darkbuddha said:DasAuto said:In reply to darkbuddha :
I enjoyed your first 3 videos
Only the first 3? Lol. I'm glad to hear that someone is enjoying any of them at all. Thanks for watching and letting me know.
Hadn't watched the fourth yet! The backstory with you and the car is pretty cool.
This is gonna be hard to beat in the concours
In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :
I don't think over budget cars go to concours; I think they do the cars&coffee thing. And this thing is definitely way WAY over budget.
darkbuddha said:In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :
I don't think over budget cars go to concours; I think they do the cars&coffee thing. And this thing is definitely way WAY over budget.
somehow i missed that detail and was preparing myself for the second step on the concours podium.
I had assumed this one was over budget but was hoping different. Regardless I really hope to see it there. I also see what appears to be a bundled Universal wiring harness in the corner of the engine bay. What brand did you pick up? I have found that some of them use insufficient gauge wires for some circuits
In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :
It's actually a model specific kit from American Auto wire, designed as an update, not restoration. So it's got lots of added and integrated stuff to support aftermarket (or stock) gauges and electric fans and electronic ignition and TPS and a bunch of other stuff. And it's a complete front-to-rear kit. I'm actually pretty intimidated by the proposition of getting it installed, but then I remember I don't need everything wired, just the stuff to make the car run and have lighting. The rest can be done after the Challenge.
Aaw is gold standard top tier stuff in my experience. I don't love the classic update series myself, but thats because im a sick mofo that lukes to build from scratch with specific routings and such. Its a solidly engineered product.
I was considering becoming a dealer for them before i clised down shop if that tells you how much i like their products. Ive done probably 15 harness installs with them.
Made what felt like a strangely optimistic purchase today and ordered a set of Cooper Zeon RS3 tires for the car (they were on clearance). Delusion, or timely planning? I can't tell yet.
And the trans is in. We won't discuss the fiasco that shortly followed where I dropped the valve body 5 feet onto the garage floor. Sigh...
AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:darkbuddha said:In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :
I don't think over budget cars go to concours; I think they do the cars&coffee thing. And this thing is definitely way WAY over budget.
somehow i missed that detail and was preparing myself for the second step on the concours podium.
Your car is cool. So is its story. Just work on shortening your speech. Lolz.
I hope I'm not being too harsh. I find it an honor to help with anything on the 'vair. I'm just smack talking.
On the theme of this thread... this car is baddass. I hope I get to see it in early april!
If you've ever pieced together a front accessory drive system from junkyard parts from decades of hoarding, you'll understand why just getting this alternator aligned took 3 hours. If anything will stop this project from getting done in time, it will be this kind of stuff. But dammit, if I'm gonna lose, I'm gonna go down swinging!
Well, today was day 30, and suffice it to say, the car is NOT done. Wiring (which still isn't 100%) has taken far longer than expected just to get the essential stuff in place. Not surprising really, but I just wanted to believe it would go more quickly. I've also been frustrated with delays in parts getting delivered (thanks Amazon...). Now, is there a possibility that I can still get it done in time for the Challenge? Yes. But I'm also making sure I have a contingency solution for attending/participating in case it doesn't. I'll be disappointed if the Mustang isn't done and ready to go, but I'll be able to say I did my absolutely damnedest to try to get it there. What is definitely true no matter what happens now is that the car is way way way further along than it was 30 days ago, and that's a win in its own way already.
I'm calling it... I'm throwing in the towel on getting the Mustang done for GRM 2024. There's just too much left to do and I'm not willing to cut the corners it would take to even come close to have a running/driving car by Friday. And if it were done (enough) by Friday, it would be a completely untested assemblage of parts and pieces, not a properly assembled car, and I'm just not willing to do that with this car.
But I wanna say: this was totally worth attempting. Honestly, it was doable. Maybe if I hadn't had a few distractions/interruptions or didn't have to drive 2.5 hours round-trip everyday I went to work on the car. Or maybe if I'd had everything I needed from the get-go, or if I wasn't trying to do it solo. Or if I hadn't become so fatigued and started suffering from carpal tunnel issues, chronic neck and shoulder pain, and bad sleep. Maybe, just maybe I could've pulled it off. But in the end, and this is hard to admit, I've gotta admit I just couldn't. That said, I really am so much further along than I was a month ago. And what remains is much less than where I would've been if I hadn't made this attempt. So for that alone, it's been worth it.
Moving forward, I'll continue to work on the car, just with a little less intensity and stress. So expect to continue to see updates and more videos. And maybe, just maybe, you'll see this car at GRM 2025, whether to compete with or maybe as a tow rig for my Challenge entry. Wouldn't that be neat.
See everyone next weekend in my Focus ST. I'll be looking forward to seeing everyone's budget entries for inspiration for next year!
In reply to QuasiMofo (John Brown) :
Same, I would love to own one someday.
Well, it's been a year... a chaotic, sometimes stressful, and often hectic year, but mostly that's all just an excuse for my lack of progress on this car and my under budget MadMaXRatti challenge car. But here I am saying it: the '70 Mach 1 Challenge Hail Mary is again underway. I started back on it in February, but here's the current breakdown:
- long stored, never fired engine with untested new everything
- untested used trans with untested and unturned new aftermarket controller
- 20+ year old suspension and brakes
- no front end installed at all
- brand new complete harness still needing all lighting and interior wiring completed
- no interior other than a pair of seats
- tons of little things that will need to be sorted
- need to get VIN verified by FHP to register the car
- engine needs 500 break-in miles
To paraphrase Elwood Blues, it's 14 days to the Challenge, I've got 10 weeks of work, half a case of Monsters, it's not going well, and I'm wearing carnage visors.
Wish me luck.
Good luck!
Hope we see it, whenever you have it ready!
Go Wyatt, GO!
I lost track of this last Challenge season. Glad to see that I didn't miss the debut of it.
69 & 70s are beautiful cars!! Good luck sir!
Well, once again, I'm calling it... the car won't be done enough to bring to compete. I did my darn'dest, but even if I got it running and driving (which it's not yet), and it was actually roadworthy enough to make the trip, I'm just not comfortable with the sheer volume of untested systems and components involved to take the necessary risks required to bring it. If it were a proper under-budget entry, like the MadMaXRATI, I'd roll the dice and send it, like I did a few years ago. But not with this car. So, alas, the Mustang will not be in attendance this year. I'm still unsure if I'll make it either due to several pressing responsibilities and upcoming commitments, but we'll see.
Now, all of that said, I'm very glad for the time and effort I've spent to get the car as done as it is (so far). It will very much be back on the road in the next several weeks (that's how close I am at this point), which will be a significant milestone given that it's essentially sat since the mid-'90s. I full-heartedly blame and credit the Challenge for motivating me to get this life-long project done. Will I bring it to the 2026 Challenge, or will the MadMaXRATI finally be complete enough to be competitive? Maybe both? I like the sound of that...
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