Bought a '88 P72

[85crownHPP]

Got the gauges in... only hooked up the volt meter for now because i have other crap to do.
The wood bezel rig took about a half hour to make... I just used scrap wood I found in the shed. This is in no way a finished product, but it will probably stay like this for a while, lol.

I used the ashtray wiring for memory power, ground, and illumination. Luckily i found a keyed accessory banana plug behind the radio like I'd hoped for switched power.

Cruisin' time!

[87gtVIC]

I have a very similar corded drill gun as you. Looking forward to a night pic.

[85crownHPP]

they are definitely bright enough

the 85 has serious gauge back lighting envy...

I think a bulb is out in the instrument cluster, its really dim. I have some more LED 194 bulbs around here somewhere...

[1987cp]

I've also been having trouble with the speedo being dim compared to the aftermarket gauges. Is this "LED 194" bulb a direct replacement for a stock dash bulb?

[gadget73]

For whatever reason, the police gauge clusters don't have the two lower bulbs. I have swapped the electrical foil out from civi gauges that have all the bulbs to get full illumination. Too dark without all the bulbs if you ask me.

[85crownHPP]

Yup its a direct replacement. Check out the 'LED rant' link in my sig.

The 85's cluster only has two bulbs in it also, and it wasn't even this dim! The two LED replacements in it now are bright enough.

[gabegt90]

nice gauges pete I like them

[87gtVIC]

Wow they are really bright! I like it a lot.

[85crownHPP]

I got the oil and water gauges wired up!
Its got a strong 50psi cold 40psi hot oil pressure which I'm thrilled about. The engine has gotten kinda noisy since i changed the oil... sounds like what I guess is piston slap. I got a media clip of it I'll post later. I'm going to try some Lucas in the oil to see if that quiets it up any.
While installing the pressure sensor I got a good look at the timing cover... it looks like its got a new-ish gasket and water pump... if the cover came off Id think they would have put a chain on it too.
I keep forgetting to get my old work to print me off a copy of its service records when I drop in on them

It warms up to 185 degrees, so I guess my weak heat is a blend door or clogged heater core issue. I'm not about to back-flush that thing, at the risk of opening up a leak in the core. I'll probably poke around under the dash and see if the blend door cable isn't hanging up or something. I also want to study the non-atc system to explore the idea of devolving an ATC system.

The more I drive it, the more impressed I am with its handling... its still on the stock size no-name tires and it feels more steady in turns than the 85... I don't really push either of them to the threshold of breaking tire traction so I can't really say which is better. The 245/50/17's will go on this thing one day so then maybe I can compare

Still running great... I might actually fix the exhaust!
Other things on the plausibly-in-the-near-future to-do list include putting on the nice door arm rest/switch panel/door pull I got for it, putting grease fittings in the upper control arm bushings, turning the rotors and drums, putting in a good automatic park brake release vacuum collar, putting on some clear front lenses I have in the basement, yadda yadda yadda.
Don't forget the on-going effort to get the stink out. Its bearable now, but still sorta gets on my clothes

If its still going strong after the piddly things, I might actually try to compound/clay-bar the paint, make a full center console for it, fix the rear windows, fix the front locks, fix the rusty spot on the rear QP, clean up more under the hood, blah blah.

The 85 is getting seriously jealous, and the 91 is just sitting there with studded snow tires on it and a trunk full of concrete, waiting for the next significant snow which will probably never come.
I still drive the 85 more than this one, but it wants some 'action' too. Its just gong to have to sit back and relax, since I've done most of its piddly plans, and wait until I'm ready for more serious mods. (this summer perhaps?) Plus it will get the HPP wheels once i get them cleaned up and painted

[packman]

Nice! Another money spounge eh?



Packman

[85crownHPP]

Here's the noise... it doesn't sound like a lifter... or really a knock, more like a diesel rattle...
This is a pretty cold start up - its not as bad once it warms up.

is it the Death Rattle??

[85crownHPP]

Nice! Another money sponge eh?

Packman

Oh yes, but luckily its needs so far have only been relatively minor and/or low cost since its all been stuff I can do myself.
I don't think I have $100 in parts in it yet... not counting the gauges, since I can take them back out. Some one paying for these repairs at a shop would easily be $1,000 deep by now...
Why can't I find cheap mustangs in this kinda shape???

[MarquisBeast83]

oh who needs a mustang anyway? unless you are talking pre-74, that is...

[FatNasty]

Just read this thread, hadn't made it into readers rides much lately.

Vic looks good Pete! its had some little issues but seems like a good deal to me, coming along pretty nicely now. Always fun to just get a car running better.

[Nathan in MI]

It's always hard to tell what noises are in videos since the average digital camera doesn't have terrific audio capabilities, but from what I can tell, it sounds like valve train noise. Definitely not the so-called "death rattle", because that's caused by loose mains. Yours obviously aren't loose if you're holding 40 pounds of oil pressure with the engine at operating temp. It's also a much lower pitched sound than that. Rods would cause low oil pressure too, of course, and they make a more metallic sound. Not sure exactly how piston slap would sound, as I've never heard it on a small block Ford, but what you've got there sounds like every loose valve train I've ever heard.

Oh, one other stupid possibility - does the sound go away if you take the serp belt off?