Anyone from Brooklyn NY here?

[JC-Fixie]

yo! what up!

anyone from Brooklyn? my 1966 have been sitting for a while and not starting... sitting in a garage and now does not produce spark. Can anyone help? besides me having to have it towed to a mechanic? replaced the coil and the wires and check spark to plugs, but none.

I had the car for a while and it was running and driving a few years ago... haven't had time to play with it and now it's not turning over. Any help would be appreciate it. Or maybe some pointers to a good mechanic?

Thanks

-JC

 

[ponyboy289]

Hi,
I am not near Brooklyn nor do I have a good reference for you.but I have been messing with early Mustang for a long time.That said I can and will help you any way I can. So you said that you changed the plugs, wires, and coil.Yet you still have no spark? What is the condition of the points? I'm suspecting your problem could be in there points do go bad from sitting alot of times.Your problem could also be in the wiring .

Additionally how many years has it sat? You can be honest I recently got one going that sat since 1987. If it's been more than a couple of years and the fuel has turned,you're going to want to disconnect the fuel line,trust me you don't want to suck the gas that's in that tank into the carb if that's the case. If you post some more info I'll try to help you out.

 

[JC-Fixie]

haha... ok... to be honest... I left my car sitting for about 5.5 yrs... since end of 2006. It was running and driving at the time. It has about half tank fuel left. 1966 hardtop with inline 6. pretty much stock everything.

I tried cranking it with starting fliud sprayed into the carb. I replaced the battery with a new battery. The engine cranks, the starter cranks, there's juice in the battery, the fan spins when I start the car and it wants to turn but doesn't. I checked the spark plugs and when cranking, no spark. The distri cap looks pretty new, and the points and condenser thing looks pretty new also... so I replaced the ignition coil, the wire from the coil to the center of the distri cap and one of the spark plug wire and pushed in a new spark plug yesterday. Then I tried cranking it while looking at the new spark plug... I did not see any spark.

After that I got tired and put the original wiring back but left the new ignition coil installed.

This is all suggestions from a friend of mine that has a triumph car and says these old cars are easy... not sure what to do from here... I looked at the distri cap and all the stuff inside of it and it looks kind of complicated. Especially if you need to make adjustments to all that small electric doohicky points/condensor inside of cap. Not sure if I can replace that stuff without screwing it up. I'm not that good with electrical stuff. I can do basic stuff... mech inclined and really want to work on this... but don't know where to go from here.

Thanks for any help.

Regards,

-JC

 

[ponyboy289]

Hey Jc,
First I would defintaley disconnect the fuel hose coming from the tank to the fuel pump(at the entrance side of the pump),You do not want to suck 5 1/2 year old gas into the carb.

As far as the points they are probably done from sitting.I would check to see if they are opening and closing.You have to crank the engine and watch them.
If yes,then check the gap.Pull the dist cap,remove the rotor, you will see a cam.Turn the engine until the arm of the points is on the high end of the cam. Next take a gauge and check it.If you don't have one,place a matchbook cover in there,it should just fit in the gap.Assuming it does You're good enough.Next you can try to lightly sand the points sounds crazy but they probably corroded from sitting. Just run a piece of light sand paper through there,like one pass. Put it back together. Then try cranking and see what happens. You can also buy new points at advance auto parts for $5. I wish you were local to me We'd have the car idling within about 5-10 minutes (using a gallon jug of gas of course).

Your friend is right these old cars are sort of simple(some aspects) Only yours is simplier than his.

 

[JC-Fixie]

man, I wish you were local to me too.

so I already pump a bunch of 5.5 yr old fuel to the carb now... is that going to screw up the car? where is the fuel pump again? are there any pics of this anywhere?

I guess I have to check the points... when you say turn the engine... you mean turn the fan manually until the high end of the cams... byt he way... what the heck is a cam? if I buy new points from autozone (that is what I have around here)... is it easy to install?... and do I need to do adjustments?

Also, how do I even know if the coil is working? is there a way to check if there is juice going to the coil? juice goes to the coil first before the distri cap, no?

Where are you located?

 

[adkmach1]

Ponyboy 289 is correct first of all get some fresh gas the old gas won't hurt anything. Then take the dist. cap off remove the rotor, it pulls off. You'll see a metal round 6 or 8 side thing (gear) under the rotor. Then you'll see a small arm that hits the gear. Take a piece of sand paper 400 or 500 grit you'll just need a small piece and fold it in half and side it between the arm and the gear once or twice. You might have to use a small screwdriver to open it up so you can get the sandpaper between the gap. Put the rotor and cap back on. Try to start it.

 

[adkmach1]

Did you get your car started?

 

[ponyboy289]

Did you get your car started?

I was wondering the same thing? Let us know.

 

[JC-Fixie]

yeah! Got the car started!!!

it was an awesome feeling... I went and bought a new condenser, points, distributor cap, wires and rotor... since they were not that expensive and I could just return the stuff I don't use.

I replaced the condenser and points... since I needed to take the condenser out to get to the points... might as well just replace. Still no spark... then I replaced the cap and all the wires... at this point, the coil is new, the point is new, the condensor is new, the cap is new, the wires are new... the existing rotor looks new so I didn't replace (and the rotor I bought does not fit anyway... its diff than the one on the car). No spark. then I noticed that the condenser is touching the point set... the new condenser is for some reason longer than the old one so it was touching the point... maybe grounding it or something. I pryed it out of the way and tried again... boom! it started... awesome.

Didn't even run rough... it ran smooth... some white smoking from the tailpipe and a little from either the exhaust manifold or intake manifold... but after 5 mins the smoke was clear and it just ran... idling... it was awesome. I guess the manifolds expanded from the heat and sealed the small leak. May need to have that looked at sometime in the future.

I did not drain the gas tank before I did all this... but the damn thing is running great on the 5.5 yr old gas... will that hurt the car? I'm not sure how much gas is in the tank... but last night it just kept running, no problem. I was thinking I should siphon the gas out somehow and put in some fresh gas... my friend said don't worry about it... just add new gas mixed with what is in there... your thoughts?

My friend suggested to replace all the spark plugs... since I already bought them. Said I need to gap them... does anyone know what the specs are?... what is the gap spacing for the plugs?

Also I got in the car and tried to step on the brakes... and nothing... the brake pedals just hit the floor... no brakes... so this is the next thing I need to look at and fix... any suggestions? my buddy said to open the brake resevior and check if there is fliud in there... it may have leaked out. I tried opening that thing and it will not budge... I did not have a wrench or anything so I couldn't even open it to see. Next time I will need to get tool to grip it and try opening it. Anyway, any suggestions would be appreciated. If nothing else works... the brakes need to work... that is a safety thing for me. I think the brake resevior was the original... looks like a can on the fire wall half the height of a campbells chicken noodle soup can, about the same diameter as a campbells soupcan with a twist off lid.

Thanks for all the help. I appreciate it.

Regards,

JC

 

[adkmach1]

Brakes can be anything from a broken line to wheel cylinder leaking, I start with that. Have a friend come over and look under the car while you pump the brakes to see if you got any leaks, once you got fluid in the master cylinder. Glad you got your car started. Awesome...

 

[JC-Fixie]

Hi. Ok, I went and checked the brakes... I added brakes fluid on the cylinder. And pumped the pedals. After a few mins I got brake pressure and brakes. Problem is when I put it in fear and roll the brakes are dragging and creates loud noises. Must be all the dust and rust.

Do I tried to pull the front drums and I have no idea how to get them off. There are no leaks in the brake lines or anything I left it for a few days and the fluid is still full.

I thought the drums are suppose to come off easy. The front drums have a center hub thing. Aren't these suppose to come off like a bowl? I tried rubber malleting the drums but they are stuck.

Same with the rear drums. The rear drums almost comes off but seem like there is something in there holding it on still.

Do I need to do something diff to the front drums to get it off?

I'm thinking I need to just get the drums off and clean the area and put it back. I believe the pads were fairly new when I got the car 5 years ago. Even though the outside of the drums have surface rust I think they are ok.

Let me knowing anyone has some insight.

Thanks

Jc

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[JC-Fixie]

Oh yeah before I forget. Where on the car is the best place to jack up the car with a floor jack? At each of the 4 corners?

What about jack stands... Where is the best location to put jackstands?

Thanks
Jc

​

 

[ponyboy289]

Hey Jc,
I can try to help talk you through some of this. For starters good deal on getting the car started. As far as the gas,I'd still be leary, I can tell you and show you horror stories about what is probably in the bottom of your fuel tank right now. That said I wouldn't dilute it,I'd install a clear inline fuel filter into the rubber portion of your fuel hose where it enters into the fuel pump,there is plenty of room to do this on a 6 cylinder.I'd then run the old crap through before refueling. Seriously dont' be surprised if you get weird intermittent stalling ,if you do it's most likely your fuel sender and full length line getting clogged. Do you happen to know if the tank or line was ever changed?You might get lucky and yours might be clean inside. This is from another site that I frequent, Read this. Honestly I've seen this and worse about 100 times. I keep a new fuel tank w/sender in stock at all times, seriously.

This is why you should replace your tank and fuel lines, thank you VMF! - Vintage Mustang Forums

I'll start a new reply about your brakes.

 

[JC-Fixie]

Oh yeah, forgot about it... I drained the fuel tank if the old gas on Saturday. Stuck a long hose into tank and siphoned it all out. Had about 7 gallons of fuel in there. The liquid was pretty clear. I then added fresh 5 gallons on there and it was running fine.

Should I use the highest grade, I used the 93 octane instead of regular 87. My friend said since it was high compression engine I should use the higher octane. Not sure if that was true or not. But thought I ask here.
Jc

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[ponyboy289]

Oh yeah before I forget. Where on the car is the best place to jack up the car with a floor jack? At each of the 4 corners?

What about jack stands... Where is the best location to put jackstands?

Thanks
Jc

​

Jackstands are an absolute must. You can jack up the rear of the car from the rear end itself, I usually throw a jack under the center section of the rear, I then jack it up and place a jackstand under each axle tube, I then lower the car onto the stands. In terms of the front
1)you can jack the front at the crossmember under the oil pan, you need a good sized pad on your jack and make sure it doesn't slip and that you are on the crossmember and not the steering linkage(I've seen a bunch of these get bent by people over the years.
2) or you can jack under the floor support frame rails , this is also a good spot to place jackstands.
3) or you can jack up under the lower control arm,just watch out for the grease fitting for the lower ball joint.

Once the car is safely on stands I take the jack and I pump it up into contact with the frame ,etc. in the area I'm working.

Another good practice,that I do is if I'm pulling a wheel I always throw it under the lowest point of the car in the area that I'm working on.It serves as insurance if the car fall off of stands.

I'll reply to the brake post seperately again. Too much typing

 

[ponyboy289]

Hello again,
Your brakes. Ok, first if you are keeping the car you should buy a drum brake wrench and a drum brake adjusting tool.

The reason the backs are probably sticking is that there is a rust ridge on the drum and/or the adjustment is a bit too tight.What you need to do is remove the gromment(if it's still there) at the bottom of the backing plates and stick your adjusting tool in there and loosen the adjustment. You should then be able to remove the drums.

The fronts are different, they are held on by the hub. You need to 1) remove the center grease cap, 2) pull the cotter pin, 3) Remove the castelated cover from the nut, 4) remove the nut 5) remove the outer wheel bearing. Then jiggle and the whole assembly should come off(when I'm dealing with front drums I don't even pull the wheel,I just undo the wheel bearing. Reinstalling is the reverse only be careful you don't want to over tighten the nut, you'll fry the bearing and spindle. You also want to inspect and possibly repack the wheel bearings.

*****If you are planning on keeping this car you should buy a shop manual (not a Chilton or Haynes) parts places sell repos of the original ones.

The fact that your system was dry, you should definitely flush and bleed the whole hydraulic system, check all the connections,inspect the hoses,pull back the wheel cylinder boots,etc. Drum systems don't like to sit stagnent .


Not to throw more stuff onto the fire, but at some point it wouldn't be a bad idea to upgrade to a dual brake master cylinder for safety reasons. Single masters ( like the one that your car likely has) can be dangerous,if you get a hose blowout or have a leak you loose the full brakes.Which leaves downshifting and the parking brake your only means of stopping the car. Just something to consider.

 

[JC-Fixie]

Ponyboy:

Thanks for the info. On the jacking part. When U say u jack the rearend; where in the rear end are you referring to? And when u jack up the end it sounds like u are jacking up the entire car (both wheels in the air) at the rear end... Is that correct? Sounds kind of dangerous. Where can I put the jack if I want to do one side at a time at the rear? I understand you for the front.

Also, gas, what octane should I use? I put in the 93 because my friend said yo use that instead of the 87.

Thanks

Jc

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[JC-Fixie]

Ponyboy

Thanks for the info on the brakes. Didn't know the front was that complicated. Would you recommend replacing the shoes, drums, cylinder and all the springs and stuff that is in the drum brakes? Or just the shoes?

I am def going to convert to dual master cylinder soon. For safety that is the way to go.

What is a drum brake wrench by the way? I don't know what that is...

And I'm not sure if I will be able to do all the brakes stuff by myself. I may bring it to a shop to have it looked at.

Right now the car is in my friends garage. I need to get it to drive and stop safely on the road so that I can drive it back to my house in Nassau/queens border (on the Nassau long island side). I have the drive thing done. Now I need to get it to stop safely. I really would like to do the brakes myself... But since its not at my house it's hard to do work on it by myself in Brooklyn. I may have a shop look and clean up the brake system and bleed it. Or maybe just clean off the rust and bleed it so that it is safe to drive back home. Then I hav time and place to completely redo the brakes... Not sure though.

What do you think?

Jc

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[ponyboy289]

since you asked What I think,
I will say that by the time you finish paying a shop you most likely would have been able to buy all new brake stuff plus the appropriate tools,plus the factory shop manual(which is money well spent) and still get off cheaper than paying "A shop" . Trust me when I say this most shops really don't want to be bothered working on these relics. What's a treat to guys like me is a hassle for them,so unless you have an in or regular shop you use I wouldn't do it.

Technically jacking under the center section of the rear housing is dangerous if you're on an uneven surface or if you plan on crawling underneath with no jackstands. As I said I jack under the center and then throw a jackstand under each side. If you want to do one side at a time you can jack up under the rear torque box which is where the front of the leaf spring attaches. Then you can put the stands in that same general area.You can also jack under the rear lower shock plates.

drum brake wrench is this

As far as what has to be replaced, I would have no idea as I'm not looking at the parts? I'd do a visual inspection on the drums, shoes,etc. Shoes can go bad from sitting. But usually it's the hydraulics that go. If you pull the wheels and the drums and shoes look fine, I'd make sure the hydraulic portion is up to snuff, and you should be fine to dive it home. The noise you hear when you are moving the car is surface rust and such from sitting 5 1/2 years.



* What gas, It depends on your state of tune and what your car needs,You don't want it to ping when hot under load. Most 6 cylinder guys run 89 octane. I use 87 in my 66 6 cyl vert because it runs fine on that . Gas is expensive enough these days no sense paying for octane I don't need.

 

[JC-Fixie]

ponyboy:

Really appreciate your help. good insight into the car. Where would you buy parts?

this place was recommended by another forum: RockAuto Auto Parts

have you had any experience when them? a friend recommended be get the raybestos brake shoes, drums, cylinder and parts... are they any good?

Thanks again,

-Jc