We would like to thank all our loyal customers for their support throughout this year.
From all us here at Mustang Maniac; we wish you all a Happy Holidays, fantastic Christmas and a Happy New Year.
We have number of updates for you this week including another new vehicle for Adam which he is thoroughly enjoying, a new customer project we have started, some new stock and a very special find by Adam in one of his storage areas. Mustang Maniac has now started to branch out into other stock areas as well as Mustangs. We are stocking much more Falcon parts and now a new range of commercial ‘Ford Transit Custom Service Parts’ which we will go into a little later in the post.
We like to try and give our project cars a little nickname, such as the memorable Mastic Mustang and The Onion. We have this latest fairly short project which has been named ‘The Mouse Mustang’. It has nothing to do with Walt Disney before you say it!
The car has been outside and hadn’t had much attention until the owner went to open the door. There was a tell ‘tale’ (forgive the pun) odour. Yep, a mouse had gotten into the car. We put a trap down inside the car so we could catch the squatter mouse and evict it. We soon caught the culprit overnight with a little lure of cheese. thinking that was it we put the trap back down just to make sure all was good before we started work properly on the car. However, the next day another critter was captured, now believing there would be more than just the one. We got another trap fearing the worst that there was a populated live nest to deal with. Again, the next day both traps had captured more of them. This carried on for over a week. We lost count after a dozen or so little pests were caught. Once there was a period of a couple of days where no more were caught and we could get into the car and see what was going on. We changed bait to make sure they hadn’t gotten wise to our antics. We have to be careful not to introduce them to our premises as we could have similar issues in other cars we have stored.
Some PPE was used as we didn’t know just how bad this was going to be when we actually got round to strip out the car. The seats and rear seats were taken out to confirm what we already knew, the carpets and underfloor sound proof were ruined and the smell was a tad unpleasant to say the least.
We could see that the mice had left a mess (literally) under the dash, so we had to dismantle the area as well to see how far the damage has gone. The top of the heater matrix gives you an idea of we found.
We took apart the heater matrix, knowing in the past this has been a good bedding area for the vermin, we weren’t wrong this time.
The headliner was a little bit saggy and we could feel all the nuts and what ever else was stored up there. There was no other option other than to take out the front and rear glass to remove the headliner. It wasn’t good!
The roof needed some treatment before we could even think about replacing the headliner. We started to dismantle the dash to see what was going on behind the gauges. There was some damage to wires, but nowhere near as bad as it could have been, like it could easily have been a new loom type of bad.
The car had to be cleaned and aired to get the smell out of the vehicle before we could even think about replacing anything. The sound proofing for the fire wall is always another source of bedding for the mice and needed to be replaced.
The headliner has to be first fitted in place, left for a while for the creases to fall out the stretched into place. We know a few little tricks to get the headliner to be stretched into place correctly, but we won’t share them with you, but it is a full proof method proven over time.
The floor sound proofing and new carpet now fitted and starting to look a lot better.
We shall bring you more on this project as we progress.
Our shop truck ’65 Falcon Ranchero is starting to get parts restored or replaced once we have inspected them to see if they are good enough to be reused or simply replaced. This all takes time, cleaning, repairing, prep and paint ready for re-fitting.
Once we get the truck back from paint will post some pictures.
We mentioned in the first part of the post that we have been asked if we had ‘other’ Ford parts or be able to get hold of them at least. We are now stocking some ‘Ford Transit Custom Parts‘ on the WebShop.
We are now stocking the common service items, filters, brakes, belts and a few other items like alternators, sensors, timing covers and so on. We will be increasing the stock variety fairly quickly as soon as the deliveries arrive of course. But the process and snow ball effect has been started.
Sheet Metal
We have started to get more sheet metal in, these are the Taiwanese stock and not the inferior Chinese products. These are a nicely finished products and we don’t have issues with fitting them. For the sheet metal this is still only for some trade customers.
The early ’64 1/2 Mustangs had the 260ci v8 small blocks fitted at the time of manufacture. But, did you know that the very early Falcons had a 221ci v8 small blocks?
The engine itself is a rarity as it’s a 3.62ltr compared to the more common replacement 260ci (4.2ltr) of the Mustang ‘Winsor’ power units. The engine has a 3.50 bore “6” spread on a mounting pattern.
Adam found this one at the back of his engine storage shop. The original heads are with the block and Adam has plans to rebuild it. He thought it was ‘just a 260ci’. If you want that concours date correct engine block – here it is. If Adam decides to sell it; get your wallet out quickly, it could be yours.
New Mustang Maniac Vehicle
So what do we have to move all the stock about the yard and the offices? Adam’s new vehicle of course:
It’s fully road legal, and eco friendly to offset the carbon footprint of some of the v8 monsters he has stored and tucked away. If you see it on the roads near the offices, give us a little space, it doesn’t go that fast, but it gets there quickly enough.
Adam did say; “I have done my time picking up engines, gearboxes, heads or what ever and moving them a few feet at a time. Now it’s time to take it a little bit easier. Also I like driving it around!”
We have all had a go in the Greta approved vehicle and really is great fun, but it sounds rubbish, even if you can hear it!
Yes, it’s now December and we can drop the ‘C’ bomb – Christmas. We are now making bespoke t-shirts and mugs to order. Want to put your car on a mug, or somebody else’s mug on a mug for a Christmas stocking filler? Just drop us an email with the picture or any picture you want and we will get it done for you. We have had one customer ask for his dogs to go on the mug for his wife. He ordered the bespoke mug at the same time he bought some Mustang parts. The logic was he didn’t feel so bad about buying all the car parts and he was “thinking of her too!”
Due to popular requests we made our Gift Vouchers available online. Once you have completed your order, please click on; “you can review your order/invoice here“. The vouchers details will be on that document.
These vouchers are the perfect way to treat that Mustang mad person to what ever they want to buy. You just can’t go wrong with our vouchers.
Stay Safe & Take Care!
Last weekend was the annual classic car show at the Birmingham NEC. A highly popular show as ever and the Mustang Owners Club Of Great Britain ‘MOCGB‘ had their popular stand there. To celebrate the upcoming 60th Anniversary of the Ford Mustang the stand was to have something a bit different with them for the weekend. Alongside the super clean and shiny Mustangs there was to be perhaps the dirtiest car there, Adam’s totally original ’66 GT350 Hertz.
The car was taken out from it’s resting place in the yard where it saw daylight for the first time in a few years. This example is unrestored and untouched since it stopped racing.
The car was going to be taken to the show on the back of an LAR lorry, and it certainly wasn’t going to be cleaned, inside or out. The car has only had three owners including Adam and the car has provenance as long as the wheelbase. The documentation is as impressive as the layers of dirt on the car. This is a rare outing for a rare car.
There are ten dogs that patrol around the storage area of this car. Some customers have even said to us that our free roaming guard dogs, who always live outside with their very own weather proof kennels that; “they have a bad attitude problem”. Er, no they don’t! They are doing their job and guarding our yard which they do very, very well! They will bite if you are not with one of us. We have even put up signs to warn people not to go into the yard. That’s why we have the guard dogs, they have an attitude that is ‘zero tolerance of unknown visitors’.
At the show the Hertz was rolled into place in front of the MOCGB stand. The stark contrast of cars through the years made for a great looking stand.
The GT350 got a lot of attention and some even called into question the authenticity. Make no mistake that this IS the real deal. The question often asked is; do you restore it, or do you leave it as it is? For now, it it will stay as it is and that way it has options. Many people asked if it was for sale, it’s not. However, if you have the right amount of money with some pretty deep pockets, then speak to Adam nicely – it just might be!
The Mustangs on the stand were attracting lots of footfall over the three days show as always. The club even got a few new signed up members too.
Thanks to the MOCGB as always for their generous hospitality.
Last week we had a very loyal customer and good friend of ours come to us with his newly acquired purchase a 1966 High Performance ‘K’ code factory GT Belgium export model. That’s not something that you can say everyday, but they do turn up now and again all be it very rarely.
The car has been in storage for the past ten plus years. the car has been previously been restored to high standards and just needs a freshen up. We have been asked to pull the engine and gearbox out of the car as the new owner wants to re-paint the underside with the correct Metuchen red oxide colour.
The plan with this little lady is to refresh and overhaul what needs to be done once the owner lets us know what they want. Until we have a good look around and inspect the car fully, we won’t know. The pretty bits can all be added at a later date of course, that’s not a priority at this stage. For now, it’s the mechanics that we need to concentrate on such as; brakes, fuel, bushings, steering, springs, electrics etc.
The engine does need some attention to a couple of leaky core plugs, nothing we haven’t seen numerous times before. So while the engine is out, a complete strip down will be done to make sure all is as good as it should be. Then a little paint and the bolt on bits as required.
As we mentioned earlier, the car is a High Performance (HiPo) ‘K’ (vin) code with a four speed manual gearbox, factory GT. The interior has the original deluxe (Pony) interior centre console, rally pac and remote mirror all from the factory. It’s worth noting that no ‘K’ code model had the option of power steering or air conditioning. However with that in mind, this specification would have been one of the most highly optioned Mustangs back in the day. Of all the cars that made, less than three percent of that production model were stamped with the coveted ‘K’ code which make them highly collectable today.
We will of course be bringing you updates on the progress of the car. Know the owner this is going to turn out to be pretty special example of a genuine K code car.
Stay Safe & Take Care!
This week we have been moving some stock around (again) as we have gain some more storage space. We can give you a sneak peak of some of the little (well not so little as it happens) gems that aren’t on the website, they have already been earmarked for other little ‘projects’. Adam has completed another little deal with a well known supplier, which we will literally shed some light on later!
Important Announcement to our drop in customers.
As from the first of November we are NO longer taking card payments over the counter at the offices as drop in purchases. We will be taking PayPal and Bacs transfers as normal. We apologise for any inconvenience cause at this time. We are monitoring the situation closely and may reinstate card payments over the counter in the future.
We have some of the best, amazing loyal customers who surprise us every so often. We have been blown away by the kindness of one such loyal customer who sent us this amazing hamper. We would like to say a very big thank you for his gift which is very much appreciated. Thank You!
A power steering valve was causing some issues and needed to be replaced. A messy job, but it can make quite a difference to the handling and feel of the car. Also save you topping up fluids on a regular basis too. Replacing the valve assembly is straightforward with the right tools, replacing the fluids is never a bad thing at the same time. Don’t be like some people who drain the fluid and reuse it!
Side by the old and new valves which we have in stock here. They’re not cheap, but there is a lot going on inside. We also sell the repair kits here which is much more cost effective way to repair the valve, but considerably more time consuming. When time is money, or you want the job done properly it’s best to go for a new part. Two things you never mess with if you’re not sure or doubt your own skills, that’s the brakes and steering.
Once replaced a quick going over with the grease gun, top up the fluids. The hoses to the steering ram were in pretty good condition and didn’t need replacing. But, if you do need the replacements we sell them here. Once everything is refitted and swapped over, it’s time for a test drive. Such replacements are immediately noticeable and much nicer to drive. After the car is driven back it’s rechecked for leaks, just to be sure.
Yogi has been busy getting the ’65 Falcon beloved shop truck ready for some paint. The rear tailgate and skin have been reunited and fitted properly to the back of the truck.
The bed of the truck has been fitted together and looks amazing after the sheet metal repairs, as good as new.
The cabin floor area has been treated with some generous coats of red oxide.
Next up was the biggest fitting, the hood. A heavy piece of sheet metal which is a two man job to lift into place. Yogi can usually adjust them on his own, once lifted into place, but it’s always easier with two. The hood hinge fasteners needed a little tap work for the bolts due to our special blend undercoat that had gotten into a couple of threads.
Once the hinges were bolted into place the hood was lifted into position.
At this stage of fitting there is no proper alignment so you close the hood very slowly and carefully to see what needs to be adjusted. Lift up the hood, adjust and recheck. Height, front to back and side to side all need to be adjusted and aligned correctly. The thing to remember here is that a very small adjustment at the hinges is quite a lot by the time you get to the leading edge of the hood.
The gaps are critical to get right at this point so you know that the adjustment will be there once the hood has been taken of for painting. Failure to make sure there is enough adjustment will lead to all sorts of problems when refitting, possibly ruining some paintwork. It’s a lot of messing around now, but, you know it will adjust correctly once painted.
We said that we would shed a little light on a partnership Adam has completed, and it’s with Wipac. Their 7″ lights are perfect for the Mustangs and we have everything from the budget price point plastic back reflector lenses to the ultimate kits with daytime running lights, high and low beam and integral indicators.
The Quadoptic Halogen Metal Reflector Conversion UK (RHD) Headlamp Kit here.
Freeform Headlamp Unit UK (RHD) here
Chrome LED (RHD) headlamp with integral indicator and Daytime Running Lights here.
We received another delivery of Motorcraft parts featuring some sundries various oils, pipes and radiator safety caps. We have had a couple of special orders for these radiator caps so we decided to stock them going forward.
Stored away is a ready to go full Elanor kit. Did you know that Mustang Maniac owns their very own moulds to make these kits? It’s true, they have them stored somewhere very safe.
To have a car like Eleanor you need a something special at the heart of it, something like these maybe?
As we took these pictures Adam was adding two new engines to his stockpile, one will need rebuild, one wont.
Stay Safe & Take Care!
A couple of services on customer cars this week along with a C4 swap out and intermittent fault. The work levels are coming back to manageable levels again now the majority of this year’s car shows have all but finished. A big fix and a minor fix, both which can leave the car going nowhere. One of the parts is one of the biggest a gearbox, the other is a no bigger than the tip of your thumb, an electronic ignition module.
Convertible Gearbox
The transmission on the car had poor shifting and was basically worn. We made some diagnostics and confirmed the initial thoughts. We were given the go ahead to swap the the gearbox over. We took one from stock and started to remove the old box.
The new gearbox brought into the workshop and being lifted into place.
Random Cut Out
The cut out could be while driving, at idle or just not starting. Intermittent problems are always difficult to track down. The issue was reported as getting more common over time. The only way to get to the bottom of it is to try and replicate the customers last event. Things like how where they driving, speeds, hot or cold, even weather sometimes have an effect. While the car was with us it started fine. We took the car for a couple of runs and we eventually got what we were looking for on the third run; a complete cut out as if the ignition had been turned off. No warning, one second it was fine then nothing, it was dead. The car was pulled over to safe place in order to investigate under the hood.
There was power everywhere we were expecting it to be, but no ignition spark. There was no pre cut out coughing, spluttering or misfire, which would point to a fuel issue. There was fuel in the lines to the clear filter which was full, and the carb had fuel. We had pre-empted a couple of scenarios with us a few parts we use for trouble shooting, distributor cap, rotor arm, ignition coil, a couple of spare HT leads, remote starter, spare fuel, a length of rubber fuel line, in case of leak. All things we know to be working fine. We have some basic tools and some electrical diagnostic equipment.
We swapped the coil over and still nothing, the cap and rotor arm were also fine. We took out a spark plug earthed it and spun the car over no spark, we tried with a spare spark plug, same result there was no spark which pointed to some sort of electrical issue. Under the distributor cap was a Pertronix I electronic ignition set up. We checked the gap was correct by eye, which it was. We adjusted the gap smaller and then bigger just to be sure, again nothing as the car just turned over. We put everything back to defaults and refitted the spark plug (which was in good condition), suggesting the combustion was running fine before. We were about to call LAR recovery to come and pick the car up when we had one last try. This was about 10 minutes after a the initial cut out, the car fired up reluctantly. We quickly drove the car back to the yard and let the car cool down. The first job was to swap out the Pertronix module with a replacement like for like which we sell here. The car fired up straight away and was running stable. We repeated the initial test run, all was fine. Once we were comfortable we gave the car an enthusiastic hot run on dual carriageway, sitting in traffic conditions, hot starts, cold overnight starts, repeated short trips, everything was exactly as it should be. The problem was the Pertronix ignition module itself. A quick fifteen minute replacement and setup, but it took a couple of hours to trace and re-test after fitting. Since the car has gone back to the customer, he has reported the car hasn’t missed a beat since. If you have a Pertronix (which are usually very reliable), and you start to have a random cut out while driving check the module.
Yogi has been working on our much loved shop truck the ’65 Falcon Ranchero. The front fenders needed a couple of little patches to get rid of some thin rusty metal. Yes we have the full sheet metal but in this case the work was minimal and cost effective.
The old undercoat, what was left of it was removed so we get a good covering with the red oxide and underseal.
We then applied a couple of good coats of our very own underseal. We are not going concourse, as this is a used working truck for us. So protection from the elements is better than looking right.
the fenders were put back on the car being prepped ready for some paint.
There is still plenty to do yet, and we will bring you the progress as we go along.
Stay Safe & Take Care!
A customer brought us in his ’67 which had a worn out tilt column which was fairly rare option at the time. After fifty odd years it’s not surprising the original column has given it’s last tilt. We had a one Ididit tilt column ready for the customer and set about swapping the columns over. The old style were quite bulky with the additional plumbing and canister. The new style column is much neater with the added bonus of having new wiring as well.
The new column getting ready for fitting and in place.
We also changed out the usual rag joint fixing to the steering box to a universal joint coupling which will give a much nicer feel to the car’s handling.
The other issue was there was a an annoying ‘ticking’ under the hood. After listening and tracking it back we established it was coming from the header. We removed it and found a small hole which Yogi welded up. Here is the image before the weld was ground before refitting the header.
Once the header was refitted the tick had gone and all was good again.
We have been working on our R’65 Ranchero where the rear quarters have needed some attention should we say. Yogi started the sanding down to find the multitude of sins need to be sorted out. The problem looks to have been a minor fender bender and has been straightened out with a holes drilled, then screws inserted in order to pull the metal back out again.
These holes will cause problems going forward with the dreaded rust worm having a field day on the surrounding good metal. So the best option is a for new rear quarter if the rust is that bad, or a new patch fabrication. The fabrication was the option for us, not because of cost or availability of sheet metal. It’s more to do with the fact the rest of the fender was fine. Out came the cutting tools and Yogi does his thing.
Removing a slightly larger section than we normally would allows us to get in and treat the rust on the inside out.
The sheet metal for the tailgate, bed and a couple of other bits have been undercoated, primed and ready for a little a colour.
The rear quarters now back to bare metal in order to see what we have before the replacement metal patch is to be welded into place.
The fenders have been temporarily bolted to the car with the minimum of fasteners used, mostly to protect them from being damaged and keep them out the way.
Stay Safe & Take Care!
All good things come to those who wait or so we are told, and that was the case with our ’67 with the new rear now been painted. Some eagle eyed reader asked us if this was a right hand drive model. We can confirm yes it and there certainly aren’t may of them around for this year. We’re not sure exactly when the conversion was done, but it was done to high standard and not some of the butchered efforts we have seen in the past that have been past off as even being close to good.
Yogi has started to put some more of the external trim and fittings back.
The fuel lines have been plumbed back onto the new fuel tank and some of electrics reconnected.
With the exterior trims bolted into place we can then start to put the interior trim back together.
Under the rear quarters the chassis has been properly protected from the British weather, and will probably outlast most of us now.
We have been working on our own ’65 Ranchero shop truck which is going to get a full fresh body paint once we have the body back to together. We knew there was some filler used on the car but to what extent we needed to find out. We started the panel with the rear tailgate, always made difficult due to the raised sections which matches the bed of the truck.
The bed panel bare metal process is a difficult one and takes considerable time and effort to get a bare metal base which is in great condition.
The first fender removed the paint to the filler.
Once the filler was removed the full extent of the rust worm was evident.
We quickly decided that we could have welded up the problem areas, but the metal was very thin and would certainly cause problems in the future. We could weld new metal in and fabricate the metal, but the time and effort would easily negate the cost of the new panel.
The first of the doors is in much better shape than we expected, a couple of little bits needed a little Yogi TLC in the form of a welder, certainly nothing major.
We apply some protection to the bare metal while being stored in the workshops. This prevents any surface rust from making an unwanted appearance. We will bring you more as we go along.
Stay Safe & Take Care!
Once a year there is a Mustang Owners Club Of Great Britain host a show and this year it was held south of Cambridge. The weather was overcast but a nice day for a car show. We of course had many of our customers there along with our own cars from Adam, Yogi, Lance, Paul, Spence. Lance managed to bag himself the coveted ‘Best in Show’ and Spence bagged the ‘Best Modified’.
This post is going to be dedicated just to that show;
There was some gate crashers there as well, but it made for a little variation.
Our special thanks to Chris Tilley @cortinachris for allowing us to use some of his photos.
It was a great day out, we caught up with some friends and got to see many great cars. Thanks to Roy for great organisational skills and here’s to the next show.
We have an old friend back with us this week for a little TLC and a car back from paint ready to be put back together again. We have also done our little bit for some Armed Services coming to the rescue to help them out, not quite Thunderbirds, just a little ol’ parts supplier in UK. They just about made it here, but they rolled out fine, as happy unexpected customers.
There are three Mustangs that are recognised all over the world each from different generations. The first being the classic Bullitt, then came Eleanor, the latest being John Wick. We have the latest of those cars back with us for a once over TLC and a check up.
Such a great car which drives as good as it looks.
We have the ’67 back from paint with the rear end now blended with the rest of the black paint. Yogi is now starting to put the car back together and rewire the rear end.
There are minor adjustments for door gaps and the trunk to be correct all round. those that say the aftermarket panels don’t fit, then we suspect you are doing something wrong.
The glass needs to go back in, a little more trim work, lettering and rubber weather strips and then it will be ready for the fuel and road test.
This car needs a new clutch kit as it gets driven ‘enthusiastically’ as Adam described it.
For many this can be a painful process to change a clutch, but we are fully geared up for it and doesn’t take us to long.
The interior has also had an upgrade with new seats sporting some Alcantara finish.
This army truck had come from the Netherlands to the UK for a show, so far so good. The only is that the truck only ran on LPG. They were unable to get any here as there are virtually none now in the UK. AS last ditched hope they called into us asking for help.
Most people know that we have a huge variety of stock on the shelves and we managed to sort the guys out with a universal electric fuel pump so the truck could then run on standard fuel and not the LPG. Rather than wreck what they had and make a full conversion we managed to get them back on the road and on their way to the show.
Another group of happy customers this time 🙂 It was great to meet you all and hope you had a good time at the show.
Stay Safe & Take Care!
Just a quick post to say that next weekend, Saturday 9th September the Mustang Maniac offices and sales counter will be closed for the day due to stock taking. In order for us to maintain accurate levels of stock and provide the best possible service that we can, we need to know what we have and where. It’s a huge task as there is a huge amount to count. Everything from a complete body shell to the smallest of washers.
Last time we done this a year or so ago Adam found an engine he forgot he had tucked away in the corner, along with a pallet of wheels under a cover that hadn’t gone on the WebShop. Our finds, your gain!
If you do turn on the day, sadly we won’t be there to help you.
Thanks for your understanding!
Mustang Maniac 
