Mustang Maniac is taking the very small tentative steps to try and get back to some sort of normality. We have started taking in the odd job to help out our regular customers. The social distancing is being taken very seriously by all of us. Technically we are still closed to the public for visitors except for drop off and pickup of your cars, or to pick up purchases from the webshop with a prearranged time.

Park & Pic

This was taken on what Adam called Black Monday, but not in the sense of a financial crisis, this was about a collection early year black Mustangs.

Customer Cars

A very unusual situation on Monday was that three cars were in for gearbox issues. We had “The Onion” an almost completed black convertible in for a gearbox filter change and some adjustments. We had Lance’s “Black Beauty” with a measure up for a potential transmission swap out. The car also had a little Yogi sercice.

Then finally a call from an old customer with an unnerving gearbox noise.

Mart called us up to say he took his car out on the way for some exercise and his car was making an increasing transmission noise. We said he could it to us and we would have a look for him. On hearing the car whe it arrived it was very evident something was wrong. From the description he gave us, the car bogs down and almost stalls and thuds when selecting a gear via the shifter. The whine was coming from the gearbox and speed related. The car was driven straight into the workshop and up onto the ramps. The engine was running and it was immediate that the issue was indeed the gearbox and or the torque converter. The bogging down of the revs was almost certainly the torque converter locking to the drive and not spinning freely. The whine was the gearbox. The difficult decision was taken to drop the gearbox for a look.

The transmission fluid was drained and there was a major problem. Instead of the dark clear red, we had an opaque pastel foaming pink. From the past experience this is usually water in the oil.

Once the oil was drained we unbolted the C4 cooling lines. We were concerned to see water dripping out. The gearbox had to come out as it was invariably now damaged to some degree.

With tthe gearbox out we could asses the damage. There torque converter was also full of water oil mix and damaged.

We took the oil pan off and found some of the problem. The filter should be clean, but this filter was filling up with debris and doing its job.

The debris would be from the bands, bits of swarf and no doubt seals. This gearbox wouldn’t be going back in. Another discussion was had with Mart and he opted for one of our fully rebuilt of the shelf, stock C4 gearbox and torque converters. This selection was a genuine ’66 gearbox to replace what he aleady had. Adam fetched the gearbox from his secret stash.

The gearbox was refitted back into the car at the end of the day with the help from Stuart.

Mart left the car with us and would come back the next day to visit his very sick little lady.

The water was an issue now. The engine had to be drained and flushed out. The engine coolant looked ok. The first bit of good news for Mart.

The only place the water could be coming from was the transmission cooling section at the bottom of the radiator. We removed the radiator and confirmed on pressure test there was failure. The pressure of the radiator had forced water into the gearbox lines which run at a lower pressure. So a new radiator was also going to be needed. A choice of styles was offered to Mart who went with the stock OEM look.

The fittings and connections were all fitted and plumbed back in the next morning.

The car was road tested and tweaked for idle and driving. The car will need to settle down with a possible small tweak after a few runs.

Although Mart took the car home happy with the car working again, this was not a cheap fix. This all happened within a relatively low number of miles from the initial detection, and in the worst case scenario this could have happened on the side of the road. In fact he was lucky to get it to us running under its own power. If you have any concerns about your radiator rusting don’t let it go unchecked. This scenario was very unusual and couldn’t have foreseen the failure of the radiator, which in turn boiled, ruined the gearbox and torque converter. On lighter note during the swap out the problem was refered to as “C4 virus” had struck a Mustang down.

We cant think of any other Mustang restorers that has a selection of stock C4 gearboxes, torque converters, parts all ready to fit, straight of the shelf. That’s what we call a drive in transmission shop service!

Friendly Advice.

When your mate says he has seen a YouTube video all about it, and then offers you his ‘proper advice’, we advise you to then check with the experts. Adam agreed to accept a return which in no way was Mustang Maniac’s fault. A customer was advised that Fairlane and Mustang suspension springs were the same, so he ordered the Fairlane springs. Adam was not happy that it in some way being our fault, but he still stepped up, helped out the customer in these difficult times, even though he didn’t have to. The difference is fairly obvious:

Keep safe and look after yourselves. 👍