The new mechanic I found goes to the Mustang Club meetings and everyone knows him. He only works on vintage Mustangs so I think I will be in good hands going forward.
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The shop didn’t say anything and I didn’t ask although I did say to the service writer, in front of the owner, “If I have to continue to pump the brakes in order to control the car when backing out of my driveway, I can bring it back for another brake adjustment, right?”
I’m pretty sure they just adjusted the brakes properly and stopped the brake fluid leak to get the brakes working well now.
I won’t be going back for new work. I think my new guy who only works on vintage Mustangs is going to be exactly what I am looking for.
My neighbor and I are going to replace the rubber gas hose next week. Seems like a simple job. Are there any tips or special things we should know?
I just got new fuel pump and rebuilt carb so hopefully it is something minor.
My new mechanic is about 2 weeks out on new jobs so I will get a full report from him on the entire car in 2-3 weeks.
Brakes are MUCH better after they adjusted them. They almost feel like disk brakes now.
My neighbor and I are going to replace the rubber gas hose
If one rubber hose is bad I would change all the rubber hoses as they are probaly close to the same age.
Do you mean all the rubber hoses going in and out of the gas tank or all the rubber hoses in the entire car? For a DIY job I thought just replacing the main gas hose, that is so easy to get to, would be a good first starter job.
I am just trying to minimize the smell of gas.
Replace the gas hoses first then you can do the rest over time.
gotcha.
Thanks.
The fuel hoses connected to the fuel pump and carburetor should have been replaced when the repairs were performed, the only remaining hose would be the one connecting the fuel line to the fuel tank.
Oh ok.
The car goes to the new mechanic in about 2 weeks. I suspect he will get everything up to snuff.
I predict that he will tell you those hoses are new, it is standard practice to replace these hoses during repair. Do you see a leak?
It is also common practice to adjust 4-wheel drum brakes after the brake-in period.
I had a gas leak directly under the new fuel pump and a brake fluid leak but both have been fixed.
I was only able to drive the car 20 or so miles after getting the new brakes because the brakes were so terrible. I was having to pump the brakes constantly in order to stop.
When I discovered the leaks I took the car back and they fixed the leaks and adjusted the brakes and now the brakes are ok. They told me they “bedded” the brakes but not sure it is true because I can see how many miles the car has been driven.
So should the brakes be adjusted again in 100 miles or so now that they are good? Either way, I don’t really want to take the car back to the original guys for any adjustments…I think my new guy can take care of everything from here on out.
Not a good choice for your first diy’er job imo. If gasoline leaks, very dangerous. If you decide take this on anyway as your first diy’er job, review all the gasoline safety precautions, especially to do it outside well away from structures and have a big fire extinguisher nearby that you know works.
Suggest as objective, end up with all fairly new fuel hose. My truck has two gasoline tanks, and has a fuel return, so its fuel line system more complicated. On your Mustang, one tank and no fuel return. There are probably segments of rubber hose from the tank to the fuel pump, perhaps intermixed with steel tubing, and maybe a couple of other rubber hose segments from the fuel pump to the carb. There is more than one type of flexible fuel hose btw. Your carb’d Mustang could probably use lower pressure rated R6 or R7, but I’d recommend ponying up for the more expensive and more robust fuel-injection rated R9. Note: You may be a bit surprised at how much it costs.
Buyer's Guide: How to Pick the Best Flexible Fuel Hose for Your Vehicle
One extra caution, be sure to not disconnect any fuel line until you are sure doing that won’t cause the gas tank to drain. Gasoline flows downhill, not something you want to be experiencing on the downhill side.
A better first diy’er job would be an engine oil and filter change imo.
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I agree with George, leave the fuel line to the new mechanic.
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My neighbor is a retired fire man who is a super handyman and good with cars but I agree with you, I will leave this for the new mechanic. I don’t want to be taking any risks.
Thanks guys
Wow, no way I could read everything. Glad the leaks are fixed. I’ll just say that I have had cars with drum brakes, both power and manual. While not like the new cars, they certainly should be adequate to stop the car in normal situations. Adjusting the brakes with the star wheel though maybe wa not familiar to the mechanic. They turn the wheel until it drags and the back it off about 6 clicks in my memory. The pedal should be right up there and not going to the floor.
As far as pumping the gas, on my 59 Pontiac, I would have to pump the heck out of it when very cold. Never could figure out why but I suspect now that the gas was draining out of the bowl or evaporating. In the old days in the winter you’d push the pedal to the floor, then let up half way. If 20 below give it another pump. Might just need to figure out the best for your particular car.
My friend had a 65 and one winter I had to tow him with my Pontiac when it wouldn’t start. Never had a ford but even fairly new could have some issues.
I got a car from Arizona and they had plugged the vacuum line for the choke pull off. Started poorly when cold and had trouble driving initially. The choke pull off assy was $10 at store. Not sure why they screwed it up. I kept carb and tossed intake after a few years. Then I got a 4 bbl replacement setup. Still have carb. Ha.
If the brakes are properly assembled, the self adjusters will keep them adjusted properly. Before the self adjusting brakes, you had to adjust the brakes much more frequently, often with each oil change plus the adjustment within the first 100 miles because of the break in period.
All you have to do is drive in reverse and apply the brakes, like backing out of a parking space will do. If the brakes are in need of a small adjustment, it will happen then. If they are in the zone, the adjuster wont do anything, they will not over tighten the shoes.
If your new Mustang Mechanic has a sniffer, he can find all the fuel leaks immediately. A sniffer was an instrument used in the 70’s when smog checks were often required. It was used to determine if there was raw fuel in the exhaust but was good at finding gas leaks anywhere on a vehicle.
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Thanks Keith…Thanks for the great info. I’m curious to learn if he has a sniffer.
