mod@tech

It’s the announcement Ford lovers have been waiting for. Ford just released the horsepower and torque figures for the 2024 Mustang lineup and the news is good! Output continues to increase and blue oval enthusiasts have a lot to be excited about with the the seventh-generation 2024 Mustang, dubbed S650.

“Mustang has always pushed the envelope. From Mustang GT to Dark Horse, this is our best 5.0-liter V8 yet. It’s naturally aspirated awesomeness,” said Ed Krenz, Mustang chief engineer. “And Mustang EcoBoost fans are also getting a boost in power to make every Mustang more fun and visceral to drive.”

2024 Dark Horse Mustang 5.0 V8

New to the Mustang party is the 2024 Dark Horse, a pony Ford announced a few months ago designed to push the limits of handling and on-track performance. Ford speculated on the output, but now we know the deal. Under the hood will live a uniquely engineered fourth-generation Coyote V8 producing 500 horsepower and 418 ft.-lb. of torque. Next to the Shelby GT350, this is the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 ever built by Ford. “This engine sets a new benchmark for Mustang street and track performance,” added Krenz. In fact, it wasn’t that long ago when Ford revealed the supercharged 5.4L 2007 Shelby GT500 with 500 horsepower. Now we have a 5.0L engine making the same power without the blower.

Speaking of the Coyote, previously, the highest-rated 5.0L was found in the Bullitt and Mach 1, which produced 480 horsepower. Improvements on the Dark Horse come by way of a uniquely balanced cross-plane crankshaft, forged pistons and connecting rods that are borrowed from the 760 horsepower Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. Krenz stated the piston/rod combo can handle higher cylinder pressures and piston speeds, which are necessary for higher power and engine longevity. The Mustang Dark Horse V8 also utilizes strengthened camshafts for track-durability needs and it can safely be revved to a 7,500-rpm redline.

2024 Mustang GT 5.0 V8

Despite rumblings of a V8 going away, Ford continues to develop the base Mustang GT engine. You may recall, the 5.0 Coyote, which was introduced in 2011, produced 412 horsepower, and that number climbed to 460 in the GT as of 2023. Coyote has now evolved into a fire-breathing V8, capable of up to 486 horsepower and 418 ft-lbs. of torque.

The 2024 Mustang GT will be sold with a 480 hp (415 ft-lbs. of torque) 5.0L, which is the most ever for the GT, however, the optional active-valve performance exhaust system enables Mustang GT coupe and convertible to deliver 486 horsepower and 418 ft-lbs. of torque.

Better breathing is not restricted to the exhaust, as the fourth-generation Coyote V8 is now fitted with a dual-throttle body induction system matched with structural improvements and an upgraded oil pan. “The intake helps minimize induction loss by enabling higher air flow rates,” said Krenz.

2024 Mustang 2.3L EcoBoost Inline Four

Much like the GT, performance-minded owners have embraced the EcoBoost, that drops weight on the nose and offers a 300-plus horsepower option. The all-new 2024 Mustang EcoBoost delivers with an upgraded 2.3L EcoBoost engine that produces 315 horsepower, the most standard power in a four- or six-cylinder Mustang ever. In addition, the engine delivers 350 ft.-lb. of torque.

Like the GT, Mustang EcoBoost also offers the optional active-valve performance exhaust system designed for even more excitement from its turbocharged-soundtrack. The Mustang EcoBoost coupe and convertible feature a new engine from the ground up that incorporates Ford’s new Modular Power Cylinder (MPC) engine architecture, driving prowess in design and function – and is targeted to improve EPA-estimated fuel economy over the outgoing model year.

Ford changed the Bore-to-Stroke ratio, and added Port Fuel injection in addition to direct injection. Variable cam timing, integrated exhaust gas recirculation, and twin scroll turbocharging technologies combine to deliver the performance Mustang drivers expect. Ford expects 2024 Mustang coupe and convertible models go on sale in the U.S. starting in the summer of 2023.

Date: circa 1990s

Location: somewhere near Cincinnati, Ohio

Source: via Cincinnati State Archives / Flickr

What do you see here?

[Editor’s Note: Elmer Liimatta sent in this story of his first (full-size) car for Reminiscing in Hemmings Classic Car. Got a story about cars you’ve owned, cars you’ve worked on, or working for an automaker? Send it in to editorial@hemmings.com.]

I grew up in Detroit, Michigan. My dad, with only a fifth-grade education, was a good mechanic and had a job at Packard Motor Company. During World War II, Packard had contract work building Rolls-Royce engines for the North American P-51 Mustang fighter planes and PT boats—more than 9,000 of those engines. During that time, we rebuilt used cars because the production of new civilian vehicles had ceased. It was something we still did afterwards; believe it or not, cars were still scarce in 1949. It was a problem, as I was 17 years old and had thoughts about a car of my own.

One day, my cousin—who was “bird-doggin,” or spotting cars for dealers—came over and said, “Elmer, I have a car for you.” That Sunday afternoon we went to his house, which was about 10 miles away. There sat a 1934 Ford Victoria. It was hard to miss with that front end, and it had doors that opened from the front. The car had been used as a paint truck by a previous owner and it had big hooks on the left side that were used to hold ladders between jobs. Someone had made a wood floor in the back that covered the factory recessed floor.

Elmer in his other little carPhoto courtesy Elmer Liimatta

The Ford looked good, but it was tired. I was able to buy it for $50. When I drove it home there was a cloud of blue smoke billowing from the exhaust. Its engine had used all the oil by the time I got home. During lunch that Monday I took three buddies for a ride. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long because the engine stalled, and it was so worn it would not start. We pushed it home.

The solution was to rebuild the engine. While we were at it, we made our own dual exhaust system using 1.50-inch diameter flexible tubing. My Ford had a nice snap to it. Later, I put two Smithy mufflers on it. But now that it sounded good, it needed to look good. We found a pair of doors at Ford Salvage over in Highland Park and bough a can of metallic blue (a silver-blue) paint. Dad took the compressor from an old refrigerator, and an old army surplus air tank, and put them together to create his own air compressor. To make it portable, he made a little cart with casters. It worked well enough that we painted the Ford’s 17-inch spoke wheels yellow.

That summer a friend and I made a 1,500-mile trip to northern Michigan to visit our grandparents. When I faster than over 49 mph, water would squirt out from under the radiator cap; my friend suggested my mother arranged that. During one trip, I was pulled over in Hancock, Michigan, and given a ticket for illegal horn blowing. I had a wolf whistle mounted on the intake manifold; the vacuum operated the whistle when I hit the switch. The fine cost me $4.25, plus $1 in court costs. I borrowed the money from my grandmother. I picked up three brunettes that summer, too, one of whom called it, “Elmer’s little car.” One eventually worked for—and retired from—Dodge Truck where she ran a paint computer in Warren, Michigan. Ford said the Victoria was a four-passenger car, but I was able to pack six or seven friends into it.

After a few months I sold my Ford for $275 because we were building a new house and dad needed money to help secure a mortgage. I was eventually able to buy a 1935 Ford Fordor for $100. I blew a couple of engines while I owned it, maybe because I loved to wind it up in second gear. I miss the three-on-the-floor. After a while I could pull the engine in 45 minutes.

Today I’m still into these cars. I’m currently building a 1932 Ford with ’35 Ford wheels, the only year they had 16-inch, 30-spoke steel wheels. I just need a Brookville pickup roadster body to go with the chassis.

Tucked away in a large building in Salem, Oregon, with no external signage and no obvious entrance from the street, is a truly large and astonishing car collection and museum. It is not publicized, and is hard to find. Most significantly, it is not open to the general public. Those who are fortunate enough to get in usually arrive by pre-arranged tours through special car clubs or, recently, as a fundraiser for a local charity group. The operation of the museum itself is unique. Its location is known, though there are no efforts to publicize it. The identity of the owners is a closely guarded secret. (Several websites have claimed to know, but they are likely in error.) Word is the brothers that own it do have some plans eventually to open the collection up to more public view, but that’s some time off. For the time being, tours can be arranged for a fee, with the proceeds going to charity.

In its more than 117,000 square feet of display area are housed some 600 automobiles, all in fully restored condition, including more than 350 muscle cars from the 1960s onward to the present era. Seen in its entirety, the collection is eclectic, and includes various classics from the Thirties, vintage cars from the Forties and Fifties, exotics from across three decades, and even a couple of wooden hydroplane racing boats—one a Ferrari and one a Maserati—from the 1950s. There’s a large display of Porsches, about a dozen Ferraris from the late Forties to the current era. There’s even a Bizzarini 5300 GT Strada—an exotic with swoopy Italian styling built over Corvette underpinnings. Several Ford GTs from the early versions right to the present model. Several vintage Jaguars from the XK120 to the XK150. A half dozen Mercedes, including a 1930s 540 and a 1950s 300SL coupe and roadster. An original 1970 Toyota 2000 GT sits by itself in the middle of a clear space near the front, its diminutive size somewhat surprising. There’s a 1959 Autobianchi Bianchina, representing the European post-World War II mini-cars of the mid-to-late Fifties recovery period. A Dual Ghia in a back corner is reminiscent of the “La Dolce Vita” era of 1960s Europe. A couple of Alfa Romeos, and the ubiquitous (for its time) Volkswagen Combi round out the view.

Photo by Don Homuth

The biggest and most notable contingent are the muscle cars. Those are clearly of special interest to the owners and comprise more than half of the entire displayed collection.

A long line of Hemi-powered Seventies Dodge Challengers and Plymouth ‘Cudas is displayed in long rows on both sides of one aisle. Not that these are the only Mopar cars on display: There are two identical Dodge Daytonas on turntables, and several more earlier Mopars are featured along nearby aisles. There are two racks of Mopars along one wall that couldn’t fit neatly into the rows, and there’s a Charger with a seldom-seen 426 wedge head with twin crossover four-barrel carburetors.

Ford’s muscle cars are well represented—a lot of Mustangs including some original Shelby GT350s, but also larger sedans and several race cars from the era. There’s a Ranchero pickup with a factory-installed Paxton supercharger that’s so rare that it’s seldom written about.

GM is represented by a long row of Camaros, including several COPOs and Yenkos. Even the 1967 Camaro Cherokee, an early one-of-one styling convertible exercise, is included. There’s a good selection of Pontiacs in their own enclosure, from a 1958 fuel-injected Bonneville convertible to a selection of Firebirds. In 1969, when the first Firebird Trans-Ams were produced, there were eight original Trans-Am convertibles; the rest of them were hardtops. Four of the convertibles are on the floor in this collection. There is a display of Corvettes, too, from the original 1953 through all the iterations since then, up to the present day. No Chevrolet collection would be complete without a 1962 bubbletop Bel Air 409, or a 1957 fuel-injected convertible.

Photo by Don Homuth

There’s a display of Shelby Cobras, both in racing and street trim. Of special note is the “one-of-none” Daytona coupe prototype that Shelby was constructing after the first 289-powered coupes raced at Le Mans. He had constructed a bunch of body panels different somewhat from the originals, and had intended to put a 427 engine in it. However, after Ford approached Shelby to run the Ford GT LeMans effort, the Mk2 coupe panels were simply stacked in a corner of the shop and the car was never actually constructed. It was only much later that the panels were brought out, the original drawings found and the car was built as it would have been run at Le Mans had the Daytona Coupe effort gone forward. It never was and never will be. It sits on a turntable where visitors can get within 10 feet of it.

AMC is represented by a couple of cars, including a RWB 390 cid V-8 Rambler American and the larger Javelin. There’s even an original V-8 Gremlin!

Other notable cars include an original Tucker close to the rope so visitors can look right down into the engine compartment. There’s also a 1946 Bandini, a tiny sports car so rare that few have ever heard of it. Included. too, are a couple of pristine pedal cars for children in as-new condition.

Listing them all would take pages and still not do each of them justice; the collection is just so large that it’s hard to take all of it in. Wandering through it is to be in a sort of automobile wonderland. It’s hard to believe all these great cars are all in one place.

The Brothers Collection got started in the same way people get started on smaller collection: it started with one car, then a few more were added, then a building was established to hold a dozen or so, then a few more cars were added, larger buildings were moved into, until finally it grew into its present size. The history and provenance of each exhibit is known, and many of the more significant exhibits feature thorough signage so spectators can read their history.

If you want to arrange for a tour or an event at the museum, you can email info@thebrotherscollection.com. This will put you in touch with a designated spokesperson for the collection, and any arrangements thereafter are a matter of individual discussion.

It boggles the mind that such a collection in private hands would even be possible, but here it is. It’s notable not only for the remarkable number of cars, or for the variety on display, but also because each and every one of them is restored to perfection. They are as they were when new. The owners continue to acquire new cars to add to the collection, and rumor has it there may be many more housed elsewhere that are currently in the process of restoration.

No one can just walk up, buy a ticket and get in. But if your group is willing, and can pay the fee for a tour, it’s worth every dollar to see it. There is nothing else quite like it anywhere in the country.

The Brothers Collection’s muscle and competition cars

The Brothers Collection’s Corvettes and Cobras

The Brothers Collection’s exotic cars

The Brothers Collection’s classic cars

Date: January 1983

Location: Scarborough, Western Australia

Source: Betty Smith, via State Library of Western Australia

What do you see here?

Photo by Betty Smith

Photo by Betty Smith

On this episode of the Hemmings Hot Rod BBQ, series hosts Mike Musto and Terry McGean answer questions regarding our new YouTube show, IROC REHAB. This is the series where we take an ailing 1987 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z with a popped engine and rehab it into a great daily driver that can also pull double-duty as a track and auto-x car.

Since the series aired we’ve been inundated with questions regarding the parts used, our build strategy, and the ultimate goals for our 35-year-old Chevy. So, with that said, it’s time to give everyone some answers!

IROC REHAB Build Series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQr9KF4sOmKwXYGoyLseFH3krOTk2i5p6

Classic cars are never quite as good as we thought they were back when they were new. That 500-hp Chevelle you had in high school really only made 260, and it handled like dump truck. Add 40 to 50 years into the mix and it is bound to be significantly worse off for wear, especially the steering. Manual steering is not awful when properly set up, but when a manual gearbox gets some age on it, the slop comes in fierce. If your steering box has more than an eighth of a turn of play, then it might be time to rebuild it.

Rebuilding a manual steering gearbox is not difficult and is much cheaper than buying a new one. Plus, if you have a valuable classic, keeping the original versus installing a replacement maintains the value of the car. This was the situation for my 1966 Corvette, as I was keeping it stock. Instead of converting to power or rack and pinion, I opted to rebuild the original Saginaw manual gearbox with a kit from Borgeson (p/n 921039). The kit comes with everything you need to rebuild a worn gearbox including bushings, gaskets, bolts, and the most important parts: the worm and sector gears.

This is a recirculating ball gearbox, which is essentially a giant double-grooved ball bearing assembly. The worm gear—the part of the gearbox that is connected to the input shaft—is a machined block that has the gear teeth on one side and two machined grooves inside the block. Metal ball bearings ride inside the block, providing the bearing surface for the grooved input shaft. As you turn the steering wheel, the bearings spiral through the worm gear block, moving the block up or down the input shaft. This movement is translated to the sector gear, which is attached to the pitman arm. As the ball bearings roll on the shaft, worm block, and each other, each component slowly wears down. This is where the slop comes from.

Eventually, you have to turn the wheel to take up the extra space that is left behind from the wear. This can become significant and that is dangerous situation. Yes, you can compensate for the play, but this also leads to lane drifting as the steering system will wander left and right without the tension inside the gearbox. The solution is a complete rebuild with a new sector and worm gear assembly.

To do this rebuild, you need a few specialty tools, mainly a small shop press, seal drivers, and an inch-pound torque wrench. If you want to replace every bearing race, then you need a Kent-Moore J-5288 and J-5755 bearing cup puller/installer tool, but this is not necessary in most cases and you can reuse the original races. In fact, the instructions state to only remove the races if necessary. We used a gallon of Carb Dip for the small parts and a five-gallon bucket with diesel fuel to clean the case. All of the old grease needs to come out, considering it has a lot of grit and metal shavings in it that will reduce the life of the replacement components.

Aside from the cleaning, the entire rebuild process takes a couple of hours. I let my parts soak overnight to get them clean, but you could put in some more elbow grease and get the job done in a couple more hours. With the rebuild, the 1966 Corvette steering box is nice and tight like it should be, set to factory specs, and ready to be reinstalled into the car.

This worn gearbox came off a 1966 Corvette. I wanted to keep the original case, so I decided to rebuild it with a kit from Borgeson.

The sector gear preload screw requires a flat blade screwdriver and a 5/8-inch wrench. The nut was loosened and then the preload screw can be turned. The three bolts holding the cap to the body were removed and then the set screw is used to push the cap off the sector gear shaft.

Inside the gearbox, you can see the mesh of the sector and worm gears. Most of the wear is not between these gears, but rather inside the worm block.

Next, I used a screwdriver to knock off the retainer ring on the input shaft cap. If you have a very large crescent wrench, that will work, but this is how most of us get the job done.

The nut on the cap is too large for our wrenches, so I used my Channellock pliers. This is not under much tension, so there is very little risk of damage, and the cap should come off with minimal effort.

Once the cap is off, the input shaft comes out by spinning it until the worm gear walks completely off the sector gear. The sector gear will then slide out.

Inside the worm gear are a bunch of ball bearings. This is where the slop comes from. Over time, these bearings wear on each other, the worm block, and the input shaft. This is replaced as an assembly with the Borgeson kit.

Moving to the case, I used a pry bar to remove the input shaft seal.

Then to the press with a 15/16-inch socket and a long extension to drive out the two bushings. These are about an inch and a half long each, so it can be done in one pressing.

The new bushings from the kit get installed with the press as well, but I seated them with a seal driver to make sure they were flush with the inner lip.

The same goes for the inner bushing.

My new output seal is slightly different from the original, which has an exposed metal ring on top. The new seal is all rubber and has a raised lip, so I used a socket instead of a seal driver.

I also replaced the seal on the input shaft cap.

I packed the bearings by hand with new #2 lithium grease. There are two bearings, one on each side of the input shaft.

I also lubed the shaft before loading it into the case.

To seal the threads, I used liquid thread sealant on the input shaft cap. This is required, otherwise grease will eventually work its way into the threads and could cause the cap to loosen, which would be very bad.

I lightly tapped an 18mm socket onto the input shaft, just enough that it stays in place by itself. This is so I can set the preload.

With the worm gear at the end of the travel (all the way at the bottom of the case away from the input shaft) and then back a half turn, I tightened the input shaft cap until the input shaft rotational torque is 5 to 8 in-lb. You need to tighten the cap until it makes contact, and then a little more and rotate the shaft back and forth to seat the bearings, then set the preload.

Once the preload was set, I threaded on the retainer ring and tapped it tight.

Then I tapped the ring in two places with a punch to lock it in place.

I installed the new sector shaft into the case ensuring that the center tooth of the sector gear was in the center groove of the worm gear. Then I filled the entire case with 11 ounces of #2 Lithium grease. You may need to hold the case upside down so the worm gears fall towards the opening to assist the initial meshing of the gears. Do not overfill the case; doing so will blow the seals as the pressure builds inside the case from use.

The sector gear cap got a new gasket and little wipe of grease to pre-lube the bushing (this is the original bushing, which is not replaced as part of this kit).

The preload screw slides into the sector shaft and is then threaded into the cap to pull the cap into place so it can then be bolted down with the new supplied bolts.

The original set screw used a flat blade, but the new one is a more user-friendly Allen-head screw. Setting the pre-load requires an 18-mm socket on the input shaft as well. The set screw is backed all the way off, and then tightened one full turn. Check the rotational force with the torque wrench. This is torque reading #1.

Next, tighten the preload screw until the torque required to turn the input shaft is 4-10 in-lb higher than before.

The rebuilt gearbox is ready to be installed. I chose to wait until after the rebuild to paint the gearbox; this way I would not damage the new paint during the process.

Sources

Borgeson • 860-482-8283 • Borgeson.com