Mustang Update

[BigFil]

Well I picked Matt up this morning at 9am to head off to Road and Race in Rainham with the Mustang on the trailer worried sick as so many things were untested and had no idea whether it was going to be a really good day or a terrible one on the dyno.

We got there for 1100 as requested and was greeted by the two Steves that work there and were told that they just had to get the 1965 Jag off the rollers and they would be ready. As the Jag was driven slowly backwards off the rollers there was a bang as the wishbone snapped and the rear offside slumped to the floor. Despite our best efforts with trolley jacks and pallet trucks to move it off and out of the way it just wasn't having it - a phone call to the guys that built it meant that we had to wait for 2 hours for them to come from Maldon and fit a new wishbone to get it sorted.

That done, we strapped the Mustang in and Steve started mapping to try and get it to tick over or at least run under it's own steam but was having difficulty, after some investigation it became evident that the alternator wasn't charging, which as the voltage dropped was causing mayhem with the injectors. Apparently ( unbeknown to me ) the modern alternator is run from the ECU and charges when needed, as the original ECU and wiring had been pulled out the alternator would only charge over 3000RPM on default. After some further discussions we decided to run the car from the battery charger while it was under 3000RPM and I stood guard with my finger on the switch ready to flick it off when they went over 3000RPM. Low and behold this actually seemed to work and the mapping commenced.

Time moved on and by 5pm they were starting to hit the higher rev ranges and although cringing I was happy to hear the car singing again. The next problem we came across was the fuelling and the spark plugs, the injectors were flat out but it was still a bit lean over 4500RPM and at one stage the spark plug stopped working on one of the cylinders due to the temperatures it was reaching

The Steves worked their magic and decided it was time to try for some power runs and that's where the fun really started!!
Because I had the C4 Drag gearbox installed ( ratchet shift ) this meant that after pulling away in third he needed to knock it through 2nd and 1st to get to neutral for the run down at the end of the run.

The car roared away as he attempted the first run obviously with me cringing even more as the revs got higher and higher, just as the engine peaked - smoke billowed from the exhaust - flames shot out of the back and the car started jumping around in the rollers with sparks coming off the wheels as it nearly hit the wall - time for a break and a ciggy or three!!

From then on it was decided that it would be better to let the car run down in 3rd as anything else seemed pretty dangerous. Two or three more runs were made and she was pulling like a train and seemed to be back with a vengeance.

The Steves explained to me that they were having trouble pinning down figures as it was spinning up too quickly and hitting max revs before the machine could accurately calculate the BHP and ft/lbs.No torque figures could be established from the runs and the BHP was ranging from 509 to 560 - The guys told me that with the injectors maxing out and from what they could deduce from the charts that their estimate would be around 540BHP. For me that didn't matter as the power would soon be found out on the strip and the main thing was that the car was running again.

The car was left to cool down as we discussed what needed to be done and then the magic time arrived to take her out for a spin. I started off fairly steady with Matt as the passenger to see how she pulled at half throttle. That seemed to be Ok so inevitably I had to revert to giving it the beans - wow how big was my grin. Matt was dropped off and Steve was keen to take his place and off we went - the car was absolutely mental, lighting up the tyres in all the gears and coming down the A13 at one stage sideways. Steve done well to try and keep smiling but seemed just as keen to get out of the car as he was to get in it.

A few more laps were done just to revel in the moment of having the car flat out after 10 months of waiting and then it was back to the trailer at 9pm ready for home.

I still have to sort out a few bits and pieces, like the alternator, water temperature gauge, throttle pedal, injectors, spark plugs, air con and bonnet etc...................but it is just about there :-D

[Stuart]

Fil

That is great news buddy Love the tale of the flames and the Mustang on the dyno. Kind of ironic really when you hear about how feisty the real Mustang horses are, I can't see you tying one of those down without a fight either.
Reading things like this and Dans on/off/on/off relationship with his cars just reminds me that these cars are so much more than a means of getting from A to B, in many ways they become the high and low points of our life away from the 'indoors'.
Long may it stay that way :thumb:

[Ben]

Great news and great write up - can't wait to hear what you run on your first outing.

[Miniwilliams]

Yes mate, so very pleased for you that you are now well in sight of the finish line.

And if my little ride was any thing to go by, your going to be blizing your old 1/4 mile time before long.

Big heavy cars shouldn't go like that!

[madenglishman]

Great read and when things are good they are really good

I saw the clip of the beast on the rollers today ........madness!!!!

All the best with it mate and look forward to comparing V8's :bandit:

[BigFil]

Managed to get the alternator sorted and took her out for a spin - seemed to run a treat, done about 12 miles. took it to work the next morning (yesterday) seemed fine running well. Left work to come home and from nowhere a loud clacking noise from the engine, white smoke billowing out the back, switched it off immediately and coasted to a stop, the car filled up with smoke and that horrible "dead engine" smell. Lifted the bonnet and after playing tug of war with the dipstick managed to get it out to find that the bottom was bent at 90 degrees - not good. I towed the car home about a mile and put it in the garage and locked the door.

I must say that even though I am absolutely gutted it seemed worth the 10 month wait while it was running however short the time, it was pulling like a train, I think that perhaps one of the con rods let go but until I get the engine out I won't know for sure. At least I proved a point to all the people that were waiting to see if the engine management would run the car - it did.

I phoned Mark (Max 1) to let him know we now have a winter project and couldn't help think how it must be for him as his engine has blown more times than I can remember - feel sort of lucky really as this is the first engine in this car!!

So now I will be searching the web for a suitable replacement, have already found a possible - a 460 small block (7.5 litre) with a supercharger

Life never presents problems only opportunities - watch this space.......................

[Ben]

Nightmate, but I'm glad you see it as a chance to make the car even more mental.

[BigFil]

Managed to get away from the burger van for a while today (with permission) to see if I could track down what had happened to the stang, so I started by taking a few photos of the engine as I didn't know how far I would have to strip the engine down and wanted to record the "quest"
I jacked up the car and put it on axle stands and first of all took off the bonnet to get a clear view and easy access



Then I took some bodywork off so I could get all round





I then drained the oil to see if I could find any metal fragments, I poured it through a strainer but to my amazement there was no evidence of anything. I thought I might be lucky and maybe it would be alright so on to the sump. I loosened the sump but after an hour referred to the manual and found out that you cant get the sump off without lifting the engine.
I had a good look and the sump dropped down just enough for me to get my hand in almost to the bottom so I squeezed my hand in as far as I could and felt something.............




So I think I may have a clue as to what has happened, next job when I get a chance will be to lift the engine out and maybe strip it down to establish how much damage has been done :roll:

[Stuart]

With the front bumper off it bears an uncanny resemblance to the Terminator



I think that may need more than Alraldite mate.........

[duncan]

- not what you would want to find in there Phil

So whats the plan now?