Holley Transplant

You know, paying people who are supposed to be experts and tradesmen to work on your car, is like playing black or red on roulette. The Port Macquarie mustang restoration expert who converted the beast to right hand drive, did a crap job on the throttle control. The adjustment was never right, it was impossible to maintain full purchase on WOT and correct idle. I perservered with this for the last decade until I spotted an alternative on some rods at the Wintersun this year. A click around ebay found me a bright red one for a hundred or so bucks.

Meanwhile the stang seems to be getting harder to start when cold, backfiring and carrying a fair bit, plus it was developing a drinking problem. I am guessing the power valve was busted.

So I began to dream about a new carbie, after reading thru the Holley site, I found an alternative at . . . yep, Ebay! I always have wanted to try a DP Holley with mechanical secondaries, so bit the bullet.

I bought the new HP series 4150, 650cfm double pumper along with a dual rail chrome fuel pipe, complete with pressure guage. In addition I bought a phenolic half inch spacer.

Shane and I spent half Saturday and all day Sunday setting the thing up. As a t 6pm, the bloody thing is still not sorted.

The whole setup came together okay, but just would not fire. In fact the only fire I got was caused from a bakcfire, which set fire to fuel in the carb's throat, twice. Plus the fuel lines leaked like a seive. So out came the piptes and the carbie fittings, Inspection showed they were not seating properly, so I whacked the brass fitting in a vice and crimped up the lines nice and straight and seated them properly. Then I refitted them in the carb and stopped the leaks. Cranking again only brought about another fite in the carby! Have I stuffed up putting the pugs back on? Check the firing order, all is good there!

Once it became clear the thing was not going to run and there was nothing obviously wrong, I began to suspect the spacer. It was a bugger to fit and very brittle. My suspicion is the thing just is not flat.

So I pulled everything off yet again and placed the carbie down on the manifold. But, now the damn fuel lines woul not fit and the throttle fitting either. To make things worse, the heater hose now interferes with the throttle linkage. AAAggh! Stuff this.

I am going to buy a Holley fitting instead of this piece of crap hard pipe fitting which does not fit. Then I will tackle the other problems once I can be sure the fuel feed is sorted. I had a problem with spacers in the past, think I would learn . . .

Just hoping this is the cause of the lack of starting. It looks like there was a leakbetween the manifold and the spacer but cannot be sure. Guess I will find out next weekend.

The carby does look pretty speco in place though :-) I will sort this, Carburetors are always a pain when first installing.

Gold Dust Red Mustang

The body restoration is pretty much complete! The job is outstanding and the car looks stunning in the high gloss red and gold pearlescent mix.

We took these pics after a drive up to Montville, fairly late in the day.

The car was parked ready to go at the panel beaters but had picked up a fair amount of dust waiting in his yard and by the time we got it up the mountains there was a fine coat on the horizontal surfaces.

All the same, the mustang attracted long looks where ever it went and lots of smiles inside and out.

The colour looks very different in changing light, if you take a close look at the rear quarter of the rear end shot, you can see the gold fleck. If you click the pic, you get a bigger version.

I think I shall call it the Gold Dust Mustang.

The next job? Getting the cooling system sorted, better start with a fan shroud to get more air through the radiator.

Fiddly things

You know, it is the little things that seems to hold the restoration process up the most. Getting the badges straight, the chrome mouldings on, the tail lights back in with the new gaskets. The Austang is painted and just awaiting the little important finishing bits. Windows are to go in, door rubbers to be fitted . . . that sort of stuff.
The bonnet latches look sensational with the new Shelby bonnet. Took some video today, I am itching to go for a cruise!

You've come a long way baby!

It was a long long time ago, in a world where steering wheels and driver's seats were opposed . . . the Mustang was a plain Jane. From the fake wire hubcaps to the tattered Nauga Hide upholstery, she was a standard C code Mustang from the shore of California.

Still, she was a sexy dream waiting for someone to wake her up and realise her potential.
This pic shows how the Austang looked when I first brought her home.

Red sun shines on, sees no tomorrow!

The colour has been applied to the Austang and it looks like a fire on wheels!
Out of the sun, it is a blood red and in the sun, a burning beast.

So far, the colour is on, the gold pearl over the top and 3 coats of clear layer over the top of all that.

Next job is to sand and polish out any orange peel or imperfections in the clear coat to get a mirror finish. At least that is what the painter told me. Man it looks like a shiny peach as it is.

When you get the light on the angles there is a gold line that traces the highlights.

Scope the scoop! Now is that sweet or what? Put a lump on a jellyfish man ;-)
Click on a pic to see a bigger view . . .