Explorer Axle

After I got back the Explorer axle from Tim, I had to get another short side axle for the narrowed side.

Then I went ahead and painted it with Eastwood Chassis Black I had left over.

Carb Rebuild

I initially purchased this carb about 6 or 7 years ago, and was in the process of rebuilding it when I realized the baseplate was a disaster. Although Mustang Magazine "crows" about the expertise of Pony Carb's (who quoted me $449.50 + $60-$150 in parts),  I went ahead and sent it off to my good friends at All American Carburetors right up the road in Jacksonville. They are so nice to work with and answered all of my questions.

All I can say is WOW!! For approximately half of what Pony charges, they re-plated, re-bushed and re-built my Holley #3795 into a work of art. They even installed the replacement parts I sent along for me. And bolted it on a 351 in the shop and dialed it in. Not sure why Pony is so expensive, other than maybe passing along the advertising costs for all the articles and plugs in Mustang Monthly.

The carb is tagged C8OF-9510-C, a Holley 600 cfm 4150 series vacuum secondary with dual inlet front bowl off a 68' 390-4V with a 4 speed. Even has the original carb tag. It will go on a street driven 351W with a T-5.

3G Alternator Rebuild

I purchased a used 3G 8.25" ear alternator off a 96 V6 Taurus (93-99 non SHO fits), and used http://fordfuelinjection.com/ to rebuild it. The most important thing I learned doing my research was when removing the windings not to pull on the assembly. Instead, turn it upside down and tap around the outside of the case to coax it out. Otherwise you will destroy the stator. Here's how I did it:

1. Use a 15/16" impact wrench to remove the front pulley. If it won't come loose, heat with an oxy torch around the edge of the nut and it will spin right off. 

2. Remove the voltage regulator with the correct Torx bit and inspect the brushes. Mine was covered in carbon and worn so I bought an entire assembly for $25 from the above site and it worked perfectly.

3. On the back of the case, remove the red power extension off the B+ terminal and use a 10 mm wrench to remove the 3 casing bolts.

4. Using a rubber mallet, tap the ears and the rear case will seperate. Remove the rotor. Then hold the alternator upside down and tap around the outside of the case until the stator and rectifier assembly fall out into your hand. Don't let it fall out and hit the bench as it will get damaged. Remove the plate and front bearing from the front case and clean.

5. I used aluminum cleaner to remove the carbon buildup from the case which was filthy when I started. Wipe down the stator and windings with brake cleaner, and clean the rotor up as best you can. I did not paint or coat either cases because I believe coatings negate the ability to dissipate heat.

6. Re assemble. Lightly grease the rotating assemblies and use anti-seize compound on the case bolts. There is a small spacer which goes inside the case between the rotor and the front case bearing, don't forget it. Don't overtighten the case bolts.

7. Took it up to AutoZone and tested out at 14.2 amps. Perfect. The 351W I am using for my build has old style hangers on it so the assembly bolted right up in place of the stock one I had.

8. Had an old 1G style alternator around from the 86 parts car, so I removed the Serpentine style pulley and re-used the old V Belt style pulley. I won't know if I have to externally shim the pulley out until I assemble everything.

Total Cost: $45

 

Parking Brake Conversion (with 8.8 axle)

One of the conversions I am installing is a late model Mustang e-brake handle along with the 96 Explorer 8.8 Rear Axle. The disc brakes facilitate a fairly straightforward installation.
1. Modify the E-brake handle

  -Weld the pawl between the second and third tooth
  - Cut off the tab marked in yellow at the right and remove the spring
  -Cut and remove spring, and tack weld remainder to prevent rattling or vibration
 - Order Ford Racing Part #2810. This connects the handle to the parking brake cable bracket. I re-used an old bracket off my 67 which hold the Explorer E Brake Cables perfectly. The stock pull will not work as it is not adjustable.

2. Use (2) LH Drivers Side Explorer Parking Brake cables from Rockauto.com because the passenger side is too long. I Used DORMAN C660003 Parking Brake Cable.


I went ahead and cleaned up the lower portion of the handle and spray painted it with Eastwood Chassis Black Satin (shown in primer below), as well as the connector bracket.

Recently, I found someone parting out an 88 GT on craigslist and was able to cut out the stamped piece from the transmission tunnel for $40. I plan to graft it right into the transmission tunnel of the 67 to mount the late model handle above. Also picked up an additional handle in the deal at no charge.

Rear Axle

Because I am converting from a 6 cylinder / 3 speed drivetrain to a 351W / T-5 setup, I needed to upgrade the rear axle from the stock paperclip 7.5". Researching online, I observed the most cost efficient method would be to install one from a 96-01 Explorer. The 59.25" Explorer axle width is a perfect match for the 67-70 Mustang's, so I went ahead and got one cheap to drop in. In stock form they often contained a 3.73 Traction Loc, Disc Brakes, and 31 spline axles which should be sufficient for my use. The advantage of the Explorer setup relative to a standard Mustang axle is 31 spline versus 28 spline and disc brakes.

Axles present a challenge for me as I felt getting into particulars such as setting the lash would be a bit much, so I am putting it in the hands of a pro. I just got off the phone with Tim and he said the rebuild axle would be ready this weekend. He is reversing the spring perches, welding the tubes into the housings, removing the extra brackets and rebuilding the differential (once he opened it up he noticed the ring was broken). I sent over Ford Racing Kit M-4210-A rebuild kit ($39.88) and a 3.73 Ford Racing Ring and Pinion Set M-4209-F373N ($149.95), the Traction Loc discs were in good shape and didn't need replacement. Pinion angle is going to be set initially at 3 degrees. He is also installing an Inland Empire 1310 pinion yoke I sent over in place of the pinion flange, which I heard has clearance issues with the floorboards. In the meantime, I need to get to work adapting the Explorer shock plates to receive the EB1 shock mounts.

During the build Tim called and indicated the Mustang 8.8 Axle Bearing and Seal Kit M-1225-B I ordered is too small and wouldn't fit, which makes sense because of the larger axles. Went down to NAPA and purchased two Axle Bearings R1559-TV ($17.58) and two Outer Seals 16404 ($3.09) for a total of $41.34 and dropped them off to him.

5/28: Picked up the finished axle last weekend, it looks incredible. In addition to the above modifications, he went ahead and narrowed the drivers side tube to match the shorter passenger side. I'll go ahead and find an extra passenger side axle shaft for the narrowed side. This is good news because now the pumpkin is centered in the transmission tunnel which should eliminate any clearance issues.

Initially I planned to re-use the driveshaft from the 86 Mustang drivetrain donor, shorten it to ~50" and get it balanced. However, over on VMF I read that someone put a stock driveshaft from a late 90's Explorer (96-99 V6 4 door) into a 67 Mustang with the 8.8 rear end and it bolted right up with no modifications. So, I got one from a guy I know for $30 and the dimensions are perfect. Plus its aluminum, which saves me the $300+ I was planning to spend for a driveshaft but gives me the benefits of the upgrade. Junkyard Gold! I did discover the T-5 yoke from the donor Mustang is a 1310 style U Joint (Neapco 1-0153 od 3.219") whereas the Explorer uses a 1330 (Neapco 2-4800 od 3.622"). Therefore, I have to use a conversion U Joint, either a Neapco 1-0134 or NAPA #353 for $19.99.

Looking at getting an LBW girdle, the stock 8.8 differential cover has no drain or fill plugs in it.

As far as modifying the spring perches, to covert the EB1 mounts I am thinking about using female rod ends for the springs. Gives me a wider range of motion for the shear on the shock angles.

Still on the to do list is rebuild the parking brakes and calipers. NAPA sent me the wrong rebuild kit for the rear calipers, so I need to figure out a new plan of attack.

Total Cost:

$400 Labor

$250 Axle Core

$150 3.73 Ring and Pinion (unplanned expense)

$50 Bearings and Seals

Roll Bar

I started the installation for the roll hoop this weekend, the first item was to set up the anchors for the top of the hoop. This is something which must be done ahead of time otherwise the headliner would get destroyed. Because this is a hoop and not a full 4 pt cage, it must be securely fastened to the frame for protection in the event of a collision. I used a set of Autoloc plates, cut a corner down to fit and installed them. I will go ahead and weld in the plate permanently next weekend. I also test fitted the hoop to ensure it would fit correctly, and it is a perfect fit. I used the Competition Engineering 3039-A - Competition Engineering Roll Bar Main Hoops, Summit Racing Part Number CEE-3039-A.  Once I get the head liner and overhead console installed, it will be fairly straightforward to install the actual hoop and the brackets to attach it.

Fenders

Will the rust never end? I had to repair the lower portion of the passenger side fender, and figured as long as I was there I would fill the Mustang lettering and the antenna cutout. I also had to fabricate the lower portion of the inner support to hold the new patch piece as a portion of that also rusted away. Next is to grind down the welds and throw a coat of epoxy over it.