Why Didn’t I Start This Earlier?

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…

Brian Kerven