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Topic: Its Alive... (Read 1079 times) previous topic - next topic

Its Alive...

Got the Bird out of a long hibernation over the last couple of weekends.  I don't think the neighbors remembered it was in the shop but they should know its in there...

https://player.vimeo.com/video/697967719?h=23dce549e6

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp

Re: Its Alive...

Reply #1
Nice!

I just stuck the battery back in mine today. Supposed to be a bit nasty (again) most of the week, but hopefully it'll get out soon.
Long live the 4-eyes!  - '83 Tbird Turbo

Re: Its Alive...

Reply #2
I am hoping to get back to it this weekend as it has sat for longer than I would care to admit and needs some TLC.  The old gas smells, well it smells bad like old gas does so I am either going to drain it or put some additive in it and just burn it which will most likely be the way I go.  The tires are so old I cannot remember when I bought them and they are hard as a brick.  So with that I am tire shopping this week so there will be cussing and loud noises as I loose my mind over how expensive things have got...LGB.  I also need to address why the rear brake pads are not getting full contact with the rotor.  I used the North Racecars brackets so I could keep the Fox axles versus pushing the track width out with the SN95 axles and brackets.  I am hoping its just shimming but we shall see.

I have a list of things that I need to do to the car but none of them keep it from driving so those things can wait.

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp

Re: Its Alive...

Reply #3
Good to hear it get running.  Thanks for posting up the video.

Did you put preservative in the fuel?  IMO, I would drain at least half the tank and put fresh fuel in and check the float bowls to make a decision from there.

Are the rear pads only making contact with one side of the rotor?
1988 Thunderbird TC, 5spd
Stinger 3" single exhaust, Cone Filter, Adjustable Cam Pulley, Schneider roller cam, Walbro 255 lph, AEM Wideband O2
'93 Mustang Cobra replica wheels on 235/50R17

'21 F150 Powerboost
'17 Husqvarna TX300

Re: Its Alive...

Reply #4
Additive but that only gets you a year at the most.  Going to drain the tank (has a sump for the Mallory 140's) and just put fresh gas in it.

By the pattern on each side of the rotors the calipers are not square to the rotor.  I will get the dial indicator out and figure it out this weekend.  Nothing a little heat and a BFH cannot fix if the bracket is a little off.

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp

Re: Its Alive...

Reply #5
So the plan is to get it out this Memorial Day weekend and burn off the old gas as there was more in the tank than I thought.  After that I am going to dive into the instrument cluster and try to figure out how to get the Autometer gauges I have had for over 5 years finally installed.  I have three of the gauges installed now and I forgot how much I like them and that got me going again on the instrument cluster.  The speedo is a 140 mph unit that is pulse driven so that will get rid of the speedo cable which is going to die a miserable death as I just cannot get it away from the long tubes.

Other than that I need to figure out a way go get the seats lower in the car as my head is  near touching the headliner.  I have the Griggs upper subframes in the car so I may end up having to modify the seat frame to drop them around it a bit.  I did find out that Corbeau has an option to shave 1" off the foam seat bottom so I am going to look at doing that as well.

I finally broke down and bought new tires for mine as the Yokohama AVS 100's were a little over 15 years old...yikes.  Ended up with 245/40R17 Dunlop Direzza Star Spec Z3's on the front and 275/40R17 Nitto 555RII's on the rear. 

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp

Re: Its Alive...

Reply #6
I finally broke down and bought new tires for mine as the Yokohama AVS 100's were a little over 15 years old...yikes.  Ended up with 245/40R17 Dunlop Direzza Star Spec Z3's on the front and 275/40R17 Nitto 555RII's on the rear. 

Yeah, the tires on mine are old as well. Probably going to pick up a new set later this year.
Long live the 4-eyes!  - '83 Tbird Turbo

Re: Its Alive...

Reply #7
Forgot to update this but tires are on the car, just burned the old gas off and put some fresh in, about done with the instrument cluster (have a thread on that), so now its down to this seat issue.

I may end up cutting the cross bar out of the hoop on the roll cage.  The seat backs rest on it and I think they are not reclined as far back as the ones in my Mustang which has the same seats and the Griggs uppers in it as well.  Have been driving the Mustang the last couple of days (temps are in the mid 80's here) which is what has me thinking its a seat recline issue.  I have an adjustable angle so I am going to measure where the Mustang seats are set and then when I get back to the Bird next weekend see where those are.  Will suck to cut the bar out but something has to give.

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp