Build Thread 1978 Mercury Cyclone. The pig is in the pen.

[LILCBRA]

Mike, to help alleviate the problem of the pics being on your phone, then uploading them to a host site, then migrating the pics to this thread, you could type what you want to say, then open up the browser on your phone, go to your thread, and your post SHOULD be available in the reply section. Then you can add the pics straight from your phone to your thread and forego Photobucket or any other host site. I've done that a few times myself to avoid having to go through that whole rigamarole myself.

 

[LILCBRA]

That didn't work how I was intending! lol

Here - I typed on the computer, but the pics are uploaded from my phone.

 

[a91what]

I use google photos. Just drag them from one screen to the other.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Mike, to help alleviate the problem of the pics being on your phone, then uploading them to a host site, then migrating the pics to this thread, you could type what you want to say, then open up the browser on your phone, go to your thread, and your post SHOULD be available in the reply section. Then you can add the pics straight from your phone to your thread and forego Photobucket or any other host site. I've done that a few times myself to avoid having to go through that whole rigamarole myself.

Thanks for that. I’ve done that before, usually while sitting around at work if I didn’t upload the pics to PB before I left for work.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

At the rate I’m moving forward now, what was gonna take all summer to finish, is probably going to be done by end of April.
The plan was to get the exhaust installed, build the down pipe, and bolt that sht together....Uhhhhhhh...CHECK!

Exhaust...is up..

At this stage, the trans lines had to be installed so that I could get to the hose ends to tighten them. Those hoses have been laying on the floor, in the funk, since October. I had to pour thinner through the hose, then force that sht out under pressure..We’ll call that technique a funk purge.

But once attached, it was time to start on the down pipe.

What a jug fck....there’s so much “ Not how Chip Foose Would’ve done it “ here that I can’t believe I’m posting a pic of it.
( I’m drinking now,...I really don’t care that much about what it looks like).
But..when you bolt it into the place you intended it to go in,....

I‘m proud of it. it looks good, everything fits...( which is a really big deal when 4 attachment points have to seal properly.)

So then....This really ends the fabrication phase of the build..There is nothing left to weld. Everything left now is either wiring, or bolting something back on.

 

[jrichker]

I’m aware of that, Ive used it before. The issue usually is that the pics are on my phone, and I’m updating the thread from an iPad or pc. That, and the 5 image per post thing have always made it easier to use a 3rd party hosing service. The watermark is supposed to be small, and in the corner, not covering the entire freakin image. As many pictures as there are in that account they want to charge me like 12.00 a month to store them there.
On one hand I get it. They are a hosting service. They can’t do this for free. But one day it was .99 a month, the next day it’s 12 bucks.
The problem with moving the images to a cloud based storage option will be the devastation it causes to a web based forum like the one here. Just as soon as I start moving those pics, every pic in this thread will just disappear.

Now you know one of the reasons why, as an IT guy I dislike cloud based services and storage. It's disabled on my home computers, and I am suspicious of possible unwanted invaders that we haven't given enough thought about. Think about the current Covid-19 crisis the are dealing with; no one ever thought about it either...

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

I’m thinking I broke the page view counter. That, or it has a 1m view cap. ( guess they never counted on a monster in their midst)
Today starts the wiring regimen, provided I find a sufficient alternative hole, and a grommet to pass the wires through that makes it easier to do. Now, I could put the fender back on, and I could bolt the front bumper back on,...and I could install the hood instead of all of that wiring bullsht... but I gotta do this.

 

[95BlueStallion]

Done yet?

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Done yet?

Wiring confounds me. I can certainly do it, but when stuff’s exposed, I get all anal about the way it looks. That begets structuring the wiring, and that takes a really long time. The plug wires are a giant pain in my ass. The plug is so far in the hole, trying to get the boot to snap on to the plug tip is a bitch. Then, even though I lubed the plugs with silicone, trying to get the plug boot back off the plug is double damn bitch.

im gonna have to rethink this.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

I know,....we’ve seen it before. It was definitely a love it or hate it car for the masses,...but for me...I love this thing.
( Besides,...it’s 2am..I gotta do something to bore me back to sleep)

I decided to post it because.......” beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Given my comments in the other thread, what I like/think looks good doesn’t automatically guarantee that others will too.
*Here’s a 411......* in a whisper*......I don’t give a RRBH.

And to think, I had never taken on a project of this scope ever before. To have it turn out so well still amazes me that I managed it. Especially now, with the Monster being very conservative when you compare the two. I guess I’m going backwards instead of getting better.

 

[90sickfox]

I still say that car was really nice in person. The old quirk that owned it talked a lot. Learned a bunch. Surprising how close the two different styles were. That car gave me inspiration. And, thanks for letting me know about stangnet.

 

[MustangIIMatt]

I know,....we’ve seen it before. It was definitely a love it or hate it car for the masses,...but for me...I love this thing.
( Besides,...it’s 2am..I gotta do something to bore me back to sleep)

I decided to post it because.......” beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Given my comments in the other thread, what I like/think looks good doesn’t automatically guarantee that others will too.
*Here’s a 411......* in a whisper*......I don’t give a RRBH.

And to think, I had never taken on a project of this scope ever before. To have it turn out so well still amazes me that I managed it. Especially now, with the Monster being very conservative when you compare the two. I guess I’m going backwards instead of getting better.

I just thought it ended up looking like a Mustang II coupe without the blocky tail lights...



(Which means I liked it.)

 

[droopie85gt]

I’m thinking I broke the page view counter. That, or it has a 1m view cap. ( guess they never counted on a monster in their midst)
Today starts the wiring regimen, provided I find a sufficient alternative hole, and a grommet to pass the wires through that makes it easier to do. Now, I could put the fender back on, and I could bolt the front bumper back on,...and I could install the hood instead of all of that wiring bullsht... but I gotta do this.

I'm pretty sure it won't budge for another 100k views...then 1.1M. I guess we'll find out soon enough! Since everyone and their mother seems to be perusing this thread!

I liked the red car. For some reason I like that ass end better than the front. The grill I guess just doesn't seem to do it for me, but Ford would have been frickin geniuses if they had ever put that taillight panel on a Fox Body with a 351 and called it BOSS 351. Oh yeah that's right they never put a factory 351 option out there.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Jesus.

The wiring is moving along at a snails pace. I built the shorter plug wires, and completely routed the wiring harness that runs to the coils. That all went to hell when I went to put the coil mount plate on the engine.

*Once the wires are tied down, there’ll be no way in hell I’d be able to get the fcking thing back off to service the plugs w/o going through a freakin ordeal. The plug wires are barely long enough to allow enough slack to put the thing on w/o resting the plate on a cam cover, and then snapping the plugs in place. ( I bought a spark plug boot removal / installation tool,...if I wouldn’t have done that, I’d have never got them on or off.

That plan is gonna have to be reworked. ( I shouldn’t even be surprised)
I think I’ll have to drill the holes bigger that the plug wire pass through, and remove the plug wire from the coil packs. Once I do that, I can simply disconnect the coil connectors, and lift the plate off. It’s gonna require one hell of a hole though,...and..( here’s the good part)

I have to cut the wires. The connector passes through the same hole that the plug wire does,..and the plug that goes into the coil pack won’t fit back through the existing hole.

So,..knowing that that will piss me off, I put the thing on the shelf, and started wiring the injectors.

How long does it take me to do this this way ya spose?
Try 4 hours.
I have gone over the top with the wiring,...every injector has a signal wire, and a 18 ga 12v wire. Those 18 ga wires are bundled into two groups of three. I didn’t have any 14 ga, so I used what I had. It’s too damn big. There’s no reason to run a 12 ga wire as a 12v switched wire to power the injectors, so I gotta buy some wire tomorrow, and do that over.

Along with the holes in the coil mount plate.

And p.s....I’m so fckin tired..being awake at 1-4am has officially kicked my ass.

 

[droopie85gt]

Symmetry.

Sometimes it's not worth the effort! You'll get there though.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

My second attempt at making the coil mount plate is another swing and a miss.

I was able to put a notch in the holes to allow me to get the coil harness wire through the hole w/o having to cut the wires. After that, I simply drilled the holes bigger.
I put the thing back together, but it's still not right. The #1plug wire is holding the plate up. I'm guessing the solution is gonna involve hogging the holes into more of an oblong shape, but that means in taking the bitch back apart again to do that.

It's close, but not there yet.

If the coils stood off the plate higher, it would probably be a good thing, but the hood is going to be close to hitting as it is.
So,..hog the holes, give the wire somewhere to go should be the final fix.
The VR sensor wire and temp sensor wires are in there, as long as it isn't an invitation to added noise, thats where it'll stay. It is a shielded 2 conductor wire with a drain.

The interior looks like a nightmare.

 

[Olivethefet]

You're making great progress Mike! Hopefully you'll have this thing, at least, running very soon.

 

[90sickfox]

The inside is the scary part.

 

[droopie85gt]

Maybe I'm missing the 3D smellovision part of this, but wouldn't the wires work if you just slid the entire plate forward so the holes are centered over the plug?

Of course, the way my wife and I are coughing, we may be a statistic and I'm high as hell on Nyquil and acetaminophen and the blessing of the apocalypse, TO GO MARGARITAS!!!!! right now. And can't for the life of me get the stupid crank timing gear off a 2.3. I've spent 2 hours ing with this thing.

 

[95BlueStallion]

Throw the dash cover over those wires, and problem solved!