Replacement P.O.S 2.0

KJ-00-GT · May 29, 2023

The continuation of my Mustang saga. After my 2000 GT got totalled a couple of weeks ago searched and found another car not too far away. The 2000 Gt was a salvage title car that I spent a summer and half rebuilding, mechanical and body work, plus painting it myself. Lots of new parts on it and upgrades. Link to the 2000 GT build.

Here is the replacement car. It's a 2004 V6 auto that has a 2001 4.6 GT or truck Romeo engine along with the 5spd. The body is ok with some rust spots but overall not bad. Mechanically the conversion was not done that well, something wrong with the newer clutch and engine not running great.

The red 20" wheels are going to be sold and the 4" exhaust cannons are already off the car.

KJ-00-GT · May 29, 2023

The first thing I tackled was the clutch. When I bought the car I had the kid drive it to my house because I wasn't going to try and figure it out. The clutch pedal was low towards the floor and really no travel, clutch didn't disengage. Had to start the car in gear and some gear grinding along with clutch slippage on shifts. So after getting it home I looked into it, it had a new BBK cable, firewall adjuster and quadrant. The adjuster at the firewall was all the way out and at the clutch fork was tightened, loosening these up didn't help.

Then I noticed this up under the dash.

Someone had welded the pedal to the shaft and not positioned correctly explaining the low pedal. I removed the pedal assembly, ground off the bad weld, rewelded in the correct position measured off the other car. Reinstalled, I now could get the cable on the first position on the quadrant so more cable travel. So the pedal moves now but not all the way to release the clutch.

My re-weld

It's way too stiff and conclusion is the throw out bearing and or clutch is bad. I can feel the release point using a crowbar on the clutch fork but lot of effort to move it. So this is a newer clutch in the car because the old clutch, bearing was in a Summit box on the back seat.

lwarrior1016 · May 29, 2023

That weld was legit! So are those tips hanging under the v6 bumper! Lol. Make sure your clutch cable isn’t the culprit for the stuff pedal. It’ll surprise you how much those cables can drag inside and make it difficult to use the clutch.

KJ-00-GT · May 29, 2023

I worked on the clutch pedal because was hoping to get it to work then turn my attention to the motor. The car has long tube open headers on it, so hard to tell how it's actually running. Looking everything over there are many things not connected, no O2 sensors, no EGR and some hoses for the plenum. May explain some of the engine issues, it may have a some kind of tune in it because there is a SCT sticker on the window along with owners manual for SCT X4 in the center console, maybe O2 sensors turned off?

True definition of open header, WTF. and the pipe is cut up above and just stuffed in the header. So the headers are useless.

Opened the trunk and took out the sub and speakers to get at the spare tire to check things out, and this is what was there.

KJ-00-GT · May 29, 2023

lwarrior1016 said:
That weld was legit! So are those tips hanging under the v6 bumper! Lol. Make sure your clutch cable isn’t the culprit for the stuff pedal. It’ll surprise you how much those cables can drag inside and make it difficult to use the clutch.

Yes they are, and found out that the owner of the car when it was still a V6 in 2020 had these installed with a complete exhaust system.

Clutch cable is super free not connected to the clutch fork, the original clutch cable came with the car also and not as loose.

KJ-00-GT · May 29, 2023

Now all caught up to where I'm at now. I've been looking everything over trying to figure out a game plan and what to do. It looks like the correct wire harness at least for the motor is in the car but some stuff is different then my GT with a Windsor engine as far as connections to what. This car has no ABS system, my GT does. The air-conditioning system has been been removed for the most part, functioning AC in the GT. Still has the V6 7.5 rear end in the car

I'm pretty sure what direction I'm going and that is to put the drive train, wire harness and dash from the GT into this car. Along with my wheels, coil overs and seats from the GT. This is not what I wanted to do this summer, just wanted a running driving car that I could put my good parts on. I'm stripping everything I need, want and spares off the GT then part out on Market Place before the shell is scrapped. Looks like I have another big project to do.

Oh and this was the driver's seat in the car, full on road race seat. It's mounted on the original power seat track but I couldn't adjust it to work for me, too low. Very little padding, uncomfortable and a pain in the butt to get in and out of the car. It's already out of the car.

whiplash473 · May 30, 2023

That’s got “nineteen-year-old owner” written all over it. Glad to see you have another one to start moving on!

KJ-00-GT · May 30, 2023

whiplash473 said:
That’s got “nineteen-year-old owner” written all over it. Glad to see you have another one to start moving on!

The kid I bought it from just graduated high school, but he bought it this way last August. He is friends with the guy that did the swap so thinking similar age. It was funny when I got out of the truck to look at the car he was surprised and said "Oh I was expecting someone close to my age", I'm 66.

KJ-00-GT · Jun 1, 2023

Small victory today with the clutch. Even though I'm planning on swapping in the drivetrain from the GT I was trying to figure out why the clutch was not working in this car. I took out the BBK cable and firewall adjuster and put the stock cable that came with the car back in, clutch works great and lighter effort than the GT.

To test the clutch I wanted to start the car, now it won't fire. So in my messing around under the dash and pulling the pedals out something must have got disconnected. There is so much not hooked up and the car still ran, it's hard to tell what now is the issue.

KJ-00-GT · Jun 14, 2023

Still plugging away on my project to pull the motor and tran from this car to replace with motor and tran from the wrecked GT, also swapping the engine bay wire harness from the GT. Just enough differences and missing connections to make it needed to do.

RAU03MACH · Jun 14, 2023

KJ-00-GT said:
The kid I bought it from just graduated high school, but he bought it this way last August. He is friends with the guy that did the swap so thinking similar age. It was funny when I got out of the truck to look at the car he was surprised and said "Oh I was expecting someone close to my age", I'm 66.

never to old to own these . till the day i die

d.garza18 · Jun 17, 2023

KJ-00-GT said:
I worked on the clutch pedal because was hoping to get it to work then turn my attention to the motor. The car has long tube open headers on it, so hard to tell how it's actually running. Looking everything over there are many things not connected, no O2 sensors, no EGR and some hoses for the plenum. May explain some of the engine issues, it may have a some kind of tune in it because there is a SCT sticker on the window along with owners manual for SCT X4 in the center console, maybe O2 sensors turned off?

True definition of open header, WTF. and the pipe is cut up above and just stuffed in the header. So the headers are useless.
View attachment 26073

Opened the trunk and took out the sub and speakers to get at the spare tire to check things out, and this is what was there.

View attachment 26074

How much for the. Box

KJ-00-GT · Jun 19, 2023

d.garza18 said:
How much for the. Box

I want to plug it in and see if it works, my neighbor has the right cords for it. We have a 360 and a One.

d.garza18 · Jun 19, 2023

KJ-00-GT said:
I want to plug it in and see if it works, my neighbor has the right cords for it. We have a 360 and a One.

A piece of nostalgia right there! I have mine still but unfortunately it has the ring of death

KJ-00-GT · Jun 19, 2023

d.garza18 said:
A piece of nostalgia right there! I have mine still but unfortunately it has the ring of death

There are YouTube videos on how to fix that

d.garza18 · Jun 20, 2023

KJ-00-GT said:
There are YouTube videos on how to fix that

Really? I never looked to much into it

KJ-00-GT · Jun 24, 2023

I'm finally at the point I think I'm ready to pull the motor and transmission from the replacement car.

My first hard job I've come across was trying to get the aftermarket shifter off the transmission, was really glued on with lots of RTV.

Yesterday I removed the power steering pump, throttle cables and motor mount bolts. Last of wire harness today and loosened the trans crossmember bolts. So hopefully I can get my buddy with the engine lift to come over next week. I'm also starting to do the same things on the GT to get it ready for removal.

weendoggy · Jun 25, 2023

You definitely have your work cutout for you. Even when I was a young whipper snapper, I didn't do crap like that. It's just a job to make it right to suit you and giving us all the joy's of not having to.

But we're here in spirit and inspiration! Now, get to work!