In case you missed our veiled update on Project Great Pumpkin, the 1980 Ford Mustang Ghia that has been in my wife’s family since new, here’s a rough synopsis: I had finally gotten off of my ass and got down to work, putting the remaining front suspension components of the five-lug swap that has taken what feels like a decade to complete onto the car. The brakes were new. The shocks and struts, new. Lines, bled. Everything was ready for the first test-drive on those comically oversized mags. I had the nose up in the air, engine running, preparing for a power-on brake-bleeding session before I was going to make car move on it’s own power when suddenly, there was a metal-on-metal grinding noise and the engine just straight-up stopped. I said George Carlin’s “Seven Words” list a rage that would’ve impressed the demons of Hell and walked away. There was no way that the 4.2L V8 had, after years of faithful and remarkable service, just shit the bed. No freaking way.
Turns out, I was right. The 4.2 was unharmed. The power steering pump, on the other hand, was locked up tighter than a Gulag’s front door and wasn’t going anywhere. Apparently years of bleeding like a stuck pig and occasional top-ups take their toll. Easy enough, I’ll replace the pump. But oh, wait…Ford Fest! I can get some parts for both Mustangs! Well…no, that didn’t happen. Follow along with the photos for the rest of the story.
By the way, we’re still looking for someone who can help restore the top of this car to factory standards. Help us out, will ya? I’ve been asking shops for half a decade now and I want to get the paint and roof finished on this car.
Lots of parts? Not this year. I bought exactly nothing for the Rough Start Mustang, but we did find a set of Cobra R wheels mounted on fresh rubber for $175, thanks to Lonnie Grim walking the show when I couldn’t make it out to Beech Bend early. They are rough…really rough. They need a hot and heavy date with a sandblaster before they get a good powdercoating. But for bolt-on goodness that fits better than the American Racing Hammers and the tires meant for a Cordoba, they’re perfect. Well…maybe not perfect, but it’s not the tires fault. There’s rub in the front end, mainly because the nose needs to come up about 1/2 of an inch. Or maybe I need to move to stiffer springs, like 2003-04 Mach 1 units, all around. Or I could possibly do flares, but then I’d have to get wider rears. Hmm…dilemmas.
F*** YOU, you heart-attack-inducing son of a bitch. This grimy clusterF probably removed six months off of my lifespan when it dead-stopped the small-block. A couple hours to get it out of the car. A six-foot bar to work the 7-ton pulley removal tool to pry that wheel off of the shaft. One new pump later, and in my haste to get the car slapped back together, I hammered the old pulley back on because there was no way I bent the freaking pulley, right? i r dumb. It will be fixed ASAP, but for now, it’s at least allowing for driving time.
Another point of contention I’ve always had with the Pumpkin is it’s cooling system. In temperate weather, the car does fine. Any warmer than, say, 65 degrees, and the underhood gets a little bit toasty. Anything above 85 and the fuel starts to percolate in that sea sponge of a carburetor. If a Frostbite unit is good enough for the real beater Mustang, it’s good enough for a mellow daily driver, right? Right. This will go in later, either after I flush the 4.2 out with a firehose or once I bite the bullet and actually start the 302 swap, which isn’t scheduled at this time.
Problems have been had, I’ve stepped on my own with the power steering pump pulley, I have no idea where the battery hold-down clamp disappeared to (hello, LMR? Yeah, it’s me again…), the wheels have leprosy and if I run over a crack in the road the tires bark off of the very edge of the fender lips. But for the first time since April 2019, I didn’t drive the Chrysler. I didn’t drive Haley’s truck. I drove the Pumpkin, and it was a fantastic feeling. There is plenty more work to do, but as the temperature starts to drop and the days get shorter, this is a victory that I will relish in for now.
Look for some S197 wheels they have more back spacing and will pull the tires back under the fenders?
A good cheap option to freshen up the wheels and look of the car would be to plastidip them the same color as the top. it would likely look good enough for a few years until you re-powder coat. Its not great stuff for finish, but it just peels off. It could be a good place holder until you are ready, and makes for a cheap and easy article with good pictures.
Also, many landau style tops were put on as dealer installed options. the dealers send the cars out to local places to have tops put on. a friend just had his crown vic landau top replaced by calling the dealer and the dealer put him in contact with the boat interior guy who did 500 or so tops in the early 2000’s. so maybe look to your local dealer for tips.
i agree woith casey. i have seen loads of mustangs in my life and never have seen this style top. i really like the way this whole car looks. i am sure some one who deos convert tops could come up with a relacement. lots of places around here. should be loads around you. love reaiding about your car. i can relate to a long restoration project. beenm there got the t shirt