SSflyer

There was a set of 240 floorpans on EBAY for $20 a couple days ago. They may still be there...

But the good news is....... Monthly payments are available!

Having just done this job on my car, I'd suggest doing one side at a time. Get one panel cut out and at least tack the replacement panel in before you cut the other side. (By tack I mean every 1-2 inches.) You'll also learn some tricks while doing the first pan that you can use on the second. On mine I left about 1/2" of overlap on the edges of the panel all the way around. It's way easier to fit the replacement panel in and also way easier to do a lap weld than a butt weld.

Remember the line from Monty Pythons Holy Grail...... "If you don't leave, we will taunt you some more!" Sounds like the UNs plan for dealing with anything that requires some backbone. Only substitute the word 'resolution' for 'taunt'. That is a collection of the limpest d*cks on the planet. Just once the UN needs to take some real action to step on the neck of somebody like Saddam Hussein and all the rest of the petty dictators would think twice about killing 1/2 a million of their own people or threatening a neighbor. The situation in Iraq is such a mess because we just plain don't and won't understand their culture, morality, ethics, and history.

Does JTR make a motor mount kit and how thick are the set back plates?

CRAPOLA!! How many hours did that engine bay suck up? Excellent work!

Those 275's look huge! The inside clearance sounds just about right. What sort of backspacing do your wheels have?

Are 280ZX and 280ZX Turbo CV half shafts the same length? I know the companion flanges are different, but are the axles themselves interchangeable?

In the link above there's a comment that a beefy compressor is needed to run a HVLP gun due to needing alot of flow at a low pressure. So, what sort of compressor are we talking about? I have a Craftsman 5hp with a 20 gallon tank. Is that sufficient, or am I stuck using my old high pressure gun? I really like the idea of less overspray and using less paint, but while I'm willing to spring for a new gun I'm not buying a new compressor!

I got the other set. The IMSA flares were a little wider than I wanted to go. I'd really like to have used the VB flares, but not enough bucks left for those!

Terry, Yup, thats the plan. There's enough extra material to overlap on the inside and still have enough to tie into the outer fender. It seems that it might be easier to do the fit-up with the inner panel out of the car. I guess I'm committed to doing that way now in any case!

Oh man, this is one of the saddest posts I've seen in a while. Are you sure you want to bail on your project? At the very least, why not finish the car with some sort of tame (read cheap) engine from a wrecking yard and sell it as a completed conversion? 305's or TBI 350's can be had for basically pennies and you might get more that way. This has got to be a total downer for you. I'm sure everyone here is feeling your pain.

Got all four glued on last Saturday. The prep work took a full day the weekend before. Something a little scary about attacking the fenders with an air saw, especially the back ones. Discovered it was much easier to prep with part of the inner fenders cut out. The really good news is that there was no rust anywhere inside either fender cavity. We did find some rust hiding under the paint on the fenders behind the rear wheels, but no big deal to replace. Used 3M 8115 adhesive with a Total Recall looking applicator gun. I'm unsure whether to fiberglass the flare lip to the inside of the fenders. Advise would be welcome. What a difference in the appearance of the body! Now to finish them off with fiberglass (maybe), refit & weld the inner fender, and then the bondo. So far not as difficult a chore as I thought.

The leak around the dipstick tube might just be the o-ring on the end of the tube. Had the same problem, and even thought the old o-ring looked good, it wasn't. A new ring and the problem was solved.

Is there any reason why the strut tubes cannot be cut to exactly the length as the cartridge that's going inside, instead of so long that spacers are needed in the bottom? If the adjuster on the coilovers determines the ride height, and the car will never be returned to stock, does the tube length really matter?

For the price, I'd jump on that little dude. I also bought a machine from Harbor Freight, and while it does a reasonable job it's not very adjustable and is real difficult to weld with on this paper thin Datsun sheet metal. Instead I just spot weld over and over and that seems to work fairly well. One trick I've discovered is to use a backing plate. I tack a strip of steel sheet metal to one side of the work, and then slide the other piece up to the lip and spot it in place. You'll figure out your own tricks in no time. Just do some practicing on scrap stuff before you try welding on your car. Better to blow a bunch of holes in scrap than to have to patch and grind and bondo....

Tig welding is usually for non-ferrous metals like aluminum and stainless. It's usually for precision joints where appearance is a key issue. Tig is basically like oxy/acetylene in practice, in that the welding technique is the same, it puts alot of heat into the work piece, requires a hand fed filler rod, and is very slow. Mig is way easier to learn and is best for long runs on mild steel. Mig is also much, much easier to weld out of position, like down or overhead. Yes you can weld stainless with a Mig, but the spools of wire are real expensive and it requires straight argon or an argon helium mix, and both of those gases are expensive. For Mig on mild steel you can use either straight CO2 or an argon/CO2 mix. The argon mix will give a smoother flatter weld bead. For wire, use either an E70S3 (general purpose) wire or an E70S6 (higher silicon content gives a flatter, better looking weld). For home use try to find a Millermatic 35 machine. Best little Mig machine ever. If you want cheap, go to Harbor Freight. They have a bunch of cheap Hobart machines.

"Hey! These taste like chicken!" said the pit bull to himself....

Pics?

Mike, Way cool and perfect timing too! I'm starting the same part of my project this week. Can you give some detail on the pipes and muffler? Did you bend the pipes yourself or did a shop do it? I'd like to fit my exhaust too while the car body is upside down, and the bends look real straight-forward. You mufflers look like they tuck up real nice and tight. Can you tell us what type they are? Keep up with the posts! You always seem to have information the rest of us need!

Can somebody post the phone number to Sandersons. I need a set too. Thanks!

OK, this may be a silly question, but where do you hang your hood hinges? Do you have a one piece front end?

All Mustang is where I got my 2001 LS1 engine & trans. For the price of the engine, they threw in the complete car wiring harness, the steering column, the driveshaft, the cats and Y pipe, the torque shaft, and the complete gas tank. The engine has less than 8k miles, and the whole load was only $3700 bucks. BUT, alot of the guys around here have had problems with them. As long as things go smooth they are cool guys, but any hiccups and they turn into werewolves. This was the second engine/trans I got from them with no problems. I do believe the guys complaint is valid, and it amazes me that AMP is willing to loose a million potential customers for $1500 dollars. I think the fireworks aren't over yet!

Good looking work! Thanks for the pics.

There's a special purge procedure for the cooling system on the LS1. The instructions I received with my 160 t-stat are as follows: 1. Fill the cooling system with the proper water/cooant mixture. Pour the coolant into the surge tank. (Fill the radiator full and then also put some in the surge tank.) 2. Start the engine and let it idle for approximately 1 minute. 3. Reinstall the surge tank cap. 4. Cycle the engine from idle to 3000rpm in thirty to fourty second intervals. This needs to be done until the engine coolant temperature reaches 210F or 90C. 5. When the cooling system is at the proper temperature, shut off the engine. Remove the surge tank cap. 6. Leaving the surge tank cap off, start the engine and let it idle for one minute. Then fill the surge tank with the coolant mixture to 1/2" above the "Fill Cold" mark on the surge tank. (Keep in mind this procedure was written for an F-body coolant system!) Now reinstall the surge tank cap. 7. Repeat step 4 once more, then shut off the engine. 8. Allow the vehicle to cool, then remove the surge tank cap again. Top off the coolant system to 1/2" above the "Fill Cold" mark on the surge tank, then tighten the surge tank cap. Those are the directions copied right from the Hypertech instructions. The notes in parentheses ae my own. Believe me, if you don't follow these instructions you'll never get it to work right. I had the same problem you described after I did heads & cam and I thought I had plugged a passage somewhere, but after remembering this procedure it solved the problem immediately...