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Flash's 66 Mustang


Flash

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With the dash pad safely tucked away I stripped a few other bits and bobs. 

I unbolted the gauge cluster and flipped it forward. No loose wires that I can see. There is a small voltage regulator fitted to the back of the cluster and I have heard that when these go tits up you get weird gauge related issues. The regulator looks like a fresh unit and the gauges have been fitted with LED globes so someone has definitely been in here recently.

The gauge cluster is old school with a separate wire going to each terminal so I'm going to order in a set of those C clip cable markers before I start disconnecting anything. Figured it will be worthwhile permanently marking the wires as I suspect I may be going back in here more than once.

Do it once, do it properly, I reckon. 

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There are a few other minor dash related items that I want to sort while I am about it.

One of the things that currently bugs me is the lack of lower dash trims. These are two stainless steel trims that go around the instrument cluster and the glove box lid respectively. They just neaten up the whole look and since I'm planning to spend a lot of time looking at the instrument cluster the visible sag in the dash pad just above the gauges will slowly drive me insane.  

Aftermarket trims are available but at $130 each plus shipping I'm thinking I'll have a go at making them myself. They don't look that complex

First photo below is off the net and shows what the trim looks like. In the next two photos which were taken before the dashboard strip down you can see how ugly the absence of the trims look.

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Another item on the list is the factory fitted hazard light switch. On the 65 Mustangs the switch is fitted under the dashboard on the passenger side.

It's not the prettiest looking thing so in 66 the factory relocated the switch to inside the glove box. For some reason my early 66 still has the switch under the dash, so while I'm about it I'm going to relocate the switch to inside the glove box.

Should look much neater.

Photo's of my setup and the last photo is off the net and shows the updated switch position which I will replicate.

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Earlier this week I started putting the front bumper over riders and the metal ashtray through my vinegar process.

They are looking a lot cleaner now, just some minor bits to sand, then I'll chuck some rust converter on them before giving them a good coat of 2 pac primer.

 

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Only got a few hours on the Mustang this morning, so made a start on the mounting plate for the new fuse boxes. Plan is to hide them on the passenger side under the glove box for easy access.

Not wanting to drill any fresh holes, I was able to make double use of two of the glove box hinge fixings and another fixing for the heater box.

Then quickly replicated my cardboard template in aluminium.

Managed a quick test fit before I had to pack up.

Plate still needs a good tidy up before final fit.  

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Yesterday my cable numbering rings pitched up, so this morning I thought I'd tackle a bit of under dash archaeology in order to assess the overall condition of the wiring harness and associated electrical components.

As previously mentioned my fuel gauge and ammeter aren't currently working so they need some investigation.

I've also spotted a few inline fuse holders that I'd like to remove as well as one of those blue plastic cable splicer thingies that usually indicate bodged wiring modifications.

There is also an aftermarket toggle switch that thus far has some unknown purpose.

The basic plan is to remove all of the wiring related bodges and reconnect all of the "non factory" items to the new fuse boxes.

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Some of you may be wondering why I am so hung up on augmenting the current fuse related setup, so here is a bit more detail.

The factory fuse box is pretty poor by modern standards. 

In addition to being hard to access it only consists of 5 fuses which vary in physical size. I suppose the size differences make it easier to figure out what amperage fuse goes where, so that's a plus. But it still doesn't really cater for the addition of any modern creature comforts.

I've included images of the fuse box schematic and a photo of the replacement fuses, just to show you what I am talking about.

The last two photos are of my factory fuse box as it currently stands. The missing fuse labelled "dome" probably explains why my interior lights aren't working.

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First step was to mark the instrument cluster wires before removing the cluster itself.

I made a rough sketch of the setup and then added the cable numbers as I marked each cable.

Initial observations:

1. Someone has been at the instrument wiring before as there are little hand written labels. Hopefully they just removed the cluster to replace the surround.

2. Instrument surround has been replaced at some stage with a reproduction part out of Taiwan.

3. As previously mentioned most of the globes have been replaced with LED items apart from the turn signal ones so I'll sort those while I am here.

4. Instrument cluster voltage regulator is relatively new. Bonus as bad ones usually result in erratic gauge behavior, so I'll take that as a win.

5. The main wiring harness appears pretty solid and relatively unmolested. Will need a clean and a bit of a tidy up, but apart from that just the previously mentioned items to sort.

 

Photos of the spaghetti for your viewing pleasure:

 

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Yesterday arvo the courier pitched up with another roll of sound deadening, so this morning I pulled out my recently fabricated seat back panel to cover it. While I had the panel out I covered the rear wheel arch inners and the last portion of the transmission tunnel.

Feels nice and solid.

I've just got the rear quarters to do, but my plan there is to cover the backs of the shaped metal side panels rather than covering the body panels as that would entail leaving big openings to access the rear quarter window mechanisms for maintenance purposes.

Thanks for looking.

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Next step is to renovate the metal portion of the dashboard before I can start reassembling the interior.

As previously mentioned the dash paintwork is looking a bit shabby with lots of scuffs and scrapes. From factory the dash panel was painted a different shade of blue to the rest of the car and I'm keen to maintain that factory look. I've been able to track down the paint code and the plan is to get a bit of paint mixed to match.

So this morning I once again pulled out the instrument cluster and then proceeded to remove the heater control panel, wiper and light switches.

In order to remove the heater control panel I had to disconnect the 3 cables that control the in-cabin air flow and its at this point that things took a bit of a turn.

Whilst removing the cables, I noticed that 2 of the 3 cables were completely seized. After disconnecting the cables it became apparent that the cables are fine, its the little doors inside the heater box that have seized up. So I put on my big boy pants and removed the whole heater box. Mucky job as even though I drained the radiator the heater core still holds a bit of coolant. Good thing the carpet and underlay are still out.

As you can see from the photos below the heater plenum is well shagged with not only a seized control, but big gaping holes in the housing. So this is going to need some loving, but I'll put it to one side for the moment whilst I concentrate on the dash. 

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In other news, tucked behind the heater housing I found a little gold nugget .... well almost....

It's a "Proof of Insurance" card issued by the Automobile Club of Southern California back in 2004. Looks like he is a classic car type as the policy lists a 74 Chevy in addition to my 66 Muzzy.

What a find .... I am absolutely foaming as I currently don't have any history of the car when it lived in the USA. It would be so cool if I can track down one of the previous owners.

Anyhoo for privacy reasons for now I've blanked out the person's name on the photo of the card below, but I've already sent an email to a person in San Diego who shares the same name including the middle initial, so we shall see what transpires. 

I'll keep you posted on progress.

Over and out from Straya's own Mike Hammer.

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