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Topics - Ramos617

1
Engine Tech / Oil pan issues with windage tray
Hey guys,

So I'm replacing the bottom end on my turbo coupe with the 302 swap.
Already had a good running 302 setup out of a 89 fox that was wrecked but had to pull the motor again due to a crack between two freeze plugs, was leaking coolant slowly so I have just been putting it off since I barely drive the car and the leak is real slow.

So I've got a solid bottom end almost ready to drop in with GT40x heads but the guy I got the bottom end from threw in a canton windage tray which I plan to install. Only issue I have now is getting it to fit under the pan. Engine is still in the stand until I get everything buttoned up.

So from what I found there are 2 types of double hump stock 302 oil pans, the style from sn95 5.0s or "thunderbird" style from what I've heard on mustang forums which has a v style in between the humps and a foxbody oil pan which is flat between the humps. My engine which originally came out of an 89 foxbody happens to have the V style for some reason and I believe that's why I'm having issues getting fitment correct.

So my real question if anybody knows is will the foxbody oil pan (flat style between humps) fit in an 87 bird with chuck motor mounts and still clear oil components as well as the rack and stuff in the engine bay?

All this is because I'd like to install the Canton 20-930 windage tray and I already went out and bought the ARP studs to get it to work and such.

Thanks guys
2
Misc Tech / HVAC Controls: No heat
So I recently did a 302 conversion and it running absolutely awesome. I'm just getting the little stuff done on my car and getting the HVAC back up and going. I have all the AC stuff from my donor car that I plan on reinstalling soon but first I'd like to get the heater going.
The heater worked with the 2.3T but since the swap it hasn't, The controls work and the blower motor gets going but it seems like the blend door isn't going to the correct position. Basically I just need to know what exactly lets the HVAC panel run correctly, and where it usually comes from. Vacuum, Wiring??
I have all the schematics printed out but I cant figure this one out.
Also do the late turbo coupes have vacuum reservoirs?
3
Engine Tech / Exhaust for 302 swap, need some pictures
So I'm putting together the exhaust for my Tbird which is currently comprised of BBK Fox long tube headers, BBK h pipe, and some Borla lers with dumps off a fox mustang as well
Apparently all this stuff won't just Bolt on, I'll need to add some piping to the h pipe and/or the lers to get them where they need to be.
My car also doesn't have ler hangars before the rear axle so I plan on adding some.
I just got myself a decent welder so I plan on doing all the work myself.
I'd like to see some setups on how you guys have setup your exhaust, especially v8 longtube setups.
4
Drivetrain Tech / How much yoke is needed into the transmission 3550 Tremec?
So I'm getting my 302 swap done on my 87 TC and ive got nearly everything dialed in. One issue i ran into is the amount of yoke shaft i see coming out of the tranny. So to give you guys an idea its a 302 out of my old 89 foxbody, tremec 3550 (stock style T5 input and ouput shafts), bell housing that came along with the tranny, chuck motor mounts, and a rear end out of the same foxbody as well (Had already done the SN95 Cobra brake conversion).
Motor lines up great, tranny mounts in the correct spot, shifter is right where it needs to be, I'm almost ready to rock n roll. Rear end was already running great before I started the v8 swap.
I installed the stock T5 turbo coupe driveshaft into the car and that was that until later on while under the car i noticed quite a bit of the driveshaft yoke is exposed, more than i remember seeing on my foxbody or my t-bird in stock trim.
Only thing i had to measure at the time was a metric ruler and I totally forgot to take a picture, also the the stock TC driveshaft had some type of damper on the yoke which has since came off and was removed but the inner collar is still there, anyways the measurement from the end of the tranny housing to the beginning of the damper mount portion on the yoke is about 40mm or about 1-9/16", the yoke shaft extends into the damper mount portion on the front yoke so the total length of yoke shaft exposed is about 65mm or about 2-9/16", that is the length from the end of the tranny housing to the end of the yoke shaft exposed.
Take note that the car is sitting on jack stands but the rear jacks are mounted on the rear axle and the car is level, wheels are in normal ride position.
I don't know how much of the driveshaft yoke is actually inside the transmission as i forgot to check but i will pull it soon to check, The car isn't in driving condition yet but I wont test it until I get this issue resolved.
From what I'm looking at I'll have to get the driveshaft lengthened, get a different yoke, or maybe use a driveshaft spacer??
Is anybody running this same setup or have some tips to get this taken care of. I know it's an oddball setup with the 3550 and not many people run the 3550 nowadays especially in a t-bird so any input would be helpful.
I'll get a picture asap and remove the driveshaft to see how much of the yoke is actually in the trans as soon an I get the chance.
I did a bit of research and seen that some front driveshaft yokes are longer than others so i might actually be in the clear if the yoke shaft is long enough but it totally slipped my my mind on double checking, I'm still tackling a couple other things on the car as far as the swap goes but i did get it to fire and idle since the swap was done so I'm closing in on the end of my swap, just a couple more things to get squared sway.
5
Body/Appearance/Interior / Refreshed the Birds Headlights
So since I'm driving my TC alot more I thought i would refreshen my headlights. They were in terrible condition to start off with and I did the whole sand and buff process before and got them looking like new a while back.



The car has since been sitting for a while so the headlights kind of went downhill. 
I experimented with using some Opti-lens and then spar urethane method but which is meant for protecting headlights from yellowing but the end result was still yellow lights from the california sun.

This time the headlights has a yellow oxidation but it wasn't nearly as bad as when i first got these headlights second hand. So I hit them with some 1000 grit sandpaper, cleaned them up real good, and hit them with some aerosol 2k clear coat from Spraymax, its a 2 part clear coat so I'm hoping it will hold up long term just like it would on paint. The end result was excellent and the 6 piece headlights look immaculate. I'm really happy how they turned out and hope they last. I'll definitely update this once I have some more time with these on the car. Keep in mind I live in central california so the sun is just brutal, the car is not garaged, and its a semi daily driver.
The car is dirty right now but man those headlights really pop.

About a week ago:


After the 2K Clear :


6
Engine Swapping / Swapping 89 5.0 HO into my turbo coupe
Been gone for a while but I think I'm ready to get back into my turbo coupe
I have my 89 fox mustang that was wrecked but the whole drivetrain is still in good shape, and since the head on my 2.3 is cracked, I'm thinking about just doing the swap
I've read a couple of the threads here and know it's a pretty big job so I do need a few tips
The teves abs brake system and electronic struts n shocks are removed from the car

The donor car has a tremec 3550 trans with 2nd gear synrcho gone so Im going to tear into it and see if I should invest into it or just get another tranny

From what I've read the best thing to do is get an engine harness from the same year tbird w/5.0 right?
Or can I reuse the 89 mustang harness?

From what car driveshaft will drop right in?

Id also like most of the essential accessories to work like the power steering and AC system. I replaced most of the AC components on the mustang and it was fully functional running r134a so it should all swap right over correct?

I have an evtm for my tbird and I'm pretty good with wiring so hopefully it goes smooth

Any tips would be appreciated
7
Audio & Other Aftermarket Electronics / Let's see those subwoofers and boxes
Alright looks like I have the car audio bug right now and am looking to install a/some sub/subs into my car
Back a couple years in my 85 tbird I had 2 15s in sealed boxes and it sounded  good and loud
I don't think I want to go that crazy this time but I want something that will sound great
I'm on the fence of going with either 2 600w rms 10s or a single 1200w rms 15,  leaning towards the 15 but I'm worried about having enough space for the sub as well as keeping part of my trunk usable
I'd like to see what you guys do for your sound system setups especially what you guys have in the trunk
I'm currently running a pioneer deh80prs head unit, alpine door and package tray speakers, 4ch amp that I have to smack about half the time once I get in my car to get it to turn on but I have a 4ch sound stream amp coming for the interior speakers
Hoping the switch over to an active network setup once my new amp comes in to take full advantage of this head units capabilities
Come on guys let's see those systems
8
Suspension/Steering / Getting Rid of Power Steering Pump Whine Once and For All
As you guys may already know our power steering pumps are notorious for whining and I'm looking for a solid solution
I've replaced my pump a couple times over the time I've owned my TC in hopes of getting rid of the whine and nothing has worked.

Ive flushed old PS fluid out, gotten all the air out, replaced all lines and clamps and I still have noise, there is no new pumps available and AFAIK there is no easy conversion to use a newer better pump. Ive heard of the agr pump but in all honesty I'd rather invest the money elsewhere on my car.

What I'd like to know is what is the culprit of the sound on worn pumps?
I've seen NOS rotor assemblies for sale for a decent price and I'm thinking of getting one along with a seal kit to do a proper rebuild
Would this make any difference or am I just g in the wind with this one?
9
General Fox T-Bird/Cougar Discussion / Keep my staggered FR500s or go for OEM 2004 Cobras
As much as love my FR500 I've been on the fence about trading for some oem 2003-2004 style chrome cobras for the longest time
What do you guys think looks better on these cars?
I'll love either wheels, maybe I'm just getting tired of these wheels but I would love the 04 cobras

I've already got someone that would trade and has wheels in great condition

10
T-Bird/Cougar Parts & Cars FOR SALE / FS: LA3 ECU, E6 manifolds (1 RFE6), boost valves
I have an LA3 ecu for sale
Sold

I also have a couple E6 manifolds with no cracks for sale
$75 shipped

RFE6 manifold no cracks
$140 shipped

Gillis Boost Valve $25 shipped
Got this in a trade some time ago, works great but I already have one

Home made boost valve $15 shipped
This one originally came with my turbo coupe
Opened it up and it is the check valve style so it operates exactly like a Gillis Boost valve


more stuff coming up



12
Engine Tech / Royal Purple, is there a real difference?
Just posting this up to see what kind of responses I get pertaining to performance oils

Now I'm a firm believer in that an oil alone will not "add" or improve any type of performance
I usually run Mobil 1 or Pennzoil platinum and Wix filters and it's always served me well
Anyways last time I changed my oil I went with some 10w-30 royal purple, for $1 a quart I couldn't pass it up lol
Now obviously turbo coupes come with an overboost buzzer but prior to me doing the oil change, I've never heard it go off in my car. I've never really pushed it past 17psi.
Shortly after changing my oil with royal purple the overboost buzzer comes alive when putting the right pedal down and I was boosting about 2-3 psi higher than normal
It came on so often under high boost that I had to turn it down via the boost valve and it's still coming on on occasion, it's pushing about 18psi and performance is honestly better than ever.

So what's going on here, is royal purple really that good?
My next oil change I'll be going back to Mobil 1 or Pennzoil platinum since I still have a couple 5-qt jugs laying around to see if there was really a difference or its just a fluke.
13
Suspension/Steering / Front LCA bushing replacement & LCA differences
I'm looking to get my front control arms bushings since its the last piece that hasnt been replaced on my 87 TC and i'm stilling getting a slight front end clunk, I already have some moog bushings, just been putting it off as long as possible
I was also contemplating just swapping out the entire control arm with the earlier 83-86 tbird/fox arms
From what I've gathered the earlier arms are 1.25" shorter than the 87/88 arms and that might benefit me since i want to suck in my wheels a bit

Heres my front end setup:
17x9 fr500 wheels wrapped in 255/40/17 nitto tires
fox kyb struts with mevotech stock style strut mounts
95 mustang spindles, balljoints, tie rods
04 cobra brakes
stock springs with 5/8 coil cut out
 
The wheels fill up the wheel well pretty good but they stick out a bit more than I'd like, heres a couple of pics along with what the rear looks like



So first of all what the best way of replacing the LCA bushings? drilling them out, burning them, pressing them out.
The bushings i have are complete with the shells so i assume they have to be pressed in somehow but i will get some poly bushings if it means i dont have to take them somewhere to be installed, just have to smash them into the existing shells.
I dont have access to a press and everyone in town wants an arm and a leg just to install these so i'd rather do it myself if possible

second, with that much offset, can i install the earlier arms with out any ill effects, the tires rub on full compressing even with the fenders rolled. Will the shorter arms be too short? This car is my daily so I still drive it but i have to be careful getting into driveways and stuff like that and I want to fix it right so i can drive my car more comfortably.
Additional Info: There is about 1" of space between the tire and strut if that matters, as of right now the car aligns perfectly, if i install the shorter arms the wheel will get sucked into the car with the ball joint as the pivot/fulcrum point; will this bring upon too much positive camber that camber/caster plates will be needed?

You guys get all that lol, hopefully you guys can help me out a bit.

Everybody likes pics so here's a couple of earlier tonight

14
Electrical Tech / Anyway to integrate this feature?
I'm just wondering if anybody here knows how to integrate a feature that gm cars have?
My wifes cars stereo stays on even if you turn the car off until you open the door and I love it

I know the car just needs to keep supplying power to the ignition wire on the actual stereo until it's signaled to stop
I'm majoring in electrical engineering so it's definitely something I can handle I just need to know how to go about it?