Posts by Murf_old

  • Convertible window stamp?

    I think these are no longer available, but some years ago Ecklers Corvette (Titisville FL) sold replacement tops for Vettes that had the original date and logo in the plexiglass rear window. You might check with them and see if they remember where they came from or where they are being stamped. That info may be hard to get, but many of us have always wished that the correctly stamped rear windows were available for Mustangs. If you know a hardcore Vette restorer they may be able to get you started in the right direction. I hope you share your results with us!

  • 66 K Code owner history

    Have been in personal contact with both of the previous owners of my kar. The original owner now lives in Scottsdale AZ, and gave me the details of how he happened to purchase the car. He wanted to buy a Shelby but was a little short of cash, and returned the next week to Hawkinson Ford in Chicago with additional funds to "do" the deal. To his surprise, the Shelby was gone, and to the son of the owner of Hawkinson Ford. The salesman told him he could have the Mustang originaly ordered for the son, which was the 65 K fastback, with about every option on the order sheet. So it was a second choice purchase. A purchase I am happy he was forced to make. The original owner installed a boat hitch on the car and used it for towing his boat. He sold it in 75 for $1800.00 to the guy I purchased it from. He was an attorney in the Chicago area and appreciated the unique nature of a deluxe interior high option KGT and drove it little. I purchased it from him in 85 for $5600.00 and the car now has only 85ooo miles on the clock. Have the title history, owners manual showing original owner name and purchase date, & hipo owners manual still in the glove box. Sometimes you get lucky! The next owner will be determined at my estate sale or possibly my son may want to keep it . Right now it can count on staying in my stewardship where it has been for over 22 years.

  • Replacement carpet fit and quality

    Anyone interested can see some photos of this carpet durong and after installation by going to the Virginia Mustang Supply website and logging on their blog. You can see in these images that the carpet is molded nicely and follows the contour of the original floor very well. A thin (1/4 ")layer of a material called Low-E was used as an underlayment in addition to the original Ford tar paper and "hair" material. Looking for a quiet and comfortable ride.

  • Replacement carpet fit and quality

    I wanted to stress that in my opinion the "RAYLON" material that ACC now uses is far superior to the previous 80/20. But that is just me - and I am not sure if ACC is still using the old product they called 80/20. Maybe someone from ACC will happen to catch this post and fill in the details for us. Anyone have a connection?

  • Replacement carpet fit and quality

    Just finished installing a set of "mass backed" ACC carpet in a 68 GT/CS. The mass backed carpet is almost exactly three times the weight of the normal carpet. It is ALMOST always manufactured just for you since with few exceptions no one has any in stock. This may in some way account for the fact that it FITS FINE. It is an almost throw in project compared to the struggle we have all had with the ACC jute backed carpet that has been wadded up in a little box for who knows how long. The mass backed carpet comes in a box that is more than twice the size of the standard carpet because I suppose they cannot manage to wad it up in such a tight little ball. It is tough to trim - household scissors are worthless and I broke the pair that I attempted to use. The carpet is much more difficult to trim. This particular carpet was maroon, and was of the newer material that ACC now uses called RAYLON. It has a nice appearance, and does not seem to "fuzz' the way the older 80/20 was prone to do. It also does not have the "corn row" look of the old type of carpet, a look that many of us found objectionable. The heel and toe pad were spot on, and there was a little mark showing where to cut the hole for the shifter, a hole that must be correct or the entire project turns into a nightmare. The density of the carpet was not what I expected. Still a bit on the "bald" side and the backing is barely visible where the carpet curves over the rear tunnel. You have to look hard to see this, but it is there. My opinion is that this material is still not up to the standard of the Ford OEM carpet that came in your Mustang when new, but it is much better than the ACC product of just a year ago. For that matter, the RAYLON material without the mass backing may be good enough to use without the extra rubber bonded to it - have not used it yet. Few vendors are aware of this product, and those that are aware for the most part do not stock it. You can order it directly from ACC where the price is pretty steep, or you can probably get it from Virginia Mustang. I think that it is about an additional $50.00 charge for the mass backing when ordered from Virginia Mustang, but you will have to call and verify that price. In summation, I was far happier with this carpet than any in the recent past. No stress on this one, the area over the console fit like a glove, plenty of material in the area of the right kick panel area where ACC has been known to be so lacking in the past. The fuzziness associated with the past products sems to be a non issue now, the sparceness of the material is not something that I had anticipated. The color seems as good as it ever was, and only time will tell if they have overcome the fading problems associated with their past carpet. It was nice to not return several sets of carpet just to get one that was useable. All in all it is sure a big improvement from their past efforts and I commend them. The extra fifty dollars is a non issue for me, seems a bargain after fighting the wrinkles and ill fit of prior products. It is RAYLON and not an 80/20 loop but I cannot tell the difference. I hope that if any of you reading this are doing a carpet install now or in the immediate future you will post your appraisal of fit, color, fuzziness and density of the product you install.

  • Dearborn Radiator ID???

    To make things clear, all of the Dearborn AND New Jersey radiators in the 65 - 66 cars I have observed have the square tabs. The engineering number and the date for the Dearborn and New Jersey radiators are stamped on the LEFT (drivers) side support and when installed on a car can be found facing the motor and on a horizontal plane with the voltage regulator. The date stamped on the support is read as follows: YEAR - MONTH - WEEK> A=week 1, etc and when you find an occasional "E" that month had a couple of days in the fifth week of the month. It is this "fifth week" stamping that seems to confuse some folks. The rounded tabs have been on all of the original SJ radiators I have observed, and in addition to "W MO" the date is reversed stamped in one of the flats on the top tank. As far as the letters used on the radiators - GI, Y1 Y2 and others I have no clue as to what is what. Each time it looks as if we have found the Rosetta Stone for this stamp someone soon disproves the theory. This information does not apply to the somewhat obscure

    "desert cooler" radiator that sometimes surfaces. It is a unique creature. It is unfortunate that these photos were mixed up when this article was printed - once something appears in print it becomes difficult to un-do the mis-information. Again, MM is aware of the reversed images.

  • MUSTANG GT A CODE RAFFLE

    I am almost certain that I have the winning ticket - #2607 - and will be sitting by the phone on December 06 waiting for you to confirm. In case it doesn't happen that way, it is a good feeling to help the Childrens Hospital, and somebody WILL win the car!

  • Fan Shroud Details

    Always tried to find a date code on one of the shrouds as well - with no success. This has to be one of the few parts on a Mustang with no means of identification. Have always found this odd. Could an ink stamp have been used to identify this part? Anyone have a pristine original to examine and post results?

  • Exhaust Trumpet

    Although there seems to be no definite dimensions for how far the trumpet sticks out, I have found that measuring as you did in the image you have posted that the distance you may find pleasing to the eye and matching as close as possible to factory photos would be about 1 1/8". So, Yes I feel the ones shown are sticking out way too far. Also, if you do not have NOS trumpets the look will change very much, since most repoductions are unlike the Ford issue. The higher priced ones made by Scott Drake are pretty much a dead ringer for NOS other than the mild steel pipe is powder coated rather than bare steel as on the originals, and the Drake trumpets do not have the "tatoo" of the part number on them. Va. Mustang has the "good" ones from Drake, as well as the awful ones. Be sure if you order to insist on the higher quality "concours" style -the others are throw away quality and are a waste of money and time. Of course the length of the resonator pipe determines where the tips will be so you have have to modify that in order to get the correct length of trumpet exiting the valance panel. Getting a proper fit and look on these is not always an easy task!

  • Murf's FB in MM

    Thank you all! It is always a great honor when one can share a labor of love with others. We are only the caretakers of our cars, never really the owners. This was a really special car when we purchased it in 1986 from the second owner, and still has only 85,000 miles on the clock. Jim Smart made the car look better than it is with his photographic genius. The work done on the car was a result of the advice and encouragement and information provided by many of you, and I thank each and every one of you for your patience with so many odd requests. And yes, the car runs like a rocket and is driven frequently and never babied. At the risk of leaving someone out, I want to say thanks to all of you who helped out on this project. Your support is what makes working on one of these old cars such an enjoyable hobby!

  • MCA interactive website?

    Well, I hate to open this discussion, but does anyone know when the MCA website will be up and working. Seems there have been a couple of regrouping efforts on this. I have heard or seen nothing and have looked forward to this much needed addition to the MCA for sometime. Can anyone update us on how things are progressing and when the new site will happen?

  • Please evaluate the restoration of this carb

    I noticed that the screws holding the secondary diaphragm cover in place on your rebuilt/replated carb have phillips heads. (looked in the additional photos you linked to). I am curious about the reason for this difference from the accepted screws. Has anyone EVER seen these kind of screws used on an Autolite carb? Just curious if there was a reason given for this as it is strange to me.

  • Can original Radiator be rebuilt as a 3 core?????

    Had a local radiator shop use my original top and bottom tanks and put them on a new 3 row Modine radiator (PN#3259) and solved all of my problems on both a hipo and on a 66 thermactor car W/AC. Modine no longer makes that radiator and I have never used the one now being sold as a replacement for Mustangs, but I suspect it will work too. If not most good shops can order a three row HD core the correct size, or I imagine they can, and use your tanks. It is far more expensive this way as opposed to purchasing a ready made radiator and changing tanks. I will send you some images of doing the switch with the Modine if you want. Send me your addy (j.w.murphy@comcast.net) and I will try to send you a pictorial story on doing this.