Posts by 66gtk

Part 2

There's a great thread going on here: http://www.hipomustang.com/hpmx/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6772

I would be interested to see some polling on this issue. Please read the above thread and then answer the poll..

OK, one way to look at the numbers - Am I totally wrong here..??

There were 607,568 Mustangs built for '66 model year. I'd say that's a pretty large sample to base estimated percentages on using the following figures which I assume are facts...

~9% of '66 Mustangs were convertibles

~2% of '66 Mustangs were convertibles with pony interior

That makes total production of pony interior convertibles at 12,520 (Mustang Ranch Source) before taking into GT or K code equipment.

According to this website, there were 5,469 K codes build for '66 model year.

There were 2,378 GT350s produced for 1966 (Mustang Monthly source), leaving only 3,091 non-Shelby K codes. These are know production facts, right?

If the above facts are correct, we then can start to estimate based on what we know is in both (a) the current registry trends and (b) production trends from a sample of over 600K units.

The registry has less than 6% of all '66 K codes as being convertibles. Compared to the total production of '66 Mustang convertible percentage of about 9%, I'd say that's pretty close. It stands to reason that more K buyers would seek a more performance based body like the fastback over a convertible. There must be a reason why Shelby also chose to use the FB instead of also making verts. Let's assume that 6-9% is realistic.

That puts us at 185-278 estimated K code verts for '66 Lets call it 278 for the sake of generosity.

Based again on total production percentages, even fewer would have been built with Pony interior - at 2%, that gives us about 62.

So, before taking into account GT status, we have only an estimated 62 K code pony interior convertibles produced. That's about .01 % of total '66 Mustang production. That seems low, but the math seems right unless I'm missing something.

Who knows about GT at this point, but that's gotta bring the total number of Pony interior equiped K code verts with factory GT cars in '66 to less than a couple dozen. We won't even get into color combinations.

How's my logic? Feel free to correct me on this stuff. I realize it's all an estimate, but we seem to have good data available to make some educated guesses on this stuff.

Don't try the SEM dye that is supposed to match. It is way too white! Does anybody make a correct white dye or interior paint???

Round2K

Agreed, but that's not the point of my thread, nor is my car an impostor. That's why I am trying to keep my car as stock and original as possible so I can preserve how it is supposed to be for those who care to know what a "real one" is. I did take some liberties with some interior changes, though. My original door tag is still intact, which verifies the colors and options. I can't prove it's a GT with a window sticker, but I can't prove it isn't one, either. Everything is correct. I still have all the original GT trim components including fog lights, wiring, and gas cap. I chose to clean them up the best I could rather than replace them, even with their pits. My car has never been fully restored, either. Still has 95% of the original sheet metal as well.

How big of a job is it to swap out shifters? I do have a '65 Mustang with a great working Hurst shifter. Where can you get a properly rebuilt shifter? Seems like from reading the thread that some rebuild kits have the incorrect washers/parts.

I know we don't have exact production numbers, but is there an idea out there about percentages?

What percentage Mustangs produced in '66 were K Codes?

What percentage of those Ks were used as Shelbys?

What percentage of Mustangs in '66 were FACTORY GTs

What Percentage of Mustangs in '66 were FACTORY Pony Interior

What Percentage of Mustangs in '66 were convertibles

What percentage of Mustangs in '66 Were K code convertible GTs with Factory Pony Interior.

People always ask me these questions about my car, and I was going to design a new display board that attempts to address the rarity of K codes and of highly optioned K code cars such as my GT convertible.

Thanks for any help/light you can shed on this.

Troy

I was also thinking shifter. My mechanic seems confident the shifter feels fine, but things do wear out. We'll see what happens after the gear oil is changed.

About a year ago, I noticed that my car would no longer shift well from 1st to 2nd (toploader with stock shifter). I just couldn't seem to get it in gear. The problem was worse when cold, and got better after driving it for about 15 minutes. I took it in and it was determined my synchros were stuck to the gears and I got a complete rebuild. The gears were OK, so they were not replaced.

After the rebuild, I still have a problem shifting from 1st to 2nd when the car is cold (not cold weather). Problem goes away after about 15 minutes of driving. The car didn't used to have this problem in years past.

My mechanic who did the rebuild says nothing is mechanically wrong with it since it works well when warm. He also confirms the shifter is lined up and positioned correctly. He states the problem should go away after breaking in the tranny and getting everything matted up correctly by using it. It's been a couple months of driving and it's not better (this was last summer/fall).

Should I change to synthetic oil, or try something else.... Any other thoughts? Is this normal?

Thanks,

Troy

The black paint in the bay is Krylon Semi Flat Rust tough. It has the low pressure fan-type spray nozzle (the reason I chose it over 1613) and is reportedly made to paint over both rust and bare metal, as well as previously painted surfaces. The pics make it look more glossier than it really is, but not too much. The brackets and other bolted on pieces like the fan and horns are painted with a glossier Plasticote "Universal Black"

I had to use some the old hardware - see above post.

Amost done. I'm getting excited. Waiting for my mechanic fried to come with his damper tool and properly finish seating that so I can add the pulleys, belt and fan. Then I can drop in the radiator and shroud and grill pieces. Then off to the shop to install the exhaust and hood. Thank you to everybody on this board to get me this far.

Yea, I know I have the wrong carb, but I like it and the price is right! I'll be sure to post completed photos when it's done.

[Blocked Image: http://troy.krugercentral.com/underhood/shot1.jpg]

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Troy

Yep. Tried the jacking trick last night with no luck. Even scraped out some of the insulator. I ended up using the original bolts and got it to work. Had to clean them up quite a bit. I put the new SS locking washer on so it still looks fresh.

Had my shock towers blasted and powder coated. I don't remember having trouble getting them off, but I sure can't get them on easily. I finally muscled one on, but can't get the second on. The two flat bolts that slip underneath closest to the fender won't go in far enough. I'm using new SS hardware from AMK. I even tried my old rusty ones and those don't seem to fit anymore either. Whatever rubber gasket/sealer is in there is getting in the way. Any tips?

Thanks,

Troy

"torque to spec" - Anybody got the reference on the spec for our beloved Ks?

I got my damper back from the rebuilder and it looks great. I need to reinstall it, but was wondering if there is a special procedure so that I don't damage anything. Do I need to use a damper installation tool - what is that and how do they work?

I was thinking of just torquing the bolt back on, but can that damage the crank?

Thanks. I'll remove the paint then! I thought they looked funny with the blue paint on them over black.

What color or finish is correct for the 3 bolts that hold the brackets to the water pump? Blue, black or natural?

I can't believe it.... Are these really that hard to come by? Prices for these parts are getting out of hand really fast. When I told my wife the other day during a parts cleaning session that the fuel pump I was holding in my hands at the time and the fan that I had sitting on her washing machine were collectively worth as much as a new big screen plasma TV, she shook her head in disbelief. So did I.

I've read that the horns were painted originally with lacquer paint. What I don't know is if the horns are slightly glossier than the bay or are they the same semi-flat? I'm ready to paint them, but want them to look close to correct. I'm either going to paint them with the engine bay paint or with the glossier paint I'm using on the brackets, fan and pulleys.