I have found that one of the advantages of owning an antique auto is that I can actually work on the car myself. One of the disadvantages of owning an antique auto is that I have to work on the car! Such are the joys of knowing too much about a lot of little things about cars.
I forget too often that the Mach 1 is 37 years old and the most technological aspect of this car - as compared to today's cars - is, well, really nothing. When I restored the car my intent was to keep it in its purest form and not make any alterations to 1) keep it original in the event I ever entered the car in a judged event, and 2) because from a resale standpoint, stock restored cars bring higher value than altered ones. So, through this long project I have learned that common sense often rules over any financial gain or emotional posturing. For instance, I knew that electronics have come light years over the past 25 years, so logic stepped in and I replaced the antiquated mechanical ignition system with an after market electronic ignition system. Reliable, no maintenance, very efficient and unless you took the distributor cap off, you cannot tell the difference.
Now one area that I really lost sight off during the restoration was the stopping ability (or lack of) of this car. For those of us old enough to remember, 4 wheel disc brake systems, anti-skid brakes options and other "high tech" amenities were often times optional equipment - or just not available. We drove these cars with drum brakes and many times with no power assist, never giving a second thought to the inefficiency of these antiquated braking systems. Oddly enough, this car was ordered with manual drum brakes (why someone would order a high performance car with manual drum brakes is beyond me). Once this restoration was completed I found out early on that this car had very limited stopping power and, at times, stopping the car has been a bit scary. With that, I made the decision to waiver - again - from my original plan for no alterations, to one of understanding the importance of not hitting something and decided to install a 4-wheel disc brake conversion system. This is where I am glad I know too much about cars.
Over the course of this vacation week, I started the installation of an aftermarket disc brake conversion kit. Underscore here kit as this is not from Ford, it is from another manufacturer - who is highly regarded in the industry as manufacturers of very efficient advanced braking systems. What I have learned in installing this system is that, as is often times the case, the directions help you get there, but they don't tell you about all of the detours that must be taken to get to the end. While I enjoy the hands on and the personal satisfaction of doing it myself, the manufacturers "recommended" time to install just the rear system is 8 hours. OK... I am 3 days into this including install and dismantle 3 times, fabrication of several components and 4 trips to the parts store!
With one more rear brake and the fronts to do, I might be done in a week. I will let you know how much better the car stops in a later report. For those that understand, here are some before and after images
