Happy Easter to all my pals on the FE Power Forums! Project updates?

[jayb]

Every year, for me anyway, Easter Sunday seems to get my hot rodding projects kicked off.  I suppose its just the Minnesota weather finally getting a little warmer, and the thought of upcoming track days and car shows.  After my epic fail to make Drag Week last year, over the winter I made some plans to do a few different things with the engines in my cars.  Today I'm working on getting the SOHC pulled out of my Shelby clone; I'm going to replace the Ferrea valves in the heads with Manleys to get my flow numbers back up to where they should be, and try to fit the engine with a dry sump setup for better oil control.  I'm also going to remove the Hilborn intake and try to make my sheet metal intake work on this engine when I get it back on the dyno.  I plan a lot of dyno experimentation with this engine before it goes back in the car.   Hopefully I can finally get 1000 HP out of this thing, and hopefully it won't leak water into the crankcase like it did in 2011.  I think I've got that problem solved, but the engine hasn't run since I've put it back together, so its hard to say for sure.  Should be an interesting couple of months coming up.

What are you guys working on?

[My427stang]

A little less exciting, but I got my PS back on the truck and have been playing around with it a bit in the neighborhood.

The 445 feels strong, but I think my PS valve is sticking, which made for a freaking feeling correcting back to course when I booted it LOL

I think I have to pull the box apart, sitting for so many years my hunch is the valve is either gummed up or rusty

[glxi390]

I've been lurking here since you opened this shop Jay and skulking around the FE Forum for the last 12 years so maybe it's time to introduce myself. My names Rick and I'm an FEholic. Live in London Ontario, retired, and spend way too much time with my cars. I have a 'green 63 500 Fastback, a white '64 500 XL Fastback and a second blue '64 XL that's giving it's life to make the white one whole.
 Great site, solid bunch of guys on here and I've picked up a lot of good FE information.
 As for what I'm doing this weekend, You don't wanna know. It involves taking the body off one XL and putting it on the frame of the other XL. It features a rental unit, couple of chainfalls, questionable rafters, structural integrity and things that would give an engineer nightmares. So I'll spare you the details. lol
Anyway I hope everyone has a good Easter, Rick

[BruceS]

Happy Easter to all the Forum members!  Interesting reading Jay's SOHC update as well as Rick's.

I was out of the country last week on business but am stealing a little time before Easter dinner to inventory all the parts collected to rebuild the front and rear suspensions on my 63 Galaxie.  It currently has an air ride setup, which will be departing soon (what a pain).  Thanks to forum members, I learned of some good sources for parts as well as the crank eliminator kit for the lower A-arms. 

The car is pretty original other than the air ride, and has the original X-code 352 2V with Cruise-O. I'm thinking of replacing it with a stroker, using a 360 / 390 as a foundation.  Want to keep it a nice driver but with a lot more umph!  I'd like to go with alum heads and intake and one of those 4.25" stroker kits.  Just putting ideas together in my head at this point, and am open for suggestions! 

Bruce

[Heo]

Happy Easter to you all
Strangely enough since i got retired i cant
find time to work on my galaxie
I have a couple of 390s i need to tear down
and sonic test to see wich one to use for a
stroker foundation
But right now i doing bodywork on my fathers
Packard roadster so he can send it of to the
painter
And thats a lot of squarefeet to sand......

And i have to fix workbenches and some
system for the tools and machines in my
newbuilt shop
But after that i hope im back to some fe work

[ToddK]

Happy Easter to all.

Unfortunately, I have to work away from home for the whole holiday, so missing my family and not getting any project work done. I have a new diff centre to go in my 63 Galaxie, a Strange case, 4.11 gears on a 31 spline Truetrac. We have a nostaglia drag meet coming up next month, so planning on taking it to that.

I've also been busy with my non-FE projects lately. I have a 63 Dodge 330 max wedge clone car that is getting close to finishing. I might start another thread on that one if anyone is interested. I have also gone and bought a 62 Mercedes 300SE sedan and been working on getting that registered. So lots to keep me busy.

[mammyjammer]

The fresh 428 and C-6 are finally in my 58 Fairlane 500. I have been a gear head my whole life and this project has pushed my skills to the next level.
 Firsts for me on this project include:
  Rebuilt the steering column.
   Shift detents were worn to the point I had to  build them up with weld and grind and file to the proper profile.
 Restored the steering wheel.
   Figured I had it off, so I may as well fix it...how hard can it be? Pretty darn hard as I found out!
Fabbed new Transmission crossmember.
 Crossmember went well, but it was a  lot of work getting the E-Brake linkage worked out.
Rebuilt the C-6
 I traded my Baldy 58 valve covers for two C-6 cores and went to work on first transmission rebuild.
 Used my factory shop manual, a Bad Shoe rebuild video and a "500 HP" rebuild kit from Broader Performance. Bad Shoe and Jay at Broader were a great resource and the C-6 seems to work perfectly and shifts hard!
 Modified core support and installed  aluminum cross flow radiator from Summit.
 I fabbed the mounts and cooler and fan brackets. Never dealt with hard line fabrication until I ran the new cooler lines. 
I had Tony Hewes do the machine work on my 428 and I confident it will be a beast when I get it sorted out!
 Engine specs:
 .030 over 10.5 to 1
 Comp Cams DEH 275 Cam
"CJ" valves
 Shelby Sidewinder
 Mallory Uni Lite
 Edelbrock 750 CFM, soon to be a Holley....
 Exhaust is stock manifolds with a  2"  dual pipes for now, as my expenditures doubled my budget!
Currently tiding up the wiring and tuning on the motor to lose a mid range stumble and bog.x

Happy Easter to all and a big Thank You to the forum members for all your help!!!!






 
 

[67 Fastback]

Happy Easter to all . I have been waiting on more parts and they have arrived Afco dual pass radiator and a Ford taurus electric fan .My son is making the mounts for the radiator and the new shroud we will then place the fan in the shroud . Picked up a oil cooler for the power steering and have fitted up the aircon condensor .A good weekend getting closer to firing it up .

[dubsan]

Happy Easter FE fans
Due to some severe oil bleeding all over kindom come I wandered into the innards of my 68 390 S code FB last week and discovered some strange stuff.   Found the car 5 years ago at an estate auction. The previous owner, a lady, had passed and all her "stuff" ie furnishings, et all, including this S code FB  were on the auction block  for all takers.  Strange thing about the stang  were the license plates of 1986 vintage in  that  the car had not been licensed/driven for 22 years.  Neat Machine, almost a Steve McQueen clone, real S code, acapulco blue, bench seat, 4 spd, 3:25 posi,FACTORY TACH DASH, WHOOPEE!!! and ONLY RUST  were the two silver dollar rust holes on the fender aprons in back of the shock towers. Body had 40 years of minor dings and dents.   Floors,rockers,fenders  were all rust free and covered with factory red oxide paint.  Fortunately  for me  the auction jocks did not advertise this find in the local press.  All the women at the auction were inside checking out all her furnishings.  There were only 6 guys outside next to the car when bidding began on the stang.  Bidding started at 4K, when the bids got up to 6K 4  of the guys left, so me and another stang nut stayed until I won the bid at $9800.   
Driving home the heater core pucked, what was left of the mufflers almost fell off, and one bald tire went flat. 
Drove the car  the past 5 years including  twice to the Mustang roundup in Steamboat Springs Co.(June event) Have never even pulled a plug. Car uses no oil except for the stinkin leaks, 65psi at start up and 35psi when fully warm, starts and runs beautifully. 
Pulled it out last week  to replace the gaskets and seals as the rear of the intake and the main seal were bleeding much.  Cam was that Moroso  cobra jet  grind.  Ross helped me ID that one. Thank you Ross!!! By the way I did replace the cam bearings;you were right again.   Mains showed mucho gold babbit as did the rod brgs so those had to go. Date code on the rods was June 1973. Damm!!! 
By the way   I purchased the car cause it was block stock and had not been messed with except for the oil pressure and amp guage she had installed   to aid the tach dash cluster.  Other than that nothing had been chopped or changed from the factory on the outside.
Cam showed some strange wear on three lobes and lifters so replaced that with a like kind spec cam.  Also installed a performer RPM and Edel 
waterpump. Should have it back in and running by Thursday. 

No 2 project
68 Scode convert found sans engine, tranny, or interior  Longer story.  With two kids in college I need to be very creative to even find a dime to get this baby running. 

[jayb]

Sounds like a great deal on the 68 fastback.  I wonder why the auction company didn't advertise it?  There was an estate auction last summer for an old friend of mine who passed away, and his 68 Torino Cobra for up for sale; still had a 428CJ, but not the original engine.  The car was semi-rusty, and there wasn't a straight body panel or piece of trim on it, but they advertised the auction, and the car along with it. My pal Joel was there, and I think he said it went for $7800!  Seemed like a lot to me, but I guess the guy who bought it thought he got a good deal.  I like your deal better...

[fe66comet]

Happy Easter everyone, it is warming up here also. Been working on my engine, Ford wise I am sending my heads and intake off to Barry R @ Survival for milling .040, porting and StageX upgrade. I also am working on my monster 2000 Jeep Wrangler project, due to availability of conversion parts I went GM on the engine and trans with the stock transfer case. Axle wise I am going Ford 9 inch high pinnions from Currie.

[dubsan]

Thanks  Jay
Who  said it   "I'd rather be lucky than smart"  I REALLY got lucky on this car.  Its a pure joy to fuss around with.
Larry

[427Fastback]

Happy Easter..The weather is improving up here as well (BC). Currently getting my little 67 Mustang T/A replica ready for paint jail.The 68 Fastback is awaiting my attention as it sits naked on jack stands.I scored a nos PSE timing cover so I have the front of the 427 changing covers.The ebock heads are getting worked on and Jay is busy making my new intake manifold...Cory

[RJP]

Happy belated Easter to all. Not doing very much as I haven't been working...so not spending money I'm not making. Fooling around with some spare FE heads, installing hard seats, guides as needed and prepping a couple of sets of heads for future use. Planning on building another 428 for my 66 Galaxie. The 428 thats now in it has been in service since 79 or 80, has the typical leaks and signs of old age but still runs good. Last road trip while climbing a very steep and windey road the engine got hot and had the "death rattle" bad. Got to the top of the hill thinking this thing is toast and had visions of flatbedding it 120 miles home. Got it cooled down and it was back to normal so on with the trip. No more problems other than it getting a little warm on the return trip home climbing a 8 mile 7% grade. The 428 is due for at least a timing chain if nothing else and I'd like to switch back to a hyd. cam so it would be easier just to build another 428 and not tie the car up for a month or two and would give me another 428 after freshening up the old engine.