How are the winter projects coming?

[Zero_chance]

Since winters winding down for most of us (though it is snowing right now here in MA...) just wondering if anyone else has any winter projects ongoing or finished? I had a decent list going into October but got most of it done or underway...

T5 Swap - Complete, only managed to get about 85 miles on it before the snow got too bad around here.

3.73 gear install - About halfway done that. Just pulled the diff today and was lucky enough to have the pin bolt break in half. Luckily there was only one quarter thread left on the piece that stayed in so I was able to unthread it with a pick.

Rear Cobra brake upgrade - Painted the new calipers and new brackets, just gotta wait till I put the axles back in before I throw on the rotors and can call it complete.

Front brake overhaul - I already had 03 Cobra calipers, but I was having noise issues so I replaced everything. New pads, new rotors, new pins, new anti rattle clips.

ZM spec Cobra steering rack - Still sitting in the box

Kaenen s281 spoiler - Just got it in the other day. I have the trunk off right now to fix a deep scratch it had since I bought the car. Also deleting the Ford emblem. Trunk is sanded and ready for paint. Just got to prep the spoiler and then send them out for paint.

E brake cables - replaced

Tune up - Havent ordered the new Ford Racing wires yet, already have the motorcraft plugs.

UPR rear control arms - Sitting on the bench

So, what do you guys have going on?

 

[hillie16]

My winter project was just getting my buddys truck done before winter and getting the stang out of the driveway and back in the garage....the stang among 2 feet of snow at the moment

 

[1slow95]

I got my heads fixed and my new engine block. Going to drop the block off to the machine shop sometime this week. Still need to order pistons/bearings/gaskets and probably some other misc. parts.

Going to help my cousin tear down his 4.6 this weekend. We'll be rebuilding it with forged parts and a Kenne Bell.

 

[4Jenna]

Mine has been a summer, winter, summer, winter project it seems haha.

After struggling with the AEM and doing a complete coil on plug conversion everything is gone. The car the last 2 weeks has got a MSD Dig 7, HVC II coil, MSD crank trigger, BS3, and RacePak dash. The car had a complete rewire from fenders all the way to removing the dash (again), all gauges, and into the trunk. On/Off switch installed, fuel system upgrade in prep for the new turbo.

Whew it's been a long road....

 

[Zero_chance]

My original plans were for a 408 stroker, but I was sitting on the block for over a year, my machine shop I prefer to use closed down... so I ended up just selling it and starting a Kenne Bell account. Probably wont get to that point for a year or two though. I want the Flowzilla Blowzilla setup so thats going to set me back 3700 hundo.

And I was following your posts about the issues you were having with customer service, 4Jenna. Thats a pretty raw deal.

 

[RIO5.0]

I'm waiting to here from FTI on my cam specs...and then assemble my motor... only took a year to get my finger outta my azz...

 

[Zero_chance]

Yeah, it can be something of a waiting game when dealing with Ed at FTI. It took over a month before I got a reply on some cam specs when I was contemplating going with the 408.

Got the replacement pinion shaft locking bolt from Ford today for a dollar under my discount. Wish someone made an upgraded hardened version of it. I checked ARP and they dont list one. Just got to press the bearings off of the pinions tomorrow and pick up the solid pinion spacer so I can skip killing myself with the crush collar. Then I can start putting the rear back together.

 

[Hef5.0weisen]

Mine are all accumulating on the shelves in the garage...too cold to go out there and mess with any of it.

Over past few months I got Eddy heads, a cam, rockers, a Systemax 1 lower, stuff to do the fox t-body swap, and all the associated hardware. Installed a Tweecer R/T and been messing with that. Picked up Summit seats, about to order a stereo and steering wheel. So close to getting one of the MM boxes and fr500 wheels....we'll see. First it has to warm up outside...

 

[whitesqual]

mine is sooooo close to being done(ish) i can almost hear the exhaust rumbling! Just waiting on a couple of big parts and a few small ones and she'll be done!

 

[Zero_chance]

Yeah Ive spent a good amount of money on heating my shop but if I didnt have the space, the car would be sitting under a cover outside and I likely wouldnt have gotten anything done as once the warm weather was around, all Id want to do is drive it.

Hef, how is the Tweecer? Im tempted to get one but Ive heard the learning curve is steep (not really that big of a problem) and the people that do know them inside and out arent usually very forthcoming about information that could save a lot of headaches (that would be very annoying to me). I understand the concept of trial and error but Ive heard some stories...

 

[BlackVert]

my winter project was to get the transmission's shifting fixed. done!

i am currently working towards swapping in the 30# injectors and selling the 42#ers.

after that, get the exhaust leaks dealt with so that i can sit in traffic with the heat on and not be asphyxiated. one does alot of sitting in traffic here in the DC suburbs. one of the main reasons i went wih the automatic. i have an appointment for that in about 2 weeks.

in the meantime, i am finally doing the cupholder mod. the 98 cupholder insert came today. now it's time to get the dremel out. hopefully, i won't butcher it ... if i do, i guess i'll get a black 98 console.

after that, i'm pretty much done except for fine tuning the drivability.

during all this, i am going through my basement and selling all the extra and unneccessary automotive parts i have accumulated over the years.

 

[StadEMS3]

No winter projects for me this year- got married w/kids & bought another house. So much for single retired life

 

[Venom351R]

I'm waiting to here from FTI on my cam specs...and then assemble my motor... only took a year to get my finger outta my azz...

What did you end up going with for a new engine set up?



I spend the down time gathering parts and get everything put on in the spring. So far this is what Ive bought and will be going on as soon as the weather improves over all and all the frost heaves go away.


- Accufabab 75MM Throttle Body (fox TB conversion)

- Anderson 4" power pipe

- Maximum Motorsports 4 bolt CC Plates (left over from last summer)

- FRPP 4.10's ( left over from last summer)

- Team Z K member

- Team Z A arms

- Strange 10 way schocks/struts.

If the money is there for this spring/early summer I want to get a set of Corbeau CR1 seats......we'll see....



One thing I did do the other day was I took off my RR hood and took off the blocking plate that was on it. If you look at the hood from inside the car all the RR hoods have that space to let out engine heat, well mine was fully blocked off w/ a metal plate and rivited in so I took off the hood and drilled out the rivits and now my hood has some nice breathing capacity to let out engine heat.

 

[Zero_chance]

No winter projects for me this year- got married w/kids & bought another house. So much for single retired life

I hear you on that one. I moved into a house next door to my shop in November. I was sick of making the hour long commute back and forth from my previous residence when I had work to do. Then, as soon as we move in I find out I'm going to be a father... again. Then she lost her job, so it seriously cut down on my car fund. Oh well, now itll just take a bit longer to get stuff...

 

[Hef5.0weisen]

Hef, how is the Tweecer? Im tempted to get one but Ive heard the learning curve is steep (not really that big of a problem) and the people that do know them inside and out arent usually very forthcoming about information that could save a lot of headaches (that would be very annoying to me). I understand the concept of trial and error but Ive heard some stories...

I think it is pretty cool to be able to mess with everything. I put mine on with the hopes of getting the hang of it in time to bolt on the aforementioned and make it all live together happily.

I've dug around and found alot of helpful people around here. However, there are so many variables, those people can't help with everything. Seems to be dying out a litte as well, I remeber there was a whole lot of talk about those things a while ago.

As far as figuring it out, not to bad, just gotta mess with it. I had a hard time just getting the software to work, and that was uber-frustrating in itself. Small victory when you change the idle speed and it works or yousee the data log feature work! I think the hard part is deciphering the terminalogy it uses, I look at some of it, then google it, and (to me) it seems like much simpler and more (or less) desriptive wording could have been used.

If you know how things works, or specifically how the sensors work, that may be a leg up. I may be out to lunch here, but seems to me the sensors are looking for voltage, when they find it they reference it in the 'puter, then create a result. So, w/the Tweecer, you just change what the sensors can access and give back. I just went to a Rolls-Royce aircraft engine training class, that got in depth explaining some of the engine (T-56 turboprops, C-130 acft) systems. Some of those sensors seem to do the same thing. Again, I may be out to lunch on that one, I know turboprop engines, car engines are the same but different.

Having said all that, say its friday, you get home and get to wrenching. By lunchtime sunday you have some chunk of iron that resembled a 302 sitting under your hood. I'm talking something that lifts valves to the moon, cylinders the size of utility covers, injectors that act like a garden hose and all the chrome and goodies to go with it. Well, the stock computer is in there and your shiny new tweecer is hooked up. Without a good background/knowledge, you'll be taking the wifes car to work for a while. Knowing how to tell the 'puter you have garden hoses instead of 19lb injecotrs, cylinders are gonna use enough air to pressurize a torpedo tube etc...

Anyway, in a nutshell, it is fun and cool to have. If I had anything radical or really expensive I'd take it somewhere..let a pro deal with it. Granted you can do the same thing, (usually) a pro will know what where when how to do it...and the lowely commoners like us jsut figure it out.

-good luck

 

[Zero_chance]

Youre pretty spot on about the sensors and reference voltage. You took the concept better than some of the people I went to college with for it. The vehicle computers have output charts based on what they see on the signal return path from sensors. Like you said, thats a basic overview of how it works. I remember a couple years ago, Tweecers were all the rage. A lot of people seem to be talking about the Moates quarter horse now. If I were to get into it, I think Id probably go Tweecer. Theyve been around longer and have more support out there. Relatively speaking.

 

[blksn955.o]

Hope to start buying for my projects soon. Pick up som axles, t-loc rebuild kit, and maybe a diff girdle. Then a new t-body, and might do the crane stud conversion and sone 1.72scorpions. The rest is for the g-force fund down the road.

 

[MeanVertGT]

Well My 4.6 dohc is in the 98 I am just working on the wiring and finishing everything up. if there any stangers near me that dont mind getting hands dirty let me know I will trade labor for labor or beer for labor your choice. I could use the help.

 

[RIO5.0]

What did you end up going with for a new engine set up?

I filled out the spec sheet and let Ed do his voodoo.. I just heard back Thursday from him....Since I didnt want to swap out the pistons for higher compression I figured it was cheaper to design a cam. Killer got some serious HP from his low comp motor with a spec'd cam...

Ed's comment....

"I have a really nice, street strong profile figured out for your combination. Nothing that's going to rattle your teeth or loosen all the nuts and bolts of the car. It will provide a smooth powerband from just over idle right to 6000 RPM. If you were to do some porting to your intake manifold, it would pick up even more up top."

 

[BlackVert]

just finished the cupholder mod. it is easy to do and only took an hour or so, even with taking my time and making sure i didn't cut more than i needed to. i did go through 6 of the dremel attachments that i used though. this is definately a task where protective eyewear is a must.

i am always eating on the go. now i can drive through mcdonalds and have somewhere to put my drink.

or have a convenient place to stash my wallet and cell phone.

or both.