BLKMGK

Pulled the drain plug on my T56 today for the first time. Wanted to see if it had any fluid in it and prepare to fill it up since I had the shifter off... Pulled the plug and found a TON of junk stuck to the filler. I nearly died - some of it was pretty big too! Looked liek pieces of gear stuck on it. However upon closer examination it seems that my chip collector has fractured and what I was seeing was pieces of the magnet stuck to the plug. WTF?! I THINK I recall that the chip collector is real close to the drain, yes? Perhaps someone dropped my trans in shipping and it fractured the magnet? I stuck a magnet of my own in there and fished out a bunch more bits. I intend to flush the trans with some tranny fluid and see if more junk comes out the drain. How worried should I be? Until I actually drive it I dount think I'm going to know how well it shifts... Maybe put regualr Dextron III in it for a few miles and then have it flushed with Synchromesh? This is a problem I do NOT need this close to being done...

Any idea what size injectors it has? Aluminum intake yes? $950 is a decent deal for the throttle body and injectors alone assuming they're a size you can use! Not too bad, you going to run it on your existing motor? CricketJr. is the program I use to late bid BTW - works very well

Filling from th erar is ideal BUT - you have to watch the angles. I wanted to do this but with my cell they would've had to drop it down a good bit more than it is now and backing ontop parking spaces would've put the sump in jeapordy of hitting parking blocks. So, the moved it up higher, built a sheet of steel to cover it, put a little "house" on top, and installed a flip up door. I'm NOT positive it'll pass tech but I think it's a decent solution. I still want a rear fill but the angle is pretty shallow with the existing fill necks you can buy - I know 'cause I bought one and it's gathering dust now... Get a shallow but wide tank and perhaps this would work. Or maybe a tank that draws from the top instead of a sump?

Shouldn't matter guys. Look at the way the bar is taking stress - it's not foreaft stress it's rotational stress. It's the difference between compressing a 2X4 stood on end or trying to bend it in half. Compressing it is MUCH harder. The moustache bars flex foreaft but twising one would be darned tough to do. IMO the R180 bar should be fine. I've got an R200 bar here that's spare if you really have a burning urge but had wanted to hang onto it for my own conversion later on

I've always hesitated with glasspacks but being able to run them where you have them means I could run full duals wihout the passenger muffler interfering with the fuel pump... I wish I could hear what it sounds like! This is almost as toough as figuring out what wheels to run! (lol)

The HOWE radiators are only $180. For an aluminum radiator that's pretty killer I think. Owne - YES run a top mount. I know what you mean about it not moving much but it will wiggle and it will wear on the tanks where it mounts. Best to stabilize it better and not risk it. I WAS planning on running a Cobra fan unit. Howver if you look on my site you'll see the problem - it's too BIG! The shroud nearly covers the core and then some. I also cannot figure out how to mount it yet. I'm stumped and have no top mount right now so I worked on gauges Figured out everything but whish bulb is the left blinker and which is the right. Going to use LEDs I think.... Taurus fans are cheap - how hard are they to mount? I need a clue please (sigh).

The 4.6 guys around here are getting SICK power from them. The DOHC Cobra motor is by FAR the better of the two with forced induction making massive power - and bending a few rods too BTW. The SOHC is okay and it does rev but not like the Cobra motor. Built right the DOHC will go 9K on the tach and the exhaust makes NICE sounds. SH is the one getting the most press but the experience my friend's shop has had with them and some of their parts has been less than impressive. Headers that barely fit, engines shipped missing parts(!?), intakes that have actually LOST power. Well, you get the idea. They've been getting their builds done by a shop in the midwest, not sure which one. Yes for the size these motors make wonderful power and lot's of RPM. However, the race isn't won by efficiency! Hondas make great amounts of power per cube too but when there are so few cubes it doesn't matter - they often end up seeing taillights. Compare the amount of money it takes to get a DOHC Cobra motor to 600HP and compare what it takes to do the same with say a 351W. Lastly, hey it's your car. If you want to be different by all means that's a neat motor! When you pop the hood people will really think it's neat. If you can score a DOHC though that would be even better. It doesn't have to be the fastest car on the block (or the cheapest) and the revs you'll get out of the 4.6 will be pure music...

Louvered hood and access doors? Sweet! Looks really nice man and the extra 2 seats are probably nice to have. Can you get some closer pics of the power steering setup? I'm wondering why the JTR setback would preclude you using the power steering - would the pump be in the way or something? Were you given any details on the steering setup? The rack isn't stock is it? Don't know much about the 2+2s... Anyway, congrats - it's a pretty nice piece you've got there!

Don't use a generator, use an alternator. Jegs sells a 100amp chrome unit from ProForm for about $100. It's what I ended up with but have yet to use it so I can't speak to it's reliability. It's a "one wire" hookup. Anyone else using this unit? Oh, do you have a short water pump or a long style pump? That will determine the alternator brackets you must run. I have short but may switch to a long in order to get more selection of brackets - the cost difference in brackets could be enough for the new pump! (shrug) Now how the heck did this wind up here?! I responded in another thread for this one... Weird! [ May 21, 2001: Message edited by: BLKMGK ]

Most of the wheels I'm looking at in 17X8 have a MAX offset of 40mm. 25.4 to the inch so your calcs are close I thnk. I still owe you a measure on the 8.8, I just never remember when I'm out by the car (sigh). Are you looking at T-bird or Cobra primarily? I'm not sure that the T-Bird is stronger than the Cobra, just not raced as often. The aluminum carrier that I think the Cobras have can get chewed up too, not sure what the T-birds have for a carrier. Might be able to get some shots of a Cobra's rear for you if this is a serious consideration - measurements too possibly. All depends what's on the rack when I go over and if a brain cell fires to get me to check it out. I always seem to forget my camera!

I posted the URL for my Howe radiator the other day I think. PerformanceBodies or somesuch? Oh, here it is! -> http://www.performancebodies.com/cooling/radiators.html MikeSCCA told me about them - they shipped fast too. I've got pics of the radiator but have not yet posted them. If you've got ANY questions fire away before it's mounted and I can take pics, weigh it, etc. etc. I've got the JTR book, guess I should've read that part again - duh! The fallen F brackets actually sound just like what the Mustang uses. I've got a set powdercoated on the Mustang right now - might have to pirate them off! They hold just the tank too. I don't want to cover the radiator if I can help it, just need to figure out a way to secure it and keep it from rubbing anywhere is all. Thanks guys!

Scottie - are you maxing out the MAF? I've heard of the Mustang guys doing this and it causing problems, is there a solution for the Buick guys? TPS isn't quite maxed, is that normal? Ya', am a bit bored too - almost bedtime

A couple of folks have done various crossmember mods with varying degrees of success. It would seem that the best thing to do is figure out if your particular car has bumpsteer before modifying anything too much. You can make things worse if you do the mod wrong - it's not a silver bullet. It seems to be agreed upon though that the spacers above the crossmember aren't a good idea and might make handling worse. I've not got them in my car and the motor fits fine, it's not on the road yet so driveline angles remain to be seen. Oh, you might try asking and searching in the Brakes, Wheels, and CHASSIS section as the SBC area won't have much in the way of suspension hits. Moderator want to move this one over maybe?

Okay, I've got the JTR lower mount done. Drilled a 3/8ths hole in the mount and in the frame. Dropped a stainless carriage bolt (polished of course) through it all and bolted it up. Still need to put something on the lower tank clips to insulate it but I'm getting there. However, what are folks doing for the top? I think this might have come up before butI'm interested in input. I've considered the stock top mounts that Mustangs use but I'm not sure they're wide enough for my radiator - it might hit the prop rod too. I've heard aluminum strap proposed and I've also considered trying to bend something out of some stainless I've got - it's a bear to work with though... Any other simple ideas? I'd like the top of the core to be visible. Mikelly, what did you use before you tilted the radiator? Mounting this fan is going to be "fun" too but it came with some aluminum strap that might end up holding the radiator down I don't want the fan in there until the accessories are on as it'll be in the way. Still waiting on a friend to get me an alternator mount for that and I'll need pullies...

This is good info guys, seems I won't need the Summit kit after all How are the "bump" switches wired that the Painless kits use? Oh, the '88 5.0 Mustang relay looks pretty much just like the one you pictured I think so no need to get one made for a really old model. Will be trying to wire this with a remote solenoid (contactor) myself. Am using a starter from a 1995 Impalla SSCaprice 350 and am puzzling over wiring it up. Since I've not got starter bolts yet it's not been a big issue (snicker). Water on the solenoid shouldn't be too big a deal BUT if the casing ever cracks (mine did) the water will cause rust on the piston and a REALLY hard to track starting problem . This was on a car that seldom got water under the hood too so added water might not have changed anything. Never did figure out how it cracked in the first place...

I had a pair of 2 chamber FlowMasters in my Mustang. The day I drove it home my head nearly burst from the noise. It really droned! Your's doesn't drone? Is it one of the new Deltas? Mine was one of the old original 2chambers and rusted like mad! Mild steel, no coating - what were they thinking?! I'm looking at some of the same mufflers myself. I too want the polished stainless, didn't realize the Edelbrock's were stainless and had packing in them. DynoMax's Ultras are high on my list too. I thought that they were pretty much like their turbo mufflers but stainless and higher flowing - no? Their turbo mufflers is what I've got on the Mustang now - much nicer. I DO think they give up some HP but that's worth it in my book for a quiet(er) ride. I've been looking at the rice mufflers too. Some of them are quite expensive though and I've got no idea what they would sound like on a V8! I really like their looks though. finding one with a 2.5inch inlet or bigger is hard. Since I may be forced to run single exhaust I'm not sure what I'll end up with. IF you go with the Ultras please let us know how they sound.

There are a couple of reasons high-end drag racing still uses carbs.. First is fear of the unknown. These guys have spent lifetimes tuning the mechanical stuff, it works, why go electronic? Second is that honestly there might not be that much advantage. At WOT these things just pour buckets into the intakes, EFI's advantages just aren't that great. Lastly, cost. The perceptoin that it would cost much more - which is probably right. The big Top fuel guys simply wouldn't be able to find injectors and whatnot big enough - ir would have to be built. Those are the reasons I've seen cited. Some of the other classes probably WOULD benefit but if all you're really measuring is WOT performance EFI isn't going to be that much better. Look at the class rules in the NHRA books, many of them outlaw EFI as does NASCAR. Carb'd cars haven't been produced in how many years? Yet they run in NASCAR and NHRA all the time in new bodies (sigh). At WOT EFI should be a little better due to effecient mixture and no wall wetting but it loses the cooling effect. It's driveability, part throttle tuning, and ability to run forced induction that's not draw through that gives it advantages for us. EFI is simply more flexible and once your comfortable tuning it you can do most anything....

Hrm it was pointed out to me today by a friend that import Carlisle will still be going on tomorrow... My experience has always been that Carlisle closes up pretty early on Sundays though and going up there would probably just make this decision worse Then again I might also see someone selling TSW Trophies (lol). It's so much easier to see the wheels in person or on a car like your own and "know" that you're making a good decision. Part of my problem is that I've seen an ROH wheel that's similar and it's probably coloring my view. These sites that show wheels on cars really have a good idea. Most of the places don't have clear enough photos though and some of the ads in Sport Compact are black and white! I guess the biggest problem is that I thought this wasn't going to be an issue - I had already decided. I hate surprises like this and on projects like this one I plan, plan, plan, and then purchase when it comes ot parts. I got a rude shock when they told me I couldn't have what I'd counted on . Ah well, the more I stare at that pic I posted the more it's growing on me. 5 spokes ARE nice and they really do show off the brakes. I've done the Photoshop deal with a bunch of wheels and the Cobra's are VERY nice Mike. Need some good pics of yours P.S. Oh great, stock levels on Konig 5.0's aren't looking good either! [ May 19, 2001: Message edited by: BLKMGK ]

The shop I've used here will send it back for a redo if I see anything wrong when I pick it up. I had one piece with a thin spot and another with a chip - redone for free! They did explain that oil soaked parts like some of mine were sometimes won't take very easily even after sandblasting. I was still VERY impressed at my crossmember's job - it was nasty going in. The shop should coverplug any threaded holes. Expect that tolerances will be a bit tighter due to the thickness of the coating. They may also have some coatings that are best for UV exposed parts, others that are more chip resistant, and they may have some WILD colors too! I wish I'd taken the time to get my front arms done, that was one of the only suspension parts I didn't do. It wasn't cheap (you can haggle sometimes!) but boy is that stuff tough - should stop rust cold. Oh yeah - Eastwood makes a setup to do this. If you've got access to an old electric stove in the garage this is a good way to go I think. Figures I threw away my stove just before finding out what the coating was goingto cost to have done (ouch).

YES, I've gone to 5lug and am installinginstalled 4wheel disk brakes from MikeSCCA. To do this you must replace the front hubs with 300ZX hubs. I drilled mine out for bigger ARP studs. 300Z rotors work up there but I'm not sure on the specifics of calipers for that. I went with 12inch rotors and bilet calipers instead. I DID have a setup using Toyota calipers for that come to think of it - not sure on the rotor. MikeSCCA can help you there with all of that or search the archives. For the rear - you must use only ONE of the existing lug holes. Th erest must be drilled. I don't recall the bit size but if you search the archives you'll find it and a WEB page detailing how to do it. I'm using 300ZX Turbo rotors and custom brackets with billet 4 piston Outlaws and Wilwood spotz for an E-brake. This part isn't yet done but Mike should have the brake bracket coming to me "soon". (right Mike?) You can also use 200SX calipers (iron and ugly) or possibly Pulsar NX brakes. This months Sport Compact car shows the same 200SX brakes that we use being tossed for NX brakes so I ASSume this would work - anyone else notice that article? The bracket for these is either weld-on tabs or a bolt-on that wouldbe custom. Mike and others are working on a CNC bracket that should work for this and could use 280ZX calipers too I think. Not sure if the 280 stuff canbe used with 5lug or not. Note: I'm NOT the expert and I'm NOT doing this on the cheap for my car. You CAN do it cheaper and I'm going to end up having more brake than I need for my car. I think I'll live with that http://216.254.117.47/ is a link to my server. In the photo gallery you'll see the brake pics. Not great shots I'm afraid but Mikelly has some on his photo site and MikeSCCA has some on fonebooth.com too. The archives have a link for doing this more cheaply but to answer your question, yeah it CAN be done! Wheel selection skyrockets but you may need spacers to get everything perfect - with the ARP studs stud strength isn't as big an issue. +20mm has been used on all 4 corners by another member but that probably won't work with the 300ZX hubs. I think about +38mm with those hubs is best. I'm trying to find good wheels myself right now so stay tuned and I'll let everyone know what backspace seems to work best with the 300ZX hubs etc. Okay, I'll shut-up now...

At this point I'm still looking around. I'm nearly settled on Cobra R rims - we can get them in offsets that are close to what we need. http://www.afswheels.com/mustang_wheels/index.asp Doh, just looked. I THOUGHT they had them in two different offsets, and they do but only if you buy 9inch wide wheels! I'm pretty sure a 9inch isn't going to fit in back. Now my second choice may be going out the window. I thought they had +24mm and +36mm in the 8inch wheels - seems not. $695 is a good price though, their tire packages are too wide and expensive though. I tried calling this place -> http://www.salesco.com/wheels/tsw/tsw_trophy_custom_wheels.htm Sort of helps if you answer the phone to take your customer's orders! They were about $20 some odd apiece cheaper than Discount too. Speaking of Discount - I called them just to be sure. They were listed as out of stock in the computer and the sales guy called TSW for me to check. It's a wheel they no longer make so no chance they will get them in. Was nice of him to check for me at least. I'd appreciate any ideas guys. TireRack is a joke for us since you have to input the car model etc. and they don't give backspace information. Discount I'm a little peeved with but mostly because I want someone to focus my aggravation on right now. This link -> http://www.discounttire.com/mega-bin/megajen?tem=san.w heelSizePrice.tem&size.value=17&wheel.value=5-114.3&wheel.value1=8 should give you all the 17X8 wheels Discount has, I'd be interested in other's thoughts on this please. I need about +23mm in back and +35mm up front I think w5X114.3 lugs. Spacers are NO big deal and I expect to have to run them no matter what. If there's another wheel shop out there I've not seen by all means point it out. Lastly, if someone else is shopping for wheels please don't take my measurements unless you've swapped to 300ZX hubs up front - this changes the track slightly. Even then I may be off but I think I'm close enough to space and will report back on final fit. My budget for wheels is flexible but I'd like to stay under $250 a corner, $199 is what the TSWs were and cheaper is always better if it looks good. Sorry to ramble guys. I'm really in a baddepressed mood right now and very frustrated over this. This is a very important part of the project and I've just hit a wall! The ATS wheels I posted a pic of above might work but it's so hard not seeing a pic ON the car and they're not cheap either.... Current front runner -> Made for the Mustang is comes in either +24 or +38mm offsets. I think this is nearly perfect for my car! Plus it's cheaper. I've seen an ROH wheel that looks like it on a Mustang - UGLY! I'm presently making shots in Photoshop of various wheels to see what looks good... [ May 18, 2001: Message edited by: BLKMGK ]

If it's out of th ecar have it powdercoated. I did this and they got it coated inside and out with the toughest epoxy stuff you can image! Powdercoating rox!

Trans clearance is easy - cut out the stock mounts with an air chisel, bang the firewall just a touch on one side, slide it in. I had some clearance issues near the reverse switch but rather than banging I slipped a crowbar in there and pressed it away - if you put the pigtail on first this isn't even needed. I would suggest trimming one of the little spikes on that side - don't know why the tans has those! Lastly, the trans mount... JTR's mount is MUCH more beefy than it needs to be. I had mine sectioned and wleded and the guy doing the work wondered what in this worled they were thinking! Took a chop saw to cut it and a good welder to finish it. If you could get the humps up higher that would be better too, I hope mine works out okay - I'm not quite there yet.

You can get 5 on 4.5 pretty easily but I'm not sure that's th epattern you'd need. Also don't forget about backspacing - before you go to all this trouble find out if you can get the correct spacing for your car. I just found out today that the wheels I've been admiring for months are no longer available and am MOST unhappy about it....

Ordered my wheels and tires from Discount Tire last night. They showed "less than four" for the sizes I need but they had some in stock - I had hoped two of each. Just got an E-mail from them. Seems they're "out of stock" and no longer available. They'd like to know if I'm willing to order a different wheel! ! This stinks. I've been eyeing those wheels for months and would've ordered them if I'd known what backspacing would work. Now that I know they aren't available, heck I had a hard time just finding a vendor that HAD TSW wheels (sigh). They DO have a wheel that looks pretty nice but the darned thing is $50 more per wheel AND the offsets are different. I'm NOT a happy camper right now. Kind of makes me wonder what I would've done if I'd had an accident and needed to replace one of the wheels! I may wind up with Cobra wheels after all but it won't have been my first choice...