Tag Archive


302 1927 Rally 1969 automobile Automotive battery bolt California Mille camshaft classic car crankshaft cylinder disassembly emergency engine Fastback Father and Son Ford Garage historic car rally historic rally How to London Mille Miglia muscle car Mustang oil paint panel parts project pump rear rebuild removal Restoration steering Three Lions Garage tips TLG tools torque transmission weld workshop

Our 302: all dressed up and nowhere to go

Alright! Reporting from Snowbird, Utah right now, tired from a long day skiing. My English teacher once told me that writing is like a miniskirt: it should be long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to keep it interesting. I plan to make this entry short and concise. Now that the valve train […]

Looks like we’re in for a brief hiatus

Jack will not have much time to devote to his car for the next few weeks because of the combination of his studies and the time commitment required of him on the fall play at school.  It appears to his parents that he’s got too much on his plate and something had to give.  To […]

Curse you, W. N. Woodruff!

Late in the nineteenth century, a Connecticut inventor named W.N. Woodruff invented the Woodruff Key, a way to mate parts to rotating shafts.  Mr. Woodruff came up with the ingenious idea of inserting a semi-circular key into a keyway cut longitudinally into a shaft so that a portion of the key protrudes as a tab […]

The Mustang MacGyver

Yesterday, I squeezed in some time at the garage to prepare for piston installation. Well, our plan was to get to pistons, but we ran into a couple problems (don’t we always?). Ollie tagged along to work on his Oscar the Grouch costumein the last few days before Halloween. The new bolts for the thrust […]

“Screw”-Ups and Equipment Failures

On Wednesday, Dad and I stopped by the house of our good friend and gearhead Rob to pick up his click torque wrench before heading to the garage. Years ago, Rob rebuilt a ’65 289 that he dopped into his ’84 Mustang.  Rob decided to join us at TLG with his two kids. Now that […]

Loss of Yardage

Knowing Dad was going to be gone this weekend, I made sure to get my homework done early on Tuesday and Wednesday so Dad and I could get as much work done at the garage as possible. We left the block, now with its newly balanced crankshaft in place, under a garbage bag to protect […]

Let the fun begin!

Finally! My homework is finished, I’ve gotten some sleep, and Dad isn’t busy. We all know this means I get to spend more time with my rapidly growing addiction to auto-restoration. My dad’s been nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs because our engine is going to start oxidizing if […]

Engine is in good hands…

Jack and I visited Wade and Jim at Hubbard Machine in Hayward to drop off Jack’s small block 302 engine for machining and balancing.  Hubbard’s was recommended to us by my friend and fellow car club member, Ed Archer, a vintage auto collector and racer who has been a Hubbard’s customer since it was run […]

not as fun as tearing things apart, but…

Jack stopped in for a couple of hours to bring his parts inventory backlog up to date before taking off for camp in the morning.  Mission accomplished.