slow90coupe's NOTCH BUILD THREAD!!!

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Nice build. I just read through it all. I have been getting really addicted to 5.0's lately. I have one, but I bought it without an intention of doing much to it. I have been through everything you have with my 88 Formula 350 that I built with my father, then blew it up, and had to start all over again.

Great looking build and keep at it. I just put the 3rd engine in my Firebird (HCI) then I destroyed the tranny again... So my list contains Paint, Rear-end, and Tranny (T56 this time).

I started young as well. My dad bought my firebird in 2001, then I bought it off him at the end of 2006 a few weeks before I turned 16. Its a great hobby and learning experience. I know everything about my firebird because I built it, its a good feeling. I am sure you know your stang like the back of your hand. Don't get rid of it, I saw your thread about trading it... Its looking great! Keep at it.
 
Thanks man!!!

Well I got the car out today for the first time in a little while. Drove it around a little bit, then pulled it into the shop to get one of the big issues that was really eating at me. Anyways, here's some pics of it as of a few hours ago. Really, really dirty and neglected...

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Motor still looks pretty clean though!

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The interior needs a really good cleaning. I haven't paid it any attention since the week before I got it running. Just realized how long ago that was! 8 months sure does fly by fast.I have a ton of parts and 5.0 mags inside the car that I need to go through and clear out.

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Then it went inside for some work. I stripped out a wheel stud a few weeks ago, and spent hours and hours trying to drill through it, but no luck. I just said F*** it and started unbolting crap. I know one thing, it was a REAL PITA to have to unbolt everything, especially having to work around a 9" wheel. Took me about 3 hours of cussing and fighting it, but finally got it off. All in one piece! Now i'm going to take it to work and get one of the guys there use their good drills on it and drill the stud out from the back.

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Ummm something's wrong in this picture!

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It looks soo sad torn apart again. But it will be back together tomorrow! I have the day off, so I can mess with it all weekend!!!

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Also, I'm taking the opportunity to upgrade my brakes while i'm in there. I have had a set of 99-04 calipers and stuff laying around for a while, so i'm going to take them off of my LX car tomorrow and put them on a car that will actually get driven occasionally, instead of just sitting without a motor/trans. The caliper bar has been cut and they have been grinded on, so they clear Prostars without rubbing!!!

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More pics to come. I'm going to clean it up, put my MGW shifter back in, and probably change my lower intake gaskets this weekend, so I won't have any more leaks. Stay tuned!
 
You beat me. You are by far a way bigger picture whore than I can even aspire to dream of being.:D

You going to the FMR thing?

Oh yea, I'm about the biggest pic whore there is!

I don't think I will be going to it. But after November when I get my license, I will be going to a lot of those meets for sure... I can't wait!
 
Got a ton of work done on it this weekend. Pretty much got everything done that I wanted to, except for a wash. Here's the pics.

Got the brakes and everything pulled off of the LX

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Then transferred over to the coupe

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Then when I went to put the Prostars on the front, of course for some strange reason the passenger side didn't clear without a spacer. So one side has a spacer, one doesn't. But you can't tell it without knowing.

Outside.. Still dirty, but not too awful bad.

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Pretty low! I still have 20 turns left on the front too! I could very easily be dragging the front air dam if I adjusted it all the way down, but I've got the stance exactly where I want it. I like a slight rake to it.

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The interior, all cleaned up.

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I also put my MGW shifter and pistol grip back in.

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Thought this was a pretty cool pic too.

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what's coming up next... I have been putting this off for a long time. But I definately need some strengthening. The car is already pretty twisted up from previous owners, so I don't want it to get any worse.

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Thanks!

Well I think I got a new problem. Pretty sure the trans is on its way out. It's vibrating in 5th gear when I'm in the throttle, but as soon as I let off, it goes away :shrug:

In all your modding, did you replace the driveshaft or remove the dogbone? Are your driveshaft bolts torqued to spec? Did you damage any of the bushings or seals in the trans or differential while removing and replacing the driveshaft? Have you had the car on an alignment rack? If one of those wheels is unbalanced, you can have a driveline vibration as well. All things to look into before pulling a trans.
 
In all your modding, did you replace the driveshaft or remove the dogbone? Are your driveshaft bolts torqued to spec? Did you damage any of the bushings or seals in the trans or differential while removing and replacing the driveshaft? Have you had the car on an alignment rack? If one of those wheels is unbalanced, you can have a driveline vibration as well. All things to look into before pulling a trans.

Amazingly, I have only had the driveshaft out once, and that was before I ever put the car on the road 3 years ago, and it has had a vibration since then. I've just now started to notice it because i've always had other vibrations and more problems. Only one more left. This weekend I'm going to get the car on the lift, clean off the engine from where I had an oil leak that I recently fixed (I think), and I'll flip the driveshaft as well to see if that's it. The dogbone is that goofy looking thing on the rearend right? If so, I took it off a long time ago. It's had an alignment but I don't think it's any problem like that. I'm thinking it's gotta be in the trans, driveshaft, or rear. It only does it in 5th gear under acceleration. The rest of the time it has zero vibrations...
 
Amazingly, I have only had the driveshaft out once, and that was before I ever put the car on the road 3 years ago, and it has had a vibration since then. I've just now started to notice it because i've always had other vibrations and more problems. Only one more left. This weekend I'm going to get the car on the lift, clean off the engine from where I had an oil leak that I recently fixed (I think), and I'll flip the driveshaft as well to see if that's it. The dogbone is that goofy looking thing on the rearend right? If so, I took it off a long time ago. It's had an alignment but I don't think it's any problem like that. I'm thinking it's gotta be in the trans, driveshaft, or rear. It only does it in 5th gear under acceleration. The rest of the time it has zero vibrations...

The "dogbone" is actually an axle damper and it was put there for a reason. It reduces driveline vibration. If you have no dogbone, do you have a pinion snubber in place? Your driveshaft could be coming in contact with the floorpan, especially in a vehicle as low as yours. Do you see a witness mark on the driveshaft from any place it is rubbing? Vibrations annoy the hell out of me and I've chased them in these cars for years. That's why I'm jumping all over this one, haha. :nice:
 
The "dogbone" is actually an axle damper and it was put there for a reason. It reduces driveline vibration. If you have no dogbone, do you have a pinion snubber in place? Your driveshaft could be coming in contact with the floorpan, especially in a vehicle as low as yours. Do you see a witness mark on the driveshaft from any place it is rubbing? Vibrations annoy the hell out of me and I've chased them in these cars for years. That's why I'm jumping all over this one, haha. :nice:

My understanding was that the dogbone was only worth a crap on stock geared cars, but idk if that's true of not... I have honestly never seen but one pinion snubber in my life lol, and that was on my 97 GT. I really don't think it's anything contacting anything since it only happens in 5th gear under acceleration. The driveshaft has no marks or anything on it from it hitting.. I really think it is the trans or the driveshaft being out of balance. But even that doesn't make sense because it only happens in 5th gear. Also when I really give the car hell in 5th gear it goes away too. It really only does it from about 55-65 in 5th. If it's in 4th, it is smooth as a rough riding, stripped out, HCI car can be.
 
Stock driveshaft or aftermarket aluminum? I had the stock driveshaft go wonky on me at only 11,000 on my 94Gt. I bought a Steeda aluminum from FRPP and the vibration was gone. My vibration was under load after about 60MPH, the higher the MPH the worse the vibration got.

Also, I always loved ProStars on coupes but the 03 Cobra wheels on a coupe looks even better. ProStars good for going to the track.
 
I think i'll try to get a driveshaft. First i'm going to put in the spare one I have laying around for the hatch car and see if that fixes it. I know one thing... I'm not paying $265 for a driveshaft... Is it just me, or are those things going up and up in price?
 
Just wanted to post up a little update on the car.. it's been sitting for most of the past 6 months. I changed wheels a handfull of times, and the following pics below shows the stages it has went through in the past 6 months. It has only been driven 340 miles since my last update in this thread. I'm thinking of taking it out to the local 1/8 mile track next friday just to see what I can get it to run. I know the car is capable of a 7 second pass, but i'll be happy with a 8.90. I've never really driven the car that hard, so I have no idea how to really race the car. Anyways, here's some pics.

Rolled the fenders

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Swapped back to 94 calipers

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On the Prostars

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Put some 295's on the rear

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Then I bought some Weld RT-S wheels

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With my friend's car

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And then I put the RT-S's on my 97 GT. The coupe sat on jackstands for a month or so until today. I mounted a pair of 245's I have had for a while on my 97 GT wheels and threw them on the car. Then, I drove the car a little bit. I'm driving it to work the rest of the week and I can't wait!!!

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And of course I had to have a little bit of fun!!! Lol

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