Electrical Alternator (91 Mustang GT & 89 Lincoln Mark VII)

Mustang5L5 said:

That's not a stock mid-pipe. It's been changed. It's possible it was an aftermarket 2-cat pipe, and then the cats were removed.

This is what the stock mid-pipe will look like. You also want to verify your air pump setup is present and hooked up. I see parts of it on the pic that look like they are present.

Click to expand...

Interesting. Quick question: what is the small tube setup to the left of the cats on the right side of the picture? What does it serve to measure?

Mustang5L5 said:

That tube runs up front to the pass side of the engine to a small series of rubber hoses and the air pump. During warmpup, the air pump sends air to the heads. When the engine is fully warmed up, the air is diverted down the metal tube to the 2nd pair of cats. The o2 in the air helps the converter do it's job as older cats, combined with these older, inefficient engines, need all the help they can get.

Click to expand...

I see. As far as I can tell, the air pump is hooked up correctly. Won't know that it is working properly until we get the cat/exhaust pipes set in place and have the smog test done. Of course, if we end up getting a used cat/exhaust setup locally, we probably won't know if it's because the cats or the air pump (or both) aren't working properly. How can we tell if the cats are working before we purchase or secure one from "an alternative parts yard?" Or is it just a gamble?

Jhp & son

Just finished reading a thread about an eulogy for a father. Darn near cried, but for a different reason. You see, both my boys have serious health issues. Nearly lost my oldest several times. The first time was when he was two years old, on memorial day weekend. My wife, my oldest, and my youngest (six weeks old at the time) were driving on the freeway when we noticed the two year had stopped breathing and was turning blue in his car seat. Pulled off to the side and rushed him to the back of the Safari van (sorry, typical new parents' car). Started CPR, while my wife called 911. Seemed like forever, but got him breathing before the highway patrol and fire department arrived and took over. They got him to the hospital in time. That was the first time. Over the course of the sixteen years, we have had transported by ambulance five times to the ER and have driven him ourselves to the ER, each time calling ahead to have a team of specialist on hand (doesn't matter which ER is nearest, we always call on the way and ask to have a team ready for him). Been blessed that he's pulled through each time so far, though a few times we were told they could nothing more, that we should pray.

This is why I have made it a point to spend time with him "working" on his car. My dad made us work on the family cars because we couldn't afford a mechanic, and many times we couldn't even afford a replacement part. Had to rebuild everything at home in the garage.

My son's a "musician" and "an artist," his words. I don't get it, but I support him in his interest (double bass, electric bass, guitar, ukulele, tenor sax, baritone sax, sousaphone, tuba, and piano [even tried drums]).

So, when he said he wanted to do a project car, I wasn't sure we could make it happen. But, it's been great, because he has learned so much on his own and we are learning together to work alongside one another without fighting (some disagreements, but always minor disputes about how to fix his car).

The car is a project, but we are making progress together. Yep, I have to listen to his music at times. But, he enjoys mine as well. Every night I go to bed grateful for another day with him, not always grateful for the foolish debates he starts, but I keep reminding myself that he is a teenager with a difficult, older dad (his peers have fathers 15 to 20 years younger).

I'm especially thankful that this forum exists and that you good folks provide sound advice and great insight. It's a journey no doubt, but thankfully he can "see" what the car can be. He says his friends don't have the "vision" he does because they just want new cars and aren't able to imagine the car later in time.

Again apologies for the personal stuff, but the father/son thread brought this out. Besides, memorial day is just around the corner. And, we go to church together on "that" first day we almost lost him.

My younger son is the athlete, with his own medical issues. He has his eye on a 66 Mustang Coupe. (Told him the 2000 Monte Carlo in the driveway will be his).

Hope to get out to Chicago to pray at the St. Jude National Shrine at the end of May or beginning of June. We plan on driving, depending on the weather patterns, but not the Mustang. That's for when we get it street legal and smog legal.

Jhp & sons