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funkaholik

funkaholik

Member
Hi all. Just found out about Stangfix this weekend at the VMOA show in Campbell, CA. Looks like a great resource. I like the different forums for engine, electrical, etc. Great idea to break it down like that.

I'm in Concord, CA & currently working on my '67 390, 4 speed coupe: engine, trans, & interior are out so some rust fixing can get done. Suspension is all redone.

Lifted.JPG

Engine out.JPG

Looking forward to getting her back on the road. Seems like there's lots of good info here.

Erik
 
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Mike: Good to meet you on Saturday. Thanks for letting me know about this site.

RyanG85: It's a refurbished lift that used to be at a Pep Boys. The previous owner of the house installed it below floor level when he built the workshop, and made the doors to cover it when not in use. It's totally out of the way and I can park 2 cars in there when it's down. It's pretty sweet. Believe me, when I saw it, my house search was over. Took some convincing and concessions to the Mrs. to get her to agree...

Here's a pic with the lift down and doors closed - almost invisible. Yeah, it has a bathroom, too!

ISp9kv97q12i031000000000.jpg
 
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Right! That picture is from the real estate listing. I assure you it is not that clean anymore! Car gets towed to the shop on Wednesday for the floorpan and fender apron welding.
 
Update: Engine apart, sonic checked all good. Cylinder #5 had a partially wiped cam lobe, and almost all bearings were down to copper. Good timing on the rebuild. Block is already .030 over, so we are going another .010 over to make everything fresh.

390.JPG
 
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Wow. It's been well over a year since I posted an update! Time flies and life gets busy. Anyways, here is what's happened so far:

390 block failed the magnaflux test. Cracks in the lifter bores, down into the water jackets. Found a 428 block, built it with a 4.125" stroker crank, roller cam, ported heads, and a bunch more goodies.

TKO600 trans is bought (ouch) and bolted on.

Rear end completely built with 3.70 gears.

Floor pans and fender apron under battery tray all welded up - no more rust!

Since I am modifying so many systems at once, I've been doing a lot of mockup to make sure everything will play nice together. Cable clutch, 4 wheel power disc brakes, , etc., etc. It sure is a tight fit between the FE valve covers and the brake booster!

Some pics:
engine.JPG clutch.JPG rear diff.JPG
 
Oh, and for those of you who are car lovers, and not haters, you might appreciate that I've spent quite a bit of time this year helping my brother with his car. I know it's not a Mustang, but...

z.JPG
 
very nice! I will be swapping my C6 for a TKO 600 soon. Be fun to compare notes. And several of us also own Chebbies.
 
I looked long and hard at both Modern Driveline and American Powertrain for the TKO swap. MD got my quote all wrong, and AP got it right the first time, so I went with them. When I received everything, so many parts were wrong, it was amazing. Wrong clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing, clutch arm, cable kit... pretty much only the trans itself and bellhousing were correct. Tech guy there was very apologetic and helpful in getting me the correct parts asap, but wow - they really screwed it up. It's pretty frustrating trying to make parts fit when you assume they're correct and you must be doing something wrong, only to figure out eventually that the parts are all wrong.
 
I went with MD and got all my parts. I checked everything and it looks right. I haven't started the install yet however. I opted for the hydraulic throw-out bearing instead of the cable. Should be fun. I have a 429 (385 series BBF) instead of the FE.
 
Quick update:

Assembled my Dakota gauges into new deluxe dash pod. TMI sport seats are nice, but they sit a bit higher than the stock seats, plus the TMI mounting brackets raise them up another 1.5" or so. Now my head is dangerously close to the roof. So, I welded up my own brackets that only raise the seats 3/16" off the pans. Much better for me (I'm 6'2"). Test fit dash, console, & seats, mostly just to make it feel like a real car and inspire me to work harder to get it on the road...

Interior test fit.JPG
 
Great looking car and an amazing garage!

The car is coming along very beautifully.
 
Thanks for the kind words. I feel like the garage is barely controlled chaos at this point. It's amazing how much room a car takes up when its apart! It's also amazing how much test fitting and modifying I have to do, since I'm not doing a stock resto and some of the parts don't play well with others. Makes my brain hurt sometimes juggling all the facets of the build and how they all fit together. My brother and I always laugh about the TV shows where they "have to get the car done in 2 weeks", and when they break something or get a wrong part, they have a replacement overnighted and it's there the next morning. Must be nice... I sure wish they would focus more on details, skills, and how-to's than drama on those shows.

Anyways, I realized I should rename this thread and move it to the "member's builds" section. Any way to do that?
 
Here's an example of how the modifications snowball. Since I'm old, I decided to add aftermarket A/C. I felt like having an electric fan on the condenser was a must. No room to put a puller fan behind condenser, radiator is in the way. Pusher fan in front of condenser hits hood latch crossbrace. Solution: trim crossbrace (which means I'll have to weld in some thicker support metal for strength), move condenser back 1/2" (which means I have to build new condenser brackets, and alter/fab A/C lines to fit ), mount pusher fan on front (build new fan mounts).
fan1.JPG fan2.JPG
 
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