69 mach 408w build

[Pyetime 10]

Your hard work is inspiring. Cant wait to see the final results.

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

surprise, but the car looks the same! i've just been working on small details.

 

this was the best i could come up with for mounting a 5" tach. i wanted something that would be relatively easy to remove (i.e. a car show) with little remnants that a tach was there and also mounted in a location that would make it function. so i put it on the pillar. i basically put three 1/2" holes in the pillar trim. recessed below the holes in the pillar trim are two welded in nuts and a connector. to remove the tach, i just need to remove two screws and pull the plug. i still need to get some better looking hardware and paint the bracket.

 

at this point i can now black out the pillars when the time is right.

 

 

 

i also got the instrument lights working...

 

here is a pic of the regulator that was smoking. i'm not really sure what the problem was but you can see some black remnants around one of the wires.

 

here are the guts of a motorcraft regulator. i've moved the cover over to this one.

 

 

as mentioned the car looks the same. i'm working on the brake lines. i have the line lock and proportioning valves mounted...

 

 

[Fordrevhead 29]

Mmmmm, line lock. Yum.

 

What did you run for fuel line?

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

Mmmmm, line lock. Yum.

 

What did you run for fuel line?

 

yep. i guess for a little fun if it's really needed. the switch you may recall will be the rim blow.

 

 

1/2" cunifer from the fuel pump back. if i were to do it again (and probably will at some point), I would just run 1/2" aluminum hardline.

 

the following is a copy from post #206.

 

Robbmc fuel pump sender. it's got 1/2" feed and return lines. if i had to do it again i would have paid a little more to get them with AN-8 fittings. instead i had to cut the rib off and install a compression hard line adapter.

 

 

i couldn't find a good mechanical pump with a filter so i had to get an inline filter. this was from RobbMC and flows something ridiculous. It's got a replaceable filter.

i'm trying to stuff it inline up on the frame rail in the wheel well so hopefully it won't be too noticeable.

 

i installed 1/4-20 threaded inserts into the frame and made a bracket to hold the filter.

 

 

 

i have a roll of 1/2" cunifer which is a 90/10 copper/nickel allow. it bends just like copper. i'm using a 1.5" radius bender from Rigid. I've discovered that bending lines is a major pain and confusing. it's quite difficult to figure out the next bend and how to make it given the physical obstacles on the car (while the tube is at odd angles) and given the constraints of the bender. i bought a 10' roll of 3/8 ID copper tube to play with first.

 

the cunifer has a tint to it. i was able to get a couple of different appearances out of it by:

 

1. polish with a loose wheel and rouge.

2. polish with a spiral wheel and tripoli.

3. wire wheel

 

i'll probably end up polishing the lines with the spiral wheel. the rouge produces a beautiful finish but too flashy for this car.

 

rouge on the left, tripoli in the middle section and wire wheel on the very far right.

 

comparison of the rouge and the wire wheeled finish

 

tripoli finished section. i got some 1/2" stainless clamps from Altha fastener. unfortunately i couldn't find any that could work with the original size fastener. so i had to install 10-24 threaded inserts into the existing holes. because this slightly lifted the clamp, i had to make a slight bend in the clamps and grind a little off the end. minor detail.

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

if you're really, really bored you can play this video.

 

i was also running through some of the gears. at the very end it was idling about 900 rpm.

 

sorry for the ugly guy. there's nothing i can do to fix that.

 

[Angel 24]

Did you do anything with the shock towers? Like, to re-enforce them or something? I see the export brace but any other tricks?

Edited October 12, 2011 by Angel

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

Did you do anything with the shock towers? Like, to re-enforce them or something? I see the export brace but any other tricks?

 

i welded in plates (1/4"? I can't remember. should have angled them a little bit) to the shock tower.

 

 

i also made psuedo big block tower reinforcements. it allowed me to weld the edges as well without noticing. you can see the end result in this pic:

 

[Angel 24]

Looks beautiful! You said the rim blow will activate the line lock. So will you be installing a horn or not?

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

You said the rim blow will activate the line lock. So will you be installing a horn or not?

 

the one switch in the console selects the function of the Rim Blow switch. In one position it will function normally to to allow the Rim Blow switch to control the horns. In the other position it will function to allow the Rim Blow switch to control the line lock and two step rev limiter (if enabled by the other switch in the console). If the console switch is in the position to select the line lock function, an LED will light in the switch itself. Thus during normal driving i don't want to see the LED on.

 

Very small current will pass through the small switches and the horn switch. I have two relays to pass the higher currents.

 

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

if by vintage you mean something like a Sun tach strapped to the steering column with a spiral clamp then i probably won't. i already had to deal with repairing this column. and i hate looking at those clamps.

 

i setup the tach with a connector and mount quickly removable for a reason. the only trace with be 3 holes in the pillar trim which most people won't be able to see at a car show (i hope anyway). what i do hate about this tack is the clamp. it has foam band for vibration, but i do have some ideas on potential ways to get rid of that and still have some vibration control.

 

if you have a suggestion for a functional tach (not a 3" or smaller and with a shift light function), i would certainly be open to suggestions and how to mount it. pictures would be great. i don't want to replace the standard gauges either.

 

thanks for the feedback!

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

stainless brake line suck!

 

i had ordered stainless but i knew i was going to need to make mods to accomodate the line lock and proportioning valve.

 

i did several samples until i felt happy. i damaged two sets of dies during the learning curve. but it can be done. i had performed a lot of searches trying to find answers with an array of opinions ranging from you can't do it to it's a piece of cake.

 

i probably did 10 or so flares before i almost think i know what i'm doing.

 

it seems prep is the big part and the second part is knowing how hard to crank down on the tool. i think i was using too much force causing the die (holder) the start to break down. each new die ended up costing about $25.

 

in any case here is what i did...

 

i start by using a fine hack saw and the back side of the die to cut off the line.

 

 

while it's still in the clamp i file it square and flush.

 

 

 

i then use about a 1/8" or so bit to debur the inside.

 

i simply used a piece of 220 on a D/A to scuff the outer edge. this is the result.

 

 

 

i then clamp it in. i used a piece of tape to monitor if it was being forced back out of the die (this is one part of "the feel").

 

it's then ready for the final step. i use just a little grease on the tip.

 

final result. i split the stainless on the very first two flares. i haven't split any since.

 

 

soon, i'll discover that most of them will probably leak...

[70mstang 11]

I like the last line "soon, i'll discover that most of them will probably leak... "

I ordered the pre-bent stainless for mine and still ended up having to bend them to fit. I've heard that stainless has more tendancy to leak than the softer steel lines but so far I've been lucky and haven't had any .. knock on wood.. I never had to make a flair so commend you highly for giving it a try. I hope things go your way and you get no leaks =)

[TexasEd 188]

We could really use an index to all the projects in this thread. There are so many things I want to reference again later, but I have to sift through it page by page to find the right section because the forum search function does not take you to the actual post, but only to the thread.

[stangme428 33]

Wow! Great work!

[Cornerstone 15]

We could really use an index to all the projects in this thread. There are so many things I want to reference again later, but I have to sift through it page by page to find the right section because the forum search function does not take you to the actual post, but only to the thread.

 

I know what you mean... im going to make my own the next time i read it from start to finish. When I'm trying to show a buddy some of his work, it would be nice if I could go straight to the page I need. It really is a huge help when I only have a short period of time to work on my car, to reference the job before i start. Thanks again for the documentation of it all. :)

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

I know what you mean... im going to make my own the next time i read it from start to finish. When I'm trying to show a buddy some of his work, it would be nice if I could go straight to the page I need. It really is a huge help when I only have a short period of time to work on my car, to reference the job before i start. Thanks again for the documentation of it all. :)

 

i could use the same :)

 

i routinely dig back through to find details that i've forgotten. i'm getting old...

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

i spent the day finding and fixing brake line leaks. i still have two connections to deal with. i'm currently using dot 5 (silicon) as i was expecting brake fluid to get everywhere. most of the issues were simply connections not tightened. i had a couple of the speed bleeders that i only had about 1/3 of the way, so they did a nice job of spraying. one connection needed reflared. i'm probably going to have to reflare the two at the master cylinder.

 

backed it out of the garage for the first time under it's own power. it's been about 18 years since i moved this car around on it's own...

 

 

[ak70stang 11]

 

backed it out of the garage for the first time under it's own power. it's been about 18 years since i moved this car around on it's own...

 

That is awsome!!

[Junior2561 10]

Awesome, congratulations

[stangme428 33]

congrats!!! thanks for the inspiration, hope to have my 69 moving under its own power this year... gonna be close!!! i think i took her apart in 99 to weld in shock tower supports and it just snowballed from then...:thumbup1:

[Blue08 10]

This is my first forum type thing ever! I stumbled upon it while trying to figure out how to hook up my throttle to the new carb and as soon as i saw you fixing up your car Buckeye I knew I was eventually going to have to join and share too, seeing how you're fixing everything is extremely inspirational, and I check constantly for new updates and renewed inspiration! My '69 convertible was parked over 20 years ago, hasn't moved since, got put under a tarp and at some point had rats move in and destroy everything, wires, carpet... surprisingly not the leather seats... So I've been doing tons of repairs and make overs on everything also. Up til this project all I've ever done to a car was an oil change, and knew nothing of how to take apart or fix anything on a car so I've been learning as I go. But back to the "shock tower reinforcement" ... this is why my dad parked it 20 years ago, have any of you had this problem before? Or seen a shock tower this bad?

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

wow. that's an impressive picture!

 

looks like you're a prime candidate for a new shock tower! i was fortunate to start with a car having good tower's.

 

i'm glad you can feed off this project like i have on others projects.

 

good luck.

[Blue08 10]

I have a question for you buckeye~ I noticed you also have nothing over the gas tank and have the whole trunk stripped down. My car was missing everything in the trunk other then the thick, I'm guessing was a sound padding? over the tank, which was soaked with rat pee and still wet after 20 years... which I quickly disposed of... So I don't really know what it's suppose to look like. I was thinking a stainless steel diamond plate trunk would be nice, and seeing you make all this custom stuff for your car is inspiring me to want to try and make it. Any ideas on what you're going to do? Also any updates? I'm really excited about your car! how soon til you do a burn out video? :w00t: just kidding... kind of... maybe? I'm scared to try with mine because I didn't rebuild anything from the tranny to the back :(

Edited October 19, 2011 by Blue08

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

the trunk will get the stock type sound deadener material over the gas tank and trunk mat along with all the other little stock treatments. nothing fancy.

 

i'm guessing i have at least a year before it get's on the road legally anyways. finished is another story...

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

finished up the brakes. i had to make a new set of stainless lines that connect the master cylinder to the distribution block. this master cylinder used smaller fittings and i tried to cut the flares off the new stainless lines and reflare. they didn't turn out well mainly because the line had slight curves in that area. so they leaked. i basically used a small propane torch to form new stainless lines. i flared the ends before making the final curves.

 

i tucked the line lock about as far out of site as i could. it made bending lines and mounting quite a pain. i also added a connector for the line lock wiring.

 

i put another proportioning valve as the one that comes with the CSRP kit looks horrible and was silver. the residual valve is tucked just around the corner in the transmission tunnel.

 

 

 

finally picked an exhaust. i struggled a lot with this choice and listened to lots of different sound clips. it's really difficult to read about people's opinion's on the subject.

 

i really liked the sound of the spintech's and flowmaster's at idle. however there were just too many people complaining about the drone (even though some claim there is none). i like the sound of the magnaflow's off idle but it's a little too quiet at idle for my liking.

 

so i ended up choosing this particular muffler which is a Borla XR-1 Sportsman. It's a straight through design (hopefully no drone...) and it's 15% smaller in size as compared to a magnaflow (hoping it's just a little louder at idle). i also had a stainless requirement so that narrowed the field a little bit. there doesn't seem to be many people using this particular muffler so i guess i'll add an option to the mix once i get some sound.