Mending a hole where the foam comes through..

Apologies to Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.

The side bolsters on modern sports seats add a lot of control and comfort for the driver, but they take a lot of wear. Sliding in and out of the car usually adds appreciable wear to the bolster. Many interiors will suffer from shabby appearance in just ten years. A lot depends on how the driver enters, most just drag their rear across the seat, others, like me, twist their upper body and plop their butt into the seat. Straightening and lifting their legs into the foot wells. A bit more effort, but it helps to preserve the material. 

 I really like the tweed like material that faces my upgraded sports seat interior. It's a two tone black and grey color. While I have also liked leather in my cars, the fabric is grippier, stays cooler, and allows for air circulation. Still after a quarter of a century, wear does become a problem. There is a hole in my side bolster that has worn through to the underlying foam. 

There has also been wear through in the seat bottom bolster. I had dealt with this by adding some more foam and stitching the wound closed. Don't scars add a bit of character? 

The best repair would be to replace the seat upholstery covers and foam buns. This would restore the  comfort and appearance. 

It's very likely that I can find new reproduction upholstery kits for my car, though truthfully I haven't really looked. I would take the seats to an upholstery shop to have them installed. That would be the best idea,

That would also be another step down the slippery slope towards restoration. Something that can only gather speed as additional steps are taken. That would lead to a new paint job, then eventually to a major mechanical overhaul with the fitting of a rebuilt engine, transmission and suspension components. This is something that I have seriously considered.

But I don't want to rush into anything. There's nothing worse than sinking a lot of money into an old car then selling it, instead of using and enjoying it. 

But I just can't ignore the wear, it will just get worse. I need to stop it and find a repair that doesn't include those awful nylon stretch "fits all" seat covers from the local auto parts  mart. There must be at least one car somewhere in the Universe that those covers fit properly... Maybe.

Back in the early days of restoration in the 1950's, it was common to either restitch the original seat material with another fabric backing, or to remove the covers and sew in replacement panels for the worn areas. usually most of the other parts of the interior were still in fair shape. This was considered an acceptable repair and would only cost a few points in judging.

If I had an upholstery shop remove the original seat cover and repair the worn areas I would still be facing quite a cost in labor. It really doesn't make financial sense and it would probably result in some additional damage to the structure, especially if I tried it myself. 

Back in the day of my first car, a '66 Mustang I stitched in a plain vinyl panel in the driver's seat bottom cushion. I sewed all the cracks closed on the seats of my '64 Cadillac and even added a leather panel to the left upper seat corner where the leather had cracked in pieces. I did it by hand using a curved needle. I thought that it looked neat and presentable and showed that I cared about my cars. So that's the plan of action that I've chosen.

Leather patches on tweed, much like those sport coats that I wore back in the 1980's! 

Luckily my Wife had a sheet of black leather that she had bought for her crafting. A very good source for leather patch panels are old purses bought at yard sales or thrift stores. If larger sections are needed you might check those old sofas that are labeled "free" in front of someone's house. Check and see if it's made of real leather, if it is, take the entire sofa. Sure, you could just slit the leather off in the driveway or run off with the loose cushions, but that makes the sofa now unusable for anyone else. Either way, let your conscience be your guide.

The first thing that I did was to measure the area that I wanted to cover and make a paper template using card stock from an old cake box. Yum! Gotta eat that cake first!

I marked the outline on the rough side of the leather, then I laid blue painters tape over the lines and re-marked them with marker. Now I could actually see the lines that I was working with. Working with leather you have to make the holes for the needle before sewing, it's awful hard to push the needle through the leather by hand. 

I wasn't sure what I should use, I had a set of fabric/ material punches on hand. I tried them out on a piece of that card stock. I tried stitching a section and felt that the hole was a just bit big.

The punch holes are the larger ones on the bottom. The drill holes are above.

Then I tied using a small drill bit. I didn't know if the bit would make a clean enough hole. With the blue tape as backing, the bit made a clean enough hole. I marked the spacing of the holes on the template then drilled though the paper and template to make the needle holes.

I removed the tape from the back of the leather. I wondered if I should also glue the patch in place. I  decided to see how flat the patch would lay before making my decision. 

I laid the panel up against this main seam. It would be the thickest and strongest area to attach it. This would most likely be the area of highest stress. I started from the top down, down the side, then back up again to lay down to rows of stitches. I will admit that my seamstress skills were lacking, but I pressed on. After that side was completed I decided against gluing it down. 

It could have been done prettier. Dr. Frankenstein, I presume? I just kept on sewing! 

Finally it was done! I don't think that it looks too bad. I even ran a few more stitches on the seat bottom cushion. I might open that up and add some more foam and another leather patch in the future, or not.

I'm not kidding myself into believing that this is a Concours worthy repair, or even the permanent solution. But it is a real solution. 

Lately I've found myself investing quite a bit of time, effort and money into my Mustang. First, the oil filter housing adaptor gasket replacement. Then the installation of the Mach One spoiler that I've had laying around for years. Then I spent a couple of hundred bucks having a new CD player installed, I gotta have my tunes! 

I mentioned that I don't really want to restore this car, but even with my attention and care it's age is beginning to catch up to it. When I consider getting a newer Mustang it's not that I don't like this car anymore, it's just so that I can start my preservation campaign with something that is in better shape. 

The high mileage on the car is another consideration, though these are sturdy little cars, they aren't going to run forever.  Something bad is likely to happen, then I'll have to make some tough choices.

Gimme a brake! Part One of an extended series. 

(This was post was written quite a while ago, I'm not sure where I'm headed with this subject.)

Thinking about brakes and my Mark VII.  There will be a lot of ramblings and digressions in this presentation!

If only my old Jaguar was like any old Ford, restoration parts would be just a click away on the internet.

There are some parts easily available. I bought wheel cylinder kits without too much trouble. 

But the hard parts like brake drums and especially master cylinders are pretty much unavailable. 

They can be rebuilt, re sleeved, but at quite a cost. Then you've invested quite a bit of money into a obsolete brake system. 

If cost were not a factor.... I'd just send them away and hope for the best.

I've already dismantled the brake at each wheel, cleaned and re-kitted the wheel cylinders. I ran into problems with the master cylinders, I couldn't disassemble them.

They sit there mocking my efforts looking like a pair of dirty rusty little potatoes.

The easiest course of action would be to rebuild everything as original. 

I thought that I might be able to replace the master cylinder with a new modern replacement. I sent away for a Wilwood brake master. I just need to figure out how to attach it to the pedal linkage, and the hydraulic lines.

I discovered that the brake line is a commonly available size. I bought a fitting that I can use to adapt the m/c to the existing brake line. I would need to make an adaptor plate to mount the new m/c to the frame and see if the existing plunger could be adapted. 

If I can get it to work I'd be quite satisfied. The braking power of this car is superior to the same year American car, I think. 

There are British disc brake conversion kits available for the front brakes, that will work with the stock hydraulics.

The Coopercraft conversion looks like a quality item.

There was a home brew system posted on Jaguar Lovers website. Not a bolt on, but it uses fairly modern (late 1970's) parts but needs quite a bit of fabrication. 

This rotor has the same wheel lug spacing as my Jag.

The most important bit of info was the parts number for a rotor that will fit over the wheel hub. It will require the center bore to be opened up a bit, thereby permitting the use of the original hub and bearing set up. 

The Brit kits display a hub rotor assembly with  a dual piston caliper. this way the caliper can be solidly mounted as there is no need for movement. The caliper mounting bracket is quite small, bolting to the backing plate mount. 

The gold colored bracket bolts to the spindle.

There is an American hot rod company that sells disc brake conversion kits. They are cobbled up from an assortment of older production American components. Maybe not cutting edge, but the components are still available. This company's big contribution besides the research, is manufacturing the mounting brackets. These are a bit complicated, as they use typical single piston, sliding pin calipers. The OEM mountings are usually cast into the original spindle and are quite beefy. Obviously over engineered, but have you ever heard of one bending or braking?

This how a typical conversion looks.

The name of this company is Scarebird. Does that name inspire confidence? 

Permit me a lengthy digression.

Years ago I owned a '77 HD XLCR, purchased new. The cafe racer. It came with mag wheels and three disc brakes. The front assemblies were well engineered and were used for the next 25 years. The rear set up was very poor with the caliper attached to the swing arm with a sliding bracket. This wore out rapidly and developed a lot of slop. It still worked but it was noisy. It was the equivalent of the old banana caliper used in the early 70's HD front brakes. That reference will probably not mean anything to most of you. I was constantly looking for a better brake set up.

Now the brake system is a serious thing and important item to safety. However that didn't stop legions of Chopper riders in the past from removing the entire front brake system from an old Harley and replacing it with a spool hub, similar to a bicycle wheel sans any braking device! It did look very nice. Much time was spent lacing up brake hubs from Honda 50s and other small motorcycles to achieve the light look. Tiny drum brake assemblies were crafted by custom wheel companies so that the Chopper builder could comply with the law of the land in regards to equipment. Those set ups certainly didn't comply with the laws of physics!

Could this be considered a Death Trap?

My very first HD was a chopped '70 Sportster that sported a ten inch extended girder fork on a raked neck. It looked great, sporting that spool hub 21 inch wheel! Did it stop worth a damn? Of course not! But I rode it anyway, I figured that I could "adapt" my riding style. One of my cousins had a spool hub on his old Panhead chopper. My previous bike was a '76 Honda CB 750, the model that introduced front disc brakes to the motorcycle world! The first time that I tried to stop that Sportster in a hurry for a red light, I slid half way into the intersection. After enough close calls I felt something had to be done. But I rode it up to Mendocino on Highway One in it's original configuration after I rebuilt the entire bike! 

A fully functional brake, note the large caliper.
The brace provided a spot to mount the cafe racer fender.

I made some real improvements to my chopper. I replaced the entire front fork with a ten inch extended stock telescopic unit with a banana caliper brake. It carried a 21 inch narrow front rim laced to a stock hub. A brace was bolted to the lower legs and an aftermarket Hurst Airheart brake master cylinder was bolted to the bars. Since extended brake hoses weren't yet available, a length of plastic tubing, the kind used to hook up after market automotive oil pressure gauges was fitted. Once all the air was bled from the system it would lock up the front wheel. 

I took a bike that had been stripped of it's original drum front brake and replaced the entire front end. The later model incorporated a disc brake. This resulted in a complete improvement of even the stock design, Then I rode the cobbled up machine all the way through British Columbia and back. And survived.

Getting back to the XLCR, I found a replacement rear disc brake set up from Performance Machine. A new ventilated rotor attached in the stock location. A new two piston caliper was firmly mounted on one end of a long chromed plate the mounted on the axle with new spacers. The opposite end held a torque arm that was bolted to supplied bracket that was welded to the swing arm. A braided steel brake line was included. There was no fabrication required. 

It worked great and was a quality set up.

 Do I have an actual point that I'm trying to make? 

Yes, it is not inconceivable that extensive brake improvement can be made by the hobbyist to vital systems such as suspension systems, steering  and brakes. 

There are those that would not be comfortable making these changes. Understandable. But have you ever rebuilt your car's brakes? Removing the rotors, calipers, backing plates, shoes, lines, wheel cylinders etc? 

Yes, your life (and others!) are dependent on your careful and precise work. But it is usually within your limits.

Because of all the complexities of the decision, I have been putting this off for a long time! This has caused the project to grind to a complete stop better than a locked up caliper! 

I may have found a different course. 

After all, a project has to be economically viable as well as something that I can actually handle myself. I have learned of a company in California, Karp's out near Ontario. They specialize in re-sleeving brake components. I sent them a diagram of my master cylinders and they stated that they could repair them. I need to send the parts to them and they will provide a cost estimate. 

I may now have an avenue available to make some progress, but will I follow it?

 Still working on getting those carbs on. 

No, this isn't the nest booster shot.
Now for a little electrical work.

The carbs are bolted on to the manifold, but as I wrote last time I found that there was no spark in the ignition. The engine spun over, but that was it. The electricity obviously isn't getting where it should. 

The coil was very easy to access.
Much easier than the distributor.

I had to check and see if all of the connections were conducting electricity. Every bullet connector, spade connector, or screw connection has the potential to stop the flow. They could be loose, dirty or corroded. The connectors may look as though they are connected but a build up of corrosion can result in a loss of conductivity. In other words the electricity cannot flow through the connection. Electrical flow is often compared to water flow through pipes. 

Troubleshooting requires a logical, methodical, process. So what do I know at this point? 

I knew that the key switch and starter button was energizing the starter causing the motor to turn over. 

That meant the battery had  sufficient charge, the key switch and the starter button were working, and that the battery cables were in good shape. 

So that also meant that the starer solenoid as well as the starter itself were working okay.

However the engine did not cough, pop, or spit back through the carb. I surmised that there was no fire so I held a plug lead near the can cover while I cranked the engine, That confirmed that there was no spark, 

The wires to the coil were intact but dirty so I tried cleaning those connectors first.

The distributor is down there in the dark.
Look under the hose clamp.

I thought that I could gain more space by removing the hose.
There was a surprise waiting for me.

I removed the distributor cap to check if the points were dirty or stuck.

A basic points ignition system is quite simple.

The ignition switch provides power to the + (positive) side of the coil. 

The -- (negative) side of the coil is grounded through the ignition points. When the points are closed, the energy builds in the coil. When they open, the energy breaks, resulting in a high voltage surge from the coil to the distributor. The rotor directs the charge to the appropriate cylinder to light the compressed fuel/air mixture. 

This process, which seems rather lengthy, is repeated several times for every engine revolution, ??? thousands of revolutions per minute. It is hard for me to comprehend how quickly the ignition cycle is completed and how often it is repeated! 

However all that I have to do is to verify that the points are clean and not corroded, that they do open and close, and that the wiring to the coil is intact. 

What kind of fancy diagnostic equipment would I need for this job?

I've also got one of those little test lights
hiding behind the blue tester.

First is a battery powered continuity tester. This is used on non powered systems. When the circuit is complete, the lamp lights. It lets me know that the wiring is intact, the connections are secure, and electricity can travel through the wires. The tester is powered with two AA batteries, three volts. If I use it on a 12 volt car electrical system that is powered, the lamp will burn out immediately. So I make sure to disconnect the battery first. 

This little tester has quite a history in my ownership. My Dad gave it to me when I moved out and away to the L.A. area for my new job in 1982. I think that he had owned it for quite a few years before this. I've had to fix the battery contacts when the wire fatigued from age, but I would never think of tossing it for a new one. When my Dad gave it to me he told me that it would be handy to figure out problems with wiring, and that I should take it with me. I took it of course. While I've been a Dad now of many years myself, even then I knew that it was his way of saying goodbye, wishing me luck, and maybe even that he would miss me. This was my first big move, and the beginning of the bigger changes  that were to follow. I've kind of kept this tradition alive by giving my kids various tools that I brought with me so they could set things up, or could use to fix stuff around their new places. I've had to replace screwdrivers, hammers, adjustable and box wrenches, brooms and even gloves that I've given away.  I hope they will hold onto them over the years, they were given to them as more than tools, they were given with my best wishes, like my advice to check the oil in the car! 

I've got this Innova unit, but this image is from their internet ad.
In other words, not my hand!

My multimeter has a similar function that sounds a buzzer when the circuit is completed. 

The little bulb socket with the yellow wire combined with some
alligator clip on test leads forms my basic equipment.

The second diagnostic tool is the humble test light. I can check live 12 volt circuits. It lets me know that electricity is present by lighting up the lamp! High tech? No, but it tells me what I need to know and what I couldn't determine any other way.

My multi meter can do the same thing, plus tell me exactly how many volts are present at the circuit junction. It can also do more by measuring the resistance in the circuit. That's more than I need right now, though I've finally leaned how to use that function.  

I checked the coil with my continuity tester, connected across the + and -- terminals, the circuit was completed and the lamp lit and confirmed this.  This is not an indication of the strength of the coil, or if it might break down when heated up under load, but it confirmed that it should work well enough to start the engine. 

The -- terminal was loose and the connector wiggled. It appears that the screw thread is damaged and the prior owner had used a wrong screw. I tried to find a better fitting screw but ended up reusing what was there. I cleaned everything reattached the terminal adaptor and superglued the fittings. It tightened everything up! 

My examination of the points, after cleaning, confirmed that they were opening, and they were grounding properly. The wire from the dist to the -- post of the coil was intact and okay after cleaning the spade connector, the wire itself tested good. 

Since the negative side of the ignition checked out, there should be electricity to the positive terminal via the ignition switch. I checked this with the test light, and there wasn't any juice. No electricity, no spark. 

This could indicate a bad switch, a broken wire or connector. However there is an easy work around. I can just run a wire directly from the positive side of the battery to the + terminal of the coil. I don't know if there is an ignition resistor in the system to reduce voltage in the circuit, this is to reduce the chance of the points burning at low rpm. but it shouldn't be a factor in just starting the engine for a very short period. 

So that's as far as I've gotten. I still need to source a battery. I do not like pulling a battery from one of my running cars to use temporarily.  I haven't checked to see if the used battery store is still in business. It's surprising how many businesses have failed, but neglected to take down their websites. I'll just call first instead of wasting a trip like I did for the hobby store. I drove all the way to Sunnyvale only to find a village of empty storefronts. 

I looked at Home Dept and a new battery would run me from 100.00 to 119.00. I've seen batteries for sale at Pick and Pull, I'm assuming they might be used, but I haven't checked. The best course would be to just buy a new battery from my Mustang and use the old battery for the old Jag. Unfortunately there is major drama developing around my Mustang, I'll be reporting on this later. My problems with the Mustang are a big deal that is going to have a major impact on my long range car plans.

 Let's get those carbs back on. The first step in the process.

Things are about to get much more technical, I've been working on my stable of cars on multiple fronts.

It's been months since I last uncovered this car. The good news is that the tarps I covered the car with have been very effective keeping rainwater off of it. 

I'd been ready to get started but I hurt my hand bad enough that I had to wait for it to heal well enough for me able to handle the job. I caught my hand in a shed door and tore up the skin on one of my fingers pretty badly. 

I've been waiting on a lot of things, depending on the results of this trial. 

I've learned of a company right here in Calif. that can re-sleeve my brake components. At least the wheel brake cylinders. I will have to contact them directly to ask about the master cylinders. The company is in So Cal near Ontario, in the city of Upland. 

Maybe this will cut the costs of the brake system rebuild to a reasonable amount. We'll see.

First thing though, is to get the carbs back on.

As you can see the location of the carb mounting nuts has been clearly established and flagged. It seems silly but sometimes the loss of something small like mounting fasteners can bring a project to a complete halt. 

It has been quite a while since I removed the carbs (years!) and I took some time think about their re-installation.

It looks like I can bolt on the front carb first, while connecting the fitting on the bottom of the starting carburetor to the manifold. That might take a bit of wrangling. It did take a little bending of the mixture pipe. 

Those are my hand formed gaskets. That pipe is for the mixture of the starting carb.

The forward carb is now in place. I had to bend the mixture pipe a bit to get it aligned correctly. I didn't want to risk fouling the threads of the fitting. We usually think that inline engines have a lot of working room under the hood. The horizontal carbs sticking out of the side of the engine makes things tighter than you might imagine. The carbs have the bottom two mounting nuts as a bit of a stretch, and I can't see them as I start them, without using a mirror. Instead it's done by feel. Luckily I didn't drop any nuts in the dirt under the car. I'm not sure what that ventilated green box is for, I first thought it has something to do with the aftermarket transistorized ignition system that the original owner installed. It cuts into the access room as well as my arm as I maneuver in the area. 

Gaskacinch is one of my go to sealants. I prefer it to most RTV type sealing compounds. It dries quickly and will hold gaskets in place, doesn't squeeze out of the joint, and disassembles easily. It looks and feels like rubber cement. Maybe that's all it is. It does resists solvents and water so maybe not. A little goes a long way so a little can can last for years. That finned box is the other unit of the transistorized ignition. Looks a lot like an MSD unit.

This wrench is a life saver. It's a ratcheting open ended wrench made by the Alden company. It was designed for the aerospace industry. It ratchets with only a 30 degree swing and the spring loaded jaws grip the nut. I bought a set of these twenty years ago when I was replacing the alternator on my NorthStar Cadillac.

This is where I finished on the first day. I stuck a rag in the carb throats and covered them with plastic bags. It was only a couple of days later that I returned to the task,

After I got both carbs bolted on I had to fiddle with the throttle shaft connection. Part of the shaft is a spring that is clamped onto the solid sections. The junction couldn't be clamped tight enough. I loosened and removed it, then pried it open a bit. After re-installing it I cut a shim from a soda can and slipped it in before trying to tighten the connection. The shim did it's job and tightened up the joint. ( For a discussion of aluminum can shim material refer to "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance.")

I found that it was was necessary to align the shaft with the proper position of the gas pedal. 

Starting fluid is seldom used on modern cars. If you're trying to start up a car that's been sitting for a long time, it can come in handy.

I thought that I would try to get the engine to fire only using starting fluid. It would only run for a moment. If I was successful, then the plan was to fill the float chambers of the carbs with fuel, then use starting fluid again. 

I pulled out my garage fire extinguisher and added the smaller extinguisher  from the XJS. I wasn't that worried, as I was using starting fluid, which is ether. It is extremely volatile and it will evaporate rapidly, unlike gasoline. But it never hurts to be careful, especially when I later move on the gasoline.  

Of course I didn't have a battery for this job. I had an old used battery that I had bought for the XJS. It used to hold a good charge, but no longer. I had considered buying a used or reconditioned battery from the same  vendor here in San Jose, if he's still in business. That's where that old battery came from. Or I might buy one from Pick and Pull. The best course of action seemed to be buying a new battery for my Mustang then using it's old battery for the Jag. I know that this battery is still pretty good and my Mustang will get the benefit of a new battery. The battery in my Mustang will be four years old in November. 

I raised the throttle pistons and held them open with a length of fuel line. Then I sprayed a couple of good squirts of starter fluid into the throat. 

I had already hooked up the good battery so I pushed the starter button. The engine spun over but there was not any indication of combustion. Not even a pop or cough. I gave it another try holding down the accelerator. 

Nothing happened. I wondered if I had spark. I hooked up my remote starter button and spun the motor while holding the spark plug lead a short distance from the cam cover nut. No spark at all! That might be the problem. I removed the distributor cap to clean the points by burnishing them with a match book cover. and a spray of electrical contact cleaner. 

The previous owner had added a transistorized ignition booster. These were popular before the advent of factory pointless ignitions. The lower voltage extended the life of the points and the spark voltage was amplified at lower and higher rpm. I don't know if the system still works, or if the extra connections are making good contact. 

There were a lot of extra spade connectors and a ground connection on the coil and they looked kind of grimy. I pulled them apart and cleaned them with a wire brush. That didn't solve the problem. I found that the coil has a damaged terminal screw connector and that the coil lead was just stuck into the coil as it popped out as I was moving the coil. Only a couple of strands of wire stuck out of the end of the high tension lead. There wasn't even a terminal end.

Well, It's obvious that it wasn't going to fire today. I'm going to have to do some detective work and do a methodical check of the condition of each connection. I also have to find the wires that go to the distributor and coil and check for electricity then follow it's path. 

It's called basic trouble shooting. 

It would have been nice if it would have been easy, but that was just being a bit too optimistic. I've gotta get that spark present and accounted for. 

 Spoiler Alert! Part One.

2003 Mustang Mach One.
This low mileage example is rare in that it is equipped with an automatic.
Currently offrred for sale at 15,999 dollars.

Since I still had the car up on ramps after I had replaced the oil filter adaptor gasket, I thought that it might be a good time to install the Mach One style front spoiler that I bought years ago, and had been taking up space in the garage. I've always thought that the SN95 Mustang was a little weak looking in the front. All of the available replacement "body kits" and bumpers are too over the top for me.  I well remember when the 2003 Mach One was released, It was a nice update of the last "New Edge" style Mustangs and delivered some real performance gains along with some nice heritage styling cues. 

The wheels, rear spoiler, side scoops, even the type face of the instruments and seat upholstery mimic the classic designs. The most intriguing and desirable item was the shaker hood. The New Edge update had replaced the soft curves of the previous design with a more aggressive hard lined and slab sided refinement. Still, there was only so much that could be done until the 2005 retro style Mustang was introduced.

My favorite Mustangs are the 1969 and 1970 Mach Ones. When the 2003 appeared I was not particularly impressed, because Mustangs from the this era had never been on my radar. However, I was impressed by the DOHC 24 valve motor, at 305 hp. it gave it ten more horse than my beloved NorthStar Cadillac. Over recent years I've warmed up to these cars even more, and I find the Mach One to be quite desirable. Not so desirable that I would actually buy one. They are commanding some pretty high prices, and I already have a '96. They don't really look that different, though the difference in performance is considerable. 

The factory added a small chin spoiler to the design which gave the front end a bit more character. The factory piece was replicated and quickly tooled up for aftermarket production. It was an easily installed addition to a regular Mustang. A bit later the same type spoiler was made available for the earlier SN95 models. I wanted to improve the appearance of my car so I ordered one from American Muscle. After it arrived I stuck the box in a corner of the garage and forgot about it. I had also found another item, a rear wing on CraigsList that I would add to my car, and that was also mothballed. 

Until now.

Upon opening up the box, I noticed the the left side of the spoiler was a bit warped. It is made out of a rather stiff plastic. The box had been sitting on that edge for several years. I imagine that it will straighten itself out after being installed. 

I was curious about the fasteners that were provided. Some suppliers include plastic push in fasteners, some use good old nuts and bolts, and in my case, metal screws. I watched a video from American Muscle that illustrated the installation process. My takeaway from that video was to clamp the ends in place first. I held it up in the middle with a couple of bungee cords. This made the job much easier for me, even though I did this without a helper. 

As you can see there is a very wide flat area available to attach the spoiler. I chose to leave the whimpy little original spoiler in place. It can't be seen once the new spoiler is in place. 

Because of the curvature of the bumper's leading edge, the spoiler needs to be located an inch or so back. That's the major difference from the New Edge model which have a flat bottomed front bumper.  Now I can see why there are different parts numbers, there are slight differences in the construction. 

You can see how the left side is not resting flush with the underside of the bumper. It was almost flat after I installed the screws. Once it sits for awhile and the weather heats up I'll add another screw to the area. 

The spoiler is a nice addition and adds a little more character to the front end. It doesn't project down too far. Since I don't plan on lowering the car I shouldn't have any problems with clearance. It's kind of funny that at one time, I thought that I'd be removing the running horse like I did with my '66. Over time I have become quite fond of the mascot and I have no intention on removing it. 

I'm glad that I finally got around to installing the front spoiler. It wasn't that difficult, but I just put it off and stuck it in an inaccessible spot in the garage. Of course then I just kind of forgot about it. Years passed, but lately I've been moving things around which allowed me to move it out into the open.

Next I'll move onto adding the rear wing. This is a much rarer and more exclusive item.