Progress Thread Nasty Ninety Notch

[joetrainer31]

Very nice progress already. Did you install any torque box reinforcements before you installed those new LCA's?

Thank you!

Although I thought about the torque boxes nothing came out of the thoughts. We might need to back up later and do them. We are short techs and the shop is REALLY busy. So, we squeeze in work on my car whenever there is a few spare minutes.

 

[joetrainer31]

Debated with myself today about elec v. clutch fan. Although I've had both before in prior foxbodys I landed on the mechanical fan for the following reasons:

1) less cost
2) simpler set-up (less wiring, overflow bottle still fits, etc)
3) known reliability in all seasons
4) retaining a/c
5) have had both before and elec fan only nets 8-10hp anyhow.
6) highway patrol HD fan clutch can be had for less drag
7) savings can be spent elsewhere (e.g., that nasty interior)

Thought? Comments? Questions? Cries of shock? Outrage? Just want to flame?

 

[A5literMan]

Other than the free hp there really isn't a good reason to run an electric wp. If going to the electric option you also have to upgrade the alternater. So yeah for the budget/needs of the car....I say "keep the mechanical wp."

 

[joetrainer31]

Other than the free hp there really isn't a good reason to run an electric wp. If going to the electric option you also have to upgrade the alternater. So yeah for the budget/needs of the car....I say "keep the mechanical wp."

I'm totally keeping the stock wp, but I was commenting on the fan options. =). Did you mean to say "wp," or did you mean fan?

Also, I'm upgrading to the 3G alternator (kit) anyhow. I'd like to idle at night with the a/c on, lights on, radio on, and a larger fuel pump running (maybe windshield wipers going in the rain too), without watching my lights dim and volt meter wither.

 

[RangerJoe]

Clutch fans have proven reliable...

Joe

 

[mikestang63]

nothing wrong witht the stock clutch fan. Most people go electric when the stock setup fails.

 

[joetrainer31]

Clutch fans have proven reliable...

Joe

Agreed. Thanks for the input.

 

[joetrainer31]

nothing wrong witht the stock clutch fan. Most people go electric when the stock setup fails.

Understood. I bought a new fan blade and HD clutch for about $70. That's hard to beat.

 

[A5literMan]

Yeah I meant fan. Lol

 

[joetrainer31]

Picked up 2 front and one rear seat for a coupe today. Can you guess which seat has been steam cleaned and which has not? This is one of the many reasons I prefer cloth to leather!

 

[joetrainer31]

UPDATE: Nothing major, but fwd movement. There is the hood some of you were wondering about, a new steering rack, ported heads, and front/rear sway bars installed.

The front of the hood is being propped up by the latch. It fits great right out of the box with the exception of the cowl's rear needed to be trimmed back. It touches the grill by the windshield wipers (a little) when fully open. This hood is appx 1/2 the weight and a steal at $250 new.

New rack and refurbished sway bar...

Ported E7TEs. I am VERY happy with the cost & results of the decision to port these heads. Our Machinist is VERY good and VERY reasonable. He ported the intake runners, ported exhaust runners, did all necessary bowl work and blending, installed 190int/154exh valves with a 3 angle, installed all new hardware, ported heads to my specified gasket (FelPro 1250), and port matched the Explorer lower manifold to the heads perfectly for $680. Can't beat that with a stick; especially considering I already had these heads! These heads will outflow many after market heads that are several hundred dollars more.

Straight in & you see the valve!

No EGR bumps, but plenty of room to flow... (no the stamped rockers are not remaining. Comp Cams 1.7s going on later.

Bigger valves & smooth flowing!

More to come soon...

 

[mikestang63]

Nice. Did he flowbench the heads?

 

[joetrainer31]

Nice. Did he flowbench the heads?

Not this time, but he typically sees:

Int@ 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 - 64,123, 175, 204, 214
Exh@ 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 - 62, 109, 151, 170, 175

For those #s & that price its hard to look the other way.

 

[joetrainer31]

Update & Helpful Info:

We just set up the valve train & got the GT40 ported lower back. The lower is on point! The E7s were ported all the way around (discussed earlier). They were ported to match the FEL 1250 gasket. The lower below was ported to match the gasket & heads. The flow should be nice!

Along with the pics below I've included a step by step for proper valve train set-up (after valve train pics), so that your lifters don't fail as well as for avoiding other problems. I hope the info helpful.

These are Crane 1.7RRs. They were the units used on the 95 Cobra. I'm not 100% sure if they will clear stock fox valve covers. Haven't tried yet.

To adjust the valve train properly the 1st time & avoid lifter failure (ticking):
1) Let lifters soak in oil for min 3 days.

2) Bring cyl #1 to TDC (rotating clockwise).

2a) TDC on cyl #1 can be observed when the int lifter (closest to front of block), and exh lifter is setting in their castings as low as possible. WARNING: do not trust the lifters at 1st sight. Push down on them to verify that they are on the center line of the camshaft. Note: if you go past TDC do not reverse rotate the engine. That can cause chain slack and other problems.

3) Once lifter is at at centerline of cam (TDC on cyl #1), make sure roller tip of RR is setting square on the valve stem's head. Then, tighten bolt only until snug while holding the RR in place.

4) Next, torque RR bolt to manufacturer's specified rating (i.e., 18-25 ft-lbs). Warning: Do not use an impact gun and do not over torque or the pedestals will most likely crack (I've seen it happen).

5) Wait 5 minutes before moving to the cylinder next in the firing order (1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8). This will allow for lifter pre-bleed down to occur BEFORE initial startup (where failure often occurs).

6) After the 5 minutes are up, move on to the next cylinder and repeat for a no headache install, and long lifter life!

Lastly, some manifold pics...

Super smooth

Slowly but surely its coming along. Please feel free to input comments and/or questions. Also, if you'd like us to help you with a project let me know. You'll get faster service than I do since I only work at the shop, lol.

 

[joetrainer31]

UPDATE: Fill 'er Up!

Motor:

More to come!

 

[joetrainer31]

UPDATE: Motor In, Tires Purchased...

 

[joetrainer31]

UPDATE: It has become apparent that whomever was working on this car before we got it had no idea what they were doing. There are missing harnesses, clipped harnesses, wrong parts installed, wrong brake lines, wrong couplers, etc, etc, etc. We are making progress, but there are lots of hack job puzzles to figure out along the way.

In the following pics you will see sub frames installed, engine & tranny mostly installed.

 

[joetrainer31]

Update: Wheels & Tires (car still partially raised)

 

[squeak93]

Very nice build!

 

[joetrainer31]

You know, I bought a '90 notch out of Lompoc in 2010, and it looked like a family of raccoons had been living inside.






Is it a California thing?

It might be a CA thing. I've never seen interiors look this bad anywhere except the junk yard.