the brake master cylinder reservoir under the hood to see if it was clean and filled, but can't seem to pry off the cap, any suggestions? Thanks for all your time & help again!
 
Sorry about the short hand, yes dizzy is the distributor. The way you prime the engine with oil via the distributor is by first pulling the distributor, then using a flexible shaft drive on a drill to attach to the hex head oil pump drive shaft that runs off the bottom of the distributor (the shaft should stay in place when you pull the distributor out). Five minutes or so of running the drill should adequately prime the system.

However, when you pull the distributor you must be sure to mark the rotors position and reinstall the distributor oriented the exact same way. So, if you're totally unfamiliar with any of this approach, then it might be best to just prime up the oil system by simply cranking the engine over with fresh oil and a filter in place (however I would disconnect the fuel line and run it into a jug, plus disconnect the coil wire from the coil to the distributor, both intende to keep the car from starting and to prevent dumping too much fuel into the engine prior to starting...either way, yes you definitely want fresh oil and filter before priming and trying to start it.

So was the engine run four months ago, or when was the last time that you know it was running?

After bypassing the heater core (if necessary) then I would also flush the cooling system if I were you before trying to start it (flush kit is available at the auto parts store with instructions), then fill with correct amount of antifreeze and water. This will also help you identify other potential leaks.

Yes, a pic from each side of the carb (best you can) will help identify the carb and see how the linkage was intended to be connected. As far as the master cylinder cap goes you might try knocking it off with a flat blade screw driver and 'careful taps' with a hammer, but careful not to damage lid.
 
Frankenstang":26es31x0 said:
pulling the distributor

I don't want to contradict Frankenstang BUT at the skill level I believe you are at I would LEAVE THE DISTRIBUTER ALONE.

I agree with Frankenstang about the need to prime the oil system. Priming should be the last thing you do before starting the car.
I would
1) Change the oil and filter
2) Disconnect the Coil wire from the distributer.
3) Position the coil wire about 1/2" away from any grounded metal part of the car turn the engine over and check to see if you get a big blue spark that makes a cracking sound. This sound always make my hair stand up.
4) asuming the spark is good you can proceed.
5) Disconnect all the spark plug wires from the spark plugs remembering where they went, a picture for future referrence here is a good idea.
6) Remove all the spark plugs.
7) Open the carbuator to its fullest extent.
08) turn the engine over and wait for the engine oil light to go out then continue for another 30 seconds. If the engine oil light does not go out you will need to find out why before proceeding.
9) Put new properly gapped plugs in, reconnect the spark plug wires, and reconnect the coil wire.
10) Prime the carburater by poring about 2 Onces of fresh gasoline down the throat of the carburator.
11) Try to start the engine.
12) If it starts then shuts off after a couple of seconds then you may not be getting gas to the carb from the Tank, did you drane the old gas and refill with fresh?
13) If it starts and runs you are good to proceed. Don't let the engine run long enough to heat up unless you have serviced the cooling system.
14) Report results here.
 
69.5Mav":39mroig6 said:
I don't want to contradict Frankenstang BUT at the skill level I believe you are at I would LEAVE THE DISTRIBUTER ALONE.

No problem 69.5Mav...all things considered, I would agree with you :nod: and that's a good methodical step by step.
I would add: draining, cleaning and re-feuling the tank as mandatory if the engine has not been run in over a year (alot of what you might encounter depends on when the last time it was runing).
 
Hey Chaduro,

I'm Richard, I'm in AZ too, a few members are up near peoria , I'm down in mesa/chandler area, I like the 68 mustang, very fun find. I remember when I first got my car, I had your enthusiam. well still do... I got my car almost 4 yrs ago (wow that's a while now that I think about it) I was 21 and rdy to have fun.

These guy's are giving great advice, just be patcient, it will come along and you'll be pleased, just a warning on these old cars, they are daily fixers, and eventually will become weekend fixers before they become daily drivers. just a little experience :wink:

for added measure, I would get some marvel mystery oil (MMO), add half the bottle to the new oil, and the other half to your gas tank, this stuff cleans and protects your metal surfaces, make sure to change before 1k miles,

remember before you drive it ANYWHERE, check the brakes, I had a wild ride when I was mustang shopping, the guy's brakes went out on me 300ft in front of a stop sign going 45mph :shock:

maybe after I finish my current project I can lend a hand some saturday. I think I know what I'm doing now... :D

PS, I like the wheels, I'd like to find something close to those. alot of us 4 luggers might be jealous of those... I would keep them :wink:
 
:beer: Hi Chaduro.Great find.Follow these guys advice.And also remember my Grandfathers advice.Slow and sure,beats quick and dead.Also,welcome aboard.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo
 
Thanks for all the advice 69.5Mav, Frankenstang, woodbutcher and MPGMustang.

Yeah, I probably will be better off doing the simplified version. This forum is very friendly and helpful! :)

Richard (MPGMustang), thanks for your reply!
Who all involved with inline 6's live in Arizona, haven't met anyone else on here but you. Who else is near Peoria?
What do you mean change before 1,000 miles for the marvel mystery stuff?
Gee... not sure how to check brakes... But let me focus on getting it running first before I worry about that. We'll burn that bridge when we get there. :wink:

Yes, I do know for a fact it was running and driving 4-6 months ago.

Yeah, I'd love some help on my '68! What's your current project, what's it's story?
 
Okay Frankenstang and all others who'd like to put a word in,

I believe it is a Holley 1460 Carburetor. Not sure what the previous owner meant when he said it needs a linkage made to hook it up, but what do I know? What do you guys think?

Here are the pics from the angles of it:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60731417@N07/6105117264/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60731417@N07/6104570539/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60731417@N07/6105116856/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60731417@N07/6104570167/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60731417@N07/6104569997/
Thanks for any input.
 
Pretty sure that's what's commonly referred to as a 1940 Chaduro...I suppose it may go by other model numbers...check this link
http://www.ponycarburetors.com/images/Holley1940.jpg

The 1940 was a service replacement carb, i.e. never came factory on the engine. Some folks here swear by 'em, some swear at 'em :wink: Unfortunately I'm not very familiar with the carb, it does appear to be a correct match for the distributor you've got...so that's good. As far as the linkage hook up goes...

...ideally you would get the 'socket' in the above pic circled in yellow (minus that extension piece with the nut on it...red 'x'...should just be able to 'set this aside' for now) and connect the 'socket' directly to the 'ball' in this pic below circled in yellow.


Let me know if that makes sense.

Again, I'm not real familiar with this carb (and that space age spacer is something else :lol: ), so maybe someone else on here who has run this carb can chime in and let us know if this will connect...but in the meantime you might try seeing if you can hookup the two things I've circled in yellow and "carefully" see if you can work the throttle. The 'ball & socket" seperate and go together by hand. Hope this helps :thumbup:

EDIT: To clarify...the small piece of throttle extension I marked with an 'X' should not be thrown away...this may be needed yet....but am a little out of my element on the 1940
 
i had a 1940 on my old 170, when i got it dialed in it worked great but, it took a long time for me to get it right, id sugest getting a simpler carb
 
Thanks for the help again.

I understand what you mean, I looked at it and couldn't get the linkage to move around that far back to the back side of the carb like that. I'm having my neighbor come check it out tomorrow to make me a list of everything I need to do to get my car running again, hopefully he can figure it out or come up with a solution. If not, I'll be using his knowledge to ask more intelligent questions to you guys :D

One more question: What is the thing circled in the picture supposed to go to? http://www.flickr.com/photos/60731417@N07/6107652957/
 
That's the hot air for your choke. See that threded part on the carb above the fuel line in the pic, that points to the left? it goes there.

EDIT i have a 1940 on my 67, I'm at a car show in Paso Robles (without the car) but when I get back to the shop I'll try to take some snaps for you so you can see what mine looks like working.
 
Invectivus":1azv6m2x said:
That's the hot air for your choke.

+1 Here is a pic of the hot air choke tube hooked up (it's got the cloth piece of heat resistant wrap on it, and plumbs from the choke back to the exhaust manifold)
http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forums/a ... s-carb.jpg

Note: However the link linkage hookup on that one above looks like the 64.5-66 straight push up style...which doesn't sound like will work for yours cause the 67-68 have the linkage coming off an auxiliary bracket...
Chaduro":1azv6m2x said:
I looked at it and couldn't get the linkage to move around that far back to the back side of the carb like that.

I think the 67-68 use a bell crank that mounts off the spacer or something like that...(best I can tell from the pics in this thread...)
http://fordsix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=45327
EDIT: (take a look at x21's flickr pics, and mustang6's pics of the stock linkage orientation)

It may mean you need to get a correct spacer...but hopefully Invectivus pics will clear it up even more, cause that's what you really need are some shots of the stock linkage hooked up correctly...
Invectivus":1azv6m2x said:
EDIT i have a 1940 on my 67, I'm at a car show in Paso Robles (without the car) but when I get back to the shop I'll try to take some snaps for you so you can see what mine looks like working.
That would be the ticket :thumbup:

Good luck!

PS on a side note, I keep being fixated by your 'space age' custom spacer...don't want to derail your thread, especially when it seems you're getting close to getting the linkage figured out, but it makes me wonder how you came by your car or your carb/spacer....it's wierd cause I'd SWEAR I've seen that 'unique' spacer with that 1940 on it somewhere before....maybe even previously posted up here :hmmm:
 
I confirmed it being a 1940, thanks guys. My grandpa machined the spacer for me, so I doubt you've seen it anywhere else, maybe something similar looking haha.

I might just buy the
Dashpot Lever: http://www.championmustang.com/autolite ... 10012.html that my stock carb needs to work again.
and the
Autolite "Vaporizer" 1V Carb Adaptor: http://classicinlines.com/proddetail.as ... %2D1VA%2DV

The Dashpot lever seems sooo steep of a price for such a tiny piece of plastic, maybe I could find one used, $19.99 not even including shipping. I don't mind paying full prices but if I can get the same thing cheaper I'm all for it lol. If anyone has a Autolite "Vaporizer" 1V Carb Adaptor or Dashpot Lever for an Autolite 1100
 
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