At 18, this probably seemed...
At 18, this probably seemed like a great way to "plug" a heater hose line, but today it seems ridiculous and extremely unsafe. Yes, that is a giant bolt, a roll of electrical tape, and a hose clamp keeping coolant "blocked off." Surprisingly, it hasn't ever leaked, but we must replace it before going any further.
And, as you would expect, we plan to show you each and every step on our journey, even if it means admitting to our past mistakes. And trust me, I've made many mistakes-a few of which are outlined on the next couple of pages. Some may look very familiar to you and your project, while others may cause you to laugh out loud. Either way, we hope that the High School Hauler can motivate you to restart an old project, or begin a new one. The hardest step is always the first.
This is the starter wire,...
This is the starter wire, which has been burned through thanks to the long-tube headers. Amazingly, the car still started, but this is a major short in the electrical system, which can cause all types of havoc during cranking. Young Justin may have let this slide, but we're going to replace it before burning the Mustang to the ground.
The main engine harness, which...
The main engine harness, which runs into the passenger compartment looked horrible and after a minute of holding it, even with the key off, became hot to the touch. You can see several wires are burnt completely together and most of the shielding is almost completely gone. To fix this, I needed to call in the big guns-namely, MM&F Tech Editor Mark Houlahan, to re-wire the harness.
In order to remove the harness...
In order to remove the harness from the engine bay, Mark had to trace and disconnect each of the wires in the engine bay. Luckily, Mark is a master of the Mustang bay, so this took him just a few short seconds. For those of you at home, remember to take photographs or notes of each wire's position, so you can easily hook everything back up after you repair it.
In the course of just 12 inches,...
In the course of just 12 inches, our Holley fuel pump has three different color wires and two butt-splices connecting it to a 12-volt power source. I'm not going to say who is responsible for such poor wiring-although his name starts with Justin-but I will say it needs to be fixed!
With most of the harness disconnected,...
With most of the harness disconnected, Mark found this section of wiring, which was melted to another part of our long-tube headers. Luckily, after peeling back the tape, we found that most of the damage was cosmetic and were able to re-tape it without having to re-wire it.
Poking around the carburetor,...
Poking around the carburetor, Mark also found this missing vacuum plug. Even if you aren't missing any, make sure you take the time to inspect each and every plug for cracks, as it's common to see them dry out with age, which can lead to a high idle, lean air/fuel mixture, or even a no-run condition.