Chapter 6
Going down Again

by Ryan King
Edited by Patricia Kalin
9/06

As the '66 idled in the Jack in the Box drive thru (and I watched the temp gauge rise while the engine spat and coughed angrily into the overflow bottle), one thing became increasingly clear to me: The running problem I'd been unable to pin down the whole time I'd owned this car was definitely caused by a bad head gasket.

The Problem

You may wonder why I would assume that this running problem was related to the head gasket, but I have a very good explanation for that assumption.

When I first bought the car, I couldn't get the engine to idle without running it (what I consider to be) piggishly rich. On top of that, the idle had a characteristic thump to it that repeated itself and appeared to do so on every revolution at about the same time. Furthermore, it always ran lean when I'd get into the throttle, even with the ignition in good shape.

But that isn't what gave away the problem.

No, what gave this problem away occurred quickly over the course of a few hours.

Patty needed to get to an appointment with her Lasik surgeon early that morning. We got up in what I thought was plenty of time, but quickly realized we were running critically late for the appointment.

I asked the 289 to give me everything she had for about 30 miles. As a result, she started to buck hard under throttle. When we finally got off the freeway, I noticed it did the same thing at idle...right at the same point it had only been thumping before.

After driving her home, I was concerned about what had happened, but wasn't sure what I'd done exactly.

Nothing was showing conclusively what the problem was; the coolant didn't even have any bubbles in it.

It wasn't until later, when we decided to go down the street to Jack in the Box to pick up some dinner, that there were any symptoms that showed exactly what the problem was.

It was a good thing that I decided we should stick close to the house when we left.

Sitting in the Jack in the Box drive thru gave me ample opportunity to pour over events that had lead up to this point. Each a clue to the problem the engine was having. Taken individually, the clues were not definitive enough to pinpoint the cause.

Like the second time the radiator blew out and I had to change it. The coolant seemed to be pretty hot and built excessive pressure very quickly after initial start. When I slowly popped the radiator cap to relieve pressure after just starting it up, it spewed an enormous amount of water on me (severely burning my arm). It didn't have any telltale foaming and it lacked water in the exhaust as well as a severe running issue. So, I was just puzzled by its eclectic collection of problems.

Now I'm not so puzzled.

I think I've finally got a firm grasp on the problem at hand.

What to do about that problem is another story entirely.

The Decision

From an outsider's perspective, it may seem like a simple case of repair. And to fix the blown head gasket, it is. But this car's problems are more pervasive than just a blown head gasket.

Along with a blown head gasket, the clutch is next door to death and the transmission isn't far behind.

The suspension has 160,000 miles on it. Combine that with 40 years of holding up a car and it desperately needs to be replaced to be safe again.

Even with new brakes AND a new set of tires (purchased between the events of Chapter 4 and Chapter 5), it doesn't brake well because the suspension can't keep control of the changing forces the car experiences when braking.

Just to get the car back on the road, it needs a bare minimum of the engine gaskets replaced and should probably have the clutch replaced as well.

Since the transmission isn't long for this world, it should probably be repaired or replaced too.

With the cost at this point soaring into the thousand dollar plus range, it starts to beg the question...why would I waste that much money, work and time doing that when what I want is the 351W in the car (which would, incidentally, take about the same amount of work, time and money)?

Furthermore, why would I spend the money on doing this repair when spending that money only takes it away from the 351W installation (which I would be doing shortly after making the repairs to the current drivetrain)?

The decision was simple: Forget repairing the 289 and the current drivetrain and work towards installing the 351W the way I'd originally intended.

The Reason

I had put the Project 351 Mustang into storage for an extended period of time back in May of ‘04 because of clutch, brake, suspension and running issues that were rapidly getting worse. My intent was to come back to it as soon as I had the time and money to “fix” the car by putting the 351W in place and repairing the other problems it had.

That plan was thrown off track when the Project GT Mustang went down due to clutch and tranny death. This is very similar to black death and looked a lot like lung cancer all over the inside of the bellhousing (see Project GT Chapter 4 for more details). As a result, I was forced to pull the 351 out of storage while I repaired the GT (see Project 351 Chapter 4).

Had I only needed the Project 351 Mustang for a few weeks, even a month or two while I repaired the GT, it would have been fine, but before I was able to repair the GT, my repair space was unexpectedly yanked out from underneath me.

I didn’t get the repair space back for six months. So the real reason the 351 went down was that I don’t have my own repair space and am at the mercy of other’s.

To be fair, had I not chosen to race the GT the previous three years, it wouldn’t have had premature clutch and transmission failure at such a pivotal point, but had I known I was going to lose my repair space, I would have made a different decision about how to use the GT.

What that left me with was no choice but to get another car.

And quickly.

My choice, as you may already be aware of, was to pick up a Saturn that I could afford because of the drastic difference in the cost of gas (for more info, see Bench Racing 2/27/06, Bench Racing 4/26/06, Bench Racing 5/15/06, Bench Racing 5/25/06, Bench Racing 8/15/06 and Bench Racing 9/6/06).

While this whole fiasco did throw off all of my plans and put me under some serious financial strain, it did give me the chance to learn more about the Project 351 Mustang and get a better perspective on my plans for it.

The Solution

Initially I had decided to do some extensive repairs to the Project 351 Mustang for Stage 2 along with replacing the 289 with the 351W (see Stage 2 for more details). However, because of a Project LX fiasco that was occurring at roughly the same time as the Project GT fiasco that lead to the Project 351 fiasco, I had decided to skip many of the repairs I had originally planned due to low funds (see Project 351 Chapter 3 for more details).

Getting the opportunity to drive the Project 351 again after I made the decision to skip many of those repairs, I realize that was a bad choice. A choice made without the reality of the car's condition fresh in my mind (because it had been mothballed more than a year before) and devoid of the perspective of the suspension's inability to corral the car under braking conditions (as I mentioned above with new brakes and tires).

With the 351's true condition and needs fresh in my mind, I've taken a step back and looked over my decision with a little more clarity. I realize that I not only want but NEED to do the repairs right.

As much as I want the nostalgic experience, there are just some things about the Original 351 I don't want to experience again...like the way the 351W brutalized the worn out suspension and nearly killed me on countless occasions...the way the seals in the firewall and heater plenum no longer held back the cold wind in the winter...the way the body was rusting away like the trunk floor in the Project 351...the way I had to rig up a boom box in the car to listen to music...the way the worn out transmission finally gave up the ghost and drove the final nail into the original car's coffin.

I've come to my senses and decided to do it right.

For the most part, I've decided to go back to the original plan I outlined in the first entry on the Stage 2 page with a few improvements. So, without further delay, please let me unveil the new Project 351 Stage 2 plan.

I'm not approaching this stage like a total restoration, but in a rebuild or repair mentality. After doing some intensive research I've found that repairing the bad components and using those that are still good (without going through trying to either replace or make new every component in the car) significantly reduces the cost and the time involved, even though I will need to disassemble the car entirely either way.

At this point, while I want the car in good condition (totally brand new, to be honest), time and finances are two things in very short supply so those do play a major roll in the direction I choose to go with the car for Stage 2.

For the interior, my plans are modest. I want to replace missing screws and repair the minor inconveniences (such as seals that let the drafts in and the heater plenum that is beat up and nearly nonfunctional). I'll also be installing a Custom Autosound sound system. A simple one to be sure, as I'm not interested in having a thumping sound system, just a nice quality one that will provide background music for the most important part of owning a car for me: driving. I might replace the poorly made door panels, maybe even replace the seat foam so it feels as nice as it looks.

My goals for the body, on the other hand, are far more ambitious.

First, I need to repair the passenger side window mechanism. It's giving me nothing but problems.

The ambitious part starts with removing the rust. There isn't much but it's starting to get a little more aggressive than I would like and I'd rather have it gone before it starts to cause damage that will require amputative surgery (such as with the trunk floor).

Which brings me to my next focus: Those panels which require removal and replacement. “Those panels” are both sides of the trunk floor and the package tray (see Chapter 1 Photos for more detail).

Lastly, there is some panel straightening that needs to be done (most prominently, the driver side quarter panel).

This, of course, will need to be followed up by some spot paint repair.

The drivetrain is the most ambitious part of this stage (but not the most daunting, as I've never done body work, rust repair, panel replacement or painting), as it represents the biggest change.

It's time to swap out the 289 for the 351W, so that in and of itself is going to be a major change.

The next major change might even be bigger than the 351W: a Ford Racing T5Z five-speed.

Why?

Well, the three-speed lacks a few things (like smooth driving, well spaced gearing, and durability).

I could go with a Toploader four-speed, but it has a few issues as well. First, it's a heavy cast iron piece. Second, I planned to move on to the T5Z in a future upgrade (and with it costing the same as the T5Z conversion it just doesn't make much sense not to start there).

With the engine and transmission decided, I'm left with needing to clean up and balance the driveshaft. I also have to restore the rear end housing with stock looking black powder coating.

That brings us to the last major section of the car: the chassis.

I don't want to experience the many problems I had with the Original 351's steering, suspension and brakes. But I also don't want to get too ambitious at this point.

That said, I still want to revisit what the original car drove like.

My plan is to rebuild the steering and suspension to stock specs while refreshing the looks of the new brake components I've already installed.

Not only will this choice allow me to have a more nostalgic experience, but it will also give me a baseline to make improvements, so I can better plan the upgrades and decide how I want the chassis to drive...such as steering speed and effort, suspension handling (not just responsiveness but the way it acts) and the capacity the chassis has to hold a corner.

So that's it. The Project 351 is moving forward into Stage 2. Now if I can just get the planets to align right, I might be able to complete Stage 2 before I'm too old to enjoy it.

Click image for Chapter 6 Photos.