Mustang Clutch

I've had this Mustang for the last 8 years or so and
it had finally lost its "get-up and go", which meant
that the clutch began slipping, so it was high
time for a new clutch to be installed.

If you have a weekend with good weather,
and all the tools and parts needed and a friend or
two willing to help, then this project could probably
be completed within a day or two...

Here's a look at a few photos
from our weekend project-

1987 Ford Mustang 5.0 clutch

After the transmission was removed, 

this was the view from underneath the dirty beast.

The tranny had a coating of grime 

that warranted a trip of its own to the car wash. 



1987 Ford Mustang 5.0

Don't let the beautiful weather fool you...

It was breezy, but HOT with 90º+ temps.

Removing the old clutch

Since the old clutch was toast,

and toasted, it was slightly difficult to remove.

A little elbow grease was applied

and it gave way...



Worn Pressure Plate

These two photos show how bad this clutch was...

with the grooves being worn in

from the heat generated. 

Old clutch

If you're starting off on a project like this,

be sure to have the little things that

matter on hand, like....
- penetrating spray, like PB Blaster

- soap, like Fast Orange (for yourself)

- shop towels

- flashlight

- brake cleaner

- engine degreaser

Keep in mind that even though you bought

all the parts, you still may need to

rent some tools from an auto-parts store.

It's a good idea to call ahead to make sure

they have the tools you'll need and to place it on hold.

Once you return the rented tools,

they'll credit you back -

so keep your receipts!

Having these items on hand will save you
the trouble of going back and forth
to the store when you could be
moving on to the next step of your project.

Let The Light Shine

As a birthday gift, I received new headlights...er,

OK my Mustang 5.0 received a new set of headlights!

I don't mind receiving car parts as gifts...

It's so much better than going to a spa

and/or getting a mani/pedi

wasting a day away.

At least it's something that will be

used and appreciated for much longer

than one day.

Below, you'll see the transformation

from old, faded, yellow headlights to

new, updated and bright one-piece headlights!

Original 6 Piece Headlights

  

Removing One Piece at a Time - Signal Light Gone

 

No Headlamp

No Side-Marker....

Completed - One-Piece Headlights

Mean Lookin' Lights at Night

These have made quite the difference when driving at night!
The old headlights didn't allow the light to travel
very far since it was diffused by the fading, yellowing plastic.
Now, I can see much more, further ahead,
making night driving safer for me.

I must note that the gift was from my husband who

installed them pretty quickly - after cleaning up the wiring
(hey, it's an old car!)
And, he found them right here in Texas at

Late Model Restoration Supply.

**This is my own opinion/experience and was not compensated for this post**

Wintery Weather

On Feb 4, 2011 we had a snow day!

The first one in...well, too long, LOL

Covered in ice and snow, the

Ford Mustangs stayed put for the day.

No sense in putting them in danger

with all the other non-snow drivers out there.

Of course, once the sun hit the

snow and ice, it was all over.

Cold Temps

This photo was taken 2 days after Christmas.

It's a good reminder to check-out

a few things on your car when

there is a change of temperature.

Check the air pressure in the tires,

antifreeze (if you haven't done so already this winter),

windshield wipers and windshield wiper fluid.

Might as well check the brake fluid and the oil too,

while you're under the hood.

Radiator Replacement

It was time to replace the radiator in the

1987 Ford Mustang GT 5.0

since it began to overheat (again)

since the seam began to come apart

along the side.

The replacement radiator arrived quickly

from Late Model Restoration Supply .

New radiator hoses must be ordered separately,

but it did come with the radiator cap,

as seen in the photo below.

See the shiny, new radiator...

In the photo above, it's not installed yet -

the red cap where the upper hose connects

is still on there and the fan needs to be re-installed. 

Once everything was installed,

and antifreeze added, the Mustang was started

and idled for a bit, so that we could check

for any possible leaks from a loose clamp

or ill-fitting hose.

It's always a good idea to double check for those

types of things before driving off,

even from a mechanic's garage.



Things Gone Awry...

In case you were wondering if this

was a case of blog-neglect....

wonder no more!

We've had a series of misfortunate events

occur that have kept us busy....

One vehicle is out for the count.

Although the Mustang GT took the brunt of it,

he was able to walk away.

This sad event was followed by another

incident later that SAME day.

Seems that the 2002 Mustang GT wasn't too

thrilled that her SO was getting so much

attention that she threw a gasket!

Quite literally.

A new intake manifold is on the way

to replace the original, which is

manufactured with plastic

parts that tend to crack.

Then of course the 1987 Mustang 5.0

needed to get in on the action....twice.

One morning the car didn't want to start...

not even turn over. 

Turns out it was a simple fix -

the battery cable needed replacing.

Done.

A few days later, the serpentine belt

shredded to teeny-tiny bits

while I was on the highway.

I managed to limp the car home,

let it cool down and 

put the old belt back on.

Luckily, the engine didn't sustain

any damage....

that we know of.

Somewhere in between

all this craziness, the

Suburban was egged

in the middle of the night.

Sigh.

When it rains...it pours - Morton Salt

5.0 Legend Returns

If you haven't seen this video of the 2011 Mustang GT 5.0....well, just where have you been?

I already have the 1987 Mustang GT 5.0 and think it would be great (awesome, really) if I could own another 5.0 from the newest generation of Mustangs. Do I hear any sponsors...? Alas, all I heard was cricket noises (sigh)

I first saw that video from a twitter tweet from MuscularMustangs a few days ago. Watching that video makes me want to pinch pennies and save up...but I'm running out of parking space!