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Thread: '65 Mustang / GT350R Tribute project

  1. #41
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    I love seeing stuff like this! Its nice to be able to give such a beautiful car a second chance at life. Progress looks great too!!

  2. #42
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    Cage work continues. This past weekend, we did the final seat fitment and they have started welding in the seat mount bars. Seats will have a front and rear cross bar (fronts are pictured below), which will be tied together by a pair of flat bars that will bolt to the sides of the seats - more to come on those when finished.



    Rocker bar detail - there will be two additional door bars above this and all three will be tied together vertically...



    Roof diagonal bar tucked up nice and high....



    Square tubing under the cowl lip adding reinforcement to the firewall - note the bolts for the export brace, which now thread directly into welded bungs in this square tube instead of using nuts....



    Square tubing under the cowl lip is one-piece and runs through the aprons and is butt welded to the cowl side panel flanges....

    Last edited by Gumball; 12-05-2015 at 05:15 PM.
    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  3. #43
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    Latest from the chassis shop - about all that's left are the door bars. We had a little as-built change for those, though. Since I'm going to use the R-model lexan windows, I'm not gutting the driver's door - which means there's less room for the door bars, as they have to fit between the door panel and the seat. The original plan was for a pair of bars, with the top being at the height of the dash bottom, but that put it way too close to my left elbow - not to mention the issue of getting out of the car fast. Instead, we're going to do an "X" that will extend up in the rear to the part of the main hoop where the shoulder cross bar starts - yet another triangulation point.

    Here are the latest pictures......

    Rear structure is just about done - just waiting for a few gussets to be added:



    Behind-the-dash supports go from the dash cross bar to a plate that is welded onto the firewall directly behind the reinforced point where the export brace bolts to the cowl lip - effectively creates an "X" from the cage to the tops of the shock towers without actually passing through the firewall:



    Detailed view of the seat mounts - these allow for two inches of adjustment in both directions and the holes in the side of the seats allow the rears to be tilted for rake:



    Overhead view of a rather busy - and stiff - floorpan area:



    There is one of these on each side - they tie together the front subframe, rocker, and torque box - located right below the front cage down tube pad... they'll act as nice jacking points, too:

    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  4. #44
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    The chassis guys needed me to come back this morning for fit one more thing, so I took a few additional pictures.......

    Gussets at the top corners of the windshield - there are similar ones at the rear of the side window area between the top halo and the main hoop:



    Seat position:



    Detail of the shoulder harness strap locators and the tabs that will be used for the seatback brace:



    View through the passenger door opening - the tube laying on the bottom is one of the side bars that hasn't been put up into place yet:

    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  5. #45
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    One more angle of the seat mount and relation of the containment portion of the seat with the upper tubes....

    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  6. #46
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    Cage is done!!!

    The car came home today from the chassis shop and the cage looks great. It's still a work-in-process, with lots more metal work to do, but I'm going to hold off on that while I do a bit more planning and get some parts fitted. Next up is to finalize the seat installation (including back braces) and get the steering box in so I can measure for the collapsible column.

    Here are a bunch of pics once it got it settled in the work bay where it'll reside for the next few months.

    Side impact bars in "X" pattern provides a bit more room for my left elbow and allows better entry/exit:



    Front down tubes pass through dash and pick-up the under-dash cross bar (with connections to firewall), rocker bars, and side impact bars:



    The chassis shop does quite a few pro-touring and drag race cars that have sheet metal interiors - these bulkhead panels are steel, not aluminum:



    Fitment of the side impact bars and the driver's seat:



    A very busy interior:

    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  7. #47
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    Well, the shop is pretty full due to winter storage (7 cars, 2 trailers, and an airplane), so I'm in "gatherer" mode. Here's the newest addition to my shelf....

    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  8. #48
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    A little more detail on the latest addition to the project. It's a magnesium case Jerico 4-speed with a Hightower "direct connect" shifter. This is a non-synchro, dog ring box that allows for clutchless shifts. The Hightower shifter requires a special case, with the sliders - which are what performs the shift function - protruding through the rear of the case and tail housing. The case also has the traditional shifter side posts, which aren't drilled during the milling process, machined down - note the lighter spots on the side of the case where the shift linkage usually sticks out. The shift sliders are then connected to the shifter using adjustable rods with spherical ends. The inner workings have been REM polished, too, which is a process that applies a super thin surface treatment that makes everything look like it's highly polished or chrome plated - the result is supposed to be longer life, smoother shifts, and reduced NVH. Finally, the top cover is plumbed for a cooler return line, which sprays the cooled lubricant down on second and third gears.

    I haven't decided on the clutch, but it will likely be a multi-disc Tilton or Quarter Master with a flex plate instead of a flywheel. Going to have to do a bit more research on that, though.

    A few more pics...





    I couldn't resist the shift knob - about as purposeful as the rest of the car will be...



    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  9. #49
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    ... and a pic of the guts. What looks like wear or chips on the teeth are reflections / shadowing of a bad picture.

    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  10. #50
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    Something wicked this way comes.....

    I figured that since I have the transmission, it sure would be nice to have an engine to do some of the mock-up. Well, it seems that I may have a line on something very interesting.... watch this space for more developments in the near future.]

    EDITED - ... or maybe not - looks like the deal is either on-hold or has fallen through. I guess that my search for motive force will have to continue.
    Last edited by Gumball; 01-26-2016 at 05:23 PM.
    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  11. #51
    Administrator David Hodgkins's Avatar
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    Holy mother of mercy what a car.

    Wow.

    The cage is insane!

    What are your plans for racing? You're not building this up just to autocross I assume?


    FFR 5369 Pin Drive, IRS, Trigos, Torsen, Wilwoods, FMS BOSS 302 "B" cam , Mass-flo. CA SB100 (SPCN) Registered
    Delivered 4/23/06. "Finished" 4/2012 (still not done!)


  12. #52
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    David,

    It's being build primarily for NASA time trial and as an HPDE car, but I'm also planning on getting back into the wheel-to-wheel biz and do a little vintage racing.

    And, I won't rule out the occasional ice cream run or local cruise night, just to rattle some windows and set-off some car alarms.
    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  13. #53
    Senior Member jkrueger's Avatar
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    Awesome build! Keep up the good work and updates.
    Factory Five Type-65 Coupe:"Race Spec" coupe, Ordered 1/12, picked-up 5/12, roller 5/12, first start 10/12, finished 4/13
    Factory Five Roadster: Sold 12/2011.
    http://www.25tires.com

  14. #54
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    As I type this, somewhere between here and Michigan there's a truck with something on it... just.... for.... the.... Rustang....

    Pics and details when my new Dart iron eagle block arrives this week.
    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  15. #55

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    This is too cool.

  16. #56
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    Block shipping was delayed, so the least I could do was to go out and order more swag. So, here comes a Quick Time bellhousing, Ron Morris adjustable engine mounts, and a trans isolator mount - all of which will enable me to get the block and transmission connected and in the car for some test fitting.
    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  17. #57
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    Some good progress recently, even if I still don't have much room to work in my shop due to all the cars in storage. So, the parts hoarding continues...


    Something finally arrived from Detroit -



    With all five mains having 4-bolt caps, my crank should remain in place at 8,000 rpm...



    Now that I have the block and transmission, I had to get the bellhousing (motor and trans mounts, too) so I can put it all together and mock it up in the car at some point when things clear out...



    The real jewels of recent arrivals, though, have to be the Woodward Fabrication collapsible steering column, associated brackets and bearings, and the quick-release for the steering wheel...



    Last edited by Gumball; 02-27-2016 at 07:01 PM.
    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  18. #58
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    I've also spent some time contemplating what gauges to use and how to do the layout. For sure, the main gauges will be housed in a plain sheetmetal panel like the original R-models had back in the day, but most of the gauges I considered just looked too modern. When the body was reconstructed, we used a '65 GT / '66 style dash with the dip in the center (those cars had a large round speedo in the center with two gauges on either side - as opposed to the long, rectangular sweep speedo on the non-GT '65s). Because the Jerico transmission doesn't provide for a speedometer connection and since the car is going to be used on the street only occasionally to go to the local cruise night or such, I'm planning on using a temporary mount for my phone and take advantage of one of the GPS speed aps. This frees up the instrument panel for an oversized tach front-and-center. A five-inch tach was too large, though, and I didn't like the smaller 3 3/8" ones (seems to be a standard size), I kept going back to the gauges in my FFR roadster. Well, I contacted Nisonger and found that they are now selling electric gauges with full 270 degree sweeps - powered by stepper motors for better control and reliability. They made me a great deal on a set by trading out the standard speedo for a couple extra oil temp gauges and I now have a set of Smiths on their way.

    Here's a mock-up of the instrument panel. The main panel will have the four-inch tach in the center, flanked by fuel level, water temp, oil pressure, and volts. To each side at the top will be LED lights for shift (yellow) and low oil pressure (red) and to the bottom I'll use some original R-model style panel lights for turn indicator (single green) and no-charge (red). Also, there will be a secondary panel old-school style below the dash where three oil temp gauges will reside for engine, transmission, and differential...



    Since I had the heavy card-stock out, I also made templates for the covers that go over the holes in the quarter panels that would normally house the air vents. These will be made of .040 or so aluminum, but will have to be run through a roller as they need a compound curve...

    Last edited by Gumball; 02-27-2016 at 06:59 PM.
    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  19. #59
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    Can't beat this for a classic tach...

    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  20. #60
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    More swag -

    Yesterday, the Fays2 watts link arrived. This is a great bolt-on part that provides positive location of the rear axle and allows the leaf springs to do their job without sideways forces.

    Here's a pic of the main cage of the assembly during test-fit on my car - pic taken from the rear of the car looking forward. The cage mounts to the subframe rails, as well as the trunk floor lip where the fuel tank mounts.....



    This is a file pic of the assembled watts link showing the bellcrank / prop shaft that mounts in the center of the cage - note the serrated vertical adjustment in the cage that allows for changes due to ride height. The flat plate on the right goes under the leaf spring and is secured with the rear axle housing "U" bolts and the sleeve on the right wraps around the axle tube - similar to the "banana bracket" on the FFR three-link suspension.

    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  21. #61
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    Gauges came - here they are in the layout that that I'll be using...



    These will be in a secondary cluster under the dash as shown mocked-up in post #58 above...

    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  22. #62
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    I understand the gauges were made in the UK, but centigrade? Similar to the originals? I know its just a number, but???? Personally, it would drive me nuts; at least that's what I think initially. After a few years I'd probably get used to it.

    Otherwise great build. Can't wait to see it at the track.
    FFR Spec Racer

  23. #63
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    Looking for thoughts on an electrical control panel. I mocked it up today using some heavy stock cardboard and was able to actually test-fit some switches just to see how it'll look. Since the seat is lowered and pushed back quite a few inches, my hands will be at least 8" away from the dash when I'm belted into the car. That means that I can't use a traditional ignition switch - at least not to work the starter. I also need an accessible place for the fire system pull handle and the master kill switch. The fire system will have a second pull handle (external) and the kill switch will also be hooked to an external pull handle so it can be operated both from inside and outside the car.

    Then there's the switches - lots and lots of switches. I had a bunch of the standard FFR toggles left over from my build, so I used them for this mock-up. My plan is to use metal post toggles from Aircraft Spruce or some other supplier of ruggedized electrics for the final version. I'm thinking of using the stock Mustang ignition switch just to activate the coil - i.e., a "run" switch - and then have a toggle to operate the starter (so I can re-fire it after killing it as I get used to the hair-trigger clutch). I'll also need toggles for the MSD box selector (an "A" and a "B") as I'll be running two boxes, a cooling fan override, pumps for the diff and trans coolers, fuel pump(s), and turn signals (I want it to be laughably street legal). And, it'll have headlights, but I'll use a stock Mustang switch in the original dash location for those.

    Finally, this seems to be a good place to mount the rear brake bias valve, since the line will run through the cockpit instead of underneath the car.

    The mock-up is a bit too tall... I can probably drop it a 1/2" or so, but it will need to be fairly high due to the depth of the master kill switch. In order to make it easy to maintain, it will have a flat bottom mounting plate that is bolted to the trans tunnel with four studs coming up from underneath, which will then also hold down the separate top, which is sort of a hat design with a kick-up to position the fire system pull handle. And, it'll need a bracket of some sort at the rear to hold the cable housing for the remote pull for the master kill switch.

    Thoughts, suggestions, and ideas are welcome....



    Last edited by Gumball; 03-06-2016 at 10:49 PM.
    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  24. #64
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    I finally replaced the wooden dolly with a proper body cart. I found this at Summit for not much more than what it would have cost me to buy the steel and casters and build my own. It came bare, but I cleaned it and coated it with some of Eastwood's 2-part spray paint, which seems to provide a nice and durable finish. The rockers are now 24" above the floor, providing plenty of work space underneath while keeping the rest of the car in reach. It will end up in a rotisserie soon, but this will allow it to be somewhat more mobile for now.

    The uprights fit into the front lower control arm brackets and the front leaf spring eye bolt pockets:





    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  25. #65
    Senior Member jkrueger's Avatar
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    Some thoughts on the switch panel from a racer's perspective. Keep any switch you might want to use while on track to close to your line of sight so you don't have to glance to far to activate a switch. Having to turn your head an look down that low might be a distraction while racing.

    Just a thought.

    Love your build. It is going to be an awesome car when you are done!

    JC
    Factory Five Type-65 Coupe:"Race Spec" coupe, Ordered 1/12, picked-up 5/12, roller 5/12, first start 10/12, finished 4/13
    Factory Five Roadster: Sold 12/2011.
    http://www.25tires.com

  26. #66
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    As spring weather settles in and rains wash away the salt on the roads, space is finally beginning to open up at my shop. This past week, two of my friends pulled their cars out from a long winter's rest and I was able to move the Mustang a bit, do some early spring cleaning, and set-up a few sets of wire rack shelves to hold all of the parts I've been accumulating. There are still a few cars to go, but once they're gone I'll be able to dig into the final stages of metal work on the shell.

    In the mean time, I just placed an absolutely huge order for parts with Cobra Automotive - suspension, brakes, rear end, lexan windows, body parts, etc... and should be filling those shelves soon.

    Included in the order is a set of these... capable of making music from a Ford small block at 8k rpm:

    Last edited by Gumball; 03-31-2016 at 04:51 PM.
    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  27. #67
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    Almost forgot... I also ordered what has to be one of the coolest oil pans made for a Ford engine. This is designed to fit blocks with 4-bolt mains at both the front and rear, as well as the three down the center.

    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  28. #68
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    WOW ! Keeping my eye on this one

  29. #69
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    I made another decision this week - instead of a four barrel, I decided to go with a Weber carburetor system. I know this isn't legal for B-Production vintage racing, but I couldn't resist. Since my primary use for the car is going to be open track days and NASA time trial, I'm not as constrained by the rules as if I were building it strictly for wheel-to-wheel racing. Plus, since the engine is really a fungible item - my focus on being within the rules is more on the chassis itself, rather than those things that can be viewed as wear items or that can and will be changed out depending on the intended use of the car.

    Anyway, here's a file photo of my recent purchase... keen eyes will notice that this is a 351 version, but other than the slightly different intake, mine will be substantially the same, including the center actuator for the throttles.

    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  30. #70
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    It's been a few weeks since my last update, but I have great progress to report. I've been off the forum for a few days recently to make a 2000 mile round trip to the east coast to pick up hundreds (literally) of parts. Amazingly, I was able to fit everything inside my current-generation 4Runner, without resorting to the hitch cargo basket or a last-minute U-Haul trailer. I did the trip alone - both to keep the passenger seat open for parts and my backpack full of fresh clothes - so it made for lots of driving over the course of three days. For me, road trips like this - combining parts pick-up, intelligence gathering / learning, and friendship building - are one of the best parts of a car project.

    More pics to follow as I unpack everything - but here's a rundown of the trip.

    The journey began at 4 am last Thursday as I headed towards Pittsburgh, where I hit Primanti's for one of their huge sandwiches (meat, fries, and coleslaw all served together on bread) while on my way to the first parts stop... Tony D. Branda Shelby & Mustang Parts in Altoona, PA, where I picked up a few R-model specific parts, as well as a few NOS Mustang pieces.

    The rest of the day was spent driving from there to the hotel in Wallingford, CT, where I hit these guys first thing the next morning....



    I pretty much went through the Cobra Automotive parts catalog and ordered one of everything - including complete front and rear suspension kits, front and rear brake kits, body parts like the R-model rear window and door windows/frames, as well as quite a few other things.

    Cobra Automotive is a pretty cool place and like a candy store if you're into original Shelby cars - no need to ask "is it real" there, that's for sure. Here's a pic that includes an original owner street 427 Cobra and Dan Gurney's Mustang race car (blue fastback in the background).



    Next stop that morning was about 20 minutes down the road to North Branford, CT - home to Jim Inglese, the Weber carb guru who put together my intake system.

    After that, it was a quick dash back west, where I stopped at around the 1/2 way point of the return trip just over the PA border into OH. This made for an easy trip up to Canton, MI to visit National Parts Depot (NPD) for another huge load of parts - mostly all of the small bits and pieces that are necessary for a functioning car. While there, I made a short detour a few miles up the road to take a drive around the River Rouge plant. While the area and infrastructure is a bit more worn than what I've seen in the many books I have of the factory, it was still an amazing place - both for it's sheer size and for the thought of what it has done for society (mobility for a country and jobs for multitudes for the past 99 years).

    Rouge Complex office building....



    Sign outside of the main complex entrance on Miller Road.....



    Coke ovens from a distance along Miller Road....

    Last edited by Gumball; 05-01-2016 at 06:54 PM.
    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  31. #71
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    Opened the first box from my "Back East Parts Run" tonight - here's the first taste......

    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  32. #72
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    I finally finished inventorying my new pile of parts and have been busy organizing everything by sub-assembly and finding shelf space that makes sense (so I don't end up buying multiple parts down the road).

    Part of the process involved laying out all of the parts that make up the bulk orders (brake kits, suspension kits, etc...) to ensure that all the small piece parts were there. I was going to take pictures of everything, but since it all looks like the parts that are pictured on the Cobra Automotive website, I decided to use their stock photos - especially since they are laid out much prettier than my unboxing chaos.

    The full load includes lots more than what is pictured below, although so much of that is small piece parts that it didn't make sense to take pics - but I thought you guys would enjoy seeing this stuff.

    Front suspension kit - lowering templates for the upper control arms are 1 1/4" for mine...



    Front brake kit - rotors are 12" x 1 1/8" with aluminum hats and calipers are vintage Lincoln / full-size Ford parts....



    Front brake cooling kit...



    Rear suspension - this set-up doesn't use shackles; instead it has sliders (the things to the right and left of the bushings in the front center of the pic) that weld to the subframe and allow the rear of the leaf springs to articulate....



    Rear brakes - 11" x 2 1/2" drums that will mount to the end of the Moser 31 spline axles in a stock-appearing housing (but with 3" tubes and the large Torino bearings)....



    Rear brake cooling - these ducts require drilling the backing plate to allow air in and out with the scoops mounting to the axle tubes....



    Windows - in addition to the R-model rear window with all of the mounting hardware (including the original style 'horse shoe' frame), I added the aluminum window frames and pull-up Lexan windows....



    Photo credit for the pics in this post - Cobra Automotive
    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  33. #73
    Out Drivin' Gumball's Avatar
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    It's been a while since the last update - I've been working on some basic metal work things, so not too much progress to report. However, I did just get this.... a poly mock-up block. It's going to be way easier to do all of the measuring and cutting using this, rather than the 190-ish pound Dart block. Even with the bellhousing in place, it can be lifted by one hand and moved into position.

    I gotta say - this would have been a great thing to have during my FFR build - and this one may be available for loan once I'm done with it this summer on the current project. For those of you who want one of your own - they're made by a company called P-Ayr and sold through Summit and other outlets. I got mine for $349 from Summit with free shipping.





    I'm using adjustable engine mounts so that I can get the engine as far back and has far to the passenger side as possible to assist with corner weighting. Once everything is where I want it, I'll tack these so that there is no movement later.



    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  34. #74
    Out Drivin' Gumball's Avatar
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    I flipped the engine mount plates (the ones that attach to the block) and was able to move the engine back an additional two inches! I'll need to get the headers installed and then move everything to get the best compromise of fore/aft positioning from a clearance perspective. Then, I'll install the transmission and figure out where the tunnel needs to be modified for the shifter hole.





    Check out the difference between the below pic and the one in the post above showing the bellhousing-to-firewall clearance.

    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  35. #75
    Out Drivin' Gumball's Avatar
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    Now that I have the poly engine block, I can get down to work on the mechanical mock-up. First up is fitting the transmission and making room for the Hightower "direct connect" shifter on the Jerico. This shifter has a rather bulky box that mounts to the rear left of the tailhousing and moves the shift lever mounting point a couple inches to the left and a similar amount to the rear of the original location. That movement, combined with the bulk of the shifter mechanism housing, means that the transmission tunnel needs to be modified a bit.

    Before I could do any cutting, I had to get the transmission into place and mark the floor. This was made possible by a quick visit to my local Harbor Freight, where I scored a transmission jack both on sale and with one of their ubiquitous 20% off coupons.....



    This shot of the transmission in place shows just how much interference there is due to the shifter mechanism......



    And here is the aftermath of the cutting wheel surgery......



    The hole will be cleaned up and I'll make a folded sheetmetal stand-off that will box the area out and move the shifter hole over so that the lever mount is centered in the new hole. In the test-fit pic (second above), you can see that the boot mounting ring with captured nuts is still in place, but as shown in the pic above, I used a spot weld cutter and removed it so that I can relocate it and make use of it later.

    Here's what the finished product will look like (credit to Cobra Automotive - this is one of their cars) .....

    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  36. #76
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    Gumball
    Do you fix computers ? Mine's messed up from drooling

  37. #77
    Out Drivin' Gumball's Avatar
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    Here's another pic of what the finished shift mechanism bump-out will look like. My plan is to make this out of a single piece of sheetmetal and bend it into shape before welding a couple of joints and then welding it to the floor pan.


    also courtesy of Cobra Automotive....
    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  38. #78
    Out Drivin' Gumball's Avatar
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    It's been over a month since my last update - work, heat/humidity, family stuff, and just driving my FFR have kept me from doing too much on the Mustang project for the past few weeks. But, this past week it went back to the cage guys for a little more work, including installation of the rear suspension mounting points (sliders for the rear mounts of the leaf springs.... yes, leaf springs - YIKES!).

    I also made a trip the other day to Road America to check out some of the cars at the Brian Redman vintage races - always a great show. There were at least a half-dozen '65 / '66 Mustangs there, so lots for me to see and compare. Unfortunately, this trip will also add somewhat to my bill at the cage place, as I have a few additional things that I want to incorporate now.

    Here's a shot of it before heading in for the additional work - talk about light, I couldn't even keep it on the trailer without some heavy duty ratchet straps.

    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  39. #79
    Out Drivin' Gumball's Avatar
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    I didn't mention this before, but I had an interesting problem with the transmission and bellhousing - showing that not just FFRs suffer from the "some-assembly-required" issue.

    The bellhousing is made to fit a Ford smallblock - so no problem with bolting it to my Dart 302. It also has the proper bolt pattern on the back end for a Jerico transmission - which you would think would be no problem. Well, of course, it couldn't be that easy. It turns out that the bore hole in the bellhousing was sized for a GM front bearing retainer (on the transmission), which is 4.67" as opposed to a Ford bearing retainer, which is 4.85". And, also of course, my transmission has the (proper) Ford bearing retainer. No big deal - either replace the bearing retainer, chuck it in the lathe and cut a little off of it, or open the hole in the bellhousing. I went with the last option using a friend's machine shop and one of his CNC machines to make sure that everything stays in alignment... problem solved.

    Later,
    Chris

    "There are no more monsters to fear, and so, we have to build our own."
    Mk3.1 #7074

  40. #80
    Senior Member AC Bill's Avatar
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    Extremely impressed with what you have done. I love the obsession you have for this build, as that's what it takes to make something really awesome.

    Hopefully you persevere till the finish, and don't burn out from all the work involved..
    FFR6803RD, MK 3.1, 302 EFI, fr/rr disc brakes, WC-T5, c/w Hurst Competition Plus shifter, 3 link rear, Koni adjustable coil over shocks, dual roll bars, BBK 4-4 headers, 3.55 rear gears, BBK rear lower control arms c/w poly bushings. Ivy Green Metallic Arrived-02/08, On road 09/2010

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