Test Drive

I had some final preparations to do before driving the car. Like installing the export brace and shock retainers. Then I checked that all fluid levels were correct and measured the ignition timing. That proved somewhat difficult.

At first I could not get the engine to idle at all. It started and would stay running at high RPM but if I let the speed drop, the engine died. I tried turning the distributor but soon ran out of room to go further. I had to pull it out and rotate the rotor a few teeth. Finally after many tries I got the engine to idle at about 1300 RPM and could jump out to try and find the correct timing.

I had removed the vacuum signal from the carburetor and checked the timing with my adjustable timing light. It showed about 25 degrees! I needed to turn the distributor a lot more and jumped a few more teeth to get the initial timing to about 10 degrees. Then I could start dropping the idle speed and finally got the timing to 8 degrees at 600 RPM.

I connected all the hoses back to the engine and dropped the air cleaner on the carb. The Mustang was a complete car again.

My first drive was only about 10 km to home and back. It did not reveal any problems. Engine temperature and oil pressure were normal and there were no weird noises. Except the driver side exhaust manifold which was blowing. The exhaust pipe lower bolt is so close to the block and the clutch equalizer bar that it is really difficult to turn. I'll have to find a way to torque it later.

I've been gradually lengthening my drives with the Mustang and last weekend I drove about 350 km with it. In total I've racked about 500 km with the new engine and it has been working flawlessly. As this is still part of the break in I've kept the engine speed below 3000 RPM. After driving another 500 km I'll replace the oil and see what the engine can really do.

My test drives so far have been concentrated on larger roads and I've been avoiding stop and go traffic. After a long drive, I've noticed the temperature rising slightly when stopping. I think I'll add a fan shroud to help cure that.

The T-5 transmission has also been an excellent addition. The shifter works well and the overdrive drops engine speeds really low. At 80 km/h (50 mph) the engine turns 1300 RPM and at 120 km/h (75 mph) only 2000 RPM. The new clutch and machined flywheel also work nicely. No more jumping and slipping when moving from standstill.

All in all, my plan to build an engine with good low-end torque and attach it with an overdrive transmission seems to be a success. The Mustang is fun and easy to drive in all situations and has been trouble free thus far. It is pretty noisy though as most of the interior is missing. I'll have to replace the floors and then address that issue...