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Well, there is no real reason to replace the heater core right now. Having the engine out doesn't make it easier to get to (since it is inside the dash) and right now it works. I'm replacing tons of stuff related to the engine (timing chain cover, harmonic balancer, headers, etc) so I'm trying to limit my unrelated replacements. As is, this overall process is going to cost me about $5k.
Eventually I definitely will replace the heater core but I've gotta contain this scope creep somehow.
I've spent the last week or so degreasing and sanding the engine bay so I can paint it. Anyone have any recommendations for primer and paint?
Unfortunately, the last guy to paint the car put bondo in the area right in front of where the weather stripping goes. It is cracking and breaking so I think I need to dig it out before I can paint. They also didn't paint all of the areas they were supposed to paint so I will have to spray past a normal point. Also, they used some sort of black undercoat for the under side of the hood so it doesn't match the body paint, and now it is peeling. That's gonna be fun to fix...
While working on a rust spot (under the proportioning valve) I noticed that the gasket/seal around the base of the steering column is dried out/cracked/dead. How tough is it to replace that? Do I have to pull the whole column?
Be careful when you pull the column. Take pictures for reassembly. There are 2 Tee bolts that hold the cup to the column. Don't lose them! They are impossible to find. If you need one you will need to go to a wrecking yard and pull them off another car if you are lucky and it hasn't been done already.
I got the column and master cylinder out and was able to clean the engine bay behind them well. Time to clean everything down again and then primer and paint. I have a paint sprayer, what primer and paint do you guys recommend?
Here it is at the dyno. We ran it once and found out the distributor was bad so I had to buy a new one and have it shipped next day so I wouldn't get charged extra for hogging the machine. Once the distributor was replaced it ran great (so I'm told) and they pull 290hp.
Don't bother with a 4-row radiator. A good 3-row will flow more air and allow for better heat transfer. I run a quality brass/copper 3-row in front of my 331 in 100+ heat and temps never go over 210 (limited by the thermostat).
If you have problems keeping things cool at idle, you may need to upgrade your fan setup. A fan shroud is pretty much a requirement, especially for 65-66 models, and I'd recommend a clutch fan setup as well to free up a couple extra hp. You do need to space the fan properly, half in/half out of the shroud.
If you still have cooling issues, you may need to consider a good 2-row aluminum radiator. That, or widening your radiator support opening (Google "mustang steve radiator support") for a wider radiator.
11-30-2016, 06:41 PM
