waketek516 10 Report post Posted April 6, 2014 More progress on the brackets today... almost ready to get it all clear! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RPM 1,190 Report post Posted April 6, 2014 Very nice fab work indeed. Think you can match those weld beads??? Bob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waketek516 10 Report post Posted April 7, 2014 Very nice fab work indeed. Think you can match those weld beads??? Bob Haha - I'm not that good yet, but luckily most of the small welding I have to do won't be seen once the car is finished. Mine are structurally sound, but not as clean as those. haha Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waketek516 10 Report post Posted April 15, 2014 Got the column taken apart last night so I can start modifying it for the Rod & Custom Rack setup. This will be used temporarily so that I can steer the car around the garage. Eventually it will get replaced with an aftermarket column. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Burn 14 Report post Posted April 16, 2014 (edited) You're making some good progress! Keep up the good work. :-) Another vote for Grabber Blue! Edited April 16, 2014 by Burn vote Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waketek516 10 Report post Posted April 17, 2014 More progress today... Got the last of the brackets and the strut braces off: Here's the underside after getting all the brackets off. Just have to grind down the spot welds: And for the first time - I mocked up the cross brace. Good news here is that the rails are arrow-straight, so I don't think the front end of this car was ever damaged. It fit in perfectly with little force, and lines up perfectly: And here you can see where I'll have you cut down the top pinch weld/lip of the rail to properly box in the upper shock/control arm mount Next up is to clean up the rails, and mark the alignment of the crossmember for welding: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waketek516 10 Report post Posted April 22, 2014 Yesterday I got the pinch welded lip cut out, and ground down the rails in preparation for the welder coming today: The rail splits on the seam, but he'll close that back up: And the centerlines marked out on the rails Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waketek516 10 Report post Posted April 22, 2014 Welder got here today, and took about 90mins to get everything welded in. He stick welded the whole thing which was super cool to watch. Although not as clean as the "roll of dimes" you'd see with some mig welds, these are SUPER strong: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waketek516 10 Report post Posted April 23, 2014 So today was a 13hr day.... We started the day grinding down the slag off the welds, and then shooting some rattle can primer on it so that it won't rust. Primered up! While waiting for paint to dry (literally) - we decided to tackle the bearings and races. Rod & Custom uses a GM style Rotor/Hub assembly, and require that you install the correct Ford bearings and races. Removing the races was a BITCH, and required a torch, dremel, screwdrivers/chisels, and a BFH! After that the rest was pretty straight forward.... Just bolting up the A-Arms, Shocks, Spindles, and Brakes: Then mounted the wheels up: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waketek516 10 Report post Posted April 23, 2014 And finally, after 2 months... she was back on her own wheels! We set the suspension super low just to see how it looked. The rake is really aggressive, but looks MEAN! haha I won't run it that low, obviously, since with a motor in there it would probably scrape the floor. haha Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rip Rock 13 Report post Posted April 24, 2014 When I did the rod and customs front end on mine I put in a 5.4mod. The problem was the hole locations for the motor mounts. I moved the hole locations ahead 1.5". The motor hit the heater and break cylinder, and the tires were centered in the wheel well. About 9 times with the engine and trans in and out before I got it good. I'm courious if you have to move the engine hole locations with the 4.6. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waketek516 10 Report post Posted April 24, 2014 When I did the rod and customs front end on mine I put in a 5.4mod. The problem was the hole locations for the motor mounts. I moved the hole locations ahead 1.5". The motor hit the heater and break cylinder, and the tires were centered in the wheel well. About 9 times with the engine and trans in and out before I got it good. I'm courious if you have to move the engine hole locations with the 4.6. Did you cut the motor mount brackets, or just drill new holes? I'm hoping I don't have to do either. We measured from the mounts on the motor backwards towards the trans, and it looks like like right were the taper is in the trans after the bell housing is where it will approach the firewall (if that makes sense). So with our rough measurements so far - it's looking okay. We'll know for sure this weekend since that's when we're going to attempt to drop the motor in! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rip Rock 13 Report post Posted April 24, 2014 Just drilled new holes forward. And had to cut and re-weld the cross member as well to compensate. Found out I couldn't use a bigger pan and had to stick with the stock pan. Hope she works out for you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waketek516 10 Report post Posted April 25, 2014 Got the steering rack on today... pretty straight forward: Next up is the column so I can steer the car. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waketek516 10 Report post Posted April 29, 2014 So in preparation in getting the column in, I decided to tackle restoring the lower dash. I don't have a "before" pic, but I used a few sessions of Aircraft Stripper on the front side to get the black paint off. I then turned to the back side. It was heavily surface rusted, so I started with a wire wheel on a drill to break up all the loose stuff: I then used the POR15 prep spray which starts to etch into the rust and turn it a black and white chalky color. You spray it on, and keep doing so for 20mins so that it doesn't dry for 15-20mins: After that you rinse it with a hose, and let it dry completely. This is where you can see how it has already started converting the rust: Then you apply the actual POR15 with a brush. 2-light coats later, and this thing will never rust again :) Here's a collage of the before, during, and after... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stangme428 33 Report post Posted April 30, 2014 looking good!! great progress!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waketek516 10 Report post Posted May 1, 2014 Well after looking at more pics I saw that you CAN mount the column without having to put the dash in, so I went that route. I cut off the pedal support bracket I needed since I won't be using those pedals for this car: Then you have to cut the rag joint off the end of the steering shaft, insert the DD shaft, and weld it. This was a tricky weld since you're welding the solid shaft into a thinner wall tube with gaps on the flat part. This was the first real important weld I've had to do on the car, and I was pretty satisfied with it! :) This now allowed me to hook up the steering for the first time since this car was stripped down in 1995!!! I also slapped a fender on just to see how slammed it is at its lowest settings! haha Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
