ksquared

Ash, there is an old joke about the Phoenix cowboy who died and went to hell. He wired back for his jacket:clown: Just checked my original radiator and it's a 20 inch 3 row design. Probably marginal for a nearly 500hp 428 in the desert.:sweatdrop:

I visited Total Seal today. They are a few blocks from my work. Talked with Keith Jones. He was very helpful and has actually built a number of 428's in the past. We ended up talking in his office for almost 45 minutes. Bottom line is I'm going with the TSS rings. He talked me out of my idea of ceramic coatings for the combustion chambers, valves & exhaust ports. The money I save there is going toward a half day of engine dyno time at a nearby shop. That should be very productive.:thumbup1:

Flex fan, shroud, electric fan in front of radiator and Redline Water Wetter. I don't have A/C or a trans cooler (stick shift) to deal with. I will be installing an oil cooler (ala SCJ) and a power steering cooler. Temps here can get above 112 F or 44 C. Back in 1991 it got to 122 F or 50 C! I won't be driving the Stang in that kind of weather. :sweatdrop: How about where you are?

Just checked. My radiator is a 20" 3 row version. I'm thinking that might not be big enough for a warmed up 428 in Phoenix, AZ.:scared:

sportsroof69 - I'm thinking TSS Street rings. I don't think the TS1 rings are necessary for my engine but I solicit comments. I don't have any experience with their products. Maybe I'll give them a call tomorrow. Actually they are about 2 miles from my work. Maybe I'll go visit them. btw - I watched your video. You really hooked well. What gear ratio are you using?

Anyone have experience with Total Seal piston rings? Good/bad? Thinking about them for my 428.

My car started life as the 351W 290hp. It's maturing into a 428. Was there a difference in radiators between these two engines?

Did some research & talked to a guy at Gear Vendors today. Looks like a no brainer. I'm keeping the excellent top loader, going with a 3.73 rear gear and a Gear Vendor overdrive. Thanks for the tip about them!

I thought about the fork trick but that would apply pressure to the minutes hand. Bend that and it's boohoo time. Just pulling & rocking didn't do it for me. If I tried harder, I'd rip my finger nails off. The rotating motion is what did the trick. Hey, that minute hand had been on there for 43 years!

Looks like the Gear Vendors item is about $3k which is a little bit more than the TKO trans. If I go with my top loader, I have to redo it because it was used with a 351W & I'm doing a 428. Got some figuring to do. No, I don't have a shaker but that might be a future option. Why do you ask?

BTW - how do you like your TKO 5 speed? How does it shift? My comparison is the top loader with a Hurst Competition Plus shifter.

Just did mine 2 nights ago. The included paper instructions were adequate, just follow them. One challenge I had was removing the second hand. It was really on tight. I had to rock it and rotate it before it would come off. The rest was by the book. When reassembling, I left off the 3 grommet washers (part no. 10) because the 3 plastic pegs are a bit short. I've had it running on my bench from a power supply since then with no problems. Just be careful with the hands as I don't know if replacements are available. If your clear plastic lens is a bit ruff, use some Novus No. 2 plastic polish. My clock now looks & runs like new.:thumbup1:

Am trying to rationalize trans choices. I have a good Ford 4sp top loader but I just learned of the Tremec TKO500 & TKO600 5 spd trans. That overdrive would allow me to go with a 3.73-4.11 rear gear & still survive on freeway drives. With the 4sp, I'll probably stay with a 3.50 gear. Not sure if a T5 trans is an option. Anyone know of a good 5 speed overdrive trans that will work in a 69? Engine is a 428 CJ with torque approaching 500 ft lb & 460 hp. Anybody been there - done that?

The goal is to improve the exhaust port. The EGR ports on 428 CJ heads have a rather large "hump" extending into the port. I suppose this was to get the Thermactor air well into the exhaust stream. I'm not using EGR. These "humps" look rather large. Do they cause much restriction? Don't know. I don't yet have a flow bench or scrap heads to experiment with. Was hoping someone on this forum had experience with these heads. I'm calling DOVE tomorrow to see if they have an idea.

Yep. I've ported a number of heads (mostly Chevy). Yep, it's lots of work. I'm just doing a light cleanup of flashing & mild blending. Removal of those EGR ports is tempting but if the results are small, I'll pass. I'll check out the link. Thanks.

Has anyone determined the value (if any) of removing the EGR protrusions in the 428 CJ head exhaust ports. Looks like it would be worthwhile but I don't have a flow bench and a stack of heads to experiment with.