Big & Small Swaps

Posted on September 8, 2019 by Mustang Maniac

Last week posted pics and an update of the ’66 Fastback gear box swap out. We have been busy with that this week and we are pretty much done. The Wilwood brakes have had some of the Yogi magic applied to them. Each brake line set up is different and unique to each car – just be cause he can. Nothing stupid looking of course, but the best route and best looking setup.

Some would say automotive works of art in fact.

The pedals take a little adjusting but are looking good now. We removed the steering column and gas pedal for easy access and fitting. While the parts are out we check the condition and replace what needs it while we are at it. A Mustang Maniac quality of service that goes without saying.

Down to the wheels;

Brake bleeding, road tests and final adjustments all done. It won’t be long before this little lady is back with the eagerly awaiting owner.

WebShop: Special Order Stock

Sometime our loyal customers ask us for parts that they need which we have to special order. The reason is because the parts are either scarce or out of stock at the suppliers, sometimes even we can’t always get them and are on back order. However, Adam has an ever increasing number of contacts that he visits on a regular basis while he is out in the States. Such an request came in when Lance was after some new ’69 park lights and upgrade kit. We don’t sell many of these lights and had sold the last of the stock a while ago. So the little black book, (it’s a large black book actually) came out and the hunt was on. A week later a small stock was tracked down, so Adam bought all they had, including some ’70 ones as well, all of which are now back in stock. Two weeks later the latest stock delivery arrived and those lights were in there too. Lance picked them up the same day and got to work with the swap out and upgrade. Lance has kindly sent us some pics of his replacement lights swap out comparison, not to bad in fact. Unfortunately Lance’s OCD got the better of him and the small swap out was completed!

Comparison of the old and new;

To make things a little better a pair of our bespoke LED bulbs as well, not just the standard white bulbs, but the flashing amber type too.

Thanks to Lance for the pictures and video.

Reconditioned 351 Windsor:

Another engine correct date code gone for the recondition works. This will be back in stock soon.

Not a cheap item this of course. It could be yours if you save up enough pocket money, you know where to come if you want one.

Posted in Customers' Cars, Mustang Maniac, Original Reconditioned Parts, Restoration, Webshop | Tagged brake conversion, brake disc conversion, Classic Cars, Ford Mustang, ford v8, LED lights, mastic mustang, OCD, WebShop, Wilwood, Windsor 351 | 5 Comments

Swap Over

Posted on September 1, 2019 by Mustang Maniac

First of all we can say that Yogi is back from his home country Canada and he has had a restful break in a cave up a mountain somewhere. So to ease him back into things we had a nice little job for him, but more on that after the Park & Pic.

Park & Pic

Andy had bought his ’68 Coupe 302 into us for a service and the much sort after Mustang Maniac once over and adjustment as only we know how. Here she is sitting pretty ready for a nice drive home.

The Swap Overs

Something that we don’t normally do as we have no control over the parts. A customer wanted his ’66 Fastback to be converted from auto gearbox to a modern 5 speed manual gearbox. The other part was to swap out the drum brakes to a set of Wilwood front discs. The brakes are certainly an upgrade of course, we can’t technically say that a manual gearbox is an upgrade as some owners swap the manuals to automatics, it’s all down to personal preference. However a 5 speed gearbox is an upgrade to the standard 4 speeds.

Lets just say there were a few parts dropped off to us. The customer had supplied the conversion kits for the clutch and brakes to us, except for the pedal bracket for the additional pedal that we supplied. All the parts are quality parts. As we have seen these parts in similar kits before we knew there shouldn’t be any problems fitting and assembly with experience from our past conversions.

First job out with the old gearbox and then check the transmission tunnel to make sure the new gearbox will fit into the hole for the selector.

Then swap out the flywheels and align the clutch.

Fitting the new clutch and pedal and adjustments.

The new gearbox is fitted up and mounted on retaining bolts.

We moved onto the brakes next. Old drums off,

Checking of spindles and prep for the new rotors and caliper brackets.

The brake booster brackets mounted in position ready for the pedal positioning.

We will get to finish this little lady early part of next week with some more pictures. After all we wanted to get Yogi back into the swing of things slowly, well until Wednesday at least. 😉

Posted in Customers' Cars, Mustang Maniac, Park & Pic, Photos, Repairs, Service | Tagged '66 fastback, 5 speed gearbox, automatic transmission, Classic Cars, clutch, diisc conversion, disc brakes, flywheel, Mustang, Mustang Maniac, Restoration, Wilwood | 8 Comments

Hand Built

Posted on August 25, 2019 by Mustang Maniac

We have mentioned over the last couple of weeks that Adam has now got a stash of date coded engines and parts all reconditioned and ready to go. The final touch is the seal of approval which comes in the way of a unique label on the valve cover.

It doesn’t get much better than that, to know that we have built it, it has been checked by us and it has been run on a test rig by us to make sure all is well. Born to perform once again.

WebShop

We have had a couple of emails in to asking about our new ’71 door tags. That’s all well and good, but without some sort of proof that can warrant us producing some for you, we won’t do it. The reasons are pretty obvious and we’re pretty sure that you don’t need us to explain why.

Mustang News

We have been reading an article with interest about the new 2020 Shelby GT500, it’s going to be an animal with 760bhp on tap. That is getting into the reals of Super Car performance and beyond!

As the most powerful street-legal Ford ever built, the all-new Mustang Shelby GT500 harnesses world-class muscle and power train technologies to attain super car levels of performance. Its first-in-class 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, race-bred control strategies and advanced drive modes deliver a car that performs unlike any other domestic sports coupe.

Its 760-horsepower 5.2-liter V8 engine is the most power-and torque-dense supercharged V8 in the world. With 625ft.-lb. of torque funneled through a Tremec®TR-9070 DCT 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, the Shelby GT500 achieves a 0-100-0 in 10.6 seconds, thanks also to the largest front brakes of any domestic sports coupe (16.5-inch rotors) and available carbon fiber wheels,each wrapped in a Ford Performance-spec Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tire.

Beyond the raw power and ultra-fast shifts, advanced control systems optimize the capabilities of the chassis and power train to create distinct drive modes –or personalities –to get the maximum performance from every aspect of the Shelby GT500 performance hardware.

“The range of brute-force drag acceleration, seamless road shifts and amazingly smooth shifts on the track further highlight show the soul of the Shelby GT500 is elevated in our most advanced Mustang ever,” said Ed Krenz, Ford Performance chief program engineer. “Effortlessly handling the 760 horsepower is our segment-first Tremec dual-clutch transmission, with an advanced control system that enhances GT500’s five drive modes to deliver a driving experience once reserved only for exotic super cars.”

Dual-clutch transmission delivers
Applying 625ft.-lb. of torque to the pavement effectively requires a transmission and drive line that can do more than just handle a massive amount of power. Ford Performance engineers collaborated with Tremec to design a gearbox that offers maximum driver control with stunningly fast shifting and greater performance across a wide spectrum of driving environments. The team’s “and” solution is the Tremec TR-9070 DCT 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.

“In many ways, this is like having two transmissions in one,”said Pat Morgan, Ford Performance power train manager. “On one hand, it enables performance at the outer reaches of straight-line quickness with minimal torque interruption, yet provides an incredible amount of finesse and control in track environments for maximum stability and predictability at the limits of lateral acceleration.

”To firmly and smoothly deliver torque, the TR-9070 DCT dual-clutch transmission has a novel wet clutch system with five friction plates in the odd-gear pack for a total of 155 square inches of surface area. In the even-gear pack, six friction plates provide 136 square inches of surface area. Transmission fluid is applied to the clutch surfaces only during thermal events for optimal cooling and minimal parasitic loss. Seven non-sequential helical forward gears with advanced triple-cone synchros are carefully matched to the engine’s torque curve and are pre-selected by an electro-hydraulic shift mechanism using energy-efficient low-leak solenoids that can execute shifts as quick as 80 milliseconds in sport mode.

Inside the control system, timing is everything. Shift points and clutch modulation are orchestrated by a computer-controlled mechatronics system that simultaneously reads dozens of vehicle and environmental factors–including engine and transmission rpm, driver input and g-forces, and clutch and shift fork positions–to pre-select and engage the optimum shift for every driving situation. Steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters are direct-wired to the transmission to avoid CAN-bus vehicle communication system delays and initiate shifts as fast as 130 milliseconds, further enhancing responsiveness and connected feel.

“Contrary to popular belief, fast shifts do not always equate to better road performance,” said Morgan. “In every driving situation, we emulated what professional drivers do, whether it’s a smooth, precise heel-and-toe shift of a professional track driveror a much more forceful power shift like drag racers. We’ve designed the perfect shift every time.”

Drive modes add more personality
The 2020 Shelby GT500 has five drive modes that further enhance the driver experience with a flick of the console-mounted mode switch. It instantly changes the car’s personality from a moderated “normal” car to a “track” master with more aggressive throttle responsiveness and gear selections. The system changes nearly every aspect of the car’s behavior, including ride dampening, stability control, anti-lock brake modulation and steering feel –even the sound and instrument panel change. Inside the TR-9070 DCT dual-clutch transmission, drive modes influence transmission shift points and feel.

In normal mode, the system selects gears and shift timing for moderated, everyday driving and seamless shifting. In sport mode, shift character changes, slicing shift timing by roughly 20 percent while throttle tip-in is more responsive and rpm ranges extend longer into the maximum torque curve.

Selecting track or drag mode further changes the shift characteristics to pure performance. For maximum straight-line quickness, gear changes use “over-torque” shifts for uninterrupted power delivery, similar to power shifts that give an extra torque hit in between up shifts. Take the Shelby GT500 into a turn, however, and the transmission immediately adapts with smooth, quick and seamless shifts to ensure maximum lateral g cornering by minimizing drive line disturbances.

Drive modes aside, an rpm-selectable launch control and electronic line lock through Track Apps®enable synchronous power train strategies that deliver optimum quarter-mile runs, while an always-on pseudo launch control enables spirited launches at any time without having to select a drive mode.

“Every aspect of the Shelby GT500 driving experience changes with the mode–be that the throttle responsiveness and snap of the shifts you feel in the seat of your pants, or the ‘pop and burble’ of the exhaust in performance modes. It’s a full multi sensory visceral experience,” said Morgan.

Power output is transmitted to the 3.73:1 Torsen limited-slip independent rear suspension via a carbon fiber driveshaft for reduced rotational mass and torsional distortion, plus larger half-shafts and a redesigned rear suspension hub for added strength.

Source: https://m.at.ford.com/en/homepage/news-and-clipsheet/news/2019/8/gt500.html?cid=BOC-2019-08-09

We think that we want to have a go in one and embed the tires into the tarmac, just for fun of course, on private land, with no noise, with no tyre smoke, not disturbing anybody at all.

Yeah right. 😀

Posted in Articles, Mustang Maniac, Original Reconditioned Parts, Webshop | Tagged 2020 Shelby Mustang, date coded, date coded Mustang engines, hand built, hand built by Mustang Maniac, Mustang, Mustang Maniac, Original Reconditioned Parts | 1 Comment

Not So Cool

Posted on August 18, 2019 by Mustang Maniac

A calmer week for Mustang Maniac and we try to concentrate a little more on the stock scenario with all the brakes from EBC needing to be stored and added to the WebShop. We have almost got all the stock on the there and this all takes time. So watch the WebShop for your brakes, that’s everything from 1964 – 2018. That is a range of stock you will find hard to beat.

Meanwhile in the workshop and very much brake related, we had a car in that needed some rather urgent work. We had her up on the ramps and was a little shocked at what we had seen. When we checked the brakes calipers on the car there were sheared bolts to hold the calipers in place, or not in place to be more accurate. Were they fitted like it (we like to think not, but quite possible), faulty cheap parts, or failure through incorrect fitting, we wouldn’t like to say either way.

The bushings had perished and had a lot of play.

We took a a couple of seconds of the suspension play each side, you certainly don’t need us to comment, as this video speaks for itself!

Then there was the holes in the underside and a patchwork exhaust. Perhaps the holes were sold as a feature for additional drainage?

Just because the paintwork looks good, or somebody says it’s good, it certainly doesn’t mean that all is well, the structural integrity of the car could be a risk, in the rare cases dangerous. We have said this before, Please check what you are buying, or take somebody with you to check out the car, maybe get somebody to look for you with an independent review for you before you part with some hard earned money, and maybe a lot more to fix it.

Customer sales tip to save you money

A customer of ours is now on his third radiator, because of over heating issues. When we had a look at his fairly new radiator brought back to us, it was obvious what the problem was.

The customer has not flushed out his engine block, the old debris and rust has clogged the radiator. Simply replacing a potentially expensive part will not fix the problem in the long term, it will just come back. With this sort of clogging time should be taken to flush the engine block through, remove the debris and then fit a new radiator. This is certainly not a faulty product, but a lack of process or understanding of what is actually going on.

Replacing the radiator depending on style (say £400 – £600 roughly), plus the antifreeze is not cheap. Where as couple of hours flushing, running the engine, flushing again then repeating till the water is clear, would have saved that second radiator and now a third from clogging. Although we can keep selling radiators, we don’t want to do that. We want to fix the problem at source which would be considerably less than the radiators already purchased so far! We know the customer will be back for another radiator at some point, perhaps with the car next time so we can sort it out for him once and for all. He can then drive the car and enjoy it, instead of dreading every trip out thinking that you are on for a potential boil over. Perhaps damaging the engine if it gets that hot, who knows? We can only advise, what you do with that advice is obviously up to the customer.

Our New Product:

After some investigating and experimenting we have now come up with a new product which Mustang Maniac can now supply. On the 71 – 73 Mustangs there were door tags that had a sticker layered with plastic to protect them. Although they were difficult to replicate we have now got the template and fonts to reproduce them.

We can supply these of course, but we need to make sure we can verify that you have the correct documents in order to get them custom made for you. So please email us before ordering and we will advise what we need to see before we can create these great, virtually always overlooked important vehicle tags. If we have the car on our files it will be easier, we will still need verification for obvious reasons.

Email: sales@mustangmaniac.co.uk with the subject line 71 – 73 door tags and they will be sorted straight to Adam.

Posted in Customers' Cars, Mustang Maniac, Parts, Video, Webshop | Tagged 1971 - 73 door vin tags, 71 door sticker ID, Classic Cars, door tags, EBC Brakes, Ford, Ford Mustang, Mustang, Mustang door tags, Mustang Maniac, over heating, Radiator | Leave a comment

Ahead Of The Game

Posted on August 11, 2019 by Mustang Maniac

We mentioned last week about Adam’s venture into Date Code Correct Reconditioned Engines. Well we have more on that below, but lets just say its the next level of ‘crate engines’ that only Mustang Maniac know how can provide. But we start with a Park & Pic story.

Park & Pic:

1969 429 Boss Tribute.

A loyal customer and good friend of ours Lance, said goodbye to his ’65 Gulf Stream Aqua Coupe a while ago and has been looking for the right car ever since. There had been people in the USA looking on behalf of Mustang Maniac, one potential purchase was abandoned for various reasons, UK searches and numerous inspections of cars proved fruitless in the search as well. Then a tip off to Mustang Maniac about a car that had been imported to the UK in 2017 which just sits in a lock up for two years could be up for grabs. Lance was notified and then an agreement was made after the paperwork checked out, Mustang Maniac doing a favour along with the promise of copious amounts of beer and wine went to inspect the car (you know where to leave it all Lance- just saying!) The guys picked up various issues at inspection that needed fixing and some of the usual problem areas. Lance was notified and their report was discussed at length in the offices over a cup(s) of tea and a packet of Jaffa cakes. Having not been driven for quite a while there would be issues and that was a given. Lance pressed the button and the funds released to buy the car.

So here it is with the new owner making his mark on her already. The car has a great spec which includes a triple black colour scheme, 460ci big block engine with performer manifold, street demon carb, Crites performance headers, Tremec TKO 5 speed manual transmission, 9” rear diff and American Thunder exhaust system, aluminum radiator and twin Zern fans. Interior consists of Hurst shifter, modern slide digital radio etc.

So after initial purchase, the car was taken to our yard for a road worthy check in order to do the initial proper road tests, to blow away any cobwebs as it were. After a few runs the car was in a position for the final engine tweak, a mod or two not to mention some Yogi tuning.

Plugs checked, mixture, new air filter and pan, a new performance carb spring, timing, idle and vacuum all adjusted. A couple of new wires need as the old were brittle and past their best should we say.

They guys knew about the power steering pump which was whining and leaking so that was replaced.

The car was also sitting too low and the manifolds were hitting speed bumps. To help this a set of 1” raised rear spring shackles have been added and a set of 800lb performance front springs fitted, which in total have raised the car 1”, enough for a little more clearance without ruining the stance. The manifolds were also wrapped at the time for some heat management, with the help of a couple mates, Mark & Barry who were happy to help with a constant supply of tea and biscuits.

Various minor items like various clips, brackets and grommets were missing were upsetting Lance’s OCD so had to be rectified of course. The interior got an upgrade of GT9 billet steering wheel.

The car got some EU spec LED lights frot and rear for safety while retaining that important stock look.

We suspect there will be more to this story, so we have a page here where you can keep an eye on the updates.

WebShop:

At the beginning we mentioned that Adam has his batches of Date Coded correct pairs of head parts that are now flooding into stock. We went to have a little look around, lurking in the depths of the storage there was this little lot, with spaces made for more…

Yep they are now being cataloged for the WebShop, Windsors, Clevelands, 302, 289 etc. We also found some batches of more reconditioned intakes and pile of more intakes to be reconditioned!

We have also seen the latest batch of gearboxes being loaded up and taken away, we will be seeing those back here shortly.

We, well Adam actually, said at the time that these were not cheap parts and never going to be as the rarity, the amount of man hours and new components to make them serviceable on the date correct parts are all major considerations. and yet already, we have had two enquiries asking if the prices were up for negotiation, could they have a discount. Simple answer is No. The best part of all this is that we have never heard of these people before and they were perhaps just trying their luck. If you email for discounts on these reconditioned date parts, don’t be surprised if you don’t get a response, that’s because Adam won’t reply to your request. Now on the other hand, if you bought a lot of stuff and are a regular customer then perhaps a conversation could be had, but you better get a good case together first why you should get them cheaper 🙂

Proper Crate Motors;

With the reconditioned parts, heads, intakes, engine blocks etc etc. Adam has created the ultimate turn key crate motor. The engines are built by us, they will be bench tested to make sure they work, and the default tuning and timings set up. You bolt it in and turn the key. Again not a cheap collection of parts, but where else can you get an Autolite 4100 carb fitted and tuned on a date correct engine? The valve covers are in black but can be swapped for any colour of course. This is the engine being built up, not fully completed yet, but you get the idea!

The attention to detail?? A picture says a thousand words, this one just says four, but we think that’s enough.

These cables now in stock in black and blue from Scott Drake if you want some. The best part is that this engine will be officially in stock within the next few days.

As Yogi is on holiday now, we know he will be reading this, so have a good break Yogi, we have plenty of stuff building up here for you already! 😉

Posted in Customers' Cars, Mustang Maniac, Original Reconditioned Parts, Park & Pic, Restoration, Webshop | Tagged Autolite 4100, Autolite 4100 carb, Boss 429, Classic Cars, Cleveland, concours, correct date coded engines, crate engine, date coded, date coded heads, Ford, Mustang, Mustang Maniac, Original Reconditioned Parts, Restoration, turn key crate motor, Windsor | 5 Comments

The Full Range

Posted on August 4, 2019 by Mustang Maniac

Adam is feeling quite pleased with his latest arrivals from EBC Brakes. From what we know Adam can now boast he is probably the only dealer with full range of EBC brake kits for all Mustangs. that’s 1964 to 2018. That is some stock reserve, and all available now via the WebShop here, or past this to your browser; https://mustangmaniac.co.uk/parts/ebc_brake_products/84

Park & Pic

A little while ago Michael Block dropped his little lady in for a make over. Nothing mechanical just a little rouge here and there. OK, its pair of nice red racing stripes. A pleasant change from getting our hands dirty, this needed to be clean. We called in our decal specialist he works his magic in the workshop for us. We prepped the car by taking all the parts off the car to make it a proper job and none of this cut around the parts effort.

It certainly transformed the car and looks great as a result.

WebShop

We mentioned the EBC stock had arrived which completed the range of brakes Adam was after. This was the last few boxes loaded from the lorry to the stock rooms.

We have catered for all types of requirements and the latest batch included the vented, slotted and drilled version rotors.

Original Reconditioned Parts

We gave you a little teaser last week of another new direction Mustang Maniac we now being a part of, this is the update and details.

As we post this up the WebShop is being updated with latest venture into our Date Coded correct parts. These are not cheap as we mentioned last week, these pictures are of the latest additions. In fact I personally witnessed our British engineer take away a van load of precious parts away to be worked on.

We will start with what Adam calls the Super Six. (One of Adam’s favourite engines!)

Those with the sharp eye will notice that the smaller freeze plugs have been replaced as well. No, you can’t but these parts as standard for a Mustang. Adam has a secret stash that he has especially sourced for Mustang Maniac, when we say reconditioned – we really mean it!

V8 Engines

This is a 351 Cleveland 4v – 4 bolt Main.

Each of the engines will have a report on the WebShop of what has been done, this is the rebuild spec for this Cleveland;

Elsewhere lurking in various corners hidden out the way for now, engines; lots of engines;

One of our reconditioned short blocks in the process of being rebuilt;

Adam will insist quality control over the engines by making sure that the oil can be pumped up through the engines and not in a dry state to the customer or for storage.

Yogi builds, Adam checks & Yogi Checks again. Like we said before these are not crate generic rebuilt engines, these are date correct which come at a premium. We could bespoke build an engine heads combo for you from the date correct parts we have in stock, if the money is right. The prices for these parts are on the WebShop and are not for negotiation.

The first of the date coded parts has now gone onto the WebShop now; which can be found here.

You Get What You Pay For

The old saying is that you get what you paid for. You would certainly expect that when you pay for £100k+ on a car it should be spot on. We inspected a car a little while ago that was not what we expected. The rear brakes on this car were shocking.

As was the welding of the floor pans that had not even been ground and sealed.

Without going into any details, the car was imported to the UK from the USA, it was registered and sold straight away. No MOT required as it was not required by law. Unlike our engines, it seems in this particular case you don’t get what you paid for.

Mustang Maniac tip of the year:

If you want to buy an expensive car, go and look at it, if you are not sure take somebody with you who knows what they are looking at.

In fact, Adam want’s to see every classic car imported into the UK to have an MOT as standard before it can be registered. At least then the buyer can be sure they are buying a safe car. In fact Adam thinks all cars should still have an MOT after the new car three years has elapsed. Ask any serious owner of a classic car and we could bet that they are still getting their pride and joys checked each year.

Next couple of weeks;

Yogi is going home, back to Canada for a couple of weeks. Yes Yogi is Canadian! So the workshop will be a little light but it depends if Adam can get in to do a few bits without being pulled away elsewhere.

Have a good holiday Yogi, don’t forget to brink back a a couple of rear axles and that Stroker motor we like the look of in your luggage! 😀

In fact if there is nothing to report, we may even have a week or two break on the blog, we shall see.

Posted in Blog, Classic Cars, Customers' Cars, Mustang Maniac, News, Original Reconditioned Parts, Park & Pic, Restoration, Webshop | Tagged Adam, Classic Cars, concours, correct date coded engines, EBC Brakes, Enos 350 Mustang, Mustang, Mustang date correct engines, Mustang Maniac, Original Reconditioned Parts, Yogi | Leave a comment

Going On A Date

Posted on July 28, 2019 by Mustang Maniac

This week we see the UK with a new Prime Minister which was no real surprise, we just hope that he does a better job than the last effort we had. There are two things which will guarantee an argument; politics and religion. We are not going to discuss either of them, but one is related. Adam’s vision for the future of Mustang Maniac has already begun regarding the Brexit scenario. We will start with a Park & Pic first though as is the custom when we have a car nicely posed for us;

Park & Pic

We had our loyal customer and good friend Spencer Chittenden who brought his ’69 convertible in to us for the usual service work, a general once over, then while we were at it and a geometry adjustment set up. A great pic and a real nice car to drive, not just to look at.

Adams Plans

Regardless of the outcome of the Brexit happening or not, Adam was sick of hearing about promises from politicians who are supposed to work for the people, but are only interested in their own agendas. With all this going on Adam behind the scenes around a year or so ago had already started to put plans into place, the process which has been up and running for a while now is working smoothly as we wanted so we can now reveal all. There has been an steady rise in the number of enquiries for correct date coded engines and parts. Adam has acknowledged this and now has a network of British engineers that are working for Mustang Maniac doing the specialist old school technical engineering work for us. That means fabricating parts, repairs and the odd custom parts for us and a select few of our customers. The results of that continued top quality work have been receiving back, Mustang Maniac are moving into the restoration of Ford Mustang gearboxes and engines. These engines and gearboxes are aimed at the elite end of the market for the Concours customers, perhaps somebody who just wants their car to be all to date correct. These correct date coded parts are not cheap obviously, however what you get for your money is hand built, bespoke, one off builds. For that attention to detail and level of skills required, Mustang Maniac is now the the only supplier you need. There is a no set cost of these pieces of equipment, that would all depend on the work required to make the equipment serviceable again.

The point here is that Adam is now pumping money back into the UK for employment and the UK economy. Mustang Maniac is now self sufficient in this process and over the next couple of weeks will be showing you the result of Adam’s rebuilds.

Gearbox Date & Parts

An example of what we have been talking about;

A little while ago we had an email exchange with a customer from Europe who had a problem with their C4 gearbox not working correctly. The customer wanted us to send them a new gearbox for a ’65. The customer was a little unsure on the exact specifications as there can be variables. The cost to ship a new gearbox is not cheap, so Adam wanted to get this right, even with the customer ordering what he thought he needed. Adam’s experience and knowledge of the description of the gearbox didn’t sound right. An agreement was made where the customer would send over their gearbox for us to restore it. However what turned up was gearbox housing and box of bits!

It turns out that specialists in Europe had trouble trying to get the gearbox back together again and working. What was sent over is what you can see in the picture above. Adam checked the parts and looked at the date code(s) and found it the gearbox was in fact a ’74 build.

Adam’s hunch was correct, sending out the new ’65 stock gearbox would have fitted, but they would of had issues as the set up was now for a ’74. This not only saved the customer money, it also saved a lot of stress in the process.

Adam then packaged the parts of to our engineers who painstakingly checked tolerances, replaced what was required and rebuilt the gearbox as it should be. The torque converter was also opened up, repaired and sealed again. The case was cleaned up, primed and painted then returned back to us.

Adam’s final quality control checks confirmed, he then packaged the gearbox up and sent it back to the customer. Straight install, no fuss.

Another very happy customer, and a good example of our new process in action.

We have had a few emails asking about our Mustang Maniac Enos 350 car. Adam is working on the second car now and we will bring pictures of it once it has been completed, we can reveal what it takes to make it a true limited edition Enos model only available from Mustang Maniac.

Did we mention that the Enos 350 Edition ran just 0.5 second slower than some of the newer bigger brother v8’s at the Santa Pod Raceway?

Next week we will be showing the first batch of engines that have been re-engineered in our stock. 🙂

Posted in Classic Cars, Mustang Maniac, Park & Pic, Parts, racing, Restoration, Sales | Tagged '69 convertible, Brexit, C4, Classic Cars, engineers, Enos 350, Enos 350 Mustang, Ford, Mustang, Mustang 350 Enos Edition, Mustang Maniac | 4 Comments

To Hot To Handle

Posted on July 21, 2019 by Mustang Maniac

After last weeks sad post we are back to normal with our work related updates, and of course a little play time.

Park & Pic

This weeks park and pic is from Lee Fulford with his ’67 GT390. He has done most of the work himself and wanted us to fit a Borgeson steering upgrade along with some Mustang Maniac Magic. There was the usual settling in and settling down issues that needed to be tweaked a little after a few miles has been tucked under her belt. Nothing major just the usual adjustments and check over the engine timings etc. We think Lee was a happy chappy when he came back to collect her.

I very nice example and has a lovely stance to her.

Customer Cars

We recently had a convertible into us that had some issues with heat, like to much of it. There was also some strange noises coming from the rear of the car especially when braking. So we set about investigating. The tell tale signs of over heating was obvious.

There was also a leak coming from the front timing cover that we tried to adjust, but it had warped beyond the tolerances we were happy with.

We removed the cover, hoses and drained what was left of the fluids ready for a full flush through. We soon found a big reason for the problem. The thermostat was in the wrong way round.

We replaced the cover and new water pump as that had started show signs of serious wear and tear. The new thermostat also fitted the correct way round, but not before we let the hose to run through the engine to flush out the debris while all the hoses were off. Refilled with fluids and all was well with no leaks, she started to purr like a kitten and the temperature sat where it should do. First job done and we were happy, the customer got away without any other boil over damage.

The second job that always concerns us is where safety and stopping comes into the mix. We found the problem alright! They say a picture speaks a thousand words, but this video says it all. Its only a few seconds long, but it needs to be seen.

We of course fixed it all back up, adjusted and tested. The car is now quiet again and stops properly.

Play time

After the Santa Pod drag strip day trip a couple of weeks ago with Mustang Owners Club of Great Britain, we have been sent a few pics of the day. Adam likes this pic of his rare Enos 350;

Then there is Spence’s incredible burn out in slow motion before a drag race;

Then we have an on-board video of Yogi doing a gentle run down the strip, with the radio on just chillin’. His car lets go of traction and he just carries on!

Yogi has some more work to do on those traction issues, he said that if he gives it too much loud pedal ‘it just lights up, but it’s good fun though’!

Thanks to everybody for sending the pictures to us. Enjoy the sun that is promised this week and check your fluid levels.

Posted in Customers' Cars, Mustang Maniac, Park & Pic, racing | Tagged brakes, drag racing, Mustang, Mustang Maniac, over heating, Santa Pod, Water pump, water thermostat | 1 Comment

‘Ladies & gentlemen – the Mustang’

Posted on July 14, 2019 by Mustang Maniac

Two weeks ago Mustang and Chrysler fans around the world mourned the loss of a huge figure in the automotive industry.

Lido Anthony Iacocca better known as ‘Lee’ Iacocca was born on 15 October 1924 and died 2 July 2019, he was 94.

Vice President of Ford Motor Company and he was the man responsible for bringing us the Ford Mustang in 1964. This famous picture below of Lee giving his introduction speech for the Mustang at the World Trade Fair Sunday 13th April 1964. That speech ended with the those famous five words ‘Ladies & gentlemen – the Mustang’. At that moment history was made with the car going on to sell an unprecedented 22,000 cars that weekend alone with 420,000 in its first year, a record still to this day.

The full speech that Lee gave to the World Trade Fair 1964 can be found here.

Our Lee Iacocca Obituary:

Lee was born and brought up in Allentown, in the Pennsylvania steel belt. His father had landed as an immigrant at Ellis Island in 1902 and at the time of Lee’s birth was the owner of a successful hot dog restaurant, with a streetwise business sense that the young Lee inherited. The family was close and loving, and Lee was a bright student.

A childhood bout of rheumatic fever spared him from call-up in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, and after graduating in engineering from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Iacocca joined Ford in 1946 at its River Rouge plant at Dearborn, Michigan. At that time the founder of the company, the first Henry Ford, was still alive. It was very much a family business; Henry Ford II never tired of reminding Iacocca that it was “my name on the front of the building”.

Iacocca soon realised his future lay in sales and the marketing of automobiles rather than the designing of them. He proved himself a success selling Ford trucks in New York and rose quickly through the hierarchy. He was assistant general sales manager of Ford’s Philadelphia district when his slick “56 for 56” finance promotion ($56 a month over three years) got him noticed by the Dearborn executives. It was estimated by his boss, Robert McNamara, vice-president of the Ford division and future defense secretary in the Kennedy administration – to have helped shift an additional 75,000 Fords in the not-very-popular 1956 range. In 1960 Iacocca was made general manager of Ford division, the biggest division in the world’s second largest company.

Work started in the early sixties for a new car and the Mustang was born out of recognition that the market was changing and that there was a pent-up demand for a smaller, sportier car for a generation of postwar baby boomers who wanted a practical sports car with four seats. Demographics were analysed and suggested that the average age of the population was falling and that a younger, better educated generation of buyers was increasingly in the market for a second car that was almost always smaller and sportier. For once the market was looking for a car, rather than the other way around.

There was no big money to create an all-new car, so the Mustang – developed for a relatively modest $75m – was designed around the basic Ford Falcon compact, reskinned with a handsome long nose/short tail body. It had strong overtones of European sophistication when most American cars were still big, cumbersome and sometimes ugly.

The new car was not christened Mustang until relatively close to its debut at the World’s Fair in 1964, but at a basic price of well under $2,500 it probably wouldn’t have mattered what it was called to be honest. American car buyers, worked into a frenzy by a slick marketing campaign, went mad for the Mustang, seduced by its styling, its youthful flavour and a bewildering range of options that meant it was possible to specify a personal vehicle. Most buyers spent a further $1,000 on extras such as V8 engines, automatic transmission and sportier seats.

At the height of his fame he was one of the most powerful and celebrated of US business leaders. Not only was he responsible for arguably Ford’s most successful car, but the turn around of fortunes for Chrysler too. At the relatively young age of 39 he had his first taste of fame with an unprecedented front covers of Time, Newsweek, and lead feature in Life magazines all at the same publication time, the first and only time this has happened, all down to the Mustang launch. (These magazines are difficult to track down in good condition, and often referred to as the ‘Holy Grail’ of a completed trilogy collection.) Lee has since featured on the these magazine covers numerous times since then for himself, Ford and Chrysler.

Things did not last or go well at Ford. In 1978 Lee managed to get Ford Motor Company $2bn into the black that year, despite presiding over an increasingly out-of-touch range of cars and ever more pressure from Japanese and European imports. Huge headlines were made when Henry Ford II publicly undermining and the dismissal of Lee in the same year, actions which were often seen as cruel and brutal at the time.

Two weeks after his humiliating departure from Ford, Iacocca took on the presidency of the ailing Chrysler Corporation, weakest of the American motor industry “big three”.

By cutting its workforce and rationalising its product range (with smaller, more efficient models such as the Mini Van and front-wheel-drive K-Car concepts that Henry Ford had refused to sanction), Lee was able to turn Chrysler’s fortunes around. By the early 1980’s, he was even able to pay back the huge government-guaranteed loans used to fund the restructuring of the company, seven years ahead of schedule. His starring role in the TV ads for the “European-sized” K-Car (“If you can find a better car, buy it” was his famous pay-off line) made him one of America’s most recognisable businessmen, and the success of the new models added lustre to Iacocca’s reputation as the ultimate “comeback kid” and the most resilient figure in a brutally tough industry.

Iacocca married Mary McCleary in 1956; she died of complications of diabetes in 1983. Lee is survived by their daughters, Kathryn and Lia. Two further marriages ended in divorce.

Little Known facts:

Lee Iacocca’s profile was high enough to feature on the list of celebrities the cult leader Charles Manson planned to kill.
In 1982, Ronald Reagan appointed Iacocca to head the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, which was created to raise funds for the renovation and preservation of the Statue of Liberty. He continues to serve on the board of the foundation.
He was the author and co-author of several best-selling books.
In 1999, Iacocca was the head of EV Global Motors Co. a company formed to develop and market electric bikes with a top speed of 15 mph and a range of 20 miles between recharging at wall outlets.
He was a strong advocate for better medical treatment of diabetes. In 2000, Iacocca founded Olivio Premium Products, which manufactures the Olivio line of food products made from olive oil. He donated all profits from the company to diabetes research.

Why was the Mustang called a Pony car?

The best answer seems to be that this is an American car classification for affordable, compact, highly styled coupés or convertibles with a sporty or performance-oriented image. Common characteristics include rear-wheel drive, a long hood, a short trunk, a wide range of options to individualize each car and use of mass-produced parts shared with other models. Other answers seem to revolve around the galloping horse for the badge.

R.I.P. Lee Iacocca.

At Mustang Maniac we send our thoughts and respects to his family, in such sad times.

Posted in Articles | Tagged 'Ladies & Gentlemen - the Mustang', Chrysler, Lee Iacocca, Lee Iacocca Obituary, life, Mustang, Mustang Maniac, Newsweek, Time, World Trade Fair 1964 | 3 Comments

Racing at Santa Pod 2019

Posted on July 7, 2019 by Mustang Maniac

We have a big post for you today with lots of pics from the Mustang Owners Club Of Great Britain orgnised day trip to Santa Pod which was a couple of days ago. Mustang Maniac was invited to come and play, which of course was challenge accepted. Yogi had his engine in and completed mid week which has just a handful of miles on the engine since the rebuild. So for this time Yogi was not running flat out as normal, he was still running the engine in, revs turned down a bit and gently does it. For Yogi, it was mostly taking passengers down the quarter mile for a little fun. A well turned out meeting and not just for Mustangs ready to tear up the strip either.

Less chat from me and on with the pics. This year the pics were not taken by our usual source on the day, but by Mustang Maniac’s own in house Professional Photographer; Chris Tilley from Drive Photography. Pop over and give him a like:

http://www.facebook.com/drivephotography

There is a great video on YouTube of the day that Chris has created here:

Morning briefing before the fun begins.

The cars ready to race.

Action for the rest of the day, in no particular order;

Is it just me, or this a menacing shot? Yogi comes out to play!

Yogi did have a run on his own and found out his traction issues were compounded by the extra horses he had under the hood, he did declare than he needs better tyres before he plays properly next time. All in all, he was fairly happy with the day’s running.

Everybody was interested in the times between the Mustang 2.3lt EcoBoost vs the V8 bigger brother, it was not the wipe out as expected. Adam bringing home the “Enos 350” Eco boost in just 0.5second behind the V8s. Now that is impressive from an engine around half the size of the V8s.