Our '66 engine compartment...
Our '66 engine compartment is ready for our 289 V-8 transplant that will be ready in a few short months. The Paddock's catalog has everything you need to make your vintage Mustang's engine bay a show winner like this.
Our '66 hardtop has come quite a ways from 1999 when we picked up the rusted body and headed back to the Mustang Monthly shop with nothing more than a basic outline of a project in our heads. Now that our paint and bodywork are completed, the easy (or somewhat easy) road to completion is upon us.
Many restorations require time and patience to find just the right part or to clean and refinish an original part from the project. This project differed, in that many of the original items would not be used because we were going to transform this hardtop into something it never was. Converting to a V-8 drivetrain, Interior Decor option, power brakes, and power steering, among other things, meant many new parts would be needed. While this puts a strain on the purse strings, it saves much time and money in not having to refurbish most of the original parts.
We are assembling and detailing our hardtop's engine compartment this month, and this particular part of the project is a perfect example of what we are discussing. Since most of the six-cylinder wiring, brake lines, motor mounts, pedal linkage, and more, differ from the six to the V-8, these items will all need to be replaced with the correct V-8 versions. We procured all of our reproduction items from The Paddock to convert our engine compartment to V-8-ready specs and detail it at the same time.
1 What better place to start...
1 What better place to start than with the starter solenoid (bad pun; no extra charge). We ordered the correct AMK solenoid and engine compartment fastener kit to attach everything under the hood from the Paddock--an AMK dealer. If your replacement sheetmetal doesn't have the locating holes dimpled or predrilled, you should measure the location on an original car for placement.
2 The little details are...
2 The little details are what the judges notice. On many early cars, we notice that the positive battery cable rubber shield is missing. This particular item adds originality to the engine bay, not to mention safety. Again, if your new metal doesn't have the holes, measure another car.
3 At this time, The Paddock...
3 At this time, The Paddock offers only the unstamped version of the Battery OK decal, so you will have to stamp it and sign it yourself. Check with your club members, because someone might have had a stamp made previously.
4 Using the battery tray...
4 Using the battery tray hardware that came in our master engine compartment hardware kit, the battery tray was easily secured. The Paddock also has a battery tray kit with the correct hardware if you need to replace just this one item under your hood.
5 The voltage regulator mounts...
5 The voltage regulator mounts to the driver side of the core support with two self-tapping 3/8-inch bolts. Mount the regulator with the terminals facing outboard (toward the fender).
6 A new reproduction from...
6 A new reproduction from The Paddock are these voltage regulator screw tip covers. These rubber covers simply screw down over the sharp tips of the regulator screws protruding through the other side of the core support.
7 The Autolite information...
7 The Autolite information sticker is usually found in a horizontal position midway down the driver side shock tower face. Though we have seen some stickers mounted vertically and even upside down, we opted for the more common attachment to prevent raising eyebrows with the judges.
8 Since our six-cylinder...
8 Since our six-cylinder engine bay will soon wear a V-8, we had to install some items our '66 six-cylinder engine bay didn't have before, such as the V-8 fuel line rubber grommet in the left front inner fender.
9 The accelerator linkage...
9 The accelerator linkage was another item that had to be changed in favor of the correct V-8 part. Luckily, the V-8 linkage mounting holes are there; you just need to utilize them with the correct V-8 hardware.
10 While some six-cylinder...
10 While some six-cylinder items work with a V-8 swap, we opted to replace all the brake lines--not only from a safety standpoint but also because we plan to use Master Power Brakes' power drum brake conversion kit. The steering column seal (mounted from inside) is also visible here.
11 Our brake lines were ordered...
11 Our brake lines were ordered in stainless steel for long-lasting looks, but the mounting clips are constructed from mild steel. A quick shot of high-temp clear will keep the mounting clips and the hardware looking good for quite some time.
12 At this point, all of...
12 At this point, all of our inner fender and firewall items are mounted (except for the washer system), and we can now install our wire harness retainers and the new V-8 wiring harnesses.
13 The wire harness retainers...
13 The wire harness retainers are pushed into the holes on the inner fenders to retain the harnesses. The use of a nut driver or a small 1/4-inch drive socket will allow you to easily push the retainers into the holes in the inner fenders. Carefully route the harnesses to their proper locations and close the retainers around the wiring to hold it in place.
14 The same thing is performed...
14 The same thing is performed on the right inner fender for the wiring harness to the starter solenoid. Remember to leave room in the retainers for the starter cable. All of the eyelet connections will attach to the battery side of the solenoid as shown here.
15 The use of the reproduction...
15 The use of the reproduction Autolite battery top allows the use of most maintenance-free group 24F batteries in vintage Mustangs. We found our battery at Pep Boys for less than $40 (make sure you bring the top with you to test-fit the battery before you purchase it). Notice how close the positive terminal is to the inner fender. It's a good thing we installed the rubber terminal shield.
16 Our windshield washer...
16 Our windshield washer system can now be installed once the wiring harnesses are in place. Mount the washer bag bracket to the inner fender, then hang the bag in place. Our '66 has two speed wipers with the two-wire washer pump, so make sure you order the correct one. Mount the pump with the correct hardware, then assemble the washer hose kit.
17 The washer nozzles differ...
17 The washer nozzles differ between the '65 and the '66-'68 Mustangs, so make sure you order the correct nozzles for your restoration. Carefully slide the washer nozzles in place and secure them with the correct Phillips head screws.
18 The washer nozzles have...
18 The washer nozzles have a small amount of butyl sealer (such as 3M(R) Strip Caulk) applied to the opening to seal the cowl. Don't overdo the application of sealer; a small amount to cover the holes is all you'll need.
19 Using the remainder of...
19 Using the remainder of the washer hose kit, cut the proper lengths required to connect the washer nozzles to the washer "T" and the main feed line from the pump. The plastic clip attached to the cowl is another recently introduced reproduction by The Paddock.
20 Before completing the...
20 Before completing the cowl area, don't forget to install the cowl seal. This seal snaps into the openings along the cowl top and is retained on the ends by two small "L" brackets. With the hood in place, it can be difficult to get in close to attach the seal. A neat trick is to place the flat head of a claw hammer against the embedded metal retainer, then tap the end of the hammer to seat the clip into the cowl.
21 Since we plan on having...
21 Since we plan on having our 289 breathed on with some speed parts and we plan on having air conditioning installed, we opted for The Paddock's three-row, high-efficiency radiator to help us shed our unwanted heat. Mounting was simplified with the master hardware kit. Our original (and still working!) horns were also mounted at this time.
22 We must have removed and...
22 We must have removed and reinstalled our horns three or four times, because we tried to remember the correct angle and what side the wire harness went on. The moral of the story: take lots of pictures or video BEFORE you take your project apart. We finally had to look at another '66 at a show for the proper mounting.
23 Our original hood latch...
23 Our original hood latch assembly was beadblasted and painted, then assembled with the correct hardware from our master hardware kit. The AMK bolt kits have been used on several sections of our restoration and they are real time-and-sanity savers.
24 Converting to a V-8 means...
24 Converting to a V-8 means having to eventually mount the darn thing in the engine bay. The task is simplified with the new V-8 conversion brackets now available; they are reproductions of late '66 factory mount brackets. The one caveat is that you need the late '66-'67-style motor mount. We inadvertently jotted down the part number for the typical '66 motor mount and received these mounts which use a stud. The correct style uses a through-bolt for attaching. Make sure you order the proper mounts for your project.
25 With the correct motor...
25 With the correct motor mounts in place and attached with the correct through- bolts, the engine compartment is ready to accept our 289 V-8. Also shown here is the engine sending unit wiring, the detailed parking brake cable, and the speedometer cable. The steering linkage is still manual six-cylinder parts; look for a V-8 power steering conversion in a few months right here on these pages.
26 We didn't bother to install...
26 We didn't bother to install these two items now since they would just have to come back off for engine installation, but we opted to upgrade our handling and dress up our engine bay at the same time with an export brace and a straight-style Monte Carlo bar.