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1966 Ford Mustang - Project '66 - Engine Detailing - How To: Detail A 289 EngineMake your vintage small-block look showroom new with the "right stuff." From the May, 2004 issue of Mustang Monthly By Mark Houlahan Photography by Mark Houlahan
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Our 289 is ready for its close-up,... Our 289 is ready for its close-up, Mr. DeMille. Soon this beauty queen will be propelling our Project '66 to local shows in preparation for the 40th Anniversary Celebration. See you there. Whether at a local burger-joint cruise or a Mustang Club of America National, one of the first areas a budding enthusiast or knowledgeable Mustanger will look at is your Mustang's engine compartment. If your Mustang is a daily driver that's serviced by the local auto parts chain without N.O.S. parts, the non-Autolite distributor cap, yellow plug wires, and flex fan can be forgiven as long as things are clean, painted, and presentable. But when it comes to being correct and standing tall next to your competitors on the show field in concours classes, it's going to take some serious elbow grease and a paycheck or two to get that 289 spiffed up and ready for the judges. Our 289 for Project '66 was in just such form. The engine builder had painted it, but that's about it. We're not complaining, mind you, because that isn't the engine builder's job. So we had our 289 on an engine stand ready to be dressed; and dressed it will be, with all the right parts to make an MCA judge nod in approval. We once again picked the brains of the folks at National Parts Depot, who helped us determine what we needed for our project. NPD supplied just about everything we needed to get our 289 in top shape. When it comes to concours detailing, take your time, research your project, and don't be afraid to ask questions and make a decision based on multiple "right" answers. We've seen all sorts of assembly line guffaws, so if your engine had a sticker in a certain place, feel free to put it back where it was originally. And if you're performing a V-8 conversion project like we did on our project car, be ready to locate pulleys, brackets, and such if your engine didn't come with them. Flashy Fueling
Jon Enyeart and his crew at Pony Carburetors can take the grungiest-looking chunk of carburetor aluminum and steel and make it into a show-winning centerpiece for your engine restoration and detailing project. We asked Jon to help us convert to the dealer-installed single 4V Induction Kit (C6AZ-6B068-A). We shipped our tired Autolite 2100 2V to Jon, and he prepared the correct 4100 4V to complete our 4V conversion. While we already had a good, used intake and the proper linkage, return spring, and return spring bracket, Pony Carburetors has everything you'll need to make the switch to 4V induction, including the 4V cast-iron intake. If you want to get even more exotic, Pony Carburetors offers a three 2V setup with the fuel log and linkage.  1 With our 289 fresh from...  1 With our 289 fresh from the dyno, there were a few things we had to correct before detailing. On the dyno, we used an electric fuel pump and removed the thermostat, so it was installed first. Then we installed the remainder of the engine's fuel system: fuel pump, fuel-pump-to-carburetor steel line, and the rubber fuel hose between the steel line and our Pony carburetor. Correct crimp clamps (and installing them with the right clamp pliers) are the perfect detailing touch.  2 On the dyno, the carburetor's...  2 On the dyno, the carburetor's linkage was connected to a mechanical lever, so we had to install the correct throttle lever, return spring, and return-spring bracket as well. There's a difference between the 2V and 4V return-spring brackets, so be sure to get the right one. Notice the angle of the spring bracket, pointing forward at the 11-o'clock position.  3 Fresh motor mounts are...  3 Fresh motor mounts are a given when installing a new or rebuilt engine, but getting the details right is important. The heat shields were installed by Ford to reduce heat-related wear to the rubber part of the mount. Shown here on the passenger side, Ford used this metal bracket to support and guide the starter cable to the starter. AMK concours mounting bolts secure the mount to the block and are ready to secure the mount to the chassis.  4 Mounting our reproduction...  4 Mounting our reproduction yellow-top coil was simple with a new coil bracket, coil detail sticker, and engine calibration sticker, all from NPD.  5 For the front engine dress,...  5 For the front engine dress, we called upon Classic Auto Air for the correct brackets, water pump, crankshaft pulleys, and so on to mount a concours A/C system. We sent some used brackets to CAA as cores to get these nicely painted and inspected ones in return. The included hardware works fine; but because we're perfectionists, the brackets were installed with AMK hardware from NPD.  6 The correct power-steering-pump...  6 The correct power-steering-pump mounting bracket is hard to find. We scored ours from our favorite used-parts vendor, Metro Mustang. After a thorough bead-blasting and a coat of paint, it was ready for installation on our 289. She was starting to look the part.  7 We've seen mounting bolts...  7 We've seen mounting bolts and studs for the power-steering pump and A/C-compressor mounting-bracket attachment. We thought it was safe to assume bolts were used for power steering only, and the studs with lock nuts were used when factory A/C was ordered. Either way, AMK has the right hardware kits with the proper bracket spacers.  8 For our power-steering...  8 For our power-steering pump needs, we picked up a core pump from Metro Mustang and a reproduction power-steering reservoir (for A/C-equipped Mustangs) from Classic Auto Air. We sent it all to Alamo Classic Mustang for a rebuild and assembly (along with our other power-steering parts, as detailed in our February '04 issue).  9 Classic Auto Air's rebuilt...  9 Classic Auto Air's rebuilt compressors come with new seals, valves, brushes, and clutch assembly installed and ready to go. The hardware to mount the A/C compressor to the mounting bracket was a bit of a chore to install, but was manageable with the right wrenches.  10 The dogleg bracket, which...  10 The dogleg bracket, which was loosely installed earlier, was positioned against the compressor, and the retaining hardware installed and tightened.  11 The alternator is a standout...  11 The alternator is a standout item that needs the right detailing. Hanging off the side of the V-8 all by its lonesome, it needs a few concours bits to look right. We used an AMK detailed alternator from NPD with the proper case markings and ink stamps. We added the correct zinc fan, single-groove pulley, lock washer, and retaining nut to the alternator. Finally, the alternator was secured in its brackets with AMK hardware, including the proper aluminum spacer in gold anodizing, all from NPD. Hard to see, but on the rear is an alternator pigtail harness from NPD.  12 These ink-stamped reproduction...  12 These ink-stamped reproduction fan belts from NPD are a nice detailing touch. They are brand new Ford Motorcraft service belts stamped with the proper logo and part number for your application. We ordered the three belts, and all of them fit right the first time (sometimes, when mixing pulleys, the original belt length will no longer work, which is out of NPD's control).  13 Our engine's oil filter...  13 Our engine's oil filter from the dyno test was still in place, and we won't take it off until after a few hundred miles of break-in. Instead of spending big bucks for the absolutely correct reproduction oil filter (we're going to drive it, after all), we purchased the Rotunda oil-filter decal from NPD. After careful measuring and taping, we made it fit the filter like a second skin so it would simply slide off and on. We should need only one decal a year, taking it off for oil changes and swapping it to the new filter.  14 To determine how to run...  14 To determine how to run the power brakes and automatic-transmission steel lines off the intake vacuum fitting, we looked through our shop manuals, Osborn Reproductions assembly manuals, restoration guides, and Bob Mannel's Mustang & Ford Small-Block V-8, 1962-1969. Some books showed both installed, like the erector set we built here. But we got the correct word from Mannel's book: For '66 Mustangs with an auto trans and power brakes, the booster got its vacuum from the intake fitting (steel line running toward the valve cover), and the auto trans sourced its vacuum from the check valve on the brake booster. Now we know.  15 For many, the chrome open-element...  15 For many, the chrome open-element air cleaner, factory on the Hi-Po but available as an over-the-counter option, is the showpiece of a small-block Ford. We wouldn't think of building a hot 289 without it. From NPD, the air-cleaner assembly comes with the decal and air filter with the proper blue base ready to be installed.  16 While a factory A/C car...  16 While a factory A/C car would have a clutch-type fan assembly, we're installing the extra-cooling five-blade fan and regular fan spacer. When we take our project to Classic Auto Air for the rest of the A/C installation, we'll have them upgrade to the seven-blade fan.  17 Because our distributor...  17 Because our distributor houses a PerTronix electronic ignition conversion, we wanted to make the extra wire as discreet as possible. We found an old elbow connector in our spare-wire-connector box, stripped it down, then soldered it to the PerTronix lead that goes to the negative side of the coil. A bit of shrink-wrap covered the connection and, at first glance, the connection looks factory. The positive wire from the PerTronix was routed discreetly behind the distributor and tapped into the factory coil feed wire.  18 On the dyno, we used the...  18 On the dyno, we used the dyno headers since they were set up for the thermocouple probes the software uses to "see" exhaust temperatures. For our hidden power scheme on the 289, we shipped our NPD-supplied Hi-Po manifolds to Extrude Hone to be abrasive-flow ported, then dropped them off at Jet-Hot to be coated in their natural gray-iron, thermal-barrier coating.  19 The installed manifolds...  19 The installed manifolds look great, and will for years to come. Some people remove the manifolds for cleaning and refinishing, but that sounded like too much work for us. Plus, the thermal coating reduces underhood temperatures and keeps the heat inside the exhaust for better efficiency. Next time, we'll install the transmission, starter, and other drivetrain components, along with our detailed engine. Then we'll fire up our Mustang project and get it to move under its own power for the first time in four years.
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 | We take a glimpse inside the how, what, why, and where of restoring a vintage Mustang |
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