A very long story short, I'm starting over with a new bird I dont like a lot of the things I did to the original car or better yet how I went about doing things. I found one that fit most of my needs fairly well. It doesn't run yet and has been sitting a very long time and needs virtually everything under it replaced. That's no big deal for me. Ive been amassing parts for a while now. The goal is to transfer all my suspension goodies under it some new and some of the stuff I already have. Subframe connectors, jacking rails seat braces ECT. Then swap the heads and cam on my 302 toss a fitech kit at it and go.
The car is a 88 sport red on red. 90k on the clock supposedly the body is 90% rust free and aside from being faded all to hell the interior is pretty mint.
Hopefully a nice solid foundation for you to build on.
You going to keep it the same color? Tu-tone is always an option.....
I'm gonna rock that red for a while, but ultimately it will be tu-tone lava red and semigloss black and sitting on these
Problem #1 ignition switch. Problem 2# no fuel. I'm asuming it's the pump I have one on order so that's not a big deal probably be here by the end of the week
Progress for the day fuel tank is out ignition switch I swapped in from the other bird. Traced all the wiring to make sure everything was working fuel wise and it seems to be. I ordered a new fuel pump hanger cause this one is toast. Tank is nasty inside but I'm sure a pressure washer will take care of most of it. I just want it to run. I don't care how good at the moment lol just needs to move around under its own power for the time being.
Well fuel tank 1 pressure washer 0. So I got that on order now. Theres no way I'm going to get all that crud out at least I tried so thats at a standstill until the tank and hanger show up and I source a level sending unit cause thats just as nasty. So I started cleaning the other car out in the meantime started listing some non tbird extra parts on FB marketplace to try and make a few bucks towards the project. :dunno: I swapped the new bullitts onto the old car to sell the 17s meh just figuring out what I got now. Then the real work starts. stripping the calico car is going to be easy but relocating all the parts in the red one is going to be a little more refined lol and planned out better. I'm planning on going back to front after its able to be moved under its own power. We'll be cooking with gas then.
I also got a shipment of goodies today too :headbang:
How did the inside of the tank get that rusty?
:dunno: it sat with a full tank of gas for 15+ years
Ethanol fuel is the worst.
Were they even putting ethanol in gas 15 years ago?
Looks like some watery shiznit, for sure, but that could mean ethanol...we all know how alcohol absorbs water.
What size are your Bullitts?
Something lol. I dont need to worry too much though everythings going to be new. I got the hanger today the tank will be here Monday sometime. Then just have to get the level sending unit and she should be ready to run. I'm not concerned about how it runs it just needs to move into the shade of the garage for now so I can tinker with it and swap my stuff over to it without turning into a sundried tomato. Suspension first. Motor and tranny follows. I'll do some maintenance to the 5.0 to get it going but I'm not doing anything drastic. I want to drive it.
And Beau they're 18's probably 18x9 I'm not sure. 275/40/18
I got some more stuff pillaged from the calico. The motor and tranny are ready to pull aside from a few various connections up top. By the time I have the other mobile I'll be ready to swap the diffs and all that noise. Just taking my time waiting on the rest of my parts to show up
Mine are 17", and I think 9" wide, not for certain though.
Rears are 275/40, fronts are 245/45, on my '87 Stang...fit perfect, don't think I could any more tire in the back without rolling the fenders..
Might be the angle of the pic, but those look like they stick out some. What spindle you runnin'? 94-5, or 96+?
96+ but my fender is just barely sitting there
Got the engine and trans out today along with stripping pretty much the rest of the car. Rear end is just about out. All thats left is the front end and lers for the most part. The tank showed up for the red car. The hanger and pump are here now to wait for the level sending unit everything else is here then it's time to swap stuff around. Mainly just the rear for now so I can get the skeleton of the other car out and make it disappear. To make room for the new one to get in and receive its new legs.
:like:
This is it for today. I'm going to try and wait til the other car is mobile to pull the k member out. I use try fairly loosely... I need to load it up in the truck and take it to the car wash and blow all the off of it and my CHE arms as well. I may take a crack at the front end tomorrow. We shall see. Its almost time to put it back together.
Got the rear all ready to go into the red car now. I went with the Powerstop z26 kit all new pieces drilled slotted rotors carbon ceramic pads front and rear. MM braided stainless soft lines and a stainless prebent kit also. Easy peasy. Now we wait some more.
Also Heath and Andrews shock brackets
Looking good. Moving right along.
You aren't messing around.
It's amazing how fast you can hammer out some work once you've done it a few times.
Oh yeah. When you have things planned out pretty well they go smooth. I had virtually everything replaced under the calico car just needed a few more pieces the front end I'm not happy about the repairs I did and in the almost 10 year build and a move I misplaced half the things I had for it that wasn't bolted down secure lol the fresh start is helping me with that. And I'm not going full retard this time. Ive missed this turd. And just want to get it out there. I'm basically the only fox bird guy in town. Theres tons of mustangs and camaros.
But with all the planning in the world you can't plan for the unpredictability of life the Silverado I pulled the car home with last week, I drove over 3 hours 1 way to get the car hauled it home blew my budget on the car (lol) and was going to borrow some wheel dollies from a buddy went to back into his driveway gave it a little gas to get over the curb and BANG....whineeee. Blew reverse. And all I can do is laugh. This turd has 260k on it so it was kind of on borrowed time. Now I get to do a tranny swap on a shiznitverado
You've made some progress. Nice.
Red car gonna be SEFI when it's done?
Kind of...
Close ;)
It'll work with everything I'm planning on doing. 250 to 1200hp compatible with a single stage wet system and up to 25psi of boost self tuning and very adaptive.
Edit: I dont intend to make 1200 horse or shoehorn 25 psi down its throat or spray it like it was on fire. I just want the ability to do so if I wish to. The fact that it will work with the factory fuel system 225lph pump and a couple feet of -6an line internally regulated I should be good up to 400 horse for now then 5.8 swap it and shoot for 600 with maybe a 150 shot and a procharger waaaaaay down the road. The 5.slow in the car will tide me over til I get the calicos engine up to snuff then swap it all over this winter and be ready to play next summer. Aluminum headed 302 t5 fitech and possibly a 100 shot (respectively)
Nice find Clayton, looks like a fun project. :like:
Thankya! Progress is going to slow down a little bit due to the holiday and family get togethers and going back to work Monday that and I have to redirect some of the car fund into a truck payment. Didn't feel like searching for a good 4l60e in a boneyard or putting a reman one in my white truck.. Just flat out didnt want to do it all the way around. So I picked up a slightly newer one relatively cheap to get me around for a while.
The fuel level sender came in so now the tank is almost ready to go back in I might get to it Sunday if all goes to plan it should start hopefully.
Tank is in and she runs! Barely but its progress. I blew a heater hose back by the firewall, but what do ya expect out of a sitting car. Nothing spectacular can't take your foot off the throttle but I'm sure a tune up will take care of that
Get it running ok and do all the suspension and brakes, then worry about the engine mods. But you're making pretty quick progress as it is.
Several Mustang guys I've spoken to like the FI Tech system. There's enough info out there that you shouldn't have major problems installing or troubleshooting it.
Thats the plan. Hoping to do the motor and tranny swap in the fall or over the winter.
I have to order a couple more things suspension wise then it should be done underneath from a dollar bill standpoint. I need to order new control arms for the front cause in my stupidity 7 years ago I ordered forward offset control arms.. I need reverse offset to put the wheel back in the factory location. I thought it looked wierd being that far forward. Luckily the GMS k member is basically a rip off MM k member. So MM parts work with it. I'll order those and the pub then the big money is spent under the car aside from a roll of brake line.
The car is pretty much a full MM suspension car aside from the k member (again ripped from a MM design) and the CHE arms in the rear and springs.
Great progress, and quickly done!
Nice Jimmy too, how many miles on it?
Thankya
It would be going a lot faster if I would get all my parts when they say theyre going to be here lol. On a serious note I have been planning this out for almost 7 years I was just waiting for all the dominoes to fall and planets to align.
As for the truck, 191k :toothless: but the price was right I wanted a 14+ crew cab but that wasn't in the cards at the moment. This turd will get me by for a while
Its hotter than blue blazes out here today but I did do something to the old girl. I put a new IAC on it and now she idles all on her own. I'm hoping to have her in the shade this weekend so I can actually do something picture worthy to it.
She runs though so there's that.
Progress is a worthwhile commodity. ;)
Should put that steering wheel on. Make it easier to maneuver.
Meh. I'll get around to it. I gotta drop the column soon anyway to swap the pedals in and the sn brake booster too. I pulled the wheel only because 1 I have a perfectly nice TC wheel that will take its place. And 2 the base wheel was jelly and gummy and not pleasant
Actually the base wheel didn't have the leather wrap. That was an option (standard on LX cars). I still don't know why Ford filled the wheel under the leather with that glue/goop.
:dunno: I just know it was goopy and had to go. Just been to preoccupied with getting her running to worry about little things. I set the wheel on there to move it around the yard a little but thats it seeing as its all gotta come back out lol. Same reason all the plastic on the column is still off. That and theres a spider web/nest under the clear cover on the cluster
Here's today's progress. To my complete and utter absolute total surprise not one thing under this car gave me any guff. The rear shoes still looked new, the springs were still red and yellow. All the control arm bolts came out without a fuss. I swear its like it was just as easy to tear this one apart as it was my calico car. There is some slight surface rust underneath by the lers considering the condition of the lers I'm not at all surprised :toothless: . I cant wait to tackle the front half now because the neutral shuffle is going to get old.
:roxor:
Are the lers the rustiest thing under the car?
Pretty much
Coming along nicely.
Thankya!
I ordered tc ebrake cables, does anyone have a clear picture of how they come together?
Did you ever get the pictures you needed?
For the most part. Aside from where the cable attach to the chassis on the driverside
The end of one story and the beginning of the next. Hence starting fresh. The shell will be gone tomorrow.
Calico left today. The guy who picked it up knew me and the car from high school 12+ years ago just kind of funny I made my mark with that car and alot of people knew me and associated me with tbirds.
Side note the redhead got a nose job and cataract surgery. I wasnt the biggest fan of the lx nose and I have 2 decent tc noses with lights figured why not. And I found the rustiest part of the car. The lower core support is pretty fugly but still surprisingly solid.
That's the progress for today
That rust isn't bad at all. Grind it down and paint over it with Eastwood Rust Encapsulator or POR and you'll be good to go.
I'm guessing front suspension is next? Looks good with front lights.
You are correct, front suspension is next. I'm going to start that this weekend at least the removal of the factory stuff to make room for all the new goodies. I was going to start that project but decided to do something a little easier the lack of headlight lenses and the front bumper being ate up pretty good was driving me crazy. Granted the front cover thats on there now the paint is cracked and chipped but at least the plastic isnt eroded. And it doesn't have a front plate bracket
Ordered the correct front control arms today. I hope to have it somewhat together this weekend with the incorrect control arms just to have it together. And so I can start running brake line and all that assorted nonsense. I have to dig through my box tbird interior stuff and find the firm ride, premium, antenna switch panel for my line lock switch then i should be ready to do the pedal swap and all the other tedious stuff.
Hopefully have it at an alignment shop soon so I can drive this under powered monster
EDIT: the front control arms are on backorder until the 26th of next month! Oh Lord that sucks
I've got some stock FCA's if that's what you need (but I bet you want soemthing aftermarket..) ;)
Lol I wish it was that easy but nooooope. Can't fit factory arms on my Maxitelli kmember :rollin:
Well on the bright side you've got a month to slowly swap K-members :biggrin: .
True statement
More and more this car amazes me with how easy its coming apart.
Kmember is out in under 3 hours. I love my 20v dewalt 1/2" impact.
All thats left to remove for this chapter of the build is the motor mounts which also, very surprisingly, are both intact and the sway bar to make room for my TC bar.
A little coat of good primer and back together she goes with all my goodies.
And shes in! Now I cant do anything else under the front end until the control arms show up except put the sway bar . My next project is the booster/ pedal swap along with other various interior pieces like the stereo stuff and fixing the window clips putting the trunk back together with the fuel pump access panel
Thats all for another day though
Did you add a spacer between the K-member and the frame rails?
Yeah I put 1/2" spacers in.
I can't remember but is the spacer needed for the Maximum Motorsports K-member to fit the Thunderbird/Cougar chassis?
On a thunderbird/ cougar yes. If you look at the lower mount the way the kmember is shaped right there there would be some major interference. I should have went with a 5/8 spacer but 1/8 isnt going to hurt anything seeing as its measured in and square within 1/16" and the rear mounts need opened up quite a bit to fit correctly
I figured there would be interference without the spacer, looking at the picture. Just a hunk of steel was used for the spacer I assume?
A Maximum Motorsport K-member, front control arms, and coil overs are on my wish list. Cost is a bit high though, as I'd probably redo the brakes as well. It's not cheap but worth it from a handling perspective.
The spacers are aluminum actually. The weight savings between the two k members is crazy. And for being a pretty hefty piece anyway compared to upr and team z the complete kit control arms, k member, coil overs and all the hardware weighed 85lbs in the boxes they shipped in. The factory k member and control arms is well over 120 I never weighed this one or the last cars stock kmember but I struggled a little bit getting it from the floor to the truck and I'm not small at 6' 250lbs. Where I can curl the granatelli piece with the control arms and steering rack still attached..
And for what its worth, if you can find a deal on a granatelli kmember nab it up. It's literally the same design as the MM piece. Just coated different colors. I bought my kit back in 2011 for under 700 with coilovers and a arms.
I ordered a panhard bar the first week in July it was on back order it should be on its way this coming week that will be a big deciding factor on my exhaust cause the stinger pipes barely fit with 275/40s on the back. I am not above running dumps but I'd like to keep the tail pipes haha but after the PHB shows up and my fca's show up I should be done with the suspension build portion. Dial in the ride height do a tune up and drive this turd for a while to see how she does, get it figured out then start adding power to it this fall (as funds allow)
Post up pictures of the Maximum Motorsports panhard bar installation. I'd like to add one to my car but I'm worried it won't fit around the 2.5" Dynomax tail pipes. There's no way I'm running dumps to make it fit. That wouldn't fit with the character of the car at all.
We'll see if I can pull that off. I'm horrible of taking in process pics. More worried about getting it done lol
Looking forward to any pictures of the panhard bar installed. I don't think the Stinger tailpipe (driver side only / single) on my car will clear it but have been interested in one.
Thank you for the tip on the Granatelli stuff. Did you use the SN95 k-member and control arms or the Fox? Guessing the SN95 for '87-88 cars?
Its not the drivers side I'm worried about. The passenger side is a tight fit around the tank now with the meats on the rear. Granted they are very loose still because of antition of the PHB.
I looked up a GMS kmember that you could order right now and the newer ones look like the UPR design. So scratch that idea. If you find an older used piece you should be gold. I did order mine 8 years ago after all. And GMS was under fire for a long while over copy cat designs. Supposed buying the MM kmember sending it to India to have it duplicated ECT ECT I don't know the specifics don't care either. I just know I bought it for 1/2 the cost for LKQ
I used the fox kmember and fox length control arms with 98+ spindles.
Today after work I shall be unsupervised for a little amount of time. So in that time I'm going to try to swap the pedals and booster and all that related stuff up under the dash to get it out of the way.
My front a arms should be here today as well and then its pretty much all downhill from there
I got the pedals hung and the booster in and most of the interior put back together. Saturday I tackle the rest of the nose. I should get it all back together no problem
I know for a fact that the MM panhard bard will clear 2.5" factory path tailpipes (Dynomax and Flowmaster are known to work well) with 275's on a Fox Mustang. My Coupe has MM torque arm, panhard bar, Griggs coilovers, and 275/40/17 Nitto 555R's in the rear and the Dynomax 2.5" tailpipes clear. I saw one 3" setup but the guy custom built it with mandrel bends and tig weled everything so it was like looking at artwork.
Being this is all on a Mustang there may be some nuances with a Bird/Cat but my money is on it fitting with very little work. My guess is that the path of the tailpipes will be identical to the Mustang. The 3" tailpipes on my Bird are Flowmaster mandrel bent units for a Mustang LX that were lengthened only in the part that hangs down and runs to the back of the car past the fuel tank. I believe we lengthened them around 8" or so.
Anyhow, keep up the good work and I wish my projects moved like yours.
I'm optimistic about it. It should fit no problem and will be on the car regardless of the exhaust fitment. I'm not paying 400 for a paperweight the exhaust is not a big deal to me right now that's all subject to change anyway the suspension parts however, are not. I mean my mac lers are literally slid right over the factory split 1 into 2 pipe right now cause this winter when I swap the motor, the exhaust gets updated as well. But for now it works no farther than its went so far. The truth will come out when I have the PHB in my posession
Y'all hang tight until then. I also have to modify my shock adapter to accommodate the driver side PHB axle mount too
The front end is almost done aside from brake lines which I'm currently taking a break from. The rest will be done today and hopefully be bled too. Then the only thing that might need being done depending on how frisky I get is the ebrake cables.
I'm hoping to have it out of the garage tonight for a bit but we'll see
Brake pedal is a little squishy still but I figure I'll have to rebleed the system again soon but i was getting close calling it quits amd had a goal set to see it outside today. 10 hours of play time today gets alot done lol slightly supervised she came out to make sure I wasn't dead and helped bleed the brakes but shes on all fours now. Only thing left is to hook the ebrakes up and have it aligned
Got the line lock wired and tested today. :toothless:. Brakes still have a little air in the lines. Also got my pioneer radio put in and the rest of the dash put back together also put the cover panel in over the fuel pump and put the trunk back together.
Now I'm fighting these pesky window clips so I can roll my window up. Calling the local specialty alignment shop tomorrow to get a quote on how bad theyre going to rail me to reign this faux pony in.
Looking good. Hopefully it doesn't cost too much to align. Any idea how far off it is?
Its gonna cost about $75 as long as there are no hang ups. Not too horrible but I don't think think they fully heard me when I said a heavily modified 88 thunderbird but we shall see.
As far as how far off it it I honestly couldn't tell ya. I measured the toe and tried to get it as even as I could the rest is on them lol.
Alignments start at $75 around here for a stock car. If you get it done for $75 you are getting a deal.
Well the fella I spoke to told me they charge 75 initially like 75/HR after so we shall see.. I'm sure its going to take longer than an hour. This shop is the local go-to for muscle cars and performance oriented cars they've been in business over 30 years. Stemen align and brake here in Fort Wayne. Theyre about the only shop I would trust to do the work around here
I was waiting for it and I knew it was coming... The two steps back in the process lol. I did a couple things to the old girl today, one of which was starting it and letting it run for a little bit. Well she started ticking I checked the gauges... Oil pressure is at 0. I'm going to change the oil tomorrow with some cheapo oil to see if that helps in any way.
I suspect the oil pump locked up. If it did. No big deal. I have 2 avenues to go down. Swap the pump... Swap the motor. I really dont want to swap the motor just yet. But if that's what I have to do that's what I'm going to do.
I was really hoping to update the calico motor before swapping it over and driving it for a while with the lo-po motor.
We shall see.
The oil pump is run by a gear on the dizzy. If the oil pump locked up, it would destroy the shaft running to the oil pump and id be surprised if it ran. Should take out the dizzy and gear too.
That's the worst case scenario. Ive seen the oil drive shafts twisted so bad that it looked like an easy out. Even if the pump went it didnt hurt the motor to bad.
I tried to get the distributor out to have a look last night but its stuck pretty good. So I soaked it in pb blaster and left it alone the rest of the night. We'll see what its all about when I get home tonight
You’ve done a lot in a relatively short time. Keep up the good work. The bird is coming along nicely
I had a '79 Tbird where they used a nylon coated timing chain that at about 100k had shreaded enough nylon the clog the oil pump. Not sure if they continued that through the 80's. If you find a plastic type debris in there you might want to change the timing chain too.
Good luck with the oil pressure. To get the pan off these things it is almost easier to pull the motor.
Like I said. Gonna change the oil today and see what that gets me. If I see some stuff I don't like I'll pull the pan and investigate further.
As for the pulling of the pan. Theres quite a bit more clearance with the tube kmember. All I'll have to do is wrap a strap around the balancer and pick it up with the hoist enough to clear the front bump. Easy peasy.
Isn't that gonna break the snout off the crank? :toothless:
Then plan b with mo powa
Well crisis averted. For now. Drained the oil and it came out relatively clean all things considered. Spun the oil filter off and was expecting to get the usual oil bath and nothing until I turned it over. Apparently the oil filter was clogged. :shoothead: I didn't even think about that didn't even register in my mind. All is good in the world now.
Now to put the inside back together again. Then off to the alignment shop
Plugged filter, Ive never seen that before! .
Today's update: I dropped the exhaust because the stinger tail pipes were rubbing on literally everything. The lers came off too because they were just hanging there anyway. Nothing is more irritating than a tailpipe rattle lol.
Rebled the brakes today. Pedal still squishy and the line lock still won't hold the car. So I'm going to get a new Master cylinder because I can't remember where it came from or what it came off of everything else is new so my logic is pointing that way.
I'm going to schedule my alignment Monday and hopefully have her back by the weekend.
93 Cobra MC? You know...since you have 5 lug and shiznit...
Was it a fram?
I've seen them push cardboard mush out of engines that have sat for a while...
I'm going to replace it with one from a 94gt 1 1/16" bore
I couldnt tell what it was but it was but it wasn't a fram.
I'm just glad I'm not being rushed to do a heart transplant now. I want to build the other 302 slowly and make sure its right before putting it in with the rest of my go fast goodies. Thats colder weather work.
What are your plans for the other 302? I believe you're planning on topping it off with Fast EFI but what H/C/I are you planning on using?
I have a set of edelbrock performer heads and Harlan Sharp 1.7 roller rockers. As far as the cam goes it really depends on the piston that are in the motor. I'm not doing anything to the bottom end of this one. But the choices are a letter cam f or x or tfs 1-2 all of that comes down really to the ptv clearance that I can come up with. And the ford motorsports version of the victor jr single plane.
The 351 will get all the good stuff no expense spared. I just want to be able to save the money for that and do it right no rushing. 408 with an custom grind cam, the edelbrock heads or possibly something else I'm not entirely sure they'll flow enough for the big motor. And some sort of boost.
The plan is to get it figured out and then start treating it like a stripper... Throwing money at it hoping to get the ride of my life.
Ordered my MC now we wait. But I managed to get the shop cleaned a little bit. Moved the car out to get some sun. The only thing that is keeping me from getting an alignment is the brakes at the moment. But hopefully today or tomorrow I can get that squared away
Those Edelbrock Performer heads are fine for a 302 but I'd get something better for the 351W when you build it. Probably like the Twisted Wedge 11R 205s. That 351W is going to need a lot more air, especially if it's punched out to 408.
Ive got a bit of research ahead of me still and the big motor is a couple seasons away. I got to get the bottom end built first that will really dictate alot of my choices. The 302 will do it for now though. Especially since I'm gonna run a t5. Thats another expense that is going to come on fast I have a feeling. The 8.8 will do for now but that t5... As long as I'm not too hard on it it will survive. But bet your bottom dollar its going to be the first thing to go. Then its tko time. I'm trying to build it up with parts that will carry over. I really dont like doing things twice so if I upgrade something it's going to be substantial.
But on the bright side I get the faux pony reigned in Thursday. I'm going to have it there Wednesday after work
Even the 302 could nuke that T5. That'll be the first thing to go.
Might as well start saving. Once that 408 goes in you'll find all of the weak links in the driveline and chassis.
Well I'm hoping to eliminate all the weak spots chassis wise. Drivetrain will be revamped one piece at a time. Next project is sfcs seat braces and torque boxes
She's at the alignment shop
I really like the stance. Looks good.
Looks good. Any rubbing issues with it sitting that low?
We're gonna find out. It's done. Waiting to get off work to go pick it up. Cost 115 to have it aligned. I cant wait to go get it
She's home. A rather uneventful ride. It has a little memory steer but its very responsive. Brakes are still a bit mushy but it stops and I'll dig into that a bit later. She rides like shes on rails just how I expected. I have to raise the front end a little bit the tires were kissing the fenders just a little on bumps BUT! I got to drive it today. More than a couple feet. I haven't drove a fox bird in well over 10 years.
I'm ecstatic
How much camber are you running? A little bit of negative camber made a huge difference in my tire rub.
Just factory spec. After driving it a bit the coils settled some more I definitely have to raise the front. Every little bump sounds like I'm about to tear a fender off. I got the wheels pretty much burried in the fenders right now. I'll do some tweaking as time goes on but about 1/2" is what I need
I raised it from 3 1/2 to 3 7/8 and it helped a whole bunch. And also made it to my local cars and coffee this morning.
Still have to sort some things out but overall I'm very happy with the way the suspension performs. It's just everything else that is lacking now. The old 5.slow moves it pretty good the aod is mushy and soft just like it would be for a bone stock car.
It holds turns very well and feels like it stays relatively flat in the turns. That will be even better when I put the sway bar in the rear along with the PHB.
Going more aggressive with the alignment will make a significant difference in handling. I wanted more aggressive, but the shop I used was apprehensive of using what I wanted. I wanted 1-1.5 degrees negative camber and 4.5 degrees positive caster. I ended up with .9 negative camber and 1.5 positive caster. It still works very well.
I'm sure I'll end up tweaking it a bit but I'm still getting a feel for it. Like I said its been 10 year since I drove one I don't even remember how they drove but I can tell you first hand it is tight and snappy. I have the slow ratio rack and its probably a good thing. There's no mush in the steering especially with the MM steering shaft, heim joints on the bumpsteer kit and derlin rack bushings. I daily a truck every day so theres a slight learning curve here every other car I've personally had has been run through the mill and been clapped out before I even got it.
The only comparison I can even manage right now is my girl has a 08 Saturn Aura XR the sport edition with 80k on it and it has been meticulously maintained. First time I drove that thing it felt like a slot car. Well the bird feels like it's a slot car that you had to ask the clerk for the key to unlock the case on :toothless:
Today after work I'm going to try and get to the bottom of why my brakes a still mushy I'm going to reroute some lines and possibly bypass my prop valve for the front to take an element out of the equation. Leave the rears on the adjustable
Then the next thing that hinders me from really driving it is the F#@%*.: Windows. Both are stuck down at the moment which wouldn't bother me since it sits inside mostly but mother nature would notice me driving it on a beautiful sunny day with 0% chance of rain and 100% just hammer it down on me.
Bypassed the prop valve and capped the front ports on it T'd off the line lock and now I have front brakes and the line lock holds the car still. The rear brakes need bled some more now due to my proportioning valve bleeding pressure between the front and rear ports, now I have a really expensive adjustable rear bias block lol.
Also swapped my door glass from the calico car into this one to speed up the process a little bit and save me a little headache for now on those window clips. Gives me more time to mod the clips and all that jazz and possibly tint the windows while they're out
I have to dig through my bookmarks and screen shots, but I have a link for aluminum window clips. I'll have to dig them up. I wanted them for my car, but I glued the glass in, and then found the link.
I was thinking of trying my hand at making a 1 piece window clip with more surface area to attach to the glass. Like 1.5" deep and however long between the two studs drilling it full of holes and epoxying the tar out of it.
Grease everything up good. Buy some cheap terry cloth and something to hose everything off with. Wd40, alcohol, just about anything will work. Once eberything is clean, I like white lithium grease. Its expensive, but it still works okay when its dirty and is really easy to get anywhere.
Once that's done, get some silicone window stuff, hose down all the rubber seals and edges around the window. This will make a mess, but it will bring all the rubber back to life and make it softer and make it not stick to the glass.
Then finally, I really like black windshield adhesive. I clean up the window really well where the track lines up good. I then lightly sandpaper the glass near the tracks then clean it up one more time. Do a few dry runs without any glue and make sure the window is in the proper place on the tracks. Then dump some of that black goo in there, roll the window all the way up and leave it for a day or two.
I've bought new clips when they are broken, I have drilled holes on them hopong to make stuff stick better, but its really not needed.
The cleaner and better greased everything is, the less the glue matters honestly. The reason I use the wind shield adhesive is because it is specifically designed to bond to glass and plastics, its sort of rubbery so it can take some side load if everything isn't perfect and it sticks like a mofookie. We go from about -10°f to about 110°f every six months or so and it does really well. Ive never had to reglue it if I lubed everything up good first. The only thing that sucks is thst it will not cure below freezing, you want it to be 60+° outside for it to cure fully.
I fought that situation for awhile too. Its been so long I forget what I used. I got plastic clips from the "HELP" section at the parts store, drilled holes in them, and sanded the window glass area. Used some sort of auto glue epoxy stuff, its been holding for years now.
My windows are fixed for now. I'm glad to be a parts der.
Now my real dilemma with the next phase of the build. The engine I have is from a mustang and it ran good that's all I know about it. Well I'm starting to make decisions and moving funds around to start achieving my goals. Well I got to looking at it today and figured I would dig it out and start pulling it apart. Then I noticed the casting # on it. E6... Oh no here we go let the f*ckery begin. Pulled the carb intake and various other things along with one of the heads and yep. Flat tops. And an extra bit of fun comes with it too. Theres signs of foul play between the pistons and valves. So now is time for another unplanned decision. Take a chance and flycut these pistons, or put a cheap set of hypereutectics new rings and rod bearings to get me by
I've got several sets of HO pistons, if you want to go that route.
Pay for the ride, you can have a set of 'em ;)
Pm sent
Option 2: Trick Flow TW heads. Will work with flatops no problem. But more $$$$.
I'm going to stick with the edelbrocks I got.
New piston time then :grinno: .
Yep. I'm gonna take Beau up on his offer. I'll swap the flat tops out for standard HO pistons possibly clearance the reliefs a little more at work then TFS 1, my edelbrock, then a victor jr intake and my fitech sitting on top. She should be pretty rowdy.
I got it tore down to the shortblock today to let me see what other fun I had in store for me. Aside from a little intimacy between the pistons and valves on a few cylinders nothing out of the ordinary. Except a new crank had been installed along the way. This engine had been gone through in the past. And by the arp head bolts and e7 heads I'm sure the abusive relationship between the valves and pistons happened in the past and the engine was updated because of that.
Throw Beaus pistons at it with new rings and rod bearings and start making the faux pony fast
Any idea what cam was in it to cause the valve/piston contact?
The only numbers on the cam were k21j and I cant find any info on it.
I got some stuff done today. I got rid of the smog stuff and put my 3g alt and bracket on. I got a boatload of stuff to do still but one day at a time now lol
Got the battery in the trunk today and found some more rust under the battery box.
Also knocked the t5 apart to check it out. And to my surprise all the gears were in very good shape syncros in really good shape and shift forks still had nylon on them almost perfect. I needed to swap the Speedo gear anyways so figured I would go a little bit deeper. I need to shim the input a little bit it's got some endplay then glue it back together and put it on the shelf until time to put it in.
Battery acid is a jerk.
For a $600 Midwestern car. I'll deal with it.
PHB is on its way finally. So sometime next week I'll have that then the suspension mods will be coming to a close aside from sfcs seat braces and torque box stuff
I hit up pick a part this morning and scored a set of focus fans and they fit surprisingly well. They will be going in pretty soon also along with my radiator
What year Focus?
03 04 somewhere around there. The pap here was littered with them.
What are you planning on using to control them?
Any idea on the gap between the fan and water pump?
These would be easier to find than a Contour fan or 3.8 Taurus fan, since those cars are now few and far between at yards.
I snagged a relay box from a 05 f150. I have no idea what it was for on the truck, but it houses 2 big relays 2 small relays and 3 or 4 mini fuses. A fuse for each fan and a relay for each fan. For right now im going to have the relays wired up to a switched ground. The fitech will control them through the ground side very temporarily just to get me through the rest of the season.
The fans themselves are only 3 1/2" deep from the floor to the top of the motors. And spaced well enough that the water pump is right between them with 3 or so inches to spare unlike my 16" single fan with the aluminum shroud which was like 5 1/2" deep and smack in the middle of the radiator and about a hair away from touching the water pump. I'll take more pictures as I go. I got some materials today to attach it to the radiator and scored a freebie tranny cooler.
My goal is to take this turd down the track once before it closes to get a rough baseline granted its just a stocker 5.0/aod with 4.10s but I'm sure all the weight savings and suspension parts will get it down the line and off the line fairly quick. I'm hoping it hooks nice and gets a relatively quick 60'. I'm hoping for high 14's maybe
I got the radiator and fans in just need to hook the fans up and add a temporary trans cooler.
I got the t5 put back together as well
I'll just leave this here.
Dont judge me by the bench...
Oooh. Pics when it's installed. Especially how much clearance is around tailpipes and the gas tank.
Well the main frame is in. I gotta run it around the block and get the suspension settled then I can put the actual bar in. It would be pretty tight around the passenger side tank mount. No tail pipes for this guy
Couple more
And now its done
Looks great! How much of a handling improvement do you feel on the street?
I'm not sure the bar would clear the 2.5" tailpipes I'm running, especially on the passenger side. It would be extremely tight if it fit at all.
I'll have to get back with you on that one, I didn't put a ton of drive time on it. I put a couple miles on it but. Not enough to really open it up. Just enough to see that is doesn't bind any.
As for tail pipes, thats a big hell no. Driver side will fit no problem. Passenger side will require some major magic with a mandrel bender. It could go up over the axle and immediately make a 90* bend the almost immediately make another then out the back. That's just to much for me. And with the tires I have in the rear its stupid close anyway. Entirely not worth it. I may later down the road when I get tired of my mac lers or when I build the next motor and step up the exhaust to 3" go the way of side exit in front of the rear tire but dumps work for now
Edit: I also still have to put the sway bar on. Then the suspension will be completely done. Aside from some camber tweaks. Cause the guy that did my alignment put smaller bolts in the upper strut mount holes to get more camber put of it before realizing I had cc plates. So the inside of the front right tire is rubbing the coilovers something fierce after the suspension settled more
I strongly suggest you get where the panhard bar is attached to the frame welded. If you get stupid with it they will start to wobble the holes out. Mine is welded for that reason.
No real progress to speak of, I got to find a better ground spot for my battery and figure out why the 3g alt isn't charging. I wired it the same way I did on the old car. I havent taken the alt in to be tested yet either. Its been a pretty busy week with barely any time to work on the car. I'm prepping for the October 5th track day at Muncie I should have everything sorted out by then.
Well I found out why the 3g wasn't charging. Apparently it just gave up. It was like 13 years old so no big deal. Got the new one in and the rear ride height bumped up a little now so the quarter lips wont eat the tires so bad. I'll need to roll them soon especially if I run my slicks.
Are the slicks mounted on Town Car wheels?
I haven't updated here in a while but most of y'all are over on Facebook anyway. I didn't get down to the track like I wanted to but theres always next year. I did however start focusing on the motor a little more since the suspension is pretty well done and it drives awesome. It stays very firmly planted to the ground and is very responsive theres no walk in the rear. It's very fun to drive as long as youre not in a hurry to go anywhere.
Anyway over to the 302 and my dilemma with it being an e6 HO with flat tops and not wanting to spend a fortune on this motor. But still have it run great for a possible future project car after the 351 is built. I already had edelbrock heads and 1.6 roller rockers. I was hoping to get away with swapping heads throwing a better cam in it (so I would know what was actually in it) and better intake with my fitech kit on top thinking I had a 87+ 5.0. Well so much for that.
I ordered some KB115's in a standard bore that should give me enough room for my 1.90/1.60 valves and the valve springs are rated for .575 lift which will work perfectly for a trickflow stage 2 cam. It will have new rings and rod bearings along with arp rod bolts and a Ford racing version of the victor jr intake because it's almost the exact same design almost $100 cheaper.
Thats it for now!
Getting closer to putting the engine together. Waiting on some stuff to sell to have more funds. Rings bearings and rod bolts are next. But in the meantime cleanup of the parts I already have.
Cool.
What roller rockers are those?
Harland Sharp
Christmas/birthday presents came today so the short block can be put back together. Arp connecting rod bolts, melling timing chain, clevite bearings and new rings and a newer style ring compressor. The one I have is very old and doesn't work really well any more.
And the tfs-2 cam of course. I'll be putting her back together tomorrow
Well its together now. I clayed the pistons to check ptv clearance and have plenty of room for shenanigans. Now to ship the heads off to the machine shop for a little work and buy an intake. I'm getting down to the nitty gritty and getting super excited
What intake you thinking of going with?
Trick flow R series like this one
Ah. Probably a good choice. Should run pretty well. I was hoping you were thinking about a Performer RPM level intake minimum.
Nah I want outside the box. Something different.
It'll make good power and still keep fairly mild street manners with the fitech kit
The R isn't that out of the box, and a good choice with the gearing. I was just hoping you weren't going with a Performer or Stealth intake for the "low RPM torque" ::)
Yeah. Made that mistake before on other projects
Some demo day progress. Getting closer to yanking the old 302 and aod. I'll get it pulled tuck the wiring clean up the engine bay throw some paint at it and by then it'll be ready for the new combo
Well now the tough stuff is done, time to do some clean up and prep for the new iron and all the goodies I've been stocking up on all summer long.
More prepping and side tracking. Decided today that it would be a good time to swap the doors fenders and all the other nonsense work I had to do before plugging the new drivetrain in. Also tucking the wiring like I did on the old one. Tried out that vht wrinkle finish paint on the air cleaner and valve covers just to see how it looked. And I like it. Looks a lot better than chrome and really old aluminum
I like the progress and thumbs up on the valve covers.
I'm getting somewhere now. It should be ready to go in as soon as the bay is ready for it. Still a few small things to do to that area then change the rear main, bolt the t5 and all its glory to the old girl and send it.
Edit: for the record I hate those stupid t-less t-handle valve cover fasteners and they will be going in the garbage can soon.
Looks like it's coming along. Hopefully be able to fire it up soon.
She's in. Just gotta get the transmission in and button up the under side then I can focus on the top side and the hood cause a flat one simply wont work due to a minor clearance issue.
Just slam the hood hard a couple times. It'll close.
:toothless:
.....sooner or later.
Transmission and shifter are in. Clutch cable in and roughly adjusted the firewall adjuster will do the rest I'm sure. I've got to finish up the exhaust, and put the driveshaft in and fill the t5.
Then the work up top can be started on some wiring. That itself will take the longest for me but its a labor of love.
Needs a shorter air cleaner :toothless:
Wiring went well today... For the most part.... Its not done yet but its layed out ready to make most of the connections. Ive still got to run the feed to the battery and fuel pump but its getting down to the nitty gritty.
Got some more wiring done, still have a little bit more but just trying to find time to do it. I still have to run the power to the fuel pump and the hot from the battery. And need to redo my fan setup and the relay for that as well. As much as I like the dual fan idea, I think I'm going to revert back to the single 16" fan for sake of being thinner. And weighing less.
It lives! I couldn't use the fitech's timing control so I just put the MSD box I had from the other car. Timing is way out at the moment but it ran so now its time to figure it out the rest of the way.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/401372653322372?view=permalink&id=2615989198527362&sfnsn=mo&d=n&vh=i
Sounds good!
What's the reasoning for the 1" spacer under the FiTech? If you could ditch that and use a 1" drop cleaner you might be able to use a stock hood. May have to do some metal work on the underside of the hood but others have fit 351W under a stock hood in these cars.
Making some hella progress!
Sounds good!
The 1 inch spacer is in there because I plan on running a plate system in the long run so the height is accounted for already. I already have a drop base air cleaner and it sits on the AN fittings coming from the unit and no matter how I direct the fittings they hit. The trickflow intake is about the same height as a super victor maybe a touch taller. I already have 1/2" spacers between the k member and body. I could get away with running a 1" air cleaner element. But even so, the base of the drop down is above the fender line... And the picture was taken before I tossed the spacer in.
Fitment issues a plenty lol if I would have been a smarter man I would've just got a victor jr and went with it but I wanted to be difficult and go against the grain.
Also, since the video was taken the pickup in the unilite ped out on me so I haven't been able to tinker anymore with it. The new pickup will be here tomorrow.
And aside from the tach, all the factory gauges still work
Got the fenders back on today and all the wiring tidy'd muddled through some tuning parameters on the fitech because I couldn't get it to idle down right. I think it's just running through the self learn parts still cause it runs a little better each time I walk away from it. Also put the mach 1 chin spoiler on as well. And I got mine from lmr, and the fasteners they sent it with SUCK. Definitely going to upgrade those before the season hits.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/401372653322372/permalink/2634490053343943/
Shes back on the ground. Coolant leak is fixed. I'm ordering a vfn hood tomorrow so shes wearing her Sundays best until that one shows up. But now the issue is a idle hunting game and a stalling issue but its on the up and up now and hopefully it will tune itself around after a few mile are put on it. Fitech systems are initially set up for a automatic so 200 rpm drops suddenly wig it out
Ive got plenty more work to do getting the interior put back together and finishing up some dirty bits but its getting there.
It did move under its own power today. About 8 feet total and that makes me happy.
Always good when they at least can motivate themselves.
Yes it is.
Ordered the hood today. So in 6-8 weeks she should be a complete (-ly ugly) running and driving car and out on the streets again. The temporary hood will suffice for now but that is exactly what it is, temporary.
Then when the weather is cooperative a bomb job is in order just to make the car slightly easier on the eyes
I usually update here and Facebook at the same time but dropped the ball yesterday. The car is cleaned off and the interior put back together and kinda looks like a car again
Y'all probably already saw it on Facebook but the scoop is just temporary lol
I got the scoop mounted and the battery tied down yesterday and backed it out of the garage for a little bit to wash some of the crud off of it in the rain.
Today I added some turndowns and tweaked the exhaust a bit because it was hanging WAYYYYY to low and with the car being as low as it is anyway I didn't want to take any chances on losing a ler to the pothole lords here in Fort Wayne.
So I decided to take it out for a lap around the block. It was running great, shifting good very responsive. Decided to give it the beans a couple times and must have had an intake gasket not sitting right when I put it together or the wrong one or something along those lines but pushed the clutch in coming to a stop and the idle wouldn't come down. Wtf? Ive been chasing a idle hunt/surge for a little bit I just chocked it up to needing to be driven some to tune it out... Well it turns out I had a minor vac leak the entire time and didn't know. So sometime in the very near future I will be putting some new gaskets in. Not a big deal just mildly irritating. Better now while its py out.
But I will say this... Just from giving it the beans a couple times, I'm going to need new tires very, very soon.
Still working on getting the tuning right after replacing the intake gaskets. Everything seems to be going well within reason of course just need to learn it out.
Finally got some real seat time in the old girl. About 50 miles today. Stopped at the gas station and filled her up on some premium at 2.09 a gallon (that itself made me happy as hell for 18 gallons worth).
Still fighting a return to idle issue, she likes to make me look like an idiot coming up to a light and stalling. Made some minor tweaks, but time will heal that wound some
Also mounted my retarded monster tach another thing that will be going the wayside eventually, but for now its nice to be able to see the rpms, the fitech display shows it but its so small and not really viable at a glance like a regular gauge is. I wont be able to miss it now :toothless:
Of course I mention this now but if you used Fel Pro 1250 gaskets (even the 1250S steal core) I've got a better gasket that's the same size: an Explorer 5.0 gasket set from Fel Pro. Has graphite coated steel gaskets with rubber end seals. Been using them for years (currently on my Edelbrock Performer head/Performer RPM intake combo) and they are awesome. No leaks and they hold torque. Openings are identical to the 1250.
How does it run? I'm assuming much nicer than it used to.
I used edelbrock intake gaskets this time around. And so far so good. They match the ports to the intake a hell of a lot better than the felpro gaskets did. Plus I put the felpro ones in upside down :shakehead:
As for running, its still learning and will for another hundred miles or so. The power is nice so far but I haven't really beat on it yet. Ive given it the beans a few times but haven't given it the full enchilada yet.
It's unfair to put the new engine in the same category of the stocker. In all honesty the engine i pulled from it probably shouldn't have been driven on in the first place lol. I didn't do anything to it when I got it besides change a heater hose and a IAC. It had factory date coded plug wires on it still. I drove the out of it anyway knowing I was going to pull it. if it let go, it let go.
I'm happy with it so far
The more I drive it the better it gets! And with it being tri-tone with this retarded hood it pulls a great deal of attention going down the road. I love it.
It has a slight traction control issue though :dunno:
Turn the traction control on :toothless:
I've hunted every square inch of this car for it and still ain't fount it :bs:
On a serious note.. I will probably label the nitrous on switch with the traction control symbol. There's going to be so many hidden Easter eggs in this car its going to be ridiculous
Reebok is the traction control.
Get a TC switch panel and use the premium fuel switch as the nitrous control. Hidden and factory looking.
I'll have to do something like that. I got the line lock in that panel on a toggle switch right now it's not great but it works. I gotta dig through my treasure trove of parts and see if I have another system sentry panel I could modify. All down the road of course. Señor Giggle isn't happening this year but soon. So I can scope out ideas.
All thats left for this year is to get my hood out of corona-tine and make it all ones color for the time being and possibly get the windows tinted. My pecking list is getting pretty short for 2020.
Clayton,
Not to derail your post but I saw on FB you are doing some spoiler work. I’m not on FB much but wanted to say that it looks good so far. What year Camaro did you get the spoiler from.? Car is coming together nice.
Thanks! It's originally off a late 80s early 90s camaro
Ive had this car since June 26th last year and haven't given it a proper bath. So I took her to the pay and spray and hosed her off real good. Detailed the interior a bit, and cleaned the windows. It's clean-ish lol
Finally!! The wait is over!! Ive gotta go some fitting but its here!
Like I said on FB, Holy Cowl !!! You need to pack a tunnel ram or blower under there now cause you got the space.
What is that a 6" cowl?
Coming along nice from the looks of it.
Its a 5" cowl. I plan on some boost later on. I just want the real estate right now that and Its only 20 lbs. Stupid light. The box they shipped it in weighs about as much as the hood.
And it looks sinister. A little less freedom chicken every day.
A couple pictures out in the daylight. With the trunklid and spoiler on too. She got an attitude adjustment.
I did a thing yesterday and ordered all the stuff to upgrade the ignition stuff that I've personally had for 10+ years and it was all old when I got it. The tastic mallory unilite distributor is going the wayside for a msd pro billet, the 6a box is getting swapped out for a digital 6al, the cheapo canister coil is getting replaced with a blaster coil, the Taylor wires are old and due for a replacement as well. Since I've been driving it more and more lately I've noticed it runs great up until a certain point then seems to fall out like its losing spark at certain rpms. Most if not all the ignition equipment on this car is seemingly past its expiration date. I think the 6a box is from the early 2000's and the unilite is from the same vintage. Only reason I had it on the car in the first place is cause I had it and it worked.
Plus I needed to have all my ducks in a row for the NX Gemini plate I just ordered :headbang:
Well here it is!
That was quick! And I am sure it'll help make the car quick too.
And apparently after installing the new msd box and 3 stage retard and msd distributor the fitech decided it was going to die. I installed the new parts pretty straight forward had a noisy tach signal. Ok isolate the tach signal wire away from all the goodies. Starts and runs for about 30 seconds handheld loses power and froze. Threw all 8 injector codes, wide band code, fuel pump relay code, even kept running the fuel pump after the key was off. Isolated the key on power and routed it straight to the battery for testing purposes. Nothing. Start fire run about 30 seconds and die. That was Friday. Spent all day Saturday re wiring things and testing stuff same outcome. Swapped the 6a box back in, same deal.
I'm going to call fitech Monday and see about sending it in and getting it checked and refurbished.
It's been great up until this point, it's had its ups and downs. But its been having some issues on and off the whole time as well. Maybe this will fix it, maybe it won't.
I have a back up plan if it doesnt. We shall see.
Hopefully Fitech will have you back running soon.
Hopefully. It's 1 year warranty is up Friday. If they dont do anything its getting sniped.
Just to clear the air and so y'all know. I can be insanely impulsive. I had been trying to contact Fitech for about a week and couldn't get ahold of anybody until last Friday for a warranty claim they said that they would get back to me with the information to ship it back. Fuming about all this I ordered a sniper 650 kit and dual sync distributor and necessary bits to make that system all that it could be. As of today the car runs and drives again. Sniper system is very user friendly and TONS of info online.
Guess what? Still no response from fitech.
Took it to the local cars and coffee this morning. And no issues
I would not call that impulsive. Thank you for sharing your story cause I now know to avoid FiTech.
Good to see the car is back up and running.
I'm glad it's back up and going. I told another guy that I wasn't missing out on enjoying my car this summer due to customer service and if I was more patient it would be sitting still.
It's a blast to drive now that its sitting a little higher off the ground as well. Those 18x10s were kissing the front fenders going over some rather minor bumps like transitions from roads to bridges and ECT. Nothing very huge but just enough of a bump to make it compress just a bit more. Now I don't wince as bad going over bumps in the road.
The Hurst shifter is a ton better than the b&m on a comfort standpoint. I'm a fairly big guy. 6' 245 and the b&m I had to really reach for the Hurst is right there easy to reach.
Sucks you had to completely swap systems. Hopefully they make it right.
It does suck, and still no response from Fitech. I drove the old girl to work a couple days ago no issues. Drives great and starts every time Holley Sniper for the win. I ordered some new tires today and Ill schedule an alignment after they are installed.
Then its time to put some miles on this thing.
Got the new tires mounted a couple days ago and scheduled an alignment for Friday. This time I'm not going to drop the car off I'm going to wait on it so they don't try and pull the same tricks they did last time. The last time I had the car aligned they didn't know I had caster camber plates so they put smaller bolts in the upper spindle bolt holes to get more camber out of it. Well they called me to let me know that it was the best they could get it and I told them it had caster camber plates on it. They did it again got it all in spec and all was good in the world. Until I kept hearing the tire rub the coilover. Upon further investigation they had not put the correct bolts back in luckily I had some more of the correct ones laying around. No harm no foul. I dickered with it some more and assumed they put it back to a factory tbird alignment spec. I'm going to have them set it up at maximum motorsports recommended settings 4* of caster and -2* of camber and see how it handles now.
Aside from that I took the car out almost all day cruising. Cars and coffee this morning, ran some errands with it and took it out to dinner with some friends. It was an amazing day. And I'm definitely liking the new tires. They're super sticky for street tires and they ride smooth and quiet and handle great albeit the alignment is wonky bit does great
No real updates to speak of other than these tires are awesome for what they are. The Nitto 555's that were on it were old and hard as a rock and didn't hook for sht.
Ive just been putting miles on the old girl. The Sniper unit is doing well and probably has about 400 miles on it now. Only thing I haven't done with it really is get on the highway and run it at a consistent 65-70 mph for a length of time. It does better then I do in stop and go traffic doesn't get above 200* on a 90* day. I'm very pleased with how she's doing.
I still need to get the solenoid driver for the sniper to control nitrous, but that's pretty low on the list at the moment seeing as she probably wont get much track time this year if any.
Isn't it the best to be able to just jump in the car and go? I'm envious of that at the moment.
How'd the alignment improve handling? I'm assuming it's much better now.
It is the best.
I think it handles amazingly. It has some memory steer from everything being super tight. Its very responsive and not as darty as you would think considering the only bushings up front are the poly control arm bushings. Everything else is derlin or heim and no rag joint.
Had the old girl on the rollers today... But the dyno didn't like my car. They couldnt get a clean rpm signal without catching some sort of interference. Its a new place in town and I'm not 100% sure they knew what they were doing. But I tried.
Bear with me, I'm still learning the ways of the gopro and video editing software.. but heres some ear candy for you all
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_I5J0G3MoI&feature=youtu.be
Looking good. Sounds great. I hope to put mine on the dyno when I get done with the Terminator X conversion.
No updates to speak of because well, I haven't done anything :mullet: I've been driving the tar out of it. The Holley sniper is doing its thing they way it should and since the weather is changing and having cooler tems definitely shows how well it works as a unit. 40* starts are just as good as 80* starts but I do have to let it get to operating temp before I drive it (like you should anyway) but I jumped in and went just for the hell of it. And it was not happy, it bucked a bit but smoothed out as it warmed up as it should.
Still a very happy camper. Here are some recent cars and coffee pics for y'all to enjoy
Yeah, getting the cold-start and warm-up tuned is a fun game. You really only get one chance at it during the day.
Oh yeah very small window of opportunity. I'll have to hook the laptop up for that bit since the holley doesn't start to learn until operating temp. I'll have to tweak the tune for initial start up but all in all it isn't bad. The car will rarely get driven in the cold anyway and if it does I just have to let the neighbors hate me for a few minutes longer until it warms up enough to be sociable.
Kinda like that first cup of coffee in the morning
I'm really leaning this way for the '84...I've decided to go 32v. Gumby's thread and now your info with the efi stuff has settled it for me.
It's the interior of that car that's the biggest hurdle. The dash is gone, and the headliner and rear plastic is all that's there. I have it all, minus the dash of course.
I like the sniper a lot. And the terminator x will plug right in like a stock harness perfect for a mod motor. But with stand alone management it's a win win.
If I can figure it out. Y'all can too.
Had an intake gasket spring a leak at the rear on the driver side. Fixed that... And decided while everything was apart to upgrade the looks too. Ive hated those finned edelbrock valve covers since day one, but they served their purpose and the hatred was quelled a bit after I bombed them with some wrinkle finish paint.... Until the first oil change.... Where I commenced pouring oil all over that sumbeach because of the stupid baffle.. The air filter was bought for the last car and was about 10 years old.. And the new one fits right in with the scheme.
Did you ever get any response from FiTech? Didn't want to put salt on any wounds but was curious if they ever made things right.
It took a while, but was eventually made right
Shes on her way to one color now... The biggest hurdle has been this front bumper cover.. So many layers of paint. Passenger side door is going to be a pain also since it came from the same car but she's on her way
And no, it's not gonna be a show car paint job... Just one color. For now. I won't cry if I scratch a knocker can bomb job... Theres still some things to come before the nice paint job.
Plasti-Dip it!
I would, but the paint on the bumper was so badly cracked I would have shown through and looked even worse.
The passenger side door trunk lid and nose are all from the same car and had been painted multiple times. It was so thick that the chips I had I could get under with a razor blade and just chip chunks of it away. The door was the biggest PITA I went over it with several ro-loc discs on a drill just to get through the paint. It was every bit of a business card thick.
I'm getting closer though. All that's left that requires a boatload of sanding is the trunklid. Then it's bomb time.
She's in primer now. Just gotta do a little more sanding and it will be time for some color
Wow! Just the primer job makes a world of difference. The single color really allows you to see all of the body lines and shape.
What color are you going with for now? Another member on here used rattle can paint a few years back. I don’t remember who but after wet sanding , it actually turned out good.I think it was a anniversary Cougar but I could be wrong. Anyway can’t wait to see it in one color. Car has come a long way.
I'll be going black for now. I wanted to try out those rustoleum turbo cans lol.
I hope it turns out as nice as the door jams did. Theyre pretty nice looking.
I always wanted a black bird, but this is just a temporary tide me over until I'm done doing big mods on it. I'm going to hunt for a new front bumper, and passenger side door eventually but what I have now is solid-ish.
If I scratch the paint doing something stupid its not going to ruin my day.
It's all in one color finally! It looks like a bag of turds, but I didn't expect a show paint job from a rattle can. Had some issues with the primer that are gonna cause me to have to do some more work. But that's a less then $100 paint job for ya.
It's shiny-ish and all one color, so nice improvement.
Full disclosure. The picture makes it look a whole bunch better than it really does. But it looks good for a knocker can paint job.
Ready for the next Cars n Coffee !
Yes it is. That starts for us next weekend. I've got to give her a bath and do some detail work under the hood do the windows and all that but shes ready.
Looks good for rattle can!
Massive improvement! Go beat on that mofookie now!
Cars and coffee this morning, I got there pretty early but there were over 100 cars out there today. It was crazy.
Pretty chilly out today but made it out to the ole cars and coffee. I'm so excited for this season of car shows
No updates to speak of I've just been getting out to every car show I can make it to
My work will be shut down the week of the 4th so that gives me a chance to get down to the track in Muncie and see what she does. I need to buy a set of tires so I can go down on a Friday night TnT. I haven't done any of those due to them requiring slicks or drag radials, but Wednesday's are open to street tires.
Looks really good for a rattle can job. A little wet sanding could bring it up a notch, but that's also a lot of work for a $100 paintjob. Glad to hear you're able to enjoy the car during the season.
How has the self tuning been going?
It hasn't been too bad. A hiccup here and there but all in all not bad. I will eventually have it tuned by a pro when I get a little more serious with it, but for now I'm happy with it. I'm still on the original o2 sensor and coolant temp sensor that came with the kit which from what I'm hearing is a rarity.
Haven't updated here in a while, but the car is running great! Has a small incident last week.. my 13+ year old starter decided to hang up and stay engaged and start a small fire. Hood was up and I was home luckily but in the scramble to get a wrench to undo the battery it kept rolling the engine over, melted the wire and all that fun stuff. And literally the only thing I had close by to put the fire out was a bottle of raspberry tea :toothless: mmmmm burnt wire and raspberry. I ordered a new sve starter and wire from lmr and am back up and going again.... with a hint of raspberry.
Had her at a couple shows and got to beat the snot out of it a few times all is good in my world.
I was going to take it to the track and see what she would do the week of the 4th of July, had the car loaded on the trailer and ready to roll and got rained out and haven't had a chance to get down there since. I need to buy some slicks. Seems every time they have a street tire event I've got something else going on.. or it's raining. Muncie only does a few street tire events and they're on Wednesdays.
Bummer on the starter and glad you were able to get the fire out. Did the starter stick or the solenoid?
I'm pretty sure it was the solenoid on the starter
Glad you were home and did not loose the car or worse. I am going to apologize now for the long post on your thread but I feel its relative to your starter problem and may help others. If after reading you would prefer that I delete the post and start a thread I will completely understand.
Interesting that you had this problem as I had to replace the starter in my Mustang just last week. I thought the car was having a hot start issue due to the aggressive timing in the tune but I talked to a couple buddies and they got me off that cliff. Got back to basics and started checking all the battery cables (all 4 ga with crimped copper lugs that I built about 15+ years ago) by cutting the two layers of heat shrink off each connector. All the 12V+ cables checked good but one 12V- cable (battery to k-member/frame) was a little green so I replaced that cable. The 12V- cable from the k-member to the engine block was in good shape as I had replaced that cable about three years ago and it was worse. Happen to catch it doing other work that require me to remove it. I then moved to the red top Optima and being it was build in 2016 it was suspect but I was praying it was good as they run around $240 now...insane. I pulled it out of the car charged it with the battery tender (it also desulfates and tests the battery) while I was doing the cable work. Interesting thing here is it was maybe half charged and about 2 hours later was fully charged and had passed the battery test. Prior to this it would take two to three times that long to charge but tit was in the car with the 12V+ and 12V- cables connected to it. Side note, depending on weather I may not drive the car for a few weeks at a time so this is why I would have to charge it.
So now the cables are good and the battery is good...wrenches under the car and now the starter is coming out. Started thinking about it and this is the same starter I pulled from a 2001 V6 Mustang in the salvage yard back in 2003ish. It has been on four 5.0 based motors and I want to say been rebuilt twice. I said F it and bought a reman one from O'Reillys with a lifetime warranty. Battery wire connection was the same but the start wire connection went from a spade to a threaded connection so that got changed. I also opted to wrap the solenoid, the connections and about 18" of the wires with header wrap and stainless steel "zip ties" I had left over from another project a couple years ago. I think the starter was just mechanically worn out and causing some drag issues which got worse when hot as those tolerances opened up and got worse.
Dropped the car back on the ground and holy shiznit...it twisted off with vengeance. That was the sound I used to love about the gear reduction starters so big grin and very happy. Took it for a spin and got it up to temp and just pulled over and killed the motor to check hot start and had zero issues firing right back up. Volt gauge was back to where it used to be and I stress tested it with the Fosgate driven JL Audio 10's and no dip on the gauge.
Long story short I think I was headed your direction as the starter was draining the battery when it sat and on hot starts it would pull so much amperage the voltage would drop which causes all kinds of hell with the rest of the electrical system. I should have recognized what was going on and the old saying a little preventative maintenance goes along way was definitely validated.
That's the beauty of building something I suppose, everything has a life span. My starter was bought when I put the old flowtech headers on it back in 07 or 08 and the stock starter physically wouldn't fit. So I bought this high torque mini starter off ebay for about $50, brand new. All was good with the world. I'm pleased it lasted this long it definitely didn't owe me anything.
But for the sake of it not happening again for another decade, do it right. Small things are often overlooked and could potentially cause bigger problems later on