Friday, June 29, 2012

Black Color Change Update

Ok, I have identified everything that needs to be colored in order to complete my color change.  This process is not a short one and is not for the faint of heart.  :)

Ok, so maybe that is a bit dramatic, but it takes some time to do.

In this post I am covering what I have done thus far and what is left to do.  I am also explaining some of the things that I found that were broken as well as the you might as well change it while you are in there items.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

The Seats Are Finished

In an earlier post I discussed that I was changing the color of my interior of my car from grey to black.  I posted some previews of some of the stuff that I have done.  Since this time I have finished the the seats, but they have yet to be installed in the car.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Updated The Visors

As I have been working on the 86 Mustang, I have come across the need to go to the junk yards and get parts.  I know "Go Figure".  :)


Well this past weekend, I was out there and figured while I was there I could look for a drivers seat and some sun visors for the 95 if I could get them pretty reasonable.  As you are probably aware, I am trying to sell the 95 so I really don't want to put any more money into it than I have to.  This is just one of those things where I think it will really help it sell.

I found the heater control for the 86 and I was walking around the junk yard and stumble upon a 95 that had really nice visors in it.  I snapped those up as fast as I could and installed them last night.  They look so much better.  It is hard to explain.  It is literally like night and day.

It looks much better now.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Mustang Interior Color Change Update

Earlier I posted that I was changing the color of my interior from charcoal to black. 

This is a quick update on what I have been doing.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Explorer Engine Swap: In Pictures

I just realized that I never really posted a lot of pictures during the engine swap process.  This post is designated to show all of the pictures I took during the engine swap process.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Testing The Color Change

I had been reading and researching what it was going to take to convert the mustang interior from grey to black.  I had attempted to do this one time before when I had an old 76 Ford Truck, but I really didn't know what I was doing back then.  It caused some really undesireable results in spots, but it was effective.

I now know what I had done wrong those so many years ago and I am not going to make the same mistake again.  When I was looking at my interior, I noticed that the passenger side panel on the rear had been broken and needed to be fixed.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Topless Tuesday 6/5/2012

I really haven't forgotten about topless tuesday.  It is still in the back of my mind and I keep forgetting to take pics of the car out and about.  Honestly, I am more interested in selling the red car right now and that has been taking priority.

With that said, I am going to share a pic of my 86 after I first got it.  (so it is old and not from today)


As it sits, my car currently has no seats and isn't drivable.  You will get more updates about that at a later time.

Still Working On The Mustangs


I am sure you have seen it has been a while since I have posted.  I promise, I am still working on my mustangs.  There really isn't anything more to do to the 95, it runs great and drives great.  No need to make any performance upgrades since I am trying to sell it.

With that said, I am working on the 86.  Here is a little background of what I am doing and I will post future articles on how I am doing it.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Topless Tuesday To Resume 4/24

The weather has been kind of crazy lately.  I haven't had the opportunity to put the top down on the Mustang for the past two Tuesdays due to the cold.  I am going to start doing it no matter what.  Even if it is raining.  

Yeah that's right, I will put the top down and take a picture even if it is down pouring rain outside.  I am that crazy WOOOO!  :)  (In a real quiet voice, it will be in the garage, but the top will be down)

Look for new pics soon.  If you want me to post your pics for Topless Tuesday, send them to me.  My email (broken up in words because spammers get to these) kwillis at nerddawg.com.  It doesn't have to necessarily be a Tuesday you took your pic, but I will put it up on a Tuesday.  Feel free to tell me a little about your car and I will promote it for you.  Even if you are out and about and just see a nice convertible, snap a pic and send it.  It doesn't even have to be a Mustang, but they will get first preference.  :)  Yeah, I am a bit biased.

Went To A Swap Meet

Over the Easter weekend there was an All Ford Swap Meet in Columbus, Ohio.  I had heard good things about this meet, so I made plans to attend this year.  This was a pretty large group that was out there, but from what I understand, it is not as large as it was in the past due to this being the Easter weekend.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Topless Tuesday April 3, 2012

The weather has been really nice lately and I have really been enjoying the Mustang.  Apparently I have enjoyed it so much that my wife has decided it is her turn to drive it for the week.  :) 

This morning I reminded her that it was Topless Tuesday, and she was going to have to participate.  After "The Look" and explaining what it was, she agreed.  :)


This is a pic of her and my nephew getting ready to take off for the day.  Unfortunatly shortly after this picture they came to the realization that it may be a little too chilly in the morning to be driving with the top down yet.  They quickly pulled over and put it up.

Never fear though, it is supposed to be a high of 81 degrees and sunny here in the Indianapolis area.  They assured me they would be driving with the top down later in the day. 

Hope you have fun guys.  Enjoy the car!

Topless Tuesday March 27, 2012

Ok, this one is coming a week late, but what that means is that you will be getting two of them today.  Not bad considering it is "Two"sday.  (I admit it's bad)

In the mode of keeping Topless Tuesday alive and well, here is my submission from 3/27/2012.  My intent was to present pictures of me or a member of my family out and about in the Mustangs that we own, but I stumbled upon this beauty when we were heading into Houlihan's in Noblesville, IN.  I can't see this car with the top down and not have it as a feature for Topless Tuesday.


I am sure you will agree anytime you get a specimine from the 60's that looks this good, you have to stop and admire it.  The interior looked as good as the exterior on this car.  If there was any model of Mustang I could have chose to buy it would be this one.  Too bad they are out of my budget just like a new one is.  :)

I hope you enjoyed this.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Weather is getting good

With the current weather the way it has been (7 days in a row above 70 degrees Fahrenheit).  It has been irresistible to take the Mustang out for a drive.

Currently the Red 95 mustang is the only one that is road ready so that is the only one that I can take out.

I think I am going to start "Topless" Tuesday.  Every Tuesday I will be driving the Mustang and taking a picture out and about with the top down.   This will be my first installment of Topless Tuesday.  This picture is at home.


Sunday, March 18, 2012

Setting The Timing On Your Mustang

Every once in a while you will need to adjust the timing of your car.  You may do it for various reasons, one of which is to get a little more performance out of your car. 

Recently I had changed the engine in my Mustang, so now I will need to set the timing.  This post will cover how to do that.  I will point out the differences between the 94-95 and the 86-93 Fox body 5.0L engines.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Installing A Flowmaster Cat Back Exhaust

As our cars get older, the problem that happens to them is that they start to have their exhaust rust out.  When this happens, we are confronted with the problem of do we just change the muffler, or do we change everything.

This post will discuss how to put a cat back exhaust on your car.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Article Posting And Updates

It has been some time since I had posted an update on the blog.  This is due to a busy personal life that has prevented me from getting online and posting any updates. 

At this point the Explorer conversion is done, so there may not be as many "How To" posts coming down the line, but I will do my best to keep you informed on the status of the Mustangs and whatnot.  I do have a few artlicles slated to post once I get them written. 

From this point going forward I am going to focus on quality of posts but still try to get enough posts to keep you all interested in reading. 

I am going to go back through some of my previous posts and add some images where I can as well as try to introduce some video and images in my future posts.  Stay tuned, hopefully this goes smoothly.

Explorer Engine Swap - Installing The Upper Intake And Angle Adapter.

Now that your engine is in the engine bay, I am assuming you have everything else hooked up and are ready to get your upper intake installed.

The problem with the Explorer upper intake is that it does not have the 45 degree angle that the 94-95 Mustangs use on the 5.0L engine.  Because of this, we have to use an adapter.  This post will discuss the steps required to get the adapter to work.  I will also be pointing out where I had to make some modifications to the adapter piece.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Installing A Torque Converter in Your Mustang

The 94-95 Mustangs (and other models of Fords) had a common problem. The problem was torque converter shudder.   This problem affected multiple engine sizes.  I know in the Mustang realm, it affected the GT and Base models (3.8 and 5.0L).

In this post I will discuss how to identify a torque converter shudder and how to replace your torque converter.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Explorer Engine Swap - Installing The Engine

Since we have started on this course, we have done a lot of prep work for the new engine that is going into the Mustang.  In this post I will be discussing putting the engine back in.

There are a few things that I will be detailing in this article.  The most important of which is the priming of the oil pump.  I will also give some advice on how to get your engine and transmission lined up properly. 

Friday, February 10, 2012

Explorer Engine Swap - Installing the Oil Pan and Flywheel

Now that you have your old engine out of your Mustang, you will be able to remove the parts that you will need to make the Explorer Engine work. 

Let's Start with the removal of the old parts.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Explorer Engine Swap - Removing The Mustang Engine

Ok, we have our explorer engine ready to go into the Mustang minus a few parts that we need from the Mustang.   At this point we want to remove our old engine.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Explorer Engine Swap - Installing The Lower Intake

In the previous step we finished installing the valve train and we are now ready to install the lower intake manifold.

This step will involve the removal of the thermostat housing and putting a new thermostat in as well.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Explorer Engine Swap - Installing The Valve Train

In the last article I discussed how to put the timing cover and water pump.  Now it is time to start putting the top of the engine back together so we can get it ready to drop into the car.

We are going to start with the valve train.  Ok, maybe not the full valve train, but the parts that we had taken off in an earlier step so we could change the cam and valve springs.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Explorer Engine Swap - Installing the timing cover and water pump

At this point you have followed me through the process of taking the explorer engine apart and we have changed the cam and valve springs.  A new timing chain has been installed, and all gasket surfaces have been cleaned.

Now it's time to start installing the things that make this look like an engine again.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Explorer Engine Swap - Cleaning The Gasket Areas

Up to this point everything has been pretty fun to do.  Now we are at the point where we will need to do some of the tedious work.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Pictures, Comments, And Followers

I am sure a common question you may be asking is why are there no pictures with any of the posts?  This is actually pretty simple.  When I was working through the engine swap, I wasn't intending on creating a blog about it.  In essence, I didn't take a lot of pictures thru the process.  I know pictures would be very helpful.

Although I do have some, they don't necessarily depict the steps that you will be walking thru at this point. 

Currently I am working on other items that will be blog posts later and I will be taking pictures of those and posting.  Eventually I will get into the rebuilding of the engine I removed from my mustang and at that point I will be able to go thru and make the pictures to go along with the steps discussed up to this point. 

Until that point, if you have a question about any step in this process, feel free to leave a comment on the post and I will do my best to answer it.  I will try to answer as soon as I possibly can with as much detail as possible.  If I have an image that would be useful to you I can either email it to you or update the post with it. 

Ask anything about the post, It will help make the blog better.

Until last week I didn't realize comments were only allowed for people who joined my blog or who were followers of it.  Although I recommend that anyone who finds this information to follow my blog, I turned off the requirement.  Now you can annonymously post a comment.  The only thing I ask is that you be respectful  I still moderate comments to prevent the spammers from getting all the crap on here.

Please become a follower of my blog.  I am not a business, I will not use this information to spam you, I would just like to get a solid base of people reading so that I know what I am posting is being read and not for nothing.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Explorer Engine Swap - Installing the Timing Chain and Oil Pump

Following all of the articles so far, we now have the valve springs and cam shaft installed.  The next piece of this is to get the timing chain and oil pump installed on this motor.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Explorer Engine Swap - Getting The Shaft - Putting The Cam In

Up to this point we have discussed preparing your engine for all of this work.  We have also discussed how to change the valve springs, now it is time to move on to the camshaft.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Explorer Engine Swap - Springing Into Action - Installing Your Valve Springs

In this post I am going to be covering what it is going to take to change your valve springs while the heads are still attached to the engine.

Yup, that's right without taking the heads off.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Explorer Engine Swap - Removing The Essentials

In the last article, we talked about stripping the Explorer engine down to the core components that you will need to use.

From this point going forward, you will want to save everything you remove from this engine because you will most likely be reusing it again.

Let's get started.


Saturday, January 21, 2012

Explorer Engine Swap - Getting Started - Disassembling the Explorer Engine

So far we have researched what you need to do this conversion, how much it should cost for the parts, and what tools you need.  Now it is time to get your hands dirty.

In the next series of articles I am going to break down the stripping of the Explorer engine.

I am going to break each of these articles down into approximately 2 hours worth of work each. 

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Prepare Your Workspace

Before you start any project, you need to prepare your workspace for the task at hand. 

This article goes thru some tips and tricks to help make your life easier when  you work on your engine. 

For starters, make sure your work area is big enough to handle what you are trying to do. 

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Explorer Engine Swap - What Tools Will I need?

A quick recap...  So in the recent articles we have talked about choosing the engine, what parts you will need to get this engine going, and how to save money when purchasing these parts.  These are all very valuable pieces of information, but today I am going over something that will be a definite savings in time. 

Today we are discussing what types of tools you will need to do the Explorer engine conversion, some of the common sizes, and some suggestions for improved experience.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Extreme Couponing For The Gear Head

In my last post I discussed all of the parts that you need and where to get them from.  I specifically pointed certain locations for those parts because it relates to this article.

Here I will tell you how to save over $100 on this particular conversion.  I will also show you how you can save on other parts purchases as well.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Explorer Engine Swap - The Shopping List

In my previous posts I covered the parts that were required as well as some of the other parts that were a good idea to replace.  In this post I am going to go over a full shopping list of all the parts in one place as well as give you a good idea of how much they will cost.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Explorer Engine Swap - Better to Be Safe Than Sorry

In my last article I explained what some of the required pieces are that it would take to do the Engine conversion into the Mustang.  Now I am going to go into some of the things you should replace since you are doing this.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Explorer Engine Swap - Exploring Into the Mustang

Prior to choosing the Explorer engine to go into the Mustang, I told you I did a bunch of research into what it was going to take to put the engine in and what parts it would need to put it in there.  This is a quick compilation to that.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Choosing the Right Engine

Quick recap...  At this point you know that I bought a Mustang that I shouldn't have, and it has a bad engine in it.  Now I need to decide what engine to get and what are the pluses and minuses of them?

I have a decision to make.  Do I put the stock engine back in the care, or do I take this opportunity to upgrade what is there?  The problem is, I am on a tight budget because we weren't planning on replacing an engine so soon.  This brought us to buying a used engine instead of purchasing one that has already been rebuilt or rebuilding it myself.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

The Ultimate Decision

A quick recap...  We found a mustang and chose to buy it against better judgement sinde we arlready had one, and the new one has all sorts of problems...

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

The Problems Started on the Way Home

In my previous post, I mentioned how I ended up with a second mustang.  Now I get to tell you why I should have never bought it and some of the tell tale signs I now see in hindsight.