My Build Thread

Ok guys. I signed up and asked some questions about my build like 3-4 years ago but haven't done any of the work yet. We fell into some financial struggles about a year into the parts stacking and disassembly of the car and everything got put on hold. Ended up buying a house once we got back on top of things, which also put a bit of a damper on the car for a while but, I've been back at the parts stacking for about 2 years now and I finally have probably 95% of the build sitting on racks in the shop waiting for spring to come so I can finally get this thing assembled. I still have some of the most expensive parts left to acquire though lol like the carbon fiber hood and trunk.

I'm sure I will have some questions throughout the build and I appreciate the forums immensely so far. I intend to document the build extensively and contemplating doing a YouTube thing with the build.

Here's a list of what's going on the car.

Steering:
Power to manual conversion with all new components including rebuilt steering box

Front Suspension:
Global West uppers, lowers, and track rods, Viking double adjustable coilovers and Addco 1 1/8 sway bar

Rear Suspension:
Eaton HD 3 inch drop rear leafs with poly eye and shackle bushings. Viking double adjustable shocks. Addco 7/8 away bar.

Brakes:
Wilwood master cylinder with adjustable proportioning valve(mounted inside the car) with Mustang Steve brackets to allow 13.2 inch rotors front and rear with 2 pot front calipers and single rears. Hydro Handbrake will be T'd into the rear system to work in conjunction with the proportioning valve to allow for some fun sideways action

Wheels/tires:
Aodhan DS08 10x10.5 rears with 285 30 Federal RS/RR 18x9.5 fronts with 255 35 Federals RS/RR. 15mm offset with 32mm spacer in the rear and 25mm in the front. Fender and quarter mods are in my future.

Drivetrain:
Lightweight aluminum flywheel, Tilton internal throwout bearing, mcleod clutch, T5 trans converting from column to floor shift. Tilton internal throwout bearing. Aluminum driveshaft(haven't gotten yet) Completely rebuilt factory 8 inch with Yukon Gears 3.80:1 posi-trac.

Engine:
Original 302 with Stock 73k mile bottom end. Stage 2 toeque cam 204/214 .448/.472 lift. Using 7/16 stud 1.7 roller rockers on some eBay aluminum heads with specs of 59cc chambers and 170cc runners. Double row timing set. HEI style distributor. Weiand Stealth intake and Shorty headers (have not gotten yet not sure which ones) out to black widow mufflers. Champion 3 row aluminum radiator with electric fans and proform knockoff electric water pump.

Fuel delivery:
15gal fuel cell, 044 style external fuel pump, pre and post filters, Aeromotive regulator and Fitech fuel injection.

Plumbing:
I will be using all stainless braided lines through the car including cooling lines.

Interior:
DONT HATE ME PLEASE lol but full gut racecar style. I love the look, plus it's major weight savings that will make up for the custom 6pt cage. Fixed back NRG seats with 4pt harnesses. Autometer digital gauge display.

This has been a very long process so far with lots of ups and downs but I'm on the downside of it all now!

The car is completely gutted currently, down to just a shell, sitting on jack stands. I finished disassembly in the fall and will get to work assembling in the spring.

The motor and rear axle assembly are already done, they were finished up at the beginning of this process, before I went broke for a while haha they're my dad's house in storage waiting patiently

I will post all the pictures I have so far of the car, from when it was a running-driving (was once my) grandpa's car to the state its in now as well as pictures of the build process. Stay tuned if you are inclined to do so. Thank you.

 

So what is the intended use of the car? Hanger/trailer queen, car shows, drag racing, daily driver, etc.? Build to what you plan on using it for. The aluminum flywheel isn't a good idea unless you're dirt track racing. You need a 30# for good starts even in regular traffic driving. Cam is a good one for daily driving and just running around. But it sounds/looks like a show car to me with all the extras is make it look badass.

 

I fully intend to use it to its capabilities. The reason I went with the all adjustable front suspension is so I could set it up for multiple types of racing. It will be a street legal, insured, nice weather driven, weekend track day warrior with some car shows/meets in there. Building it to get used but when it goes to the track it will be trailered so if it breaks I can trailer it home lol mild motor build because I figure I want it to be nimble and light therefore a lot ofnpower isn't needed to have some fun.

 

Sounds like it's going to be a nice car with a lot of capability. If you get it together and decide you'd like a little more power it's just a cam change away.

 

Yessir that's the plan, left myself plenty of clearance to go larger on the cam later. With the 1.7 rockers though, doesn't it create more valve lift with the same cam profile? Figured I'd start small for clearance reasons and work my way up. I didn't measure for clearance but motor turns over easily and doesn't make any contact.

 

Holy crap I did not like that picture upload process at all! It took 3 attempts. I uploaded a lot more than what is there now and wrote out a bunch to describe some of the photos to kind of give some info/backstory but lost the progress twice. Finally just gave up and posted some of the key pics. Lol oh well, enjoy!

 

Yes, the 1.7 rockers will help get you some airflow, but your duration is pretty short. If you feel you want more power later go with longer duration.

 

thanks for all the pics !

 

Duration will effect your vacuum. If you have power brakes or an auto trans, your will have to make a few adjustments. But usually if you watch the lobe centers and spread them a little more then usual you can still get a good vac signal.

 

Pics or it didn't happen, right!?

lol

Man, as a car guy, I know how much we all like to see pictures!

 

I am running manual brakes to start with and running a tremec T5

If it were up to you, which cam would you pair with the intake and heads I have?

I have been contemplating going with the lunati link bar roller lifters and going to a roller cam before I even reassemble the car...

 

Street/Strip Retro-Fit Hydraulic Roller Cam - Ford 351W & 302 H.O. 276/286 #20310517 2500-6200 RPM cam. Light car, 3.80 gears and you'll want to be able to go to around 6000-6200 RPMs. I would recommend a rev limiter if you stay with the alum flywheel. Miss a shift and they can over rev in a sec. Much faster then 30lb one would. I didn't see your carb size, 700 Holley DP.

 

If you switch the steering to manual but keep the power steering box, the ratio is not as many turns. The manual box is too many turns IMO and always has a light feel. I took the power assist off of mine and the feel is great. The downfall there is that the steering gets VERY heavy at speeds less than 10 mph. Most people will not like it. It takes a lot of shoulder to turn the wheel at low speeds.

I swapped to a factory sport wheel. I was running a smaller aftermarket wheel to gain leg room. Now with better seating, there is room for the larger diameter wheel. I have not driven it since the change so I can't tell you yet if it is much better.

A switch to the Borgeson replacement power steering box has had a lot of positive feedback here. A little tricky to dial in, but most seem happy with it compared to the two factory choices.