Update

 So much has happened in the past two years that I'm not surprised that I have not updated this blog in all that time. Here's a quick recap.

Aug 2023 Participated in the Sequim Prarie Nights show in downtown Sequim. It was a sunny day and was actually hot in the afternoon. After the show Jim and I stopped for a beer at the Pacific Tap Room and the girls joined us there.

I met a fellow Mustang owners, Scott Anderson and Chuck Livingston. Scott has a beautiful 65 2+2 that he has meticulously restored. He invited me to join the North Olympic Mustangs club, which I did in September. 
Later in Sept I joined Scott, his wife Cheryl and other NOM club members Dwight and Roxy Weathers to drive down Hwy 101 along the Hood Canal and to the Ponies in the Park show at Lacey. I was a little concerned that my Mustang would make the trip OK but we were fine! It was good that we were driving in a group, just in case. 
 John and Mariah Slack visited later in the day and it rained. I won third place in my class. 

In October I removed the power steering and replaced the linkage with proper manual steering components. I also pulled the oil pan to un-stick the distributor drive shaft so I could pull the distributor and send it to John Slack so that he could rebuild it. The advance mechanism was frozen from lack of oil and I could not get it to un-freeze with oil and penetrant. I spent some time when the pan was off to authenticate some engine components and markings. I also ordered an Arvinode replacement exhaust system and replaced the chattering clutch.

By April 2024 I had everything put back together although I was still waiting for the Arvinode exhaust kit. I had the steering aligned at Les Schwab. Everything was running OK with the rebuilt distributor and I put some easy miles on the car getting pictures. The exhaust system arrived and I excitedly installed it. Almost immediately after I got it up and running I wanted to get a video to hear the sound of the car as it was driving by. I set up my phone at the corner of Clark and Anderson Rd and did some drive bys. On the last one I decided to crank it up a little and went by the corner accelerating to about 4000 RPM when everything quit with a big bang.  I pulled over with a dead engine and opened the hood to find that all the spark plug wires were wrapped around the distributor. The distributor had siezed. I had to walk back to retreive my phone and tripod and call in for a tow back to the house. 

In the days that followed I examined the damage enough to determine that the cam gear was broken and I would have to pull the engine and completely disassemble it. I called John and he took back the distributor for a post-mortum. It had definitely siezed and caused the rest of the damage. John discovered that the bushing material he had used was improper.

I rebuilt the engine with new rings and bearings and ordered a replacement Hi-Po cam and lifter set. John came up and inserted the new cam bearings into the block. By May 2024 I had the short block rebuilt and on the stand. I had the exhaust manifolds media blasted and found out that the LH (short) manifold had a large crack on the back side. I ordered replacement Scott Drake manifolds. I decided to order a Mallory distributor so that I could run the engine while John continued to investigate and rebuild my Hi-Po distributor. By late June the car was running and driving again.  By the way, I do like the Arvinode exhaust.

I had also changed the rear-end ratio to 3.25:1 so that the gearing was more compatible with the T5 ratios in first and second. It made a big improvement in the drivability and, of course, the highway RPM. I was very pleased with the change.

7 Jul 2024 I drove to the All Mustangs and Shelby show at Griot's in Tacoma. The car ran well except the fan belt would slip and cause the alternator light to come on. It was a hot day and after the show the traffic was slow on Hwy 16 so I had to pull off and take a break to let it cool down. 

10 Aug 2024 I showed the car again at the Prarie Nights show in Sequim
17 Aug 2024 Drove to John's house to his Boss gathering. 
24 Aug 2024 Drove with NOMC to Chuco for lunch. It rained part of the time.
26 Sep 2024 Drove to the Lacey Ponies in the Park show, again with NOMC.

Over the winter and into the spring I rebuilt Bob's 340 drag race engine and the SVO engine. For the 2025 NOMC weekend I drove the 2018 GT for the club cruise and then showed the 65 at the Show and Shine in Port Angeles.

On 25 April 2025 I drove the 2018 GT in a loop of Hwy 20, the North Cascades Highway, I stopped in Chelan for lunch, and returned on US Hwy 2 to complete the Cascade Loop Scenic Byway. Beautiful scenery and a great drive in a great car.

6 July 2025 I showed the 65 again back at the Griot's show in Tacoma.
18 Aug 2025 John had finished the re-rebuild of my distributor and I installed it. The 65 has been running well with the dual point but I am being very cautious with engine revs. 

Over the winter I noticed that the heater had started leaking on the passenger's floor mat. I bypassed the heater for the time being. 

2 May 2026 I drove the 65 on the NOMC cruise to Port Townsend. It was a fun drive. We stopped at HJ Carroll County Park in Chimacum and then to the Vintage Hardware store in Port Townsend for a viewing of the touring car collection. On Sunday I showed the 2018 GT in the Show and Shine - sort of a summetry of last year. I won first prize in my class.

That brings me up to date on the activities with both the 65 and the 2018 Mustangs.



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