Repair 7

The first-year 1965 Mustang was introduced to the public in April 1964. The Mustang was based on the Ford Falcon, with which it shared many mechanical parts, including a single exhaust with a transverse-mounted rear muffler. Some enthusiasts may wish to upgrade their Mustangs with a conventional dual-exhaust system, which may add a few horsepower to the rear wheels, as well as a sporty exhaust note.

Instructions

1

Raise the car with a hydraulic jack and place jack stands under each frame rail at the front and under each side of the axle housing at the rear. Lower the hydraulic jack so that the entire weight of the car rests on the jack stands.

2

Push a steel doughnut gasket onto the flared end of each side of the header pipe assembly. Raise the header pipe into place under the car and place a jack stand under to support it. Line up the holes in the mounting flanges on each side of the pipe to the threaded studs protruding from each exhaust manifold on the underside of the engine. Thread nuts onto the studs finger-tight.

3

Slide the exhaust pipe extensions into the ends of each side of the header pipe. Rotate the pipes as needed to obtain at least one inch of clearance from the underside of the floor, frame rails or drive shaft. Finish driving the extensions into the head pipes with a block of wood and a hammer until they are fully seated.

4

Push a muffler onto one of the extension pipes with the center offset facing the front of the car. Make sure the offset at the rear of the muffler is facing the side of the car. Repeat for the remaining muffler and extension pipe. Push the mufflers onto the pipes until they are fully seated.

5

Locate the factory-drilled holes in the rear frame rails ahead of the rear axle. Attach a muffler hanger to the holes with the hardware supplied and tighten with a socket and ratchet wrench. Raise up on the bottom of the muffler with one hand, then secure it to the muffler hanger with the hardware supplied. Repeat for the remaining muffler hanger and muffler.

6

Locate the factory-dilled holes in the frame rails at the rear of the car. Install tail pipe hangers to these holes with the hardware supplied. Position the bend in the tail pipe over the rear axle, then insert the end of the pipe in the muffler. Attach the other end of the pipe to the tail pipe hanger with the hardware supplied. Repeat for the remaining tail pipe.

7

Place muffler clamps over all joints where the pipes join the mufflers and head pipes. Ensure the entire system has at least one inch of clearance to all obstructions. Tighten the muffler clamps and the nuts on the header pipes at the exhaust manifolds with a socket and ratchet. Raise the car and remove the jack stands. Lower the car to the ground and check the exhaust system clearances again. Loosen the clamps and rotate the pipes as needed to gain the proper clearance. Tighten all clamps.

Whether youre restoring a 1965 Mustang to its original state, or adding a few creature comforts along the way, one of the most important jobs is the rewiring. An electrical system is only as good as its weakest link. Bad connections and insulation can cause shorts that in turn cause failure at best and electrical fires at worst.

Replace All Wires

Replace all the components when rewiring your 1965 Mustang. The chances are that most of them have worn or corroded, and even those that look in reasonable condition are probably more brittle than they should be and will fail soon. If a part is almost 50 years old, then it is likely to fail soon and damage the rest of the system.

Watch for Chaffing

As youre installing your new wires, take time to do what Ford didnt do. Examine each piece of the wiring for security and chaffing during road vibrations and over bumps. If you find any positions where the wire may rub, then wrap them generously in electrical tape and do what you can to secure the wire out of the way. Also seal any connections outside the car that may get wet -- this will help prevent them from corroding. A few minutes here could save hours of troubleshooting later on.

Replace Switches

Switches should be replaced whenever you replace the wiring harness. Faulty switches can lead to circuit breaker and part failures that cant be fixed on the road. Ford switches have a history of failure when theres a high current load, so headlight and air conditioning switches should be replaced at the very least.