Hello again !! Here is the experiences and the "It happened to me" stories that go with owning a car like the II's and here are some of mine.The biggest thing to remember is that most projects are not done cuz of ability but cuz of poverty and being unwilling or too many times unable to pay someone alot of money for something that I can do myself for alot less.

My seat looks like a Briar Patch

                    Before                                                                                                                After

Your seat is torn up and worn and feels like barbed wire on a foam sponge.Its $250 for a new set of seatcovers but you can only borrow and beg bout $50 or it Don't despair this is what I did and a pic of my new seat. Just remove the old one and use it for a pattern. All that was needed was time and a sewing machine plus materials Cost for both seats?? about $80 if you need a pattern contact me and I may be able to help. All the materials were bought at a local auto upholstery shop and if you need supplies they can help Quinn Auto Top 937-275-0278     While I did it in original material doing it yourself allows alot of choices and option for custom colors and designs that requires very little extra effort and still cost less then repro's

302's don't let this happen to you!!

The funny thing about Ford 302's is that sooner or later you may see this familiar metal pretzel that was formally  the "oil pump drive shaft" I found out the hard way .....50 miles from home and after stomping on it from stop sign (about 4500rpm) I couldn't figure out why my engine stalled and wouldn't turn any more :o9 Well after pulling the engine and replacing Crank,rods pump bearings and rebuilding the shortblock there was no metal pieces in the oil but there was some hard plastic like pieces  that turned out to be valve stem seals. Actually more like what was left after those have been on an engine for 80k -100k miles . They get hard, crack, break up and end up in the oil pan and sooner or later find their way to the oil pump where they lock it up and it twists up the pump drive shaft till it breaks and if your oil pressure light/gage isn't working you can ask me for a parts list  as you pull and rebuild and replace what was your engine :o) The moral of this story is to check and replace your "valve Stem seals"  often and replace as necessary. Also if you ever pull the pan Ford Motorsport makes a beefed up pump drive shaft that is alot stronger or at least go with a chrome moly aftermarket shaft.

The Balancing Act

Well time for another lesson on what not to do.I had rebuilt the engine and when it came to the balancer had tightened it to spec. 2 months later I started having a problem throwing belts and then a vibration started. after checking I noticed that the balancer was loose but when I tried to tighten it it was tight but the whole assembly still shook plus the balance was able to slide forward about an inch, removal time!!!! Problem was that the bolt was under incredible torque to remove and it took about 10 minutes with a impact gun b4 it came loose. The inspection revealed that the threads so the bolt were not striped but looked almost as if they were welded  as scene in the picture and the balancer was broken in 3 pieces.Well, one call to Phil's Mustang Specialty Shop a replacement was on the way . Guesses as to the cause??? Mine is I didn't run a tap through the crank b4 assembly and it was a replacement crank  so the bolt didn't tighten properly allowing it to work loose and break. anyone else had this problem or guesses to what happened??? Email me and tell me what you think.

Question or comments??