BrettNorton Posted April 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 @Psychorugby Hmmmmm...... Now that I think about it, I am not too hesitant about dropping the K-member. Rather, I am more hesitant about having to put it back in afterwards. Maybe reinstallation will be very easy, maybe it will be absolute hell. I do not know for sure. All I do know is that the stock K-member will be reused for this build. I feel like pulling the stock K-member out now just to clean it up a bit more would not be worth the extra effort to line everything back up when it has to be bolted back in. Might as well upgrade to a tubular K-member at that point (something that I will definitely do later on in another build that won't be on so much of a budget). Thank you for your input as well. I am not intending on bashing the logic of you or Sleeperstang1994 as I assume that everybody on this site knows more about SN95 Mustangs than I do. I truly appreciate the input that everybody has given me so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Psychorugby Posted April 7, 2015 Moderators Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 @Psychorugby Hmmmmm...... Now that I think about it, I am not too hesitant about dropping the K-member. Rather, I am more hesitant about having to put it back in afterwards. Maybe reinstallation will be very easy, maybe it will be absolute hell. I do not know for sure. All I do know is that the stock K-member will be reused for this build. I feel like pulling the stock K-member out now just to clean it up a bit more would not be worth the extra effort to line everything back up when it has to be bolted back in. Might as well upgrade to a tubular K-member at that point (something that I will definitely do later on in another build that does not include "Budget" in the title). Thank you for your input as well. I am not intending on bashing the logic of you or Sleeperstang1994 as I assume that everybody on this site knows more about SN95 Mustangs than I do. I truly appreciate the input that everybody has given me so far. Take a 1/8" drill bit and drill through the K-member and frame rails in a few places on each side. When you go to reinstall the K member, line those holes up and it's back where the factory had it (may or may not be square). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted April 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 (edited) April 2015, Damn. I found out from my grandpa that his air compressor does not keep up with his sandblaster very well. So in order to prevent long periods of waiting on said compressor to fill up, wire wheel to small parts it is. I cleaned up the fuel filler neck + bracket and the pinion snubber bracket. After a few hours of working in the humid weather, I eventually got tired of constantly going through periods of waiting for primer and paint to dry. I called it quits for the day. Expect further updates on the small parts cleaning... Not any time soon though. Supposed to be raining out the ass for the next few days here in Lawrence. Edited July 10, 2016 by BrettNorton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleeperstang1994 Posted April 8, 2015 Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 another day of good progress. glad to see your keeping hard at it. at this rate you should have the body all done before the end of spring! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted April 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2015 (edited) April 2015, I am truly blessed to have other people helping me with this project. Today, I got to do some sandblasting since my uncle Ed brought over his much larger air compressor to work with my grandpa John's sandblaster. I cleaned up the transmission cross member and both sway bars. I would have done more, but the sandblaster hose kept getting clogged up, no matter how much it was cleaned out. I also ran out of sandblasting sand, so the tank needs to be filled back up. Stay tuned for another update soon... Edited July 10, 2016 by BrettNorton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted April 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 (edited) April 2015, More sandblasting done today. I got many more parts cleaned up since the sandblaster had a bigger hose to work with and did not clog as much. I cleaned: Fuel tank straps Spindles / Wheel hubs, front brake hose brackets, steering shaft, and power brake booster I only ended up getting the sway bar brackets both cleaned and painted due to running out of daylight. I will clean up the rest of the parts as soon as I can. Edited July 10, 2016 by BrettNorton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted April 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 @Evilcw311 I actually kind of wish that I had a blast cabinet to work with. If you will be using the kind of sandblaster that I was using, you will need a CRAP TON of safety gear. Heavy jacket, welding gloves, safety goggles (not glasses), breathing mask (not a dust mask). You would also need one of those covers for your head kind of like what beekeepers wear. Even while wearing safety goggles and a breathing mask, sand was still getting in my face and my eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted April 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) April 2015, I painted the rest of the small parts today that I did not finish before. Front brake hose brackets Fuel tank straps Steering shaft Power brake booster Spindles / Wheel hubs I will also need to get new springs because I found out that the last coil of the original front spring actually broke off inside the control arm some time in the car's life. It happened on both the driver's and passenger's side. I had to use a hammer and pry bar to pry what was left of the front springs out of the control arms. I got the control arms sandblasted, but I have to press the bushings out and clean them up some more before I paint them. Edited July 10, 2016 by BrettNorton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95riosnake Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 You're doing great work! I've had the pleasure of doing the underbody on my car (which originated in Michigan) so I know how miserable that job can be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleeperstang1994 Posted April 14, 2015 Report Share Posted April 14, 2015 looks like your sandblaster is making quick work of all your hard parts! you don't have a blast cabinet? I picture you just crouched in a sand box with a bunch of protective gear on LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted April 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 Thanks for the kind words my good sirs. The sandblaster was a huge help in getting the small parts. I can only imagine having to use a wire wheel to clean all that damn stuff up. Especially the spindles / wheel hubs. I do not have a blast cabinet, but the sandblaster that I used did great. Other than clogging up quite a bit. The sandblaster itself is actually home made. My grandpa John built it many years ago. The compressor belongs to my uncle Ed, and even though it says "QUIET" on it, that thing is sooo loud. It is run by an engine, and the air coming out of the sandblaster is freaking loud as well. I think I should have been wearing ear plugs while it was running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted April 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 (edited) April 2015, I spent today cleaning up the fuel tank. I did not use the sandblaster for it since I did not want to get a bunch of sand inside of it. I decided to just paint the tank with primer. Before After Something funny about the fuel tank here is that I found another vapor valve seal inside of it. The seal still looks and feels like it is brand new since it has never seen any bad weather. A good $10 saved right there. I need to ask you guys about how I should go about cleaning out the inside of the fuel tank. I wire wheeled some rust, foam, and tar off of the tank with the various holes exposed, and I am pretty sure that I got some crap inside there. How should I clean it out? Edited July 10, 2016 by BrettNorton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted April 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 (edited) April 2015, Cleaned up and painted under the hood today... Literally. I had to get rid of the old hood pad since it was covered in grease and other crap that is impossible to get out. I think there is a before pic of the hood on the thread here somewhere. Also cleaned up the fuel tank cover. It is still a bit rough, but looks better than it did before. Edited July 10, 2016 by BrettNorton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Det_Riot Posted April 17, 2015 Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 Knocking it out little by little. Doing work man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted April 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2015 April 2015, Today was a sad day my fellow Mustangers. I must bid farewell to something that is a very important part of my project here. I have a pair of Lee carpenter jeans that I bought 2 years ago. I always wear them while working on the car. They have worn out a fair bit and have big holes in both the knees. They also had a little ass hole (do not know of a simpler or more G-rated way to put it). They have been through every good and bad stage of my project. Pulling the motor / trans, dropping the axle, installing the fender, welding the subframe connectors, welding the battle / torque boxes, painting, everything. Well, my working-on-Mustang pants died today. I squatted down, and the little ass hole became a big ass hole. The jeans have to be thrown in the trash now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted April 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2015 I had to remove a double post here, but the site won't let me do that. So, I shall share something funny instead of a double post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted April 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2015 (edited) April 2015, Update on the progress of the Mustang today... or, lack of progress I should say. The reason I say lack of progress is because of these damn front control arms. My issue is that I need to get the bushings pressed out of the arms in order to clean them up, paint them, and press in new bushings. I got access to a 20 ton hydraulic press from my uncle Ed today, and attempted to press said bushings out. Welllllllll, the process did not go over as nicely as I thought it would have. A stock control arm on a 1994 Mustang is made of stamped steel, so it can get crushed with a decent amount of force. The stock arm also has 2 different sized bushings in it. The bushing towards the rear of the car (right bushing in the pic) is larger than the bushing towards the front of the car (left bushing in the pic). I only got to work with the driver's side control arm today, and it is how I found out that there are issues with pressing the bushings out of these control arms. On the larger bushing, I only got most of the rubber pressed out, and it came out in pieces. I could not get the shell out since it seems to be flared out on both ends, making the idea of pressing them out impossible (I could be wrong on that). For the smaller bushing that is only flared on one end, I could not get it pressed out at all. I probably had about 10 tons of force on it, and the shell did not move one bit. All that I managed to press out was the little sleeve inside of the rubber. These old bushings have 230,000 miles on them and are stuck like a mo-fo. MUSTANG PROJECT ALERT!!! MUSTANG PROJECT ALERT!!! HOW SHOULD I GO ABOUT GETTING THESE OLD FRONT CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS OUT!?!?!? SHOULD I SCRAP THE IDEA OF PRESSING OUT THESE BUSHINGS AND JUST BUY NEW CONTROL ARMS???? OR IS THERE SOME WAY OF GETTING THESE BUSHINGS OUT THAT I DO NOT KNOW OF????? Edited July 10, 2016 by BrettNorton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted April 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 @Evilcw311 Alright, I will try that out. Funny thing is that I did research AFTER I attempted to press out these bushings. The reverse of that is supposed to happen, dammit. I was stupid. Anyway, the majority of the answers that I got from my research is very similar to what you are saying. Drill the bushings to loosen them up, use a torch to burn them out, then clean out the remains inside the bushing shell. I was worried that I might have to press the bushing shells out as well (research told me that they are a major PITA to remove), but I will be getting some Prothane bushings that I will press back into the stock bushing shells. Will probably need to use the hydraulic press for that. Thanks for the advice, man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted April 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 Lol about the alcohol. When I first got my license a few years ago, I was the DD for my dad and his buddies whenever they went out drinking. I always got paid nicely for that. Do not worry about the burning rubber on my skin! I shall wear welding gloves, long-sleeved shirt, and not drink any beers beforehand! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted April 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 (edited) April 2015, Right! Following advice from Evilcw311, I got my old front control arm bushings out. First, I drilled the rubber out that held the little sleeve inside the bushing. Second, I took a propane torch to the rubber in order to dig it out with a punch. The burning rubber smelled horrible and made a mess everywhere. Lastly, I used a small wire brush to clean the remains out of the bushing shell. These arms are going to need a bit more work before they are ready for painting and reinstallation. This whole ordeal with burning out the bushings has made the arms pretty dirty again, so they will likely need another round of cleaning before paint. An issue with the passenger's side control arm is that a few months ago, I attempted to press out the smaller bushing with a ball joint press (like what gets rented at the auto parts store). The bushing looks like it came out a bit. Instead of pressing out the bushing though, the tool crushed the part of the control arm around the shell that was supposed to be pressed out. I believe my uncle Ed has an attachment with his press that can spread metal out, which should work perfectly to fix this. Edited July 10, 2016 by BrettNorton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh@RideTech Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 Good job man! I hope your build stays more "budget" oriented than mine did! haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95riosnake Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 Yea back when I replaced the bushings in my factory rear control arms many moons ago, I burned them out with an acetylene torch, just scraped them out with a screwdriver while they burned. Then hit it with a wire wheel on a drill after to clean the ID out. Not the most delicate approach but it works! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted April 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2015 (edited) April 2015, Dahhhhhhh!!!!!! Finally! Between a bunch of planning for work this summer and school next semester, I finally got to work on the Mustang today. I accomplished a few things. First thing I worked on was the front control arms. I used a little hydraulic tool in order to spread out the crushed part of the passenger's side front control arm. Then, I cleaned up the arms with a wire brush, and painted them. I then cleaned the inside of the gas tank with a hose to get crap out of it from wire wheeling. I filled the tank with water, drained it out, and repeated multiple times. Last thing I did was disassemble the steering rack (sorry about all the leaves in the pic). No, I did not pull the insides out of it. I just loosened up the hoses, along with removing the outer tie rods and inner tie rod boots. I left the boots on in order to protect the inner tie rods, even though they will be getting replaced. Edited July 10, 2016 by BrettNorton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted May 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 (edited) May 2015, Well my friends, I have to put the Budget 302 Build project aside for a few months again. A few reasons: 1. Finals at school are approaching. Have to focus on studying for them rather than working on the car. 2. I have nothing left to do with the car right now. Everything that I wanted to accomplish by stripping it to the body shell is done. The underside, engine bay, and small parts that I kept are all cleaned and painted up. Subframe connectors and battle boxes are installed. 3. I will be working my ass off this summer. 2 jobs, 7 days a week, and no time for Mustang. As I have said a few times before, I will be collecting all necessary suspension parts in order to put the Mustang back on its wheels again. When everything is said and done, I will roll it into my grandpa's shop (some things need to be cleaned out beforehand, though). That way, the car will be in a completely enclosed structure, where I will be able to work on it without having to worry about rain or other forms of bad weather slowing me down. Over summer break, I will post updates on the parts I buy. About early August, my jobs will finish up and I will have a good break in between school and work. Do not expect any progress until then... Edited July 10, 2016 by BrettNorton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleeperstang1994 Posted May 2, 2015 Report Share Posted May 2, 2015 looks good. hardwork and dedication will pay off. enjoy your summer and work hard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted May 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 @Sleeperstang1994 Yup! I'll have fun working hard... this summ.... WAIT A MINUTE, I'M NOT GONNA HAVE FUN WORKING THIS SUMMER!!!! I'm gonna be installing solar panels on roofs (solar energy) and changing oil in cars (Jiffy Lube), and I'm gonnna be sweating my nuts off at both jobs!!! J/K I'm just being too dramatic. It's a good thing that I'll be working a whole lot during the summer. Just like with working on my car, it keeps me from being bored and having nothing to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Det_Riot Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 that shop thoooooo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95riosnake Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 I agree that shop is a serious setup! I'd love to have a work space like that! Best of luck on the dual employment, my dad always called that "character building work" because someday in the future when you have a great job you can look back at that summer and really appreciate not doing that anymore lol. For me, it was remembering the job I had working at a precast concrete plant back in WV on breaks from college shoveling concrete, stripping forms, and shoveling muck out of drainage troughs...all topped off with installing rolled rubber roofing on the entire roof of the huge building for 2 weeks toward the end... nothing like slinging tar and rolling out rubber roofing ahead of a propane torch in the blazing sun in upper 90 degree weather! lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted May 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 (edited) @95riosnake Yeah, I can admit that the shop is nice. But it is veeeeeery dirty. My grandpa used to use it to build all kinds of things and do all kinds of stuff. Nowadays, he's retired and barely uses that shop for anything anymore. It's kinda gone to hell because all of the tools and other things in there are just collecting dust. The solar job that I have is actually a result of taking early college classes in high school last year. Electromechanical Systems and Solar Electric Systems. I had to stay at school until about 7:00 every night, but the classes were free. After finishing the classes, I got myself a job at a local solar installer and work there every summer. What I am doing is assisting with the installation of solar energy systems on buildings, both residential and commercial. I can't really lead anything since I'm just a kid. As you could probably imagine, the asphalt roofs are usually about 50 degrees hotter than the actual weather and we all constantly have to keep track of our footing. The worst part of the job is when we have to run metal conduit through an attic. I'm just doing the grunt work, but I enjoy the fact that I work at different job sites all around Kansas. Edited July 10, 2016 by BrettNorton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prokiller Posted May 4, 2015 Report Share Posted May 4, 2015 @95riosnake Yeah, I can admit that the shop is nice. But it is veeeeeery dirty. My grandpa used to use it to build all kinds of things and do all kinds of stuff. Nowadays, he's retired and barely uses that shop for anything anymore. It's kinda gone to hell because all of the tools and other things in there are just collecting dust. The solar job that I have is actually a result of taking early college classes in high school last year. Electromechanical Systems and Solar Electric Systems. I had to stay at school until about 7:00 every night, but the classes were free. After finishing the classes, I got myself a job at a local solar installer and work there every summer. What I am doing is assisting with the installation of solar energy systems on buildings, both residential and commercial. I can't really lead anything As you could probably imagine, the asphalt roofs are usually about 50 degrees hotter than the actual weather and we all constantly have to keep track of our footing. The worst part of the job is when we have to run metal conduit through an attic. I'm just doing the grunt work, but I enjoy the fact that I work at different job sites around Lawrence and Kansas City. solar panel any job is a great future resume builder. it's a definite wave of the future so learn everything you can about the actual products you can while working there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted June 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 (edited) June 2015, It's been nearly 2 months since my last update of this project, but I've finally received the first round of suspension parts for the Mustang! I bought everything here from Rock Auto and it was all at my door less than a week after I placed the order. KYB GR-2 shocks and struts. These are simple OEM replacement units that were at a good price for me. I also like that they came with all necessary hardware for installation. MOOG steering parts (ball joints, inner / outer tie rods, tie rod boots). A good compromise in price between cheap and expensive. Plus, I've always good things about MOOG parts being used in roughly-driven trucks and in NASCAR. They should hold up in my street-driven Mustang just fine. ACDelco rear upper control arm bushings. I'll explain why I got these rubber bushings when I get the rear control arms. Centric brake rotors. These are, once again, OEM replacement parts at a good price. Figured I might as well buy them now. Dorman parking brake cables. Without the transmission or the entire braking system in the car, there is nothing to stop it from rolling the wrong way during the moving process. These new cables will provide me a sense of security while moving the car. Also, not really a part of the build, but something important nonetheless. After 225,000 miles, my little Volvo has a pinhole in the radiator. I tried to seal the leak up with gasket sealer, but after driving through town on a hot day, I opened the hood up to find the radiator pissing coolant everywhere. I think I'll feel better if I just replace the leaking radiator with a new one. Also got new radiator hoses and a new radiator cap. More Mustang suspension parts should be arriving over the next month. Edited July 10, 2016 by BrettNorton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted June 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 I've decided to change the name of this thread from "1994 Mustang Budget 302 Build" to "A Slow Build: College Kid's 1994 Mustang." The reason being that after much planning and calculation, this build of mine isn't going to be on as much of a budget as I thought it would be. I will be spending a pretty large chunk of money to get this car back on the road, and it's going to take me a long time to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleeperstang1994 Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 gotta make sure the daily gets you to work. Or there is no money for the project Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted July 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 (edited) A little spoiler of something that's happening at the end of the summer... Edited July 10, 2016 by BrettNorton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedTwilight Posted July 5, 2015 Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 Nice Capri! Seems Capri's are in the Fox world what our cars are to the newer styles of the Mustang world! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95riosnake Posted July 6, 2015 Report Share Posted July 6, 2015 Definitely don't see the capris too much, that bubble window they have is pretty wild. Is the capri a new DD or a new project? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted July 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 (edited) @95riosnake I'm not saying anything about that car until I get the suspension of my Mustang put back together. Edited July 14, 2016 by BrettNorton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettNorton Posted July 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2015 (edited) July 2015, Volvo radiator repair = Success! More Mustang parts are on the way, so stay tuned... Edited July 14, 2016 by BrettNorton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prokiller Posted July 14, 2015 Report Share Posted July 14, 2015 i'm so confused by that last picture Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedTwilight Posted July 14, 2015 Report Share Posted July 14, 2015 i'm so confused by that last pictureLooks like that's whats in the Capri. I too at first thought it was a 5.0 swapped Volvo. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
