The Emma Blog

November 21, 2024

In the summer of 2024, I paid way too much for a cherry red 1965 Mustang with a manual transmission from a very nice fella up north. 

Mid-life crisis jokes aside, it’s been one hell of a learning journey. I like to think Dad would be speechless.

I’ve done so many damn things to this car already… off the top of my head:

* Oil Pan + Gasket Swap – that was miserable

* New, modern, touch-screen stereo

* New bulbs in the dash console

* New pedal covers

* Oil change

* Transmission gear oil change – that was awful

* New washer fluid reservoir

* New washer fluid motor

* New washer fluid jets

* New wiper blades

* New overflow for radiator

* New horns and wiring repair

* Completely rewired under dash to a new, modern fuse box

* Rewired auto-choke back to the new fuse box

* New spark plugs – required removing the passenger side exhaust manifold

* New starter solenoid

* New starter coil

* New gas tank emblem

* New battery, battery platform, battery hold-down (was being held down by bungie cords)

* Bled the brakes + new brake fluid – this only kind of worked. I may not have been patient enough

* Driver’s door panel replacement. These things are CHEAP

* New air filter and air filter gasket

* Discovered that this car has a 1970 manual transmission, but came with an auto originally

* Also discovered that it came from the factory…. “Springtime Yellow”

So we come to today. I was feeling motivated.

When I connected back up the spark plugs, I very clearly got the firing order wrong. The car runs like shit right now. So much pinging.

Tonight I got under the car with a flashlight and a paint pen and found the harmonic balancer. After grabbing a 15/16 socket and wrench, I turned the crank until I could see TDC (top dead center) on the markings – which is harder than it sounds. Apparently the 289 small block has a weird TDC marking. 

Look, I’m really just trying to find where plug 1 is on the distributor, man. Yes. I know it’s marked. But apparently that can’t be trusted, because 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8 didn’t work.

No dice on TDC. The distributor still points to like… 3 or something. Not 1 (as marked on the distributor cap).

In any case, I know I can take the valve covers off and do this easily. I know I can put a screwdriver in plug 1’s hole and watch it go up and down. Both of those require my very abiding wife’s help. 

So I ordered a plug stop tool from Amazon. That will help me find TDC without the assistance. Arrives on Saturday. 

More to come…

LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH!

I’d love to inundate you with inanity!


One response to “Why Didn’t I Start This Earlier?”

  1. Brian Kerven Avatar

    One thing I forgot here – I drove the car for about 1/2 a mile and it was backfiring like a mfer. Limped it back home after that. Big yikes.

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