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At long last, the bolted-on sheet metal parts have come off the Mustang, and all I have left to do to make this ride an empty hull is to remove the driveshaft, the engine, the transmission, the suspension components, the steering system, the firewall, the dash, the fuel tank, and the differential.

REMOVE THE DRIVESHAFT, THE ENGINE, AND THE TRANSMISSION

Removing the engine and transmission is a relatively simple process, particularly when removing them as a unit. Of course, this means I also need to remove the drive-shaft. All that is required is a couple of hours and following the correct procedures.

Although it’s easy, engine and transmission removal can be messy because the remaining fluids may leak out. To help ease that problem, I have a 2 x 3–foot flat metal tray with a ½-inch lip that I slide under the car to catch the spills. I still employ the discount auto parts store plastic oil change tub to catch residual transmission fluid, oil, and antifreeze, but the real floor saver is the 2 x 3–foot catch tray.

Before removing any of the major parts, remember to take photographs to assist you when reassembling the car. For example, photo 1 may look like a useless picture of a very cluttered engine compartment, but actually this photo will become a key part of putting this car back together. Where does the engine information decal belong? How are the heater hoses and air conditioner lines routed? By referring to the photo, you can tell the decal is on the left fender apron, the heater hoses pass along the right side of the engine, and the air conditioner lines are routed along the left side (driver’s side). Anything else that might be important later? How about the warning decal on the fan shroud? Both the engine information decal and the fan warning decal should be noted for replacement on the new parts list to be sure they get ordered at some point.

PHOTO 1: Some pictures tell a lot. For instance, how are the heater hoses and AC lines routed? Where are the engine compartment decals located? I could spend hours looking through shop manuals for this type of information or just a few seconds glancing at this photo.

REMOVING THE DRIVESHAFT

I start the process of removing the engine and transmission by removing the driveshaft. First, I need to remove the two U-bolts connecting the rear universal joint to the rear axle pinion yoke. I slide the driveshaft forward just enough to free the universal joint from the yoke, then lower the driveshaft and pull it back, sliding it out of the transmission tail housing. I wrap the rear U-joint with masking tape to hold the caps in place. I will be replacing both the front and the rear U-joints with new ones from National Parts Depot later on, but just the same, I don’t want the old caps lost or the needle bearings inside the caps to spill out over the floor.

REMOVING THE ENGINE AND THE TRANSMISSION

Once the driveshaft is removed, I can begin removing the engine. After taking a few good photographs, I start disassembly at the front of the engine and work toward the rear. The first parts to be removed from the car are the radiator and the air conditioner condenser. These are the most fragile components in the engine compartment, and they must be protected at all cost. One wrong move can easily punch a hundred-dollar hole in the radiator or render the condenser useless. To remove the radiator, I remove the upper and lower radiator hoses first, and in this case I also remove the automatic transmission fluid-cooler lines attached to the bottom tank of the radiator. I then unbolt the radiator and lift it straight up and out.

PHOTO 2: A trick to keeping the U-joints intact is to wrap the unit with masking tape to secure the caps and prevent them from falling off.

PHOTO 3: How are the pulleys and belt brackets mounted? One picture tells it all.

PHOTO 4: The primary vacuum line tees to the Y connection that branches to the distributor that connects to the diaphragm that Y connects to the carburetor that tees to the … You get the picture.

TIP

Label each belt as it is removed. One operates the alternator, another the air conditioner compressor, and the last works the power steering pump.

The air conditioner condenser is mounted to the core support just forward of the radiator. Because I’ve already drained the air conditioning system, I remove the hose and unbolt the unit. Because of their fragile natures, I store both units in the same box with the glass.

With the radiator and condenser out of the car, the fan, fan shroud, pulleys, and belts can be removed.

For now, I unbolt the power steering pump from the engine and lay it aside. I do not remove the hoses at this time. Once the engine is out of the car, I’ll have better access to the hose fittings where they connect to the steering control valve, and at that time the pump can be removed. Leaving the pump connected for now also helps reduce the mess under the car. Ever have someone accidentally turn the steering wheel with the steering pump hoses removed? It’s like squirting oil from a can—everything gets oiled.

Next, I remove the pulleys and brackets. When putting the engine back in, you may ask yourself, “How were all those pulleys and brackets mounted to the front of the engine?” Without a picture, you may be in big trouble. Photo 3 could be traded to a Mustang restorer for a cold six pack any day.

Does anyone know why Ford likes vacuum hoses? I’ve yet to work on a Ford that wasn’t covered with vacuum hoses. I counted no fewer than five vacuum hoses snaking around and through the front of this engine. The last thing I want is to try to guess where each one goes when I’m ready to replace them. Having a good picture of the hose routing is a must before removing the hoses. You may even want to draw a diagram of the engine compartment noting the origin and destination of each hose to help identify where it goes.

After the vacuum lines are removed, it is time to move on to the distributor and carburetor. I remove the distributor as a complete unit, wires and all, by removing the retainer bolt at the base of the unit and lifting it straight up and out of the engine. Next is the carburetor. I remove the four bolts attaching it to the intake manifold and to the throttle spring and linkage, and the carburetor comes right off. I store it in a plastic Ziploc bag to keep it clean.