Ok here is the deal, I've had the car looked at and it's not good. The mechanic seems like a really good guy and he looked over everything as promised and this is what he sees: Front Suspension -****ed. I knew it wasn't good but now I know how bad Rear shocks Power Steering - Has a leak Rear Differential - Has a leak Radiator - I already know I have a leak at the top and I planned on buying a new one but been putting it off. Now I've done some searching on here and it looks like an American Pony Master Rebuild kit for a 72 Mustang is the way to go but he's saying my entire suspension is shot. In other words it's probably best to do a complete overhaul. How much of what I need is in the kit and if I need more than what is in the kit, any ideas? Power steering I think I want to keep (I've seen there are kits to get rid of it), he said the price he got quoted was ridiculous and I should search for another solution possibly from a newer car. Anyone have a good idea? Is there something off a newer car that will do me well? As a newbie to this how much do you think I could get away with doing myself considering I don't have all the tools or the space? Oh forgot to say that he said I might want to think about putting disk brakes in the front. Any suggestions on that? I feel bad asking for all this help and not being able to help back, anyone has computer problems let me know
Lonnie I would be right there witcha but he lives on the west coast. I already offered..........but maybe Maverick Man can help him I had a hunch you needed more than shocks. 1000.00 does not go too far anymore either. I would personally get a kit that had the upper control arms in it as well. THose old drum brakes will stop you fine as long as you drive sanely and your car is fairly stock. The disc brakes would be nice though.......... The rad needs fixed asap as that can lead to even bigger repairs. Depending on what is leaking in the power steering it might be cheaper to make it manual steering. Sorry Kid wish i could help ya maybe a move to ohio or kentucky in your future where maverick owners ROCK!!!!!!(the rest of you do too )
How much are the tickets? So for suspension I've got listed on the quote: ball joints, control arm bushings, idler arm, pitman arm, tie rod ends, shocks, sway bar bushings, partridge in a pear tree.
Yeah the radiator isn't a bad leak it's right at the very top and unless the radiator is filled up to the top and the car has been drive hard for a few hours you wouldn't notice it. But it's old and I think there is crap sitting at the bottom so I'm just going to replace. A friend offered to help by pulling it and using his compressor to find any leaks and then weld 'em up but I'd rather buy a new one and install. I really wish I had the space and this wasn't my only car because I think I would have fun doing all this myself but I need it to get back and forth to work so I'm going to do what I can and give the mechanic the rest.
Pitman arm?!! Hhmm, that is weird! First off, I haven't been aware of any pitman arm problems with these cars since the arm itself doesn't wear out. It is sort of pressed on to the conrtol valve(power steering) or drag link(manual steering only) and the other end in connected to the steering box and has splines and is retained by a large nut. There is no reason it should go out(IMO). And my next question is, how did your mechanic determine it is bad? I am not saying it is impossible, just unlikely. Bushing, ball joints, tie rods, idler arm, shocks all sound about right as far as what can go out. I have one suggestion: Check the spring seats! Good luck.
All of your car's problems are quite fixable, and for a reasonable cost. Your biggest problem is that if you hire a shop to do the work, it will cost an astronimical amount of money. Front-end rebuild kits are available from PST and other companies, as well as power steering hoses, and control-valve rebuild kits. Shocks are cheap. Radiators can be repaired for about $40-$50, or a new radiator can be gotten for around $180. The differential leak is an easy (but messy) fix. Just need a new gasket. I'm glad you're thinking about disc brakes; I highly recommend them. I would suggest that you do as much of the work yourself as possible. That's how you'll save money. Repair shops' prices are ridiculous. There's lots of information here about all of the stuff you mentioned, and you should never feel bad about asking. That's what this site is for in the first place.
ok.....this is important........if you have a car..you need tools....you can buy a set of tools for fairly cheap at harbor freight and tool or checkers or auto zone... wherever.....craftsman is the best bet ..but can be a little pricy for a good set buy the parts at autozone...checker....pepboys....advance....oreilys...wherever...and talk to your friends...friends are good to talk to ...they always know someone who works on cars.....pay the guy a case of beer and a few bucks and they will do ANYTHING on a car....as long as it isnt their car..... i live in tucson.....i can help with anything....even engine probs...but i wont do tranny stuff radiators.com i think is the name(cant remember the exact name.someone help) .......i got my 4 core from a 69 mustang and had a local radiator shop take the bottom hose connector out and swapped to the drivers side....it was about $220.00 and was delivered to the local distributor so i didnt have to pay the shipping.... if you take a radiator to a repair shop they might tell you it is too clogged up....and they CANT AND WONT fix it.....then they will try and see you a radiator they have 'lying around' that will work fine.....DONT GET IT.... buy a new one...trust in the knowlegde from expeience...lol whatever you do decide to do....whether you think it is too hard or not......everyone in here started as newbies and most of us are skilled at what we do....it takes patience....ALOT of patience.... and we will all be here to help you anytime you need it... good luck.... and remember one thing......mechanics charge an average of 60 bucks an hour.... would you charge yourself to work on your own car? No? then you saved that much money hope this helps you out a little.....sorry for the rambling on and on and on and on
Thanks for all the replies people, this is great info. Ok so I'm checking with a friend to see if he has all we need to do the suspension and if so I'm going to get all the parts from Autozone as looks like I can get a good deal on them there, there is one not too far from where I live so I could pick them up or I might check on prices at a more local place. I need to check out Autozone again and get a list together of parts and post if someone can cast an eye over in case I miss something. I'm going to go with the mechanic for the differential and a tune-up in which he will replace all the hoses and the radiator for me. Yeah it's more expensive that way but it's less headache for me. I'm undecided about the power steering if I should try to fix or get rid of it.
