I ended up buying this Mustang today... my friend who I built it for passed away some time ago... I purchased the car from a family member of the person who I built the engine for.

I don't deny the fact that I need another sports car like a hole in the head, but it was a friend of the family discount too good to pass up. Now I just have to clear a spot to store it in the garage until I get other work caught up. Currently it needs a new top and some trim, along with some re-freshing. Feels great, and honestly the history with this vehicle is such that I may just keep it... 

Needless to say, the wife is not as thrilled with my collection of old Historical vehicles...

but I get a super rate of just $30 every 10 years for plates and registration under the Historical program here in Michigan... Plus it's pretty much $15 a month for a full coverage collectors insurance policy! You just can't beat that! Plus I got one year no interest financing thru my Discover card! Even though I could have paid cash, why not spread out the payments with zero interest... 

I bought the car well enough that I could literally sell two parts off the car and make my money back... The Tremec T5 TKO manual transmission with scatter proof bellhousing, and the ultra-expensive and rare tubular GT40 intake with matching cast iron heads. Not that I'd ever do that, I only mention it so people know this was a SOLID INVESTMENT with the perks of some sentimental value. All the other Hi-Po parts in the photos above are still in the vehicle too... I'm really excited to find this car a spot in my garage and just take my time with it. No rush, as it gives me youthful vibes and memores much like the Corvette and Mercedes.

Sentimental value... and cars... It's a sickness! But if I had to have a sickness, this is the one for me! 

Thank you PowerStroker! You being a Ford guy, I knew you'd approve! lol

Guess I'm a Ford guy again now too.

Quick question for you, do you know if back in 1988 or 1991 if they put part of the vin number on the block? Or at least what year the block was made? There is a possibility that the engine block could be from my old Green Notchback as my car got totaled about the time this one came on the scene and I want to say we might have used the block from my car for the rebuild... I just can't recall because back then we were all so crazy!

Thanks Rastus!

Goldilocks will soon be able to wait it out in climate controled comfort in my new four car attached garage that I am having built out of an existing addition and the adjoining patio slab... just got the all clear from the woman, as it was a hard sell...

But here is the truth, if you're going to have nice cars they HAVE to be stored inside or they will succumb to the elements! Does not matter what brand you buy! That is the bottom line.

Would make no sense to paint Goldilocks, or ANY other car I have unless it could be stored indoors. Let's hope I can keep all this under budget! Remember, I used my previous home improvement loan to bail out the company during COVID... now that fund is fully replenished and awaiting use for it's original intened purpose! The key will be bundling up these improvements to save money... I have needed a roof since COVID, but now that I am adding a two car on an existing patio slab that means when I do the roof this year it takes care of two issues, along with easy install of the HVAC when the back side of the roof is off. Should have some pretty cool photos for the V8 Cafe soon!

For now I am having to clean out my other garage here to make room for the Mustang. I don't plan on doing anything with it but covering it and putting it in the garage until after Big Blue and the House projects are complete. I just had to strike while the iron was hot, and I really wasn't ready to take in another car that needed to be stored indoors... Once Goldilocks is inside the four car attached to the house I'll be able to do her proper! She still runs like a top and fires on the first crank after the engine work. This expansion will also allow me to add another lift or two... Maybe even a four post with a pipe bender and alignment setup. No rush on that stuff, if the economy tanks I might be able to pick up some good deals on the stuff! I was going to wait and low-ball the Mustang, but Jim was a good friend (and a member of this forum too, Fishstang302) and his cousin is a good friend as well! So when he said he was thinking about letting it go I asked how much, and the rest is history. 

Just got my plates today, historical... $30 for 10 years... $62 for insuracne while I await the actual metal plate, but then probably about $12-14 per month once the collector policy takes over. So my investment will be insured and only growing in value as I fix it. 

Other revelations have been ongoing, which I will also bring up in the V8 Cafe since it's classic family drama.

With the expansion between the house, my garage (by way of simpily adding a two car garage door) and the other garage I will have a combined SEVEN bays! Four of them climate controlled (with my new HVAC system I been sitting on) Not bad if I can get it all done under budget!

I don't think I've ever seen a vin on a Ford engine block, but I haven't looked. I was under the impression that for a Ford to be considered "numbers matching" it just needed to have the correct part numbers on the block and heads, including the 4 digit prefix code being realistic. There is a lot of information about Ford part number prefix codes to help you decode that. And keep in mind that the prefix code ONLY indicates the first year and model in which such a part was installed, it does not indicate how many years or vehicle lines said part ended up being used in. You could have a 1990 car with 1980's prefix codes on many parts and that would be totally normal, but the only way a part with a 1991 prefix code would be found on a 1990 car would be if it had been replaced at some point with a different version. Also the suffix, which indicates revision level of the part would have to be legit to be "numbers matching" on a Ford. 

Well guys, the celebratory brew-ha-ha has worn off... and part of the reason I got the vehicle at such a good price was because she was making some ticking and funny sounds every now and again...

I drove it a while and noticed that it did seem to come and go, with it getting louder when it was warm... then I pulled the valve cover from where the noise was comming and found this

Figured I'd better check it out before I really started to open it up, and I'm sure glad that we did!

Do you see it yet? How about a closer look!

See it now? WOW! Isn't that crazy!

The only thing I can figure is the deceased previous owner (rest his soul) must have been holding that valve for the past year and a half from dropping! Because I didn't even need a spring compressor to compress the spring to remove the locks! Just a simple push down of the keepers with my fingers while the piston was all the way up, and my magnet had the locks out! There is absolultly no explainable reason why this exhaust valve did not drop into the piston the past year and a half... NONE!  But it didn't... sure it was stored most of the times, but I goosed it pretty good on the test drive home when it was cold and wasn't making much noise! LOL

And let me tell you, try finding a high rate CompCams dual valve spring on the 4th of July weekend! I ordered one immediatly and it says it will be here on the 5th or the 6th... meanwhile Big Blue is preparing to enter the bay immediatly after and that should be some more good juicy photos too... 

Just so very thankful this 4th of July that I didn't push it, and took the time to at least inspect it. I had reservations to be at the camp site on the lake all this week... decided not to go, too much work and I'd have been just worn out after a week camping on the lake anyway.

I sent this video to the P.O. immediatly after finding the broken spring

The cylinder holds compressed air so I'm thinking we will be okay with just one spring for now (One CompCams dual spring of matching rate and measurement). I have a SnapOn digital borescope so I'll be sure to take a peak before I put in the plug. 

Some say Bee Hive springs are the way to go, but this just looks like faliure due to over-reving, or perhaps a weak spot in the coil... had this been a single high rate "bee hive" I doubt the valve would have held in the head after breaking.

It's a pretty fat camshaft, and after over 22 years and more than 20k miles I don't think it's all that bad for a high performance spring with +.510 lift and 288 degrees of duration. Keep in mind a lot of them 20k miles were HARD miles, you don't exactly get in a Hi-Po Stick shift Mustang and drive it like an old lady, you drive it like you stole it! Also worth mentioning is this vehicle has changed hands a few times, and it has been loaned out to people that I know of too! In other words, it was built right.

I don't have much planned for the car, except to say I'd like to keep it around. No doubt it could use a fresh set of springs and a fresh paint job on the engine, but it's just not in the cards right now...

Big Blue, House and then we can talk!

SELLC wrote:

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Rastus wrote:

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The push-rod ball-end might be stuck in the roller-rocker too btw...

I'd be replacing the whole set of valve-springs SELLC & push-rods too.

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1.These are titanium one piece CompCams Magnum pushrods, Rastus... they don't have any balls.

2.The components in this engine are very high end, in the order of $40 per spring and a few hundred dollars for the pushrods. They all look okay and will be re-used along with the rocker arm, locks and keepers. 

3.But I got very lucky I caught it... just a matter of time before that valve would have fallen into the combustion chamber! Literally could have been the next time I fired it up to move it! 

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R1. LOL !!! Must be my eyes lol !  Thanks for the info ! When I saw the non-adjustable roller-rockers, I figured that she simply had a baby-drag-car-hydraulic-cam, & likely had a matched set of hardened push-rods with ball-ends...( It "does" appear sheered-off, like the break in the spring, clean straight snap, with the middle-section the last to say see-ya-later lol ).

* Hydraulic lifters can & do pump-up when over-revved, as there's not enough leak-down-time, & it's possible for pistons to touch valves...This bends push-rods...Worn-out camshaft base-circles have the same effect too.

R2. The beast is alive-&-well after all-this-time, & has just been saved from major catastrophe...I can't wait for her to fire-up again & some video's !

* Also, any Hi-Po engine that sits for a long-time will see some loss-of-valve-spring-seat-pressure on the cylinder(s) that has both valves rocking, & or either inlet or exhaust valve open whilst at rest, as with any V-8 engine when shut down.

R3. Lucky isn't the word lol ! It's nice motor however !

SHE'S ALIVE!!! AND SHE'S PISSED AND MEAN AS EVER BEFORE!

Just got my spring in, which was dropped shipped to me by CompCams... So AutoZone made a few bucks on me for nothing but promises it could not keep... But what's a few bucks when the job turns out to be a success?

I even made a specal T-Bar to use my Mercedes-Benz spring compressor tool! LOL, truth be known when I realized the spring was broken originally I reached for a set of Mercedes 560 springs I had... they seemed to be similar rate, even dual springs... but they were just too small to fit in the retainer grooves! lol 

Here is a photo of the rig I made to install this monster spring on the car with only one set of hands

Here is a photo of the pedistal shims used to adjust these style rockers (Rastus)

And here she is all done

I even checked the cylinder and valves with the borescope before firing it back up.

With everything looking good I fired her up and WOW!

Revved up so fast and tight I got a boner right on the spot!

Cleaned up and took it for a ride and was reminded why I had to give these cars up! They are so fun to rip around that any time you're behind the wheel you're at risk of doing something really stupid! LOL

I must have burt off 3000 miles of tread with two launches! Damn! It was so damn fun! Still grinning! 

Once I can get someone to hold the camera I'll shoot a few small videos, but currently it's impossible to film while driving this beast! It takes too much concentration as the RPM's come on FAST! Not to mention the understeer due to the tires being thrashed! Don't forget, it's a stick so you'll need all your hands and feet to ride this pony!

What a day! Now I have to put it away before I get myself in trouble! 

Figured I'd dust off this tune too

This is the best I can muster for right now Rastus... I already tore up the streets bad enough today! LOL, besides there is no way I could hold the phone a run thru the gears in this car. I don't have any of them fancy camera holding thing-a-ma-bobs, but maybe I should look into it? 

Just for you!

Thanks Rastus! Still lots of stuff to do, like replace that noisy belt that squeels at start up (old dry belt) and maybe a little better adjustment on the rest of them rocker arms... The shims work, but the old style with the poly locks were much faster and easier to set up. Still, roller rocker arms are noisy, regardless how well you adjust them they sound mechanical... Then we have that gear drive timing set that is pretty loud too, often wonder if the resonance from that unit is messing with the knock sensors in any way. 

Not in any big rush, and it's still a lot of fun to drive as it sits. Look forward to getting the new gagrage complete so I can work on it over the winter.

I just want to be clear... the only reason I have not reached that mirror around the block to see the hand inscribed VIN number (per the internet) on the left drivers side head area is because...

RIP - Tony Sirico

Also I don't care for these cheap racing seats... I'd much rather have a set of black tweed original Mustang seats from a 1991 or later... I'll be keeping my eyes peeled.

The Mustang needs an entire new convertible top and also the rear glass window... it's $500 from the NPD store but I am hoping to have the other garages finished before winter so I don't have to spend that money this year... or maybe ever since I only like driving the car local on nice days... still, I feel the car needs it to be proper... even if I do buy the boot that covers that area up.

Crappy part is that the Red Corvette has to sit in the rain because of this and a lack of garage spots! It really burns my biscuts when this happens! So I am working hard and fast!

Plus I really could use my other garage that is being used as Mustang and Corvette parking... once the cars go in the new garage I'll have another bay to set up a hoist and be able to keep the flow of work going while a big job is torn apart in the other!