Hello, im 16, i have a 66 coupe 289, and even though i love mustangs, i dont really know that much about cars or mustangs themselves. ive been using it as a daily driver for school for about 3 months, and have only run into a few problems. I'd like to hear from some young mustang owners in my position, because where i'm from, im the only 16 year old with a 66, (dont get me wrong, its a good thing.) I have mustang monthly, and other magazines, but id just like to know some problems that face daily drivers, like recurring problems, things i should fix right away, and any performance and or any upgrades that dont cost too much! id really like to make the car handle and have the safety of a new mustang, which i know isnt really that possible on my budget, but any new products that arent terribly hard to put in would be great! any assistance is greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Any Young Mustang owners out there??????
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brtnstrns
Member
Well I have a 66 coupe too but I dont turn 16 til this July. I'm restoring mine...unfortunatley its only a 6 cyl and your lucky that you have a 289...haha i'm jealous. But yeah I may be able to help some...although I'm learning about my car as i go along too...you can check it out on my sig. It should be done by the end of summer. You can ask me questions if you want
NorCal66
New Member
I'm 18 now and have my 66 as my daily driver. Let me give you three tips: 1. Gain all the knowledge you can: check this board and read posts, read the magazine articles, listen to anyone you can, etc, etc..
2. Once you have quite a bit of this knowledge start working on it. Little stuff first, but DO IT YOURSELF. I made the mistake of paying someone else to do stuff that really wouldn't have been all that difficult. Looking back if I had taken more time to sit down and learn, not spend any money on labor, I could probably have a stroker kit and a pair of AFRs. You'll be able to do a lot more for your car if you do things yourself (except the inevitable paintjob, alignment and the other stuff you simply can't do) Get a shop manual ($30 bucks or so, well worth it)
3. Once you have all this stuff...don't crash it. It's easy to get carried away I know, but don't do dumb stuff like burn out everywhere or try and kick the rear end around turns. I learned that one the hard way...went over the curb into a mcdonalds parking lot (d'oh).
Ok one more... get everything working right, then upgrade. If it had problems to begin with you could open yourself up to a wholeeee new set of them.
GOOD LUCK! ASK QUESTIONS!
2. Once you have quite a bit of this knowledge start working on it. Little stuff first, but DO IT YOURSELF. I made the mistake of paying someone else to do stuff that really wouldn't have been all that difficult. Looking back if I had taken more time to sit down and learn, not spend any money on labor, I could probably have a stroker kit and a pair of AFRs. You'll be able to do a lot more for your car if you do things yourself (except the inevitable paintjob, alignment and the other stuff you simply can't do) Get a shop manual ($30 bucks or so, well worth it)
3. Once you have all this stuff...don't crash it. It's easy to get carried away I know, but don't do dumb stuff like burn out everywhere or try and kick the rear end around turns. I learned that one the hard way...went over the curb into a mcdonalds parking lot (d'oh).
Ok one more... get everything working right, then upgrade. If it had problems to begin with you could open yourself up to a wholeeee new set of them.
GOOD LUCK! ASK QUESTIONS!
hey ! thanks alot, im really really anxious to get on here to learn stuff, seeing as how i have very limited knowledge of this stuff. i have magazines and stuff, but i have no clue what to buy, or what i should buy, i mean is there anything i should replace no matter what? i have a new manifold, spark wires and plugs, pertronix breakerless system, air filter, but thats what i know is new. car has been running good, not needing anything major. one concern:it has a little like clicking noise that speeds up when i hit the gas, and its not that loud, i can just hear it, and i dont know what it is, id also like to know if theres anyway to stop warming it up for 15 minutes!!!!!! i have to plan my whole morning around it, id love to just start it up and leave, is there any way to do that????
NorCal66
New Member
Hmm...where's the clicking coming from?
I usually warm my car up 5 mins in the morning and from the rest of the day on for maybe a minute to 30 seconds. Then again...it doesn't really get cold here... If you have a carb with an automatic choke, just give it a little kick of gas every 2 mins or so when you start it each morning. After about 3 of these kicks my car snaps down to idle and is in good territory on the temp gauge
I usually warm my car up 5 mins in the morning and from the rest of the day on for maybe a minute to 30 seconds. Then again...it doesn't really get cold here... If you have a carb with an automatic choke, just give it a little kick of gas every 2 mins or so when you start it each morning. After about 3 of these kicks my car snaps down to idle and is in good territory on the temp gauge
its coming from right behind the dash, like almost on the firewall. does the msd ignition help that, or what does that help cuz a guy told me to buy it. it doesnt get cold in florida either
and another question, i keep hearing "bored over" what does that mean, and a kid told me i should get bigger heads and pistons, and the guy who told me to buy the ignition told me to buy a roller or something. i dunno , maybe hydraulic, but they were "smooth". also, what exactly is a cam? should i get one, or is it just performance? and whats ur shift kit, cuz i have a c4 automatic, and im guessing thats what urs is too, o and by the way, thanks alot, hopefully im not asking too many q's
and another question, i keep hearing "bored over" what does that mean, and a kid told me i should get bigger heads and pistons, and the guy who told me to buy the ignition told me to buy a roller or something. i dunno , maybe hydraulic, but they were "smooth". also, what exactly is a cam? should i get one, or is it just performance? and whats ur shift kit, cuz i have a c4 automatic, and im guessing thats what urs is too, o and by the way, thanks alot, hopefully im not asking too many q's
brtnstrns
Member
I havent done any performance things. Like I said I have a 6 banger, right now we're just focusing on getting the interior done, getting some fiberglass parts (restomod), straightening the body up and getting it painted. That way I can save up money for a v8 swap.
also: ya'll have problems starting up your cars? I live in Texas which may mean something but I never have any problems with my car "warming up" just a few pumps of the gas and its good.
also: ya'll have problems starting up your cars? I live in Texas which may mean something but I never have any problems with my car "warming up" just a few pumps of the gas and its good.
one2gamble
Founding Member
i used mine as a daily driver, I would just make sure you have good brakes and maybe new springs/shocks. If it was taken care of it should hold up.
well ur lucky because if i dont warm up for atleast 10 minutes the first time i punch it it stalls ( found that out numerous times) hey one2gamble, thanks, i was thinking about the gas-a-just shocks, since many ppl have them and everyone sells them, its in real nice condition, so i got my fingers crossed and hopefully itll stay up!
NorCal66
New Member
Whew...well...
MSD will help, not tremendously, but it will give you a better spark, which can lead to a little bit more power as well as fuel economy.
Bored over is the bore on the cylinder walls. Two factors determine displacement, bore and stroke. To increase displacement and potential power, it is very common to bore out the block, say .030"-.060" over. Boring a 302ci (4.00" bore i think?) to a 4.030" bore will turn it into a 306ci.
Bigger is not the key word in pistons and heads. You want strong pistons with the appropriate compression ratio, and good flowing heads. Simply "going big" could possibly leave you with less power than you started.
A cam determines your engine's valve timing. It's a very important performance piece and there are many factors that determine how each different cam can make the same engine perform. It's a little complex to explain. Check out http://auto.howstuffworks.com/camshaft.htm
MSD will help, not tremendously, but it will give you a better spark, which can lead to a little bit more power as well as fuel economy.
Bored over is the bore on the cylinder walls. Two factors determine displacement, bore and stroke. To increase displacement and potential power, it is very common to bore out the block, say .030"-.060" over. Boring a 302ci (4.00" bore i think?) to a 4.030" bore will turn it into a 306ci.
Bigger is not the key word in pistons and heads. You want strong pistons with the appropriate compression ratio, and good flowing heads. Simply "going big" could possibly leave you with less power than you started.
A cam determines your engine's valve timing. It's a very important performance piece and there are many factors that determine how each different cam can make the same engine perform. It's a little complex to explain. Check out http://auto.howstuffworks.com/camshaft.htm
I am 18, and drove my 70 coupe with a 302 daily for four years now. All i can say is i have learned SO much from this board. my MAIN piece of adivce i will give you is this......dont beat on the car like i did....I raced it alot and my foot for some reason had soem magnet stuck in it when i was bored and couldent seem to keep off the damn floorboard, and now im sitting with a beutiful 70 with a toasted engine. As fun as it is to mash that gas be easy on it. Also gas milege, allways flooring it, will result in HORRIBLE gas milege. I could barely afford it lol. Um like stated above, just try and do the work yourself. I didnt know a DAMN THING about alot of things, but i somehow could do them after trying them. My whole cooling system i did myself (like the water pump which sucks cuz ya gotta take off evrey damn accessory allmost to do it). Go buy a chiltons or some manual too the car. this is a MUST. Allways make sure you double...evan triple check all connections to evreything when replacing something.....when working with elctrical, ALLWAYS disconnect the battery. and please... DONT put any subs on that stock alternater (i fried 2)........and last but not least, wheres the pics dammit? lol
hey everybody thanks a mill!!!!! wow this is my first time ever being on this site, and alreayd its turning out great, cant tell how much help this is. is there any way to bore out my 289 to get more displacement/power? hahaha o cmon mustangman, u dont like those go-cart/lawnmowers that do donuts in ur paking lot?hahah, quite gay i must say, ricers are quite gay, but hey ur from st. pete? im from holiday, like 45 minutes away, u go to away shows or anything, cuz the retirement village i live in sucks for mustang stuff, or really car show anythings! if i were too put some subs in, which is a very real possibility, is it easy to buy a better alt.? or do i have to like get one out of a new mustang and make modifications? and sry, i dont have a digital camera!!! hopefully ill talk the parentals into one, cuz i sure as hell aint shellin out 150 or whatever for a freakin camera! hopefully ill be the baddest 66 around with the help!
SandSprite
Member
The clicking noise could be an exhaust leak or noise in the valve train.
My mustang is my only car, so I rely on it to work right (but I don't drive daily-- maybe weekly).
My mustang is my only car, so I rely on it to work right (but I don't drive daily-- maybe weekly).
im 16 i got a 73 grande with a 351c an i have learnt alot from just playin with it every weekend and reading on id say for a first car go with an older stang bc they will hold up an do anything ud like but the gas is expensive when your flooring it i dont try to do it much but me bein 16 an all everyone else is tryin to run with me on the highway an stuff so i try to show them not to but yah try to keep out of it as much as possible an just have fun driving it
brtnstrns
Member
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