1991notch's Progress Thread (PICS)...

1991notchbackLX

Active Member
Dec 25, 2007
1,483
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New York
Hey all, I don't really post on here too much but I am a silent observer. I finally got a hold of a short block to start my motor build. I picked it up for $150 from a guy who claims it was out of a '91 that had 34k miles on it, the story was he built it with a supercharger and ran it for three weeks then took it out and tore it down to build a 351W setup.

The block looks pretty clean to me and nothing seems to be too worn. I am taking kind of a big chance on the bottom end, and taking the guys word for it on a lot but I'm hoping it's in good shape and will hold together for the build. I plan on running a pretty mild setup (about 300 horsepower) so I think the bottom end should hold up fine even if the kid was lying about the 34k miles.

Here's the car the motor's going in in case you guys don't remember (note: that passenger door now closes properly):
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So yesterday I got the short block mounted on the stand, took off the oil pan and cleaned off anything visible:
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Then cleaned the block with degreaser and wax remover, and Dupli-Color Prep wipes, taped off all of the gasket mating surfaces, lifter valley, and crank case:
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Four coats of Dupli-Color High Heat Engine Primer later:
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And four coats of Dupli-Color High Heat Engine Enamel, I chose Low Gloss Black for the color considering I have black TrickFlow valve covers going on and the black powdercoated Track Heat intake manifold:
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Close up:
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Here's the pile of parts going on the short block, with more in the mail:
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Assembly starts some time this week, stay tuned! :nice:

Chris
 
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Looks sweet man! Nice car too!

thanks a lot SVT, i've followed 81 hack job for months and that means a lot coming from someone with your skill set, hopefully i can finish this motor build and not disappoint


Do you live in BC? I recognize that car from Vancouver Mustangs. Nice car, man!

actually I'm from New York, but I've only had the car for a little over a year so who knows where it was before i got my claws on it... judging by the undercarriage and zero rust or salt damage I'd have a hard time believing it was that far north, and thanks for the compliment!
 
sorry for the dumb update but at least it's something, not only has work been kicking my azz this week, but i've been going insane looking for a few tiny OEM parts, a damn 15 dollar camshaft thrust plate is holding up my entire motor build at this point!! :mad:

so today i had to do something, so i degreased and taped off the timing cover and oil pan and primed and painted them both... the oil pan came out really glassy and nice, can't wait for a speed bump to ruin that priming and wet sanding job :nonono: :rolleyes:


the build starts this friday night, stay tuned!!!


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ughhh so progress has been SLOW on this engine build, some of it from inexperience, but most of it from having SH** luck... every part has given me a problem thus far, wait, come to think of it, every BOLT on every part has given me a problem so far... anyway, enough complaining... here's what i've got done so far

camshaft lubed and ready to be installed
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i had to countersink the bolt holes in my cam thrust plate to work with the bearing on my timing chain, this way the bolts sit flush with the surface of the thrust plate
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here's a better view of what i mean
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and a side view of the same
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beat out the old front seal and put in the new one
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timing chain installed
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timing cover, water pump, and oil pan installed
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next on the list are heads and valvetrain, stay tuned and let me know what you think!

Chris:nice:
 
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so a few weeks of sickness and a short stint in the hospital along with those in the picture above halted my progress on this build for quite a while... damn, i was moving along quite nicely there too :(

well, now that i'm feeling better i hope to jump back into things this upcoming week, gotta get the motor buttoned up and dropped in

in the down time i had my Maximum Motorsports full-length subframes welded in and painted, and i did some small interior stuff like an e-brake boot from Redline, cobra shift knob, and some gauges, i'll post some pics this weekend and keep the updates coming :nice:

Chris
 
so a little update on what's been going on... i did a 3g alt upgrade, and in case anyone missed it i put seats from an '04 cobra in my car, here's a link to the How to thread and a pic of the finished product...

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the motor is almost all buttoned up, once i had a friend help me figure out pushrod length :rolleyes: the motor should be in the car and running before thanksgiving!! :D:D it's being tuned as soon as it's done too! i'll post pics and a video of it running/destroying tires when it's finished... i'm really excited to feel how the custom cam works in the combo, Jay Allen said it would "purr like a kitten but pull so hard it will scare you" :rlaugh: and he ground the cam for street manners/gas mileage and about 300 hp to the rear wheels

here are some pics of other parts i have waiting to be installed later on:
H.O. Fibertrends 3" cowl hood
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Florida 5.0 brushed aluminum gauge panel
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all wired up
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turn signal and check engine light
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:OT: ohh, here's a pic of my other work in progress/money pit, only a few sessions until it's done :nice: please no comments about me needing to work out :D
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stay tuned!! i'm also gathering OEM black interior parts to change mine over, already scored some door panels, arm rests, and lighted sun visors... more to come! Chris :SNSign:
 

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That cluster is gonna be crazy bro! I like it a lot. I also like the red oil pan on the black block. Can't wait to see more pics of the engine. I haven't stopped in this thread for a long time, sorry about that. Keep the pics comin!!