Whats next?

[65fastbackresto]

Heres whats been done so far...

6 cyl to v-8 conversion with c-4 automatic, TOTALLY happy with results here...
all new autometer gauges
new suspension all the way around
new front end components, all opentracker
it has cool wheels and tires.

interior is stock and looks good, came that way

other then bodywork, and a total tear down of every nut and bolt that can come off, whats next? Am I missing anything? ....

thinking possibly of going Eleanor style stuff on nose of car and the fender flairs, undecided though...............................................

 

[Jimmys66]

How's the wiring?

Is it 40+ years old like mine?

 

[65fastbackresto]

The wiring is 40 years old like yours

It really aint bad though from what I`ve seen of it. I spent several hours fixing it after I got the car (heat shrinking old splices, junk like that) but overall it seems pretty good. At this point I dont think its worth the trouble or the time to change this out, but.......I could be wrong.

Glad you brought it up, its on my things to check out list now.

 

[jlangholzj]

if you wanted to be ambitious, you could:

add a rear firewall or add a fuel cell.
relocate your battery to the trunk.
new steering wheel (grant woodgrain??).
tilt steering collum.
Billet shifter
3 or 5 Pt. safety harness'

I don;t know, other than that, I really can;t think of anything, to my preference anyway

 

[68stang351]

What next? You should pay for my 68 to have a paint job.

Seriously though, maybe a wiring kit from Painless (not painless for the wallet though) or EZ wiring.

 

[Rusty67]

Lets talk safety. You have that nice new v8 in there and working. What kind of brakes have you got in there now ? A dual bowl master would be nice if you still have the fruit jar in there. Front and maybe rear disc upgrades are good to have. Brake booster ?

Your steering column (AKA the spear-o-matic/death spear/spear of doom/ect.) could be replaced with a colapsable one (I think the tilt columns colapse but I could be wrong).

For me, one of the next things I want to do is the steering column, but I'm not doing that until I swap out to an integral power box. I drive the car less then 500 miles a year. Actually this year is going to be the first time in a LONG time I brake 200 miles in a year.

How about the rear end ? A posi unit would be sweet.

 

[65fastbackresto]

I`ve got granadas on the front

I may upgrade these, I`m not real happy with its stopping ability so far, its better then it was, but could be alot better.

rear end is on the things to do list. and yes POSI!!

wiring harness is on the to do list now.

 

[66forfun]

headlight upgrade was one of the best mods i've done to mine. halogen trybar would be sweet but the h4's work great. seeing at night is a good thing.

 

[Jimmys66]

It really aint bad though from what I`ve seen of it. I spent several hours fixing it after I got the car (heat shrinking old splices, junk like that) but overall it seems pretty good. At this point I dont think its worth the trouble or the time to change this out, but.......I could be wrong.

Glad you brought it up, its on my things to check out list now.

Rewiring a car usually isn't a priority until it catches fire.

Then you waited 5 minutes too long to do it.

I've been lazy about rewiring since, it's a long dull-ass job. I do however carry a fire ext. and have a battery cut off switch, just in case.

 

[65fastbackresto]

I been thinking about the wiring

every sinse he brought it up, its working its way toward the top of my list now. And your right, its one of those things that waiting too long could cost a guy his ride, and thats whats been crossing my mind.

 

[Rusty67]

Initially, my take on the wiring was to fix and patch my original harness, which I did. I still have some minor problems and there are other parts of my electrical system that need to be replaced (like my head light switch). Replace the worn out switches and stuff too, they are important. Also, a relay setup for the head lights would be a good idea. There have been a few writeups about how to make a harness for the head lights on this forum and there are also kits you can buy but they are kind of just for convienence and prices as such.

 

[Jimmys66]

Hey, I'm not trying too freak you out.

It's kinda like building a really big engine and fixing the brakes later.

I have seen a couple of nice cars ruined because of electrical issues but usually the wiring needs somthing to ignite(gas, oil, etc.). You're more apt to get stuck with a dead battery because of a drain from the old wiring or it just dies all of a sudden (usually somewhere your cell phone doesn't work).

It's on the top of my list. If you've got the time why not?

 

[PJx5x]

HID headlights
heads/cam/intake
rearend
torque converter
shift kit

 

[65ShelbyClone]

The wiring in my '68 is in better shape than the harness in my '84. So much for progress, right? That doesn't mean that neither of them could burn to the ground tomorrow, but it indicates to me that the wiring is probably a little less than top priority.

What brakes are on the front? If they are drums, I would recommend changing over to discs. I have drums on my '68 and one good 60+ brake check kills them until they cool off. You can run away from an electrical fire, but not a brake failure.

Front end sloppy? Consider some roller spring perches and a general suspension overhaul.