How to replace a carburetor

Replacing a tired worn out carburetor can be a easy 15 min swap, that delivers performance and fuel economy you may have lost long ago. If it seems like something better left to professionals, have no fear. Here we'll show you have to remove you old one, put on the new and even get

your starting tune done!

Start by removing the air cleaner and pumping the throttle (either inside the car or at the linkage) to remove the fuel left

in the fuel bowls to minimize the spillage on to your engine. You'll know when its empty when there is no more liquid shooting from the nozzles and rather a mist instead.

Next you need to disconnect the throttle linkage (a rod in our case, but maybe a cable in some) and if attached the throttle return springs. Normally no tools are need up to this point.

The springs are soft and the air cleaner is usually head down by a wing but or bonnet screw. From here forward though you'll need a few basic hand tools.

Next to be removed is the fuel rail. I recommend placing a old shirt or rag under the rail to catch and fuel left in the carburetor or the rail. Typically its a hose attachment at the carburetor on a stock vehicle or in a modified one like ours. It's held on by an fitting which can be removed us in a standard wrench.

With the rail removed. The vacuum lines are next. Ours only had the brake booster, but yours may have additional lines for emissions or gauges. Now that the lines and fuel are gone. The last step is the four bolts securing the carburetor to the manifold. Typically these are a 1/2 bolt. Easily removed by a 1/4 ratchet and a small extension. Them lift the carburetor off the intake manifold. If the gasket between the two is hung up. Gentle pulling by hand can sometimes release it from one or the other with out tear in it. I recommend replacement of that gasket but if money is tight it maybe saved as long as it doesn't rip.

Next reverse this process to this point installing the new carburetor.  Everything should fit the same unless your changing from a two barrel to four barrel. In this case some fuel line modifications

maybe necessary depending on your application.

Basic start up tips...

These days carburetors come nearly start up ready and some will run right out of the box. Rather then chance it here's a simple way to ensure you get a good fire up. Depending on your carburetor, you may have 1, 2 or 4 idle mixture screws. Our carburetor has four, one on each corner. Using a screwdriver turn them into the carburetor until it stops. Don't over tighten them, doing so could damage the seat.

A light turn until it stops is all that's required. Once there turn out 2 full turns. This will give you a nice rich mix for start up. Additionally max sure your idle curb speed screw is opened enough to maintain

an idle. Even if its high.

Advanced tuning tips...

With the car running (neutral for manual trans or park for automatic) attach a vacuum gauge to an open vacuum port on the carburetor. The larger the dial the better. On a stock engine you should get a reading of around 15-20 psi of vacuum. The object is to turn each idle mix screw a even but small amount inward until you reach maximum vacuum. This is your idle/cruise speed fuel mix.

Reverse Light Reduction, LED Style

Our project '68 came with what I describe as stadium sized reverse lights. While they do no real harm, I wanted a sleeker and new age look. I would have liked to integrate them into the tail light housing. Unfortunately they don't currently offer a clear lens which would allow this modification. So instead, I opted for the next best thing. Super small and even brighter LED lights.

These super bright white LEDs are about a 1/4 of the size and yet twice as noticeable when activated. Even better then draw less currently and the hookup is incredibly simple. All for a cost of $6



To install, started with removing the factory reverse lights. They bolt in from the backside of the valance. Removing those 2 bolts is all that is needed to remove the light. Then unhook the wiring harness at the connection and pull out.

The new LEDs have a simple rubber grommet that holds it in place. This allows placement almost anywhere you wish. I choose next to the plate, where its out of the way and once the car is painted black with disappear until activated.

Just had to drill out the the 5/8 hole. Run the wire through and push into place. That's it for the mounting. Next I used the factory harness to supply them with power so they worked exactly like the factory lights did.

As seen in our patch panel article. The old reverse light holes were then filled in. Giving our ride a nice sleek look.

Fitting A New Larger Race Radiator In The 68!

While our old 3 core copper radiator worked just fine for our 68's mild built 302. Going turbo will add additional heat into the car, so a larger more efficient means of cooling is a must. For that I got a champion 4 core aluminum radiator. While it will do everything we need it to, fitting it in  was not a simple bolt in task.

First I removed the fan and disconnected the wiring. 4 bolts attach it to the radiator and the power and ground wires were disconnected from the fan control module. Then just lift out and set aside.

 Next the radiator was drained and the hoses removed from it. Since its a
5-speed car no transmission lines were attached. If you have an automatic you'll need to detach the transmission cooler lines as well, if your radiator uses the lower portion to cool (champion makes radiators for both 5-speed and auto). After draining all the fluids, 4 more bolts hold the radiator to the support. Then remove the thermostat probe and lift radiator out of the car.

Now the easy part is over. The new radiator is a little taller and doesn't have the slopping the edges like our copper one did. So to fit, it had to be lowered into the car more and here's how. First because the car has a Mustang II front suspension installed. The old strut rods braces can be removed. To do so I used a reciprocating saw to remove the large pieces. Then went back with an air saw to remove the smaller portions and finally finished it up with a grinder to remove any remaining metal. With this done the focus turned to the radiator support. Because this radiator is thick, I wanted to set it back as far as possible for the most engine clearance. So the bottom lip of the radiator support had to be altered. To do so, I made about 6-7 cuts along the lip and folded it up against the support itself. For added strength I went ahead and welded the fold to the support.

The reason for the new radiator was larger surface area for cooling, but the current opening concealed a good part of that area. So I set the radiator again the support and traced a line using a marker of area needing to be removed. The air saw with a fine blade made quick work of the excess sheet metal leaving a perfect fit for the new radiator. Lastly 4 new hole were marked and drilled to mount the radiator. This was done by positioning the radiator on a floor jack and raising to the correct height of the hole. Using a 1/2 drill bit and a uni-bit to clean up the holes. The radiator get mounted up.

For the fan. It mounted directly to the old one, but because the new one is much wider. I had to come up with a new design. Using the same parts that came with it. I mount the fan to one side to the radiator as before (had to drill the holes for it. Then using two of the supplied arms, I created a new single arm able to reach to the other side of the radiator. To make the arm I used a flat head socket screw, so it would sit flush in the arm. This prevents any radiator wear and bolt down from the top to allow adjustment with ease. Then Just reverse the removal process bolting down and reattaching the wires.



Now we have a bigger, better and more efficient means of cooling off our street beast. Total cost was around $300 including the cost of the radiator, hoses, bolts and blades. Not bad for the gains in cooling!

Making the 68's center console from scratch!

Sure you can buy a prebuilt console to fit your needs, but where's the fun in that! On this update I show you from start to finish the creation of our custom mustang center console.

I wanted something a little different but still had that somewhat classic feel. To do this I went full length console, attaching to the bottom of the dash rather then the radio din. This allows the use of the radio slot for our Autometer gauge pod and giving ample room to add as many features as we wish. Starting like our other console builds using a piece of card board I roughed out the basic slope and angle of the console. After transferring that template to a piece of 1/2 MDF, I used a jigsaw to cut out matching sides. For cross support I used a light and strong 2"x 2" pine. You can use what ever materials you wish. I choose these for their cost and the ease of modifying them. additionally the MDF is easy to resin for a smooth painted look or work well with most glues if covering with fabric.

If you notice the inlay strip of MDF, that's so the top panel when wrap will sit a a specific height with out need for screws or fasteners giving a much cleaner look. Below you can see where I test fit the top portion to see where things were best put. This way everything is out of the way and at its optimal position for the driver.

 To finish it off, I use a sample matched black carpet for the sides and black suede for the top portion to tie in the headliner and seats. The multiple cup holders work well and the radio is tucked up out of the way but still easily used and read. Over all I'm pretty happy with the outcome, but may resin and color match to the black painted dash.

Patch panels! Making them with basic hand tools and installation guide

A lot of shows on TV and even articles you read in magazines show expensive tools for making patch panels. While these can make the task easier its not necessarily a must have. Here I'll show you a simple way to make a patch panel and install it on our '68 mustang project using only inexpensive hand tools found at any big box hardware store.

First start by matching up the metal thickness to the area your patching. Different thicknesses can be done, but when possible for a flush finish, I recommend matching up. I had scrap piece from another project that fit the bill. Next simply place the new metal behind the hole. Then using a marker or metal pen trace out the hole on the new steel.

Using a pair of metal shears cut out the pattern, you traced out. I used a pair of pliers to snap off any pieces that including quite get the shears into. Using this approach may warp the metal slightly. If so worries. Using a flat hammer, a few light wraps will smooth it back out.

Then I used a magnet to hold in place on the panel, while I made my initial spot welds. Again I'm using a low end wire fed mig welder available at most hardware stores for around $100. Once spot welded on all sides. Just continue to make spot welds in a circle pattern until you've full welded your seem. This prevents warping the thinner metal for excessive heat.

Afterwards ground down the welds. Again using a basic 4" angle grinder, nothing special. Now an air grinder with a nice compressor backing it will give a more mirror like finish and is less likely to go to deep into the metal. But I wanted to show you can do the same work with out much money invested in more expensive tools. And with that we're done. Just need a little more grinding, a small skim of filler and sanding its ready for paint.

Before

After

Fender Rolling Made Easy - Thanks To Eastwood!

What is fender rolling? It's the process of bending the inner lip of the fender to provide extra clearance and prevent tire rub on lowered and modified vehicles. What does that mean exactly? Most stamped steel fenders which are found on most cars late model or classic. Have an inner lip around the wheel opening which makes the fender more rigid. By rolling this lip up we can provide more clearance between the tire and fenders without loosing that rigidness, that cutting it off would do.

This process can be a huge pain, but thanks to Eastwood's fender rolling tool, we were able to do both fenders in less then 30 mins! A little about the tool, normally its cost around $299 but Eastwood always has special offers and discounts, so we were able to pick it up for about $150. Super heavy construction and easy to follow instructions make it a snap for and level of hobbyist to use. It simply bolts to the hub and using the adjustment points fits nearly any vehicle we tried it on. Here's the steps, the before and after and the pics of the job.

Our fenders before the process...

First up, straighten the wheels, jack up the car and remove the tire. All basic stuff, but make sure your tires are close to straight as possible makes the process a lot easier.

Next, bolt up the tool. Simply slide it over your lugs and using the provide grommets use your own lugs to snug it down. Doesn't have to be overly tightened, just good enough to stay down with out wobble. Then using the of 5 adjustment points, place the red roller against the inner lip. I kept the roller about center on the lip so as I moved from front to back it wouldn't slip off the lip.

Then, begin rolling! Moving slowly adjust the pressure as you go, move the roller toward the front and back. Take your time slowly adding pressure, if your car is painted (unlike ours) you can use a heat gun to soften the paint so it won't crack or chip during the process. Our fenders had a poorly shaped lip in the front and back,
so we had to use a mallet to add a slight bend to start
our roller process. Doesn't take much just a slight
angle and the tool does the rest.


That's it! Once done the lip should be smoothly rolled giving a nice look and a smooth feel, while adding much need clearance to our heavily lowered vehicle.

Our fenders afterward...

1968 Mustang Gets An AutoMeter Custom Built Gauge Cluster

Who doesn't love the sweet glow of Autometer's large line of gauges. From classic to futuristic they've got you covered in ace's. My project mustang deserves no less then the best, so its no wonder I turned to AutoMeter to find some jewels to monitor our beast. The mustang factory dash contain three 2-5/8 gauges and two 5 inch gauges. Now you can buy aftermarket or factory pre-built gauge clusters, but where's the fun in that. Not to mention the price tag that come along with pre-built ranging from $1100+. AutoMeter offers a range of gauges that fit our needs, but I settled on the Cobalt line. the black face and LED blue at night is a great pairing. Now this project is not for the timid, but if you want to make your own here's how to do it.

First choose your gauges (make sure they have a 2 5/8 and a 5" size) I recommend using the 5" areas for tach and speedo and for the smaller I choose the essentials (water temp, oil pressure and fuel level). I can always add more gauges later on the a pillar or in a center console. Next if you have a good factory cluster you can skip this part. If not, like us you'll need to order a new cluster fascia, depending on your selection a basic one like ours runs about $30-40.

Next disassemble the cluster. All you need is the fascia and the metal backing plate. Everything else can go. Ours was pretty worn so we had to replace some of the blinker bulb lights and the plastic warning lights. With everything removed you can move to the next step, prepping the fascia. The fascia has factory tabs to line up the gauge glass and metal trim rings, these are no longer needed and have to be removed. I used a hacksaw to cut them off and a piece of 80 grit to sand and smooth the remainder.

Once fascia is finished. Place over the now empty metal housing. Using a sharpie I marked the gauge openings onto the housing, since our gauges are longer the the factory the back housing will need to be modified to fit. After marking the openings, take the fascia off. I used a 2-5/8 and 4-1/2 inch bi-metal whole saw to make easy work of drilling out perfect circles for our gauges.

Now the scary part. AutoMeter gauges come with nice trim rings that keep everything in place and accent the gauge nicely. Unfortunately that will not work for our setup, there is simply not enough room. So to fix the issue, they have to be cut off...... Scary right. Not so much, its a lot easier then you think it is. Using the same open end hack saw mentioned above, cut the back of the metal trim ring, then the top edge. once through (doesn't take much) I used a butter knife to lift and separate the trim ring from the gauge. Once apart you'll see the gauge is made up of of a few pieces. The gauge housing, the gauge, the glass and the now unneeded trim ring. Since we don't want pieces rattling or moving around during assembly, I used so electrical tape around the ridge of the gauge to hold everything in place while we fit in the housing.

With the hard and scary part over, now its all down hill. Simply place the gauges though the metal housing and reattach the fascia. Then slide the gauges forward fitting the flush in to the fascia. Using some self tapping screws and a couple washers, I secured the gauges into place. This way they can't rotate or slide while driving.

Lastly just follow the wiring diagrams supplied by AutoMeter and done, custom gauge cluster. For about $400 cheaper then a pre-built one and a nice piece to claim as your own.