Guillaume69 150 Report post Posted November 21, 2014 Very good info. I am going to check the FELPRO website. Again, thanks for the head's up! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guillaume69 150 Report post Posted November 22, 2014 Operation successful! Studs were loose... I torqued them back with sealant and tested the circuit again for leaks and was barely able to pump 13 psi in there. That thing is solved for good and I can now move on... Thank God! G Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guillaume69 150 Report post Posted November 22, 2014 Operation successful! Studs were loose... I torqued them back with sealant and tested the circuit again for leaks and was barely able to pump 13 psi in there. That thing is solved for good and I can now move on... Thank God! G Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shaun071 62 Report post Posted November 22, 2014 Good to see a successful result!! I've built a few engines over the years and old rule was you should always retorque head gaskets after about 200km. Just set the wrench to torque and do the pattern torque again. Some brands of gasket claim you don't need to retorque but for piece of mind I always have. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shaun071 62 Report post Posted November 22, 2014 Good to see a successful result!! I've built a few engines over the years and old rule was you should always retorque head gaskets after about 200km. Just set the wrench to torque and do the pattern torque again. Some brands of gasket claim you don't need to retorque but for piece of mind I always have. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1969_Mach1 333 Report post Posted November 22, 2014 (edited) Glad to hear the coolant leaks were fixed. If you retorque head gaskets I believe in addition to following the pattern at the final torque spec you are supposed to, one at a time, break each bolt loose 1/4 turn (per Fel Pro Tech) then tighten it back to full torque. Again, one at a time, DO NOT loosen all bolts before retorqueing. If you retorque without loosing first it may or may not work correctly. The reason is because you must overcome static friction at both the thread to block interface and the interface below the head of the bolt (or washer) that contacts the cylinder head before the bolt will rotate. This static friction can easily be twice that of sliding friction. So even though the bolt may need retorqueing because the gasket has relaxed, if you do not loosen it first you may not overcome the static friction to rotate it. Edited November 25, 2014 by 1969_Mach1 added text "before the bolt will rotate" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1969_Mach1 333 Report post Posted November 22, 2014 (edited) Glad to hear the coolant leaks were fixed. If you retorque head gaskets I believe in addition to following the pattern at the final torque spec you are supposed to, one at a time, break each bolt loose 1/4 turn (per Fel Pro Tech) then tighten it back to full torque. Again, one at a time, DO NOT loosen all bolts before retorqueing. If you retorque without loosing first it may or may not work correctly. The reason is because you must overcome static friction at both the thread to block interface and the interface below the head of the bolt (or washer) that contacts the cylinder head before the bolt will rotate. This static friction can easily be twice that of sliding friction. So even though the bolt may need retorqueing because the gasket has relaxed, if you do not loosen it first you may not overcome the static friction to rotate it. Edited November 25, 2014 by 1969_Mach1 added text "before the bolt will rotate" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guillaume69 150 Report post Posted November 23, 2014 (edited) Copy all. Thanks for the good advice! I just hope I can access the lower head bolts without having to remove the headers again. Eventhough it's only a 351, man these are a PITA to remove... Edited November 23, 2014 by Guillaume69 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guillaume69 150 Report post Posted November 23, 2014 (edited) Copy all. Thanks for the good advice! I just hope I can access the lower head bolts without having to remove the headers again. Eventhough it's only a 351, man these are a PITA to remove... Edited November 23, 2014 by Guillaume69 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shaun071 62 Report post Posted November 24, 2014 Glad to hear the coolant leaks were fixed. If you retorque head gaskets I believe in addition to following the pattern at the final torque spec you are supposed to, one at a time, break each bolt loose 1/4 turn (per Fel Pro Tech) then tighten it back to full torque. Again, one at a time, DO NOT loosen all bolts before retorqueing. If you retorque without loosing first it may or may not work correctly. The reason is because you must overcome static friction at both the thread to block interface and the interface below the head of the bolt (or washer) that contacts the cylinder head. This static friction can easily be twice that of sliding friction. So even though the bolt may need retorqueing because the gasket has relaxed, if you do not loosen it first you may not overcome the static friction to rotate it. This is an interesting technical discussion we have at my workplace all the time. Most of us are from American helicopters where a retorque is set minimum torque and if the bolt doesn't move its all good. Now we're working on European NH90 helicopters and the retorque procedure is the same as in the quote- back it off then retorque to maximum. Sorry for the thread hijack Guillaume Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shaun071 62 Report post Posted November 24, 2014 Glad to hear the coolant leaks were fixed. If you retorque head gaskets I believe in addition to following the pattern at the final torque spec you are supposed to, one at a time, break each bolt loose 1/4 turn (per Fel Pro Tech) then tighten it back to full torque. Again, one at a time, DO NOT loosen all bolts before retorqueing. If you retorque without loosing first it may or may not work correctly. The reason is because you must overcome static friction at both the thread to block interface and the interface below the head of the bolt (or washer) that contacts the cylinder head. This static friction can easily be twice that of sliding friction. So even though the bolt may need retorqueing because the gasket has relaxed, if you do not loosen it first you may not overcome the static friction to rotate it. This is an interesting technical discussion we have at my workplace all the time. Most of us are from American helicopters where a retorque is set minimum torque and if the bolt doesn't move its all good. Now we're working on European NH90 helicopters and the retorque procedure is the same as in the quote- back it off then retorque to maximum. Sorry for the thread hijack Guillaume Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guillaume69 150 Report post Posted November 26, 2014 It's all good Shaun. I am happy to learn as much as possible. What's the difference between the two helo types, then? Gaskets? Bolts metal? Anyway, I hope my Mustang doesn't shake half as bad as any helo... LOL Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guillaume69 150 Report post Posted November 26, 2014 We are having an incredible fall, here in NW Florida! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SWPruett 83 Report post Posted November 27, 2014 Your car looks absolutely great! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zipppo 11 Report post Posted November 27, 2014 May I ask what the spec are on the wheels and tires? 15x7 with 3.75 Backspacing with 235/60 all around or? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guillaume69 150 Report post Posted November 27, 2014 (edited) Those are 15x7 American Racing Torque Thrust D, that I bought in 2002, with 235/60/15 tires all around. I have no idea what the backspacing is, though. No issues with front stock dimension calipers and still have rear stock drums. Edited November 27, 2014 by Guillaume69 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guillaume69 150 Report post Posted December 6, 2014 Following my aftermarket mechanical voltage regulator issues http://www.1969stang.com/mustang/forum/showthread.php?t=17117, I have replaced it by a nice electronic one. It's flatter, and I like the look of it, for now. I'll swap out the covers later, to get the OEM look back. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guillaume69 150 Report post Posted December 6, 2014 Also, yesterday, I went back to the Dyno shop to finish fine tuning the carburator. With the new distributor, customized valve covers, and screw-in studs sealed and torqued properly, all went fine! We found out the following: - Engine is running a little lean at WOT. Idle and partial throttle are spot on. So I ordered a pair of metering rods (Edel #1450 - 1 stage richer at WOT. See point 2 on calibrating chart). That should do the trick. - With the camshaft I put in the engine, the timing window had to be reduced a little, in order to get more advance at idle without going crazy under power. - Finally, the engine had an "hesitation" (was bogging?) when flooring the accel pedal from idle. We adjusted the position where the link goes into the pump cam so it's closer from the axis and therefore, pumps responds quicker. No more hesitation. Well, all this simply made this engine run better than ever before! 80 Mph in 4th gear on the Interstate feels like a mere cruise and there are tons of torque left to actually go ballistic. Man I love that feel! By the way, final numbers at the rear wheels on the dyno were 250hp, with stock Windsor heads. Not bad at all IMO. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guillaume69 150 Report post Posted December 11, 2014 (edited) Installed the new metering rods. Very simple, as described in the Edelbrock manual. Then went for a test ride. When engine is warm, I can now floor it in 2nd and the car shoots forward without a single carb related bogg or hesitation. Very nice and linear throttle response, with a hard pedal all the way, getting harder when hitting the secondaries. Of course, traction becomes an issue as soon as I do it with engine revving above 2500 rpm. Fantastic feeling to say the least! Car is very fast as well, with original 3.00 rear-end and 4-speed top loader. Edited December 11, 2014 by Guillaume69 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guillaume69 150 Report post Posted December 11, 2014 Lastly, the guys at the dyno shop told me that with the Camshaft I have now, 8-10 degrees of advance at idle (vacuum unplugged), is not enough anymore. They set it at 20! And in order to not exceed 36 under load, they changed the distributor settings (springs) to allow a 15 degres only timing "window" (20-35). And that seems to work real good as well. Engine is a lot more civilized at idle, especially when cold. I am a happy fellow Mustanger right now! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guillaume69 150 Report post Posted January 7, 2015 Precious moment captured on the way back from work tonight. What if this was as good as it gets? This post is dedicated to those who believe they might never see their car back on the road. This hobby is worth every busted knuckle... G Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RPM 1,190 Report post Posted January 7, 2015 Very very cool pic! Think I'll be the first to steal it :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DRASTiK 22 Report post Posted January 7, 2015 Agreed. Thanks for the update, congrats on the progress! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guillaume69 150 Report post Posted February 13, 2015 Hello everyone! Little update here. I finally got time to set the rear bumper correctly. As a matter of fact, it was not lined up nicely. It's a repo from the mid-90s, and the brackets look stock. Shimming the brackets didn't really help as even if it did straighten it a little, it also moved the bumper "away" from the car, which did not look good. So I decided to work on the brackets instead. Got my measurements (basically lowering the tabs where the brackets to frame bolts go, to set the bumper higher) and had my welder friend do the job for me. Here's the fit before the mod: And this is how it looks now: I am very happy with the result! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shaun071 62 Report post Posted February 13, 2015 Nice job on the rear bumper. I have a new repro and the fit isn't good. Then again the original never looked quite right either Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
