Got Gas?

Realizing that having all those sparks inside a car with a full tank of gas was not a good idea, I spent this hot, muggy end of July afternoon removing the gas tank. I began by removing the gas. I had hoped the tank was near empty as the car has been sitting for 12 years and I had never put gas in it. Unfortunately the people I bought it from drove it regularly and passed it on to me with about 8 gallons inside.











Prying the gas tank out was not as hard as I thought. I got under the car and pushed it up and out. I thought I had removed all the gas but there was still plenty inside that had to be drained.










Removing the tank left an big hole in the trunk where I found plenty of hidden rust around the edges.










Now the question is what do you do with 12 year old gasoline? Is it safe for the mower? If not how and where do you dispose of it?

Making Sparks

This looks like the 4th of July only inside my car.










I am grinding out spots of rust from underneath the car resulting in the big fireworks on the inside. I am going to attempt to replace the sheet metal myself being that they are just minor holes. This makes it necessary to remove as much rust as possible. Learning as I go, thank goodness there is not a lot to have to deal with.

Grease and Grime

This is a picture of inside of the trunk. If you think this is bad you should see what is under the car. To make repairs easier and find damage to the metal I need to remove as much of this as possible.











I am giving this stuff a try. It is supposed to be bio-degradable and environmentally safe. Living within blocks of the Chesapeake Bay and having pets are two good reasons to try to find the least dangerous products. You can find both here. This is a rust remover in gel form and a liquid degreaser which I mixed into the power washer. After one washing the grease remover seemed to do a pretty good job.

Kiddies Don't Try This At Home!

I know this looks bad. I know this is dangerous but before you send me a bunch of comments telling me so let me add that I have jacks in all the right places and these logs are just for extra safety. I don't have a lift to get under the car which would be better in order to be able to get into position for grease and grime removal.

The Library

I have bought every book I can find to help me get started. I ordered some from Virginia Classic Mustang ( here the next day!) and picked up others at Barnes and Noble. I have lots of reading ahead but so far from browsing through the materials most of it is pretty interesting and extremely detailed. Bad news is that my vacation is over.

A Hard Day's Work

This is how the day ended.

This is how it began.

Putting new brakes on the Mustang was a day full of surprises and aggravations not to mention a face full of boo-boos and grease.

Under the Hood

This is a standard 289 2 barrel C code V-8. My plans are to add a 4 barrel carb and dual exhaust. It starts fine but I want a little more power. Thanks to the people at Virginia Classic Mustang for their advice. It will be much needed.

Like Father Like Daughter

There is only one person in the family that can put away more crabs than me. Youngest daughter has been a champion picker since she was old enough to pick up a crab.













Oldest daughter was sidelined with a nasty summer bug. We missed you today and hope you are feeling better real soon.

Happy 4th!

This is not exactly regulation postal wear, but the people I deliver the mail to appreciate the wacky mailman.
No working on the Mustang this weekend got family coming.

Under Wraps

The 66 Mustang has spent the last 10 years well protected in a garage, but due to a recent fire she is out in the driveway at the mercy of all of the elements. Somehow in spite of the garage ceiling caving in on her, she managed to survive the fire without any damage, other than being covered in drywall dust. Now I am using whatever I have stashed in the shed to try to keep her dry. The years in the garage have caused her to be a little moldy so on nice days I open her up for the sun to do its job. She sure doesn't have a new car smell anymore. It's more like dirty socks.