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Topic: Holley Terminator X (Read 7811 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Holley Terminator X

Reply #15
Had a guy stop by at cars and coffee, told me I wrecked the car. Gave me an earful. A Turbo Coupe purist.
 A few years ago, I posted on 4 Eyed Prudes that I was gonna have to use an '87-93 dash in my 84 (all I had at the time), and several guys jumped my ass about it. I mouthed off some stuff about them buying the proper dash and haven't been back...

If I wasn't such an anti-GM sort, I'd throw an LS in to really piss 'em off.

Just my nature to be contrary, I guess. My car...I'll do what the shag I want. Same as with anyone else. ;)
'84 Mustang
'98 Explorer 5.0
'03 Focus, dropped a valve seat. yay. freakin' split port engines...
'06 Explorer EB 4.6

Re: Holley Terminator X

Reply #16
The MM k member is set up for mustang mounts and I just stuck with them. I couldn't really speak on the lsc stuff. I am running a stock pan right now, but want to upgrade to a canton or something a bit better later on. And with the MM k-member there is no provisions for regular coil springs so you'll have to go coil over. I also had to shim the k-member 1/2" at the frame rails to fit correctly so in turn had to shim the engine up at the motor mounts 1/2"

Thats good that you got the spinning figured out. Mine hasn't spun since I got rid of the old nitto 555's which is nice but also a letdown at the same time when I'm trying to show off.

The cowl isn't horrible. It's definitely and obstacle but after the first few drives I got used to it but with the high rise and nitrous plate and air cleaner a 3" wouldnt have been enough so I kind of screwed myself because the whole aircleaner is above the fender line lol

Ive never had an angry purist approach me but if I did I would probably shake his/her hand and ask him/her where his/her car was and if he wanted to race haha

Re: Holley Terminator X

Reply #17
I'm a little partial too, it's my car and I made it better. I definitely have way more money in the car than it's worth but I don't care. As long as I been in Las Vegas I've never seen another 80 anything Turbo Coupe at any car show. It is a little bad when you have a kid come up to you and say- "My grandfather had one of those". The purist I've talked to have never had a car out. Maybe they dream about having one. I think you have more pride in your car when you know you built it.

The kids today want instant gratification so you see a lot of new Mustangs, Camaros, and Challengers. They all have pretty LED lights, graphics, billet s, painted engine covers, etc. Very seldom do you see someone who built their car.

When I change the K member I'll go with whatever mounts work. Why did you have to shim the K member? Does the motor stay in the same position?

For tires I have BFG g Force Comp 2, 245/45/ZR17. Fit the rims perfect, zero sidewall bulge. Nice strong bead. Spinning the tires every time you leave a stop light does get old. The "ballast" calmed that down. The car is pretty loud, with that and burning rubber attracts cops like shiznit and flies around here.

One of the guys I used to drag race with hated Chebbys with a passion. So he drove a 55 Chebby 2 door and a 57 Chebby station wagon. Both black and both had 440 Chryslers with a Torqueflite, and Dana 60's.
1987 Turbo Coupe, 306, Trick Flow Track Heat heads, Comp Cam, Trick Flow Pistons, Eagle Rods, Center Force clutch, T-5, 8.8 w/373 gears, and a bunch more

Re: Holley Terminator X

Reply #18
I 100% agree that you have more pride in something you build yourself. Especially if its a car the off the beaten path. One you actually have to research the parts you put on it and most of the time have to modify a little bit to get to work.

I had to shim my k-member 1/2" down from the rails because the lower mount on the k-member interfered with the subframe and a spacer fixed it up. Had to space the engine up 1/2" to make up the difference so I wouldnt have some gnarly driveline angles

Re: Holley Terminator X

Reply #19
Copied that information on your K member for future. Have 3 binders just on this car. One is a picture history of all the builds. I think I'm on phase 4. One with all the parts/information for the builds. And one with all the information collected from websites/forums. If it wasn't for forums like this one and Eric's Cool Cats I would not have gotten this far without all the excellent help from you guys. The help is very much appreciated.

As far as building one of these cars- it is a challenge. PATIENCE. Parts are rare and expensive. I have enjoyed building my car for the most part. There have been times I was looking at my fire axe. My standards are high, period. The only used parts are trim parts from Ron Hartman and even those have to be exceptional. Depending on what you want your car to do, the research is everything. You young guys have always had computers, us old guys had to look everything up at the library. If you found a good book you told the library you lost it and paid for it. Youtube is a godsend.

What did you use for steering with that K member? I changed the shaft on mine to a Borgeson, with a "D" shaped shaft to get rid of the rag joint. Plenty of clearance with the BBK equal length shortie headers. A little pricey but it works. Did that front end come with coil overs? What "A" arms did you use? I'll probably start buying parts to make the change.
1987 Turbo Coupe, 306, Trick Flow Track Heat heads, Comp Cam, Trick Flow Pistons, Eagle Rods, Center Force clutch, T-5, 8.8 w/373 gears, and a bunch more

Re: Holley Terminator X

Reply #20
I started off with a chiltons book until I found this forum in 04. I'm young but old enough to know the way of the service manual too lol.

I agree parts for these are rare and expensive. And I'm a certainly a glutton for punishment. When the bird gets closer to the finish line I would like to c00ch up a later year Mark VII and build it. A little more modern, and not as wild. Coyote, 6r80 keep all the amenities AC cruise air ride ECT just make a very nice cruiser out of it. But knowing my automotive A.D.D. it won't be that simple.

My k member came as a kit with coilovers, a arms and all that. I had to swap the arms out because I ordered the wrong ones. They have forward offset, zero offset and reverse offset configurations. The k member itself changes the geometry of the front suspension right off the bat by moving the wheels forward 3/4 of an inch if I remember correctly Maximum Motorsports has the info on their site. I ordered the forward offset control arms initially. That was a dummy mistake. And also 10 years ago to boot. I didn't know that they would move the wheels 1 1/2" forward in the well at that time. Fast forward to this car that I have now, I put them on it and thought "that doesn't look right". Some digging on the internet and found out I'm an idiot. So ordered the reverse offset control arms from MM and it put the wheels back in the factory location. Lesson learned.

If you want the wheel in the factory position get reverse offset control arms if you go the Maximum motorsports route.

I have the Maximum Motorsports steering shaft for a foxbody mustang.

Short of a torque arm and rear control arms my car is pretty much a complete MM suspension car. And those 2 things are on the list eventually to make it a full MM car.

Re: Holley Terminator X

Reply #21
One of my "finds" was a 1969 Plymouth Satellite Service Manual for my 69 Roadrunner. A life saver.

The TC I have has more than enough electric gadgets to keep my troubleshooting skills sharp. Used up all of it while rebuilding this car. The wiring had been butchered and the PO was actually a Ford mechanic. My car is actually pretty tame on the street. A little loud for any long trip, but it was never meant to be a daily driver. Grundy makes sure you limit your driving to car shows or the repair shop. I had to sign a waver stating it would not be used as a grocery getter or date night otherwise my insurance would be void. I would like to drive it more but with the idiots we have here in Las Vegas and the scarcity of parts causes you to think twice before taking it out. Definitely no racing. To get the collector car insurance I had to have a formal appraisal done after the re-build. My USAA insurance told me I would only get Blue Book if it was damaged and they would total it if the damage was over $1000. Incentive?

I will use your advice on the control arms. Never knew there were 3 different ones. Moving the wheel forward would look weird. Talking with Holley in the AM to make sure I have all the parts. I have ordered the adapters for the fuel and oil pressure. Should be here Thursday. Looks like shipping from Holley will be the 18th.

The Lincoln LSC is another car you never see at these car shows. That was my donor car way back in 03 with the 5.0 conversion, 5 lug, and 373 rear. A Coyote swap would be expensive. Might be cheaper to buy a wrecked GT-500 and use their blower motor. You would end up with a killer car and it would be one of those cars that no one knows what it is or what it took to build it. I think if, big if, I ever change this car I would use the GT-500 motor and trans. A friend has one in his 93 GT.
1987 Turbo Coupe, 306, Trick Flow Track Heat heads, Comp Cam, Trick Flow Pistons, Eagle Rods, Center Force clutch, T-5, 8.8 w/373 gears, and a bunch more

Re: Holley Terminator X

Reply #22
Awesome! Can't wait to see how it turns out with the terminator x setup.

I always hated that about "classic car" insurance. Sure we'll insure your car but you can only put 3 miles on it a month and its going to be $1000 for 6 months. State farms got my turd covered.

The lsc idea is a ways down the road and it would be just a nice cruiser. Not a race car like the freedom chicken. But the coyote would put down good numbers stock, be reliable and get great mileage it would be more for my lady than it would be for me.

Re: Holley Terminator X

Reply #23
Spent 45 min. on the phone with Holley today. Got answers to all my questions. Went ahead and ordered the 550-937F for the Mustang. Seemed like the best fit. It cost $1149 on sale? and because it's on back order will ship on the 16th.

Couple of issues- it's meant to be mounted under the passenger seat, can't do it if you have power seats like my car, no room. You need to be able to see the LEDs for trouble shooting which leaves out the passenger kick panel. I'll figure that out when I see it. Another issue is replacing the MAF. I have the BBK cold Air Intake- through the fender and my 75mm MAF is a Pro M. A little too expensive to use as a coupling. BBK makes a adapter in case your car is SD. Part# 1558, $86 on Amazon. They are proud of their shiznit. It looks like its polished so I'll have to media blast it and paint it with SEM satin black. I have a phobia about shinny stuff. Next is their fuel pressure sensor. It is meant to replace your schraeder valve. I have BBK fuel rails and my fuel lines are AN-6. I drilled and tapped the right one for a fuel pressure gauge and the left for the valve. Found out Russell has a AN-6 fitting with a tapped hole that is for a fuel pressure sensor. Part # 670343, $12 Amazon.  This will go between my fuel rail and fuel line, You can clock the sensor with this fitting. Next is their oil pressure sensor. They have their own and didn't know if my Auto Meter sensor would work. I found a adapter that screws into the block, has 2 sensor holes. Amazon- $17. Hope this works.

1/8 NPT Oil Pressure Sensor Tee Adapter Turbo Supply Feed Line Gauge 1/8" NPT Female to 1/8 NPT Male with 1/8 NPT Side Port Hose T Stainless Steel

I'll have to play with fitting this in. Auto Meter uses that large pressure sensor. Next to the oil filter. That's it for now on the Terminator X.

Collector car insurance is its own beast. Checked with several but they wanted all the vehicles and house and would give me Blue Book. Grundy OK'd the appraisal, I think I get 5K on millage, No problem, I put 2500 on it in 2 yrs. Cost is $325 for 12 months. Car is registered as a "classic". The motor is not smog legal so you almost have to go this route here in Nevada.

My car would suck as a cruiser. Way too noisy even with the DynaMat and DynaPad interior, gets 13mpg. In 5th it runs 2200 rpms at 70 mph. My wife doesn't drive it.
1987 Turbo Coupe, 306, Trick Flow Track Heat heads, Comp Cam, Trick Flow Pistons, Eagle Rods, Center Force clutch, T-5, 8.8 w/373 gears, and a bunch more

Re: Holley Terminator X

Reply #24
Any updates Tom?

Re: Holley Terminator X

Reply #25
Hey Clayton,      I have the Terminator X, just opened the box and spread the parts out on a bench. Couple of issues- They do not supply the fuel and oil pressure sensors. They say they are optional but will throw an error code if not installed. If you buy the Holley sensors they are $138 each. Found some I think will work for $65 each, same pressure and voltage range. Also shows the computer mounted under the passenger seat but no room if you have power seats. The computer has LED's on the front used for troubleshooting so you will need to see them so can't put it in the foot well. I am going to see if it will fit in one of the slots on the vertical part of the console. I'll try and mount the handheld where the clock is. Looks like cable routing will be a challenge. I can't take it apart yet because I might need to drive it. Last Monday at 4:45pm I was in a accident. My 04 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner washiznit in the right rear by a Dodge 1500. I was stopped on the freeway because 3 lanes of traffic stopped in front of me. I was in the right lane, that is the last thing I remember. Next they were putting me in a CAT scan, passed out again. Woke up in the ER with a NHP officer standing next to me. He told me I washiznit in the rear by a Dodge 1500 going 65mph, it shoved me to the left where I hit 2 more cars. All I wanted to do is take my wife out for her birthday dinner. My wife had a cut on the back of her head, concussion and a few bruises and I had a chunk of flesh out of my left forearm, right shoulder and a headache. A testament for Toyota engineering. Don't know how to post pictures off my computer. Toyota is toast and the truck was in perfect condition, bought new. It was what the wife drove. She does not know how to drive the F350 and is afraid of the TBird so I'm the designated driver for the time being.
1987 Turbo Coupe, 306, Trick Flow Track Heat heads, Comp Cam, Trick Flow Pistons, Eagle Rods, Center Force clutch, T-5, 8.8 w/373 gears, and a bunch more

Re: Holley Terminator X

Reply #26
Oh that suck! I hope for a quick recovery bud!

 

Re: Holley Terminator X

Reply #27
We're doing OK for a couple of old people. I'm going to test fit what I can. I'd like to make it look like it came that way from the factory. There are only a few people here that even know what these cars are. I'll be able to start if my wife decides what car she wants.
1987 Turbo Coupe, 306, Trick Flow Track Heat heads, Comp Cam, Trick Flow Pistons, Eagle Rods, Center Force clutch, T-5, 8.8 w/373 gears, and a bunch more

Re: Holley Terminator X

Reply #28
Tom, I hope you and your wife have a quick recovery and no long lasting injuries.  That is horrible but happy it wasn't worse.

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: Holley Terminator X

Reply #29
Thanks Mikey. So far we seem to be doing OK. Just a few sore spots. Pretty lucky overall. Once I find a car my wife likes I'll start on my Terminator X install.
1987 Turbo Coupe, 306, Trick Flow Track Heat heads, Comp Cam, Trick Flow Pistons, Eagle Rods, Center Force clutch, T-5, 8.8 w/373 gears, and a bunch more