Mustang Chronicles: The Slippery Slope of Car Repair

 

What started as a 15 minute repair has turned into a downward spiral.  The Mustang started overheating, so I went to my local auto parts store and bought a new thermostat, temperature sensor, and coolant flush kit for about $30.  I about had it all back together, but snapped one of the new bolts, as I was tightening it with a torque wrench.  The bolt broke almost flush with the cylinder head, making it impossible to remove with vice grips.  

Broken bolts are a fact of life when working on an old car, and the early Mustangs seem especially prone to breaking bolts on the thermostat housing and exhaust manifold.  I ended up removing the radiator and drilling out the broken bolt, thinking I could clean out the threads in the cylinder head with a tap and die set.  

Unfortunately, I could not clean out the threads, or may have stripped them.  In any case, I knew I had more broken bolts ahead of me, because I was planning on replacing the cracked exhaust manifold, which also bolts on to the cylinder head.  My plan was now to removed the exhaust manifold and then send the cylinder head out to be reconditioned.  

That put me on the slippery slope of car repair, the one where you start with the intentions of doing a small repair job, only to slide down into the abyss of a full on rebuild.  I found a good engine shop, which quoted me about $400 to redo the cylinder head.  This would mean the Mustang would have the top half of the engine rebuilt, while leaving the pistons, bearings, camshaft, and crank untouched and original to a 56 year old car.  Should I do a full engine rebuild while I'm at it?  Do I leave the engine stock, or make some modifications to improve performance?  In addition to the engine itself, should I upgrade the carburetor and ignition?  How far do I want to go?  

Sometimes deciding what to do can be harder than actually doing it.  

 

Yeah, It’s Got a Six

“Hey, is that a ‘65 Mustang?  What-cha got under the hood?”

Those are the most common questions I get when I’m out in my Mustang. Most people don’t care when I tell them the car has a six cylinder engine, but a good number of people seem disappointed.  

Known as the Thriftpower or Falcon 6, the engine displaces 200 cubic inches (or 3.3 liters) and produces 120 horsepower and 200 lb. feet of torque. It offers acceptable performance with good drivability - so much so that the engine was used into the 1980s and powered in a variety of Fox body vehicles, including the early 3rd generation Mustang.

For people looking for more power there are a number of options including swapping out the one barrel Autolite 1100 carburetor for any variety of two barrel options or fuel injection.  Additionally, there are a range of exhaust headers, electronic ignition, cams and cylinder head modifications. Choices range from mild improvements for daily driveability, all the way to wild options like an Offy tri-carb setup and turbocharging.  

Early on, the six cylinder Mustang got an undeserved reputation as a “secretary’s” car.  But a Mustang with a six cylinder and manual transmission compares very favorably to many European cars of the same era.  Look at the performance specs for the Austin Healy 3000, Porsche 356C, or similar 2 + 2 coupes - the Mustang is either within striking distance, or puts up better numbers.

Best of all, a first generation, six cylinder Mustang has balance.  It is a throwback that provides equal doses of fun and practicality.  You can drive it daily and it is rewarding to drive across town on errands or cross country. You can work on it with a basic set of tools and a general understanding of auto mechanics. It can be your weekend car, or your only car.  It is approachable, doesn’t ask for much, but in return gives a purely analog driving experience.  

There are faster cars.  There are better cars, with more of everything.  But there are few cars that convey the joy of unbridled youth, of turning 16 and getting your license, and hitting the road on a spring day, with the windows down and the radio on.     

The Crazy Price of Collector Cars

Collector car prices have gotten way out of hand.  I realize this is nothing new - people have been speculating in the collector car market for years, but seeing some of the mundane iron roll across the auction block for prices in the high five / low six figures leaves me scratching my head.  Here are some examples of what I mean:

• E30 BMWs routinely go for $50,000, M3s for double that amount

• Ford Trucks have sold for as much as $97,500

• Japanese cars from the 1990s sell for over $100,000

All of these cars are pristine, low mileage, or limited run cars.  People collect other objects like art, wine, or antiques, so cars shouldn’t be any different. It’s nobody’s business what you buy.  Nothing wrong with collecting something as a hobby or because you have an interest in it.  

What gets me is the rampant speculation.  There is no measure of value.  Some of these cars trade hands regularly, and double their value every few years. It’s almost like the price paid is a bragging right or a way to keep score with your money.  That’s fine if you have the means, but it bothers me for two reasons:  

First, skyrocketing prices put these cars out of reach for most people.  If you’re not independently wealthy, the only way to buy something is by spending an inheritance, taking out a loan, or robbing your kid’s college fund.  It seems the most common collector car buyer is someone who is newly retired and who has either downsized to a smaller house, or has extra retirement money.  Go to any auto auction and you’ll see the early dinner crowd buying up the cars of their youth, gladly paying beachfront property money for the Hemi powered Plymouth they wanted in high school.  

Second, the prices make it hard to drive these cars on the street.  No one wants to risk putting a dent in their original Plymouth Barracuda or scratch the paint on their Chevelle 396 “tribute car” that they just bought for $80,000.  You’ll never see a pro-street anything on the street, let alone the parking lot at a local store.  These cars arrive in an enclosed trailer, under the dark of night, with more secrecy than the Stealth bomber. 

As a kid, a neighbor had a black 1957 Chevy Bel Air parked in their garage. A friend’s mom daily drove a mint green 1969 Pontiac GTO.  The local import garage usually had a Jaguar E-type or XJ-S in for service.  And one of my dad’s partners had a Lotus Europa.  These cars left their imprint on me and are a big part of why I’m into cars today.  

There have been stories over the past few years about how the younger generations are no longer interested in cars as anything other than a mode of transport.  If there is a problem, I think it’s more due to a lack of exposure, or a lack of money, than waning interest.