1965 Ranchero 445

[e philpott]

Cool car , Love the straight axles

[BOutlaw]

Keith, I actually had looked at the MSD flying magnet deal but from what I could tell they did not offer one for the FE series engines, only SBs and 429/460.
I also test ran the new engine before install with the Dura spark ignition and Im wondering if the larger cap of the Dura Spark might help with the spark scatter and the new crappy MSD caps. Its my understading that the MSD Digital 6AL box will work with the new duraSpark distributor I have. Im so green getting back into drag racing after so long, all this stuff is new to me and I have to read and ask questions to see what works. Thanks

[jayb]

Phasing the rotor will help, but one of the things that can hurt you with the MSD cap and rotor is that the rotor contact doesn't always make contact to the carbon nub in the center of the cap.  Check your cap and make sure that the center black carbon contact nub is still pointed.  If its not, and it has flattened out, then what you are seeing is wearing away of that carbon because the spark is having to jump from the center contact of the rotor to the carbon nub.  Eventually they get so far apart that you start seeing a high RPM miss.  This happened to me on day 5 of Drag Week in 2005; the car had been running low 10.60s and even a 10.55 all week, but suddenly on Friday it wanted to run 10.70s.  Figured out later that it was the contact issue.  When you buy a new MSD rotor, bend the tang UP so that it will contact the carbon nub in the middle of the cap.  Then you won't have any problems.

[CaptCobrajet]

Hey Brad.....glad to see you are having fun!  Before you change anything, move the rev limiter up to 67 or 6800 and see if your miss goes away.  Often the tach and the MSD are not exactly the same.  Your rev limiter will start taking out cylinders about 200 before whatever you have it set at.  If your tach is a little different, you may just be bumping against the limiter at 6100 on your tach.

You can put a cap adapter and big cap on your MSD distributor.  You just have to grind a couple of notches to hold the hooks in place.  It works fine.  Then, get the adjustable rotor for the big cap.

[BOutlaw]

Thanks Jay, I actually just checked the "nub" and installed a new rotor after a little tang bending, but I didn't have a new cap. I  ordered 2 new MSD cap/rotor kits. Im anxious to check the phasing soon as it stops raining, maybe Sunday. I have an old cap to drill. Hopefully can make some runs next weekend, as this weekend is a washout. thanks again for all your help. The new adapter and intake went on great. Porting job looked great.

[BOutlaw]

Thanks Blair, that's really good info. I wasn't sure I should turn the engine over about 6100/6200 or so. I probably never told you how super pleased I am with the heads and the carb you did for me. I'm having a blast and the car seems to be doing great, even with my dumbass driving techniques...LOL...I'm still learning to stage consistently and even do a proper burnout but I'm slowly catching on...I guess,,,,,,,,,,,Mucho thanks to guys like you and Jay and the kind folks on this forum.

[Posi67]

Agree with Blair on the rev limiter. I run Mallory stuff and have my high side at 7800. No, I don't want to go there but the tach doesn't jive with the limiter. It's out at least 300-400 RPM and I believe the Tell Tale in the tach is correct. Won't make it to the finish stripe set any lower. Also good info on the cap and rotor. Cool ride btw. 

[BOutlaw]

Thanks Posi. Ill look for the big cap to. I appreciate all the feed back.

Any comments on a converter change that will help with the new intake and adapter? I will run with what I have for now (4200) but the intake probably wont see its full potential without a convertor change.

Thanks again for all assistance.

[KMcCullah]

Trans was a TCI street fighter, and it came with the worst servo Ford offered for the C6, so a local guy, Nelson Temple, installed the "R"? servo and manual shift valve body. Transmission shifts great now.

Good info, Brad. From all the reading I've done on building a hot rod C6, the "R" servo seems to be the popular one.

So your foot-braking this rig? No trans-brake in your manual valve body?

[e philpott]

Are you still running the 306S Cam ? Since your car is based off of the Falcon name wise how about Dirty Bird ?

[BOutlaw]

No trans brake...seems all the C6 trans brakes I read about were not reliable, but I don't know how reliable the posts/forum may have been either. If I go to a 5K convertor Ill have to do more research...

I like "Dirty Bird", a lot, but at this point I just cant pull the trigger on lettering, although I suspect I'm delaying the inevitable. Its becoming less and less a street car.  LOL

Still running the 306 S and OEM rockers no less. Seems every time I check valve lash there's another rocker nut that won't hold lash. I only have one NOS rocker left so will be looking for some more. I did buy the OS nuts but unless the rocker is really worn I cant start the nuts. I have the OS nuts on two rockers now and they are working well. I log which rockers have been replaced and Ive replaced 7 rockers with new NOS so far.

Blair recommended the MSD big cap, like a Dura Spark, but looking at the engine today, sure looks like the big cap will interfere with the expansion tank. I broke the engine in with a Dura Spark but the engine did not have the expansion tank. Will the big cap adapter clear the expansion tank?

Thanks to all,

[Rory428]

Regarding C6 transbrakes,back when I ran an automatic in my 428 powered Fairmont, I had a C6 with a reverse pattern, full manual transbrake valve body.  I ran the transbrake valve body for maybe 8 or 9 seasons, and I never had any reliability issues at all. I ordered the valve body from the Ford Motorsport catalog, but I guess they were made by Art Carr, as there was the name "Art Carr" cast into the valve body. When I was racing the Fairmont in 1990 and 91, I ran the car in NHRA Super Street (10.90 ET index), which at that time, had a 2500 lb minimum weight along with a .400 sec "Pro" tree. With my car 700 lbs heavier than the minimum, at the Pro tree, the transbrake was kinda slow releasing, I had to use real short front tires to get RTs even close to the mid .400 range, usually was in the 470-.480 range, not very competitive even back then. After 2 years of  losing 1rst round every race, I put in a delay box, and ran in Super Pro, which allowed electronics, and used the .500 Sportsman tree. With this setup, the Fairmont was very competitive, won many races, and was a constant top 5 finisher at years end. With the full tree, the fact that the transbrake was a bit slow was of no concern, and with the delay box, leaving off the top bulb, I normally ran between 1.060-1.080 seconds to get very steady and repeatable .500-.520 RTs. I believe since NHRA switched the Super Street class to a .500 sec Pro Tree, the old C6 and transbrake could be very competitive. One minor issue I did have with the Carr transbrake, was sometimes when I pressed the transbrake button, the car would roll forward a couple of inches before the trans locked up. Acouple of racers suggested that was due to some trapped air in the transbrake circuit. I found that by giving the transbrake button a couple of quick taps, to purge the air, the problem was fully eliminated. Most all of the competitive Ford powered Super street and Super Gas cars run Powerglides, I just refused to stick a Chevy trans in my Ford, and having driven several 9 second Super Gas cars, I am glad I never did. Almost as glad as when I sold the automatic and bought my Jerico 4 speed!

[BOutlaw]

Thank you Rory, the slow release issue is what I read about, and I figured since hardly anyone was racing a C6 anymore, no one was actively involved in developing C6 trans upgrades. I'm certainly not at that level, just racing for fun. Ill have to reread your post a dozen times to grasp exactly what you said. I'm certainly a novice at this and there is a limit on funds, so everything needs to count. I make bad decisions as it is, that's why I enjoy this forum so much, guys like you are free with good advice based on experience.  I, like you, will not run a GM trans in my Ford, maybe a C4, but not a glide, hard headed ole man I guess.

OK, I'm gonna start the first reread of your post...I'm sure Ill have lots more questions.....Thank you

[BOutlaw]

BTW Rory, I opened/enlarged the pic of the Fairmont and all I can say is DAMN....looks pretty dang competitive to me, awesome pic..

[Rory428]

Hard to believe that photo was taken almost 30 years ago! Appearance wise, it looks almost the same today. All the stickers were applied to magnetic vinyl, so they just lifted right off. If I would have decided to stay with an automatic, I likely would have gone to a C4, but back then the C4 was not very popular in racing, nor were the C4 to FE bellhousings at that point. But that C6 may have sucked some HP to operate, but it was very durable.Usually went 3 or 4 seasons between freshen ups, and typically still looked really good inside.