86 SSP Mustang Update

So I realized that I hadn't posted any progress updates on the 86 SSP that I picked up a while back.  The first thing I did was replace the exhaust from the headers back.    It read  119 decibels on the decibel meter with the as-delivered dumped Flowmasters! (Relatively speaking that's right between chainsaw/leaf-blower and an ambulance siren or thunderclap.)    I thought the neighbors might form a revolt if I kept it that way for long, so I threw in a new catted 2.5" BBK h-pipe I had laying around and  Magnaflow Stainless Steel mufflers with some 2.5" tailpipes.  That dropped it to below 100db. 

The next thing I did was start fixing leaks and replacing old hoses.  These things don't like to sit, so I replaced the trans pan gasket/filter, cooling hoses, header gaskets and the valve cover gaskets. While I had those off, I adjusted the valves. (They were all over the place!!)    When I had that back together and adjusted, I reset the timing and idle as well. 

Thankfully, the guy that built the car kept most of the old parts he took off when he made it a race car, so there hasn't been too much parts-chasing to make it streetable again, so I added the power steering back in. 

Somewhere in the car's journey, it had been converted over use the later model quarter window glass. The job hadn't been very thorough and they just taped the new glass over the old glass and cut the trim off by the front mirror, rather than sourcing the matching later model mirrors.  The adhesive was coming off and it a bit too Frankenstein-y for my liking, so I converted it back to the original style glass and trim.  

Then I replaced the broken cowl grille and painted some of the trim that had been painted white.

That's where it stands for now.  Recently took it on its first maiden voyage outside of the neighborhood to go grab some parts from the parts house.   Was out and about for about 30 minutes in 90 degree heat and got stuck in stop-and-go traffic.  It started to get a little warm towards the very end, so I put in a new thermostat and I ordered a much larger, shrouded dual fan and fancy controller that will be going in next!