My 5.0 swap is well underway guys. Here's where I'm at. The turbo 4 is long gone, as is the A4LD tranny. I've already cleaned up my engine compartment and painted it.
Not long ago, I installed the EEC harness, an A9P ECM and installed my 5.0 fuel pump harness.
To keep things looking good, I reloomed my EEC harness, as well as the PRC harness while they were easy to get to. After those harnesses were done, I installed my TAB sensor, my TAD sensor and my EGR solenoid on the passenger side strut tower.
When that was done, I pulled the driver's side fender and removed the 4 cylinder cruise control servo. When that servo was keeping the bottom of the trash can company, I installed the V8 cruise control servo and hooked it up to the amplifier. While I was all crammed up under the driver's side of the dash, I also hooked the V8 throttle cable to the gas pedal.
After that was all done, I went over to the other side of the engine compartment and removed the passenger side wheel well. With that out of the way, I mounted the V8 fuel vapor canister and the vacuum ball.
The next thing I wanted to address was the fuel system. The first thing I did was replace the pump. I I dropped the tank and replaced that worthless little stock pump with a 190 lph Walbro.
After I finished with the pump, I removed the old nylon fuel hose and replaced it with new nylon hose.
At this point, I have everything I'm going to need to finish my car except the GT-40 engine, the converter and a few ancillary things like the heater hoses, distributor cap, rotor and serpentine belt..
I contacted Dirty Dog Performance today and gave Alan the go-ahead to build my converter, so I'll have that before long. I've got Mac long-tubes and a matching H-pipe already. I do still need to get the Mac Flowpath lers I'm gonna run and tailpipes though.
Today was spent cleaning and painting all the engine parts that are required to run a GT-40 engine in a Fox chassis car. I've even got a TFS "Stage 1" cam, a set of Trick Flow valve springs and a timing gear set already.
Soon, I'll have the money to buy the engine. Once I have the engine, it shouldn't be long before I have this thing up and running.
I know a lot of you would have bought the engine first, but I thought it was best to buy it last. I wanted to have my car wired, prepped and ready, so that all I have to do is prep the engine for installation, drop it in, then plug and play.
I definitely could have gotten a lot of these things done in a much quicker fashion, but I've been enjoying the work so much, I've just been taking my time. Man I'm having a great time putting this car together!
Sounds like you were looking over my shoulder, I worked on mine off and on for about three months to get everything ready for the 5.0... Dropped it in and fired her up...
I did wait to install the cruse cable(you don't need to replace the complete servo, cables will swap, I still have the original in mine), can be done by pulling inner fender panel...
I also repl the heater core while I had things torn apart...
So you pulled the dash out of your car? Wow! You really did go the whole nine yards when you did your swap.
I saw where you said that you replaced your ATC with an MTC. I can't think of a better time to do that than when you have your dash out of the car.
I figured I'd give the ATC a try, so I can see how much I like it. If it gets on my nerves too much, I'll do what you did and switch to an MTC.
Wasn't me, I've always had the manual system...
My heater core was orig and seeping slightly, so I pulled dash to install the EEC harness, a piece O cake with the dash loose...
BTW, I connected all the sensors to the harness and scanned the EEC for codes prior to installing the engine... Only had two, the transmission switch wasn't connected, and I left the F/P disconnected cause I didn't want to run the new pump...
'Twas Claude who swapped out the ATC.
I had that all screwed up. I wonder why I thought it was Tom that did that.
I thought he swapped it into his car? :dunno:
Claude swapped "
out" the ATC... He swapped "
in" the MTC...
Or maybe I have it backwards???
Not long ago, I bought an EVTM off Ebay. Well, it finally came today. Needless to say, I didn't waste any time digging into the various schematics. One of the first things I did, was to look up the wiring for the low-oil level warning system.
The book showed that the wire that needs to run to the low oil sensor plug, is in a 4 pin connector (in the dash harness), located behind the master cylinder. The wire in question is white, with a pink stripe. For anyone who does a 5.0 swap in a TC, at least you'll know now what wire to splice into to get your low oil level light to function. :D
Hold on dude...here in a couple of days my House Hold Goods will arrive here in Australia and I did a TC 5.0 swap back in 2004 and wrote all of the notes in a notebook. I can tell you which wires can go where to make everything work (Cruise, AC, Ride Control, ABS, Electric Heated Nut Scratcher). With Tom's help in '04 I would have never made it to the finish line without these notes.
I guess that it did not help since I made my own wiring harness from a 93 stang harness which was the "HARD WAY".
Dallas
Hey thanks for the offer of help Dallas. Since I was able to get my hands on an EVTM recently, I should be able to get everything wired up properly. If I still need help though, I'll definitely look you up Buddy. Thanks again.
hello is there any way i can get the wiring diagram showing what pins/wires needing to be changed to swap my 2.3 to a 5.0 . i thought i seen it some where before but cant seam to find it . i have both cars the tc and the sport (the sport was wrecked other plans for it later on ) but want to get rid of the 4banger and any info would be a big help to prepare for the swap i hope to do it in 3 days. so anything i can do to make it easyier would be great . like i said i got the harness from the sport to use but would like to keep some of the tc's options like abs. ride control. etc... if possible . any help now would be a big help. plus will the 5.0 bolt up to the 5 speed manaul im sure it will like i said i want to do this over a weekend so i can still use the car to go back and forth to work.as it is my DD. i can and have in the past on other cars swaped engines and had the going in the same day longass days and they were the same engine (3.0 taurus for a 3.0 taurus ) but nothing like a 4banger to v8 . sorry for the bother but missing the sound of my duals love being heard before seen :shakeass:
thanks
Aaron
Trust me, it isn't a weekend swap(but I work slow)... If you aren't good with electrical, don't even consider it...
For wiring, use the 5.0 engine/EEC harness, but retain the ABS/ride control portion of the original(note the TC has two harnesses)... Still nothing is going to plug in, but most circuits have the same color so it's mostly matching wire color...
You'll only be able to use the original T5 if you have a complete 5.0 clutch assembly which includes flywheel, bellhousing,
clutch cable[COLOR="Red"](this means swapping pedal assembly to a cable type)[/COLOR], and a '89 Probe pilot bearing due to the input shaft pilot is a different size than the 5.0 transmission... You'd be much better off with a V8 tranny, they are stronger and have gear ratios that are far better suited for the 5.0...
Dominator did a write up using a automatic(like I did), I'll see if I can locate the post...
EDIT
Here ya go....
http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?t=17374&highlight=swap
thank you turbocoupe50 that will work out great. i was planing on pulling everything from my sport and do as much preping as posible. before i do the swap :hick: i do have some electrical and mechical back ground. heating and air / computers /engineering (the engineering was something i took in high school and computers i took in collage ) but thank you for the link i will be using it in the future
Aaron
any update on this? I'm enjoying the read and the pointers as I will really be needing them :D
Hey there 88 Turbo. You could say my project got sidetracked. Since I last posted, I found and bought a GT40 engine. When I was taking the intake off to swap out the stock cam with a TFS Stage 1, one of the intake bolts snapped off in the head.
Because of the bolt breaking off in the head, I pulled that head, so I could extract the broken bolt. When I pulled the head, I was surprised to see rust in the #5 cylinder. It wasn't too bad, but it was bad enough that I knew a rebuild was in order. So much for my budget to get this thing together and on the road soon!
The machine shop has already machined the block and heads. They're gonna assemble the rotating assembly (minus the cam) for me this week. I'm gonna assemble the rest of the engine.
I wasn't budgeted for having a rebuild, like I said, so that really set me back schedule-wise on this project. I am happy though, knowing that the engine will be fresh and ready to go. I also find solace in the fact that I'll have the short block back soon, so I can finish assembling the engine and drop that bad boy into the Blackbird.
I have almost everything I'll need to get the car running and drivable. The only parts I need to get at this point would be lers, flow tubes, a hardened input shaft, spark plugs and a trick valve body from Silverfox Racing.
I'll be sure to keep everyone posted on my progress once I get the shortblock back and am able to start working on the Blackbird again.
Sounds great.I'm building a GT40 engine as well using the same cam.I'm going to have the heads ported and worked over including a 5 angle valve job.My engine looked nearly new (It was a low 30,xxx mile engine).The inside looked new everywhere as well).I'll be watching for updates as well.Hope you have some soon.
Wow! It's been a long time since I talked to you. You've helped me more with this project than anyone else. I bought more parts from you than from anyone on here.
Since I'm running an AOD (Dirty Dog non-locking converter flashes to 3200), my car will behave different than your T5-equipped Bird. I've got no doubts that our cars will be a blast to drive though.
I'll definitely keep everyone updated. Good to hear from you Vinnie. Be sure to keep me updated on yours too Buddy.
Will do.I'm at a time-out for the car right now until funds build back up.I'm coming along well.I got the GT40P engine for super cheap,and have acquired most of the parts I need to build it.I'm basically down to seals and gaskets....after the heads are done.I have finned aluminum Cobra valve covers,but I'm thinking I may want something different.I'm looking around.I like a factory look,but not factory (????). I like the idea of a built AOD.I often miss mine.I could bark the tires in the first 3 gears,plus,no constant shifting in this small town.BUT,I have to say,the 5 speed changed the Sport's whole attitude.I won't go back to an automatic with car.Good luck with the build.I hope to see some pics soon.I need to post a few new ones myself.
Well... My block, crank and pistons are all ready to be picked up from the machine shop Monday. I checked the calibration of my torque wrench in the garage today and it's good to go, so I should be all ready to start putting the engine together later this week. If I was going to use ARP head bolts, I wouldn't be quite as concerned about my torque wrench's calibration being spot on. Since I'm using the torque to yield head bolts that came with the FRPP head gasket kit I got from Jegs, I want to KNOW the exact amount of torque I'm putting on those bolts. I don't want to take any chances.
I agree.I can't find my torque wrench,luckily a buddy of mine has one.I'll be watching the head bolts close as well.My heads should be done Tuesday or Wednesday.I'll snap some pics of them.I also dropped off some parts for cleaning and bead blasting.Closer by the day.Can you post a few pics of yours when you get the big parts?
I'll definitely take a lot of pics and share them as I'm building the engine. I was wondering if you're planning on using TTY head bolts, or regular head bolts like ARP's?
I hope you take plenty of pics with your build too. I'd love to see them.
I'll start taking pics tomorrow.I'm using the regular style head bolts.I have a set,so I may as well use them.I'm working "right',but cheap.LOTS of trading,and selling parts for $$ to get what I need and for the machine work being done.I was really lucky to get a 32,000 mile engine for $125.00 as well.It looks new inside....everywhere.I'm VERY curious how much power this will get to the wheels.
I had a good time dressing this engine out today. At this point, I have the rotating assembly is in the block. I put the heads and timing gears/chain on today and degreed the cam. My cam had slightly different specs than the cam card had on it. My cam when installed dot, to dot was actually 2 degrees advanced.
I took some pics and will have those posted in the next day, or two. I'm having a great time with all of this. I can't wait to drive this thing! I can't see how it's not gonna be a blast to drive. Especially since my converter flashes to 3200 RPM. :burnout:
In some of the pics, you'll notice where the paint is thin on the front of the heads. I touched up those areas with paint before I mounted the accessories on the front of the engine.
More pics.
Can anyone tell what personal touch I gave to my upper plenum? I'll give you a hint. It SUCKED! It was tedious work!
NICE !!! I have GOT to get pics,but,I still don't have the heads back yet.I'm going with Ford blue on my engine.I like yours,looking great.I am going to install my polished parts (alternator,tensioner,intake),and hopefully the engine will look half as good as yours does.I'm using the same kind of injectors as you also.Are you getting really anxious yet?I am.I still have some seals and gaskets to get,but that'll happen.What throttlebody are you using?I'm sticking with the 65.It's been great.Also,what cam did you say you're using?.
Thanks for the good words Vinnie. As soon as you get some pics of your engine, be sure to post them. You know we all want to see!!! It sure is frustrating waiting on the last few parts. Isn't it?
For now, I'm gonna stick with the 65mm TB. I'm running the Stage 1 cam, 2 degrees advanced (I degreed the cam and found that when I installed it dot, to dot, it had 2 degrees of advance built into it).
I'm more anxious than I know how to handle!! :) Thanks for the good words. Here's a little test for you. I know you're an expert on these cars. Can you tell how I customized my upper plenum? I hope this drives you nuts trying to figure it out. You have to look really carefully at the last pic to see what's different about my upper.
By the way guys. I know the rear vacuum tube, coming out from under the upper plenum goes to the vacuum tree, but what does the vacuum tube that comes out from under the front of the upper go to? It's the only vacuum tube I don't know what to do with.
You cut off the little built in bracket on the front driver side and cleaned it between the fins after that (I've got to go back and "open the fins" where I removed that little piece as well).I have that intake....except mine is polished.Nice looking intake.I like it better than the Cobra or GT40 personally.
Mine is capped off.Not used at all.
I'll just plan on capping it then. Thanks Vinnie.
For my exhaust, I'm planning on taking the Blackbird to a ler shop that I recently discovered. I'm planning on having them make up my exhaustn from the collectors, back. I'm going to obviously supply the lers and bullet-style cats.
Planning for the future... I want to mount 35 series tires on the rear of the car. Since I plan on using tires that are so wide, wouldn't I have to have the ler shop route my tails under my rear axle, instead of up and over, like you'd normally do? I have doubts about there being enough room between the gas tank and the tires I'm going to run.
One of the nice things about routing your tails under your axle is that you don't have to worry about dragging them on speed bumps, or anything. I WOULD need to be mindful of situations where the rear axle could droop enough to contact the tails though. With this in mind, maybe it would be a good idea to use limiting straps on the rear axle. I'm just thinking out loud here with regards to routing the tails under the axle guys.
Please, please take that fram "filter":toilet: off before you run it!! :D
Lol. Are they that bad? Why do you say that? What oil filter do you recommend?
Well, there has been cases where, Ford engines in particular, were ruined by the filter clogging up the oil passages. I would run a Motorcraft, but there are several good filters, besides using a fram.:D
I use a K&N oil filter.
What do you mean by "35 series tires".I have 275 40 17's out back on 17x10 inch wheels with no issues with the exhaust (2 1/2 inch) at all.I did have to remove the quads though.
K&N makes one of the best filters on the market right now according to a few independent tests. Mobil1 does as well along with the Purolator Pure One line and the old standby Motorcraft ;)
At one time(10+ years ago), a Fram filter was a POS, but I can't believe they are still a inferior product... This past spring I bought a couple oil changes on sale that included a Fram filter and used them on the beater '93 Grand Marquis(bought Purolator for the other vehicles)... No problem with the Fram at all, gave it the winter oil change last week and inst the second Fram... Oil pressure comes up instantly when cold, so at least I know the anti drain back valve is working properly... The Purolator I installed on my mom's '03 Grand Marquis, apparently has drain off and takes three-four seconds to build oil pressure on a cold start(car has 24K mi)... Going to pull it off and maybe install a Fram...
BTW good looking engine...
That's good info to know. I've used Fram oil filters before and never had bad luck with them. I thought it was strange someone would give them bad reviews like that.
Thanks for the good words.
35 series tires are the next step wider from 40 series tires. If your exhaust fits between the tires and gas tank with 40's, maybe I'd be ok running my tails the normal way.
That's interesting. I don't remember seeing K&N oil filters at any auto parts stores (that's not to say that I just didn't notice them). Where do you buy yours at?
I run the Mobil1. The Autozone by me carries both Mobil1 and the K&N brands.
Has anyone installed a 5.0, with AOD bolted up to it in their Bird when long tubes were bolted to the engine? I'm going to have the steering shaft removed.
It would sure be nice if I could install everything assembled this way. Anyone done it this way before?
I did mine with the shorties, dunno with long tubes...
There's a guy near me who has a "Stang shop." He frequents a Stang-specific forum I hang out on from time, to time. He said that he's done tons of installs the way I'm thinking about doing it (with LT's and tranny bolted up). Hopefully I'll have luck doing it that way. We'll see.
Here it is. I installed the oil pressure sender and it's extension today. After that was done, I topped it off with oil. Tomorrow, I'll prelube it and check for any problems.
It's just about ready to drop in!
She's beautiful
I want to touch it........the engine.
Nice!!!
Thanks for all the nice words guys. I hope this thing pulls as hard as I'm hoping it will. I think using a custom converter that flashes to 3200 RPM's and a Silverfox valve body is gonna play a huge role.
On a different note, I'm gonna be using different valve covers. I gave the sheet metal ones you see in the pics a try, but true to form, they just don't want to seal. I checked them before I installed them and they seemed straight, but I'd say they're not straight enough. I could make these sheet metal valve covers seal with RTV, but I don't want to go in that direction. There's a much easier way.
I'm currently on the hunt for some cast aluminum, stock, 5.0 valve covers. They'll obviously be much easier to get to seal. I absolutely hate leaks of any kind! It's like walking around bleeding all over the place!!! I like to use rubber valve cover gaskets, because you can remove your valve covers without having to deal with the mess of RTV.
I pre lubed my engine today. I had good oil flowing out of my rockers and I didn't even need to use a drill to do it. I used a 1/4" ratchet and extension.
As soon as I get the aluminum valve covers and install them, the engine and tranny will be ready to be installed in the Blackbird.
I can't keep up with you.You're doing great work.After today,'ll be done for a while until I get my brackets how I want them,and get the a/c compressor detailed and find a steering pump (I need a ped out pump to swap to Autozone for a new one).I'm installing factory aluminum Stang covers to keep the engine sealed.They are only temporary.I painted them Blue to match the engine.I may use my finned aluminum Cobra valve covers that are on the current engine in the car.I've been looking for something a little different.I said before,I wish there were finned aluminum covers with "Thunderbird" on them.Keep us posted.I love this stuff.
88 Blackbird 5.0; If you were to use the Permatex Ultra-Blue and run a full uninterupted 1/4" bead and let them cure, you can remove them several times without fear of leaks or failure. I used to have a 69' 429 in a pinto wagon (everyone can stop laughing now) and I used that on my valve covers without any problems ever. As I had a solid roller cam in it, I had to remove the covers for regular adjustments. They were still on the car when I sold it and didn't leak. Just my .02 :D
That would be nice if they made valve covers like that. That's ok though. One of the reasons why I love Birds so much, is the fact that they aren't nearly as common as Mustangs.
It looks like you're making some great progress yourself there. You'll have that thing ready to drop in the car in no time! :)
Running for all these small parts will drive you nuts. I know what you're going through.
Thanks for the advice there, but I'm a big fan of not using any more RTV than I have to. I'm just gonna get some stock, aluminum 5.0 valve covers and call it a day.
Over the past few days, I've gotten a lot of work done on the Blackbird. I dropped the engine and tranny in as a unit, but had to leave the passenger side long tube header off the engine to get everything in. After the engine and tranny were in, all I had to do was remove the starter and jack the engine up a few inches. That allowed me to drop that passenger side header into place and bolt it up to the engine.
I'm impressed with the fit of these Mac headers. They don't sit very low at all. I did have to cut the retaining ring off my driver's side motor mount, because it was in the way of one of the header's primaries on that side of the engine.
Without any real difficulty, I was able to install the steering shaft right through the primaries. The top of the collector sockets are too close to the floor pan, so I'm gonna have to do some clearance work there.
I installed the A/C compressor on the engine today and installed the H-pipe. One thing I'm wondering about though, is how the starter cable is supposed to be routed on these cars from the driver's side of the engine compartment over to the passenger side. Also, can anyone tell me how the wire for the low oil sensor is routed?
I've been taking plenty of pics and will have those posted here soon. Man! I'm having fun with this! :D
I can get a coupla pics of how the wire goes in the morning for ya :D
There's a bracket (maybe 2) that bolt to the oil pan that hold it up and away from stuff.
PS, I have engine envy lol. That sucker is NICE!
I wish I'd have super dooper cleaned mine and painted it...ahh well, it WILL get done in the spring!
Can't wait to see the pics.I had thought of long tube headers,but can't make my mind up.For now,My shorty BBKs will be fine.I'll keep my eyes open just in case of a killer deal though.Other than the floor pan issues,were they an easy install?How close to the floor are they?I left the starter cable routing info in the PM I sent you.I'm glad you're making some killer progress.Pics........pics......pics......LOL.
Thanks for the help and kind words Freak and Vinnie. I installed the starter cable this morning like you said, so that's one more thing out of the way. I'm about to install the injector harness. I'm wondering about something though. Where does the clip that goes between the salt and pepper shakers snap on to? Is it supposed to snap onto the back of the upper intake? If so, does an Explorer upper intake have a provision for that clip like a 5.0 upper would? Thanks for any help with this guys.
I dunno about the Explorer intake but A GT40 doesn't...
The Explorer doesn't have that provision either.I got the Dremmel and made a notch like the stock H.O intake.Problem solved.
That's what I did as well.
That's what I'll do then. Problem solved. :)
Well... Today, I installed the injector harness, O2 sensor harness, low oil level sensor, speedo gear in the tranny, tranny harness, the starter cable and the hard fuel lines that run to the injector rail. I also put the battery in it's tray and connected several grounds on the engine and engine bay.
Here are pictures of the progress I've made over the past two days.
more pics
More pics
More pics
Last few
I'm gonna clean the engine compartment back up when everything else is done with the installation. It's hard to believe, but there's fresh paint under all that dust you see.
In the under car pics, you'll see that ugly, unpainted tranny pan. The tranny pan is the only thing on the tranny I didn't paint. I painted the tranny the same color that I painted the engine. I'm going to replace the tranny pan with a deep, finned aftermarket pan before I run the car for the first time.
Great pics.Thanks.Watch the driver side hood scoop with the a/c bracket.There have been members that made contact between the two.I may be using Stang brackets,they are lower under the hood line.I have a couple of questions....
1. how's the clearance on the driver side spark plugs
2.What is the dipstick tube from?Explorer?I have a nearly new one for mine (Fox body assembly),but was just wondering.
That's right. It's from an Explorer Buddy. Explorer dipsticks work better than Fox dipsticks, because they are more vertical (works better getting around the primaries of long tubes)Can I modify the hood somehow to give myself more clearance? If I have to hack on the hood, it might not be pretty.
Most take a little off the top of the steel a/c bracket.I'll be installing my new engine with no a/c (delete kit),then I'll install everything for the a/c after I locate the Stang brackets.
Are you running a k-frame?
Factory K-frame.I would go with a tubular K-Frame,but it's not necessary for daily driving and an occasional run with another car.If I had a free one,sure,but I'm not buying one.
Yeah that happened to me. Busted my freshly painted TC scoop...I would recommend closing the hood VERY carefully the 1st time!
With the 4 bolts at the bottom of the compressor in place,is the top bracket really necessary?
Looking good:D
I forgot how may wires are in the engine bay :hick:
The wiring is 1/3 the weight of the whole car.LOL.
Just whack the top off the AC Bracket. It only needs maybe 1/4" to clear. It's not much. A grinder makes it almost seconds worth of work.
There are a lot of wires on these cars (especially a TC). Lol
I didn't get much done on the Blackbird today. I spent most of the day at various bone yards, looking for small parts. When I got home, I did clean up the power steering pump (took forever to get it nice and clean) and install it. I also did more wiring work.
I've been following your build taking notes for my own build but I have a few questions... since the TC hard fuel lines come up on the drivers side how are you going to tie them in using the stock 5.0 fuel rail? also for the headlight harness did you leave the stock harness and add the wiring for the alternator or? few things that are hanging me up.
I removed the nylon fuel lines that came with the car and replaced them with new nylon fuel lines that I ran down the passenger side of the car.
I haven't wired in my 3G alt yet, but I'm going to use the alt wires in the V8 harness I installed in the car. I'm just gonna cut out the alt wires in the headlight harness.
I'm really enjoying this swap if you haven't noticed.
I know the feelings of enjoying the swap. I'm having a hard time finding time to actually do things on mine. I had thought about taking the alt wiring from the V8 harness but I wanted a second opinion before I took the harness apart. as far as the fuel lines I have heard that you can use a fuel rail from a 5.0 F150 for a direct swap. I think I am going to try to confirm this.
f150's come off the drivers side. If I remember right from looking at my dad's 302 crown vic, the rails are different.
With my situation the hood cleared everything with the stock motor mounts. When I pulled the motor last winter and then installed Chuck W mounts, the bracket hit the hood scoop. I guess my old 180,000 mi mounts were sagging enough to clear. So yeah I just grabbed the trusty grinder and went to work.
I agree with Vin though...I'm not sure the top part is really necessary at all.
I take back my previous comment about using the wires in the V8 harness to wire in my 3G. After reading about it, I'm going to use JCassity's instructions and wire my 3G into the headlight harness.
I didn't get too much done today either. I did install the power steering pump pulley though. After that was pressed into position, I started wiring my 3G in. I had to make another run back to the bone yard to get a 3 pin connector off of a Taurus there. After I got back from getting that, I installed the shifter cable and called it a day. :flip:
Any progress is still progress.Everything you do,no matter how small is still one step closer to finished.All I did over the last two days was have the small water tube on my intake water pipes welded closed after I cut it off.I don't use the throttle body spacer water lines.They also bead blasted it for me and I brought it home,painted and installed it.Little stuff.They didn't charge me after they looked the Sport over.They (guys at the machine shop) thought the car was cool and hadn't ever seen anyone fix one up before,so,they said "don't worry about it" (the price).Cool for me.
Any progress is good progress. That's true. If I'm anything, I'm patient.
I'm trying to get the end of the shifter cable to snap on to the on the shifter linkage up in the tranny tunnel. The plastic bushing that the end of the cable is supposed to snap over is giving me fits. It just won't let the cable snap over it. Does anyone know where I could buy a new plastic bushing? I'm sure that would help.
Chipping away at it. Today I finished wiring in the stator, alternator and ignition wires for my 3G. I also found a new bushing for the shifter linkage. It never ceases to amuze me how many people there are working at auto parts stores who have no clue about what parts they do, or don't stock. When I called around yesterday, looking for those bushings, you'd think I was asking if they had a golden goose. Today, I stopped by Advance Auto Parts and looked for them myself. Sure enough, they had them.
When I got home, I took the old, mangled bushing off the shifter linkage and put a new one on. That allowed me to snap the cable on, so that's one more thing out of the way.
I spent part of the day with my nose in my trusty EVTM. Since I couldn't find a good used O2 harness, I ordered a new one from a guy who makes them (sells them on Ebay). The harness I bought from him was supposed to be pinned for a Fox Stang with an AOD and long tubes. When I checked to see if the harness was pinned properly, I saw that it wasn't. That's why .I had to break out the EVTM and repin the harness. Now that harness is ready to go, I'm about ready to install the upper intake. Once I get that bad boy on, it's gonna really start looking like an engine.
As far as my 3G goes, all I need to do now, is buy some 4 gauge flexible power cable from a car audio store and a 120 amp circuit breaker. That will complete it's installation.
I'm glad to see you're still moving forward.Luckily for me,I don't have any wiring work to do,just swapping heavy parts.LOL.
I would get a 150-175 amp breaker, the 130 amps can supposedly hit up to 160 amps at higher RPM's. Unless you have a 90 amp.
Some guys might mind having to do all the extra work I've been doing, but I'm really glad I'm the one doing it. By the time I pull this thing out of the driveway and onto the road, I'll know exactly what's in it. I'm learning every square in of this car and I'm loving every minute of it!
I saw that Jcassity recommended using a 120 amp fuse in his 3G install instructions. Since my 3G is rated at 130 amps, I thought it was a strange idea to use circuit protection that's rated lower than your alternator, but figured he had a good reason for it. I have easy access to a 150 amp circuit breaker. It would be very convenient for me if I used one rated at 150. Now I'm not sure which way to go on this. :( If my 3G is gonna throw out that many amps under high RPM conditions, I'd have to go with a 150 amp breaker.
I've been focusing on getting my AOD set up right over the past couple of days. Yesterday, I went to the nastiest bone yard in town and robbed a shift lever out of a T Bird there. It's one of those yards that a guy just doesn't go to, unless his options are really limited. That's the situation I found myself in, so I headed over there yesterday morning. It's not unusual for this place to have deep pools of soup under their cars even when there hasn't been rain for weeks. With that in mind, I knew I'd have an interesting day cut out for me considering I needed a part that was under the car. After I built myself a junkyard creeper (seat cushion, headliner and spare tire cover thrown on the ground) to keep me up out of the swamp, I got down to brass tacks. It wasn't fun, but I got the shift lever out of the tranny. After I wiped myself off enough so I didn't look like a freshly-used rectal thermometer, I jumped in the van and headed home. Since I promised my brother I would do some work on his car yesterday, I didn't get a chance to do any real work on mine. Today though (Wednesday), I replaced the bad shift lever in my tranny with the one I robbed from the bone yard yesterday. Even though I was careful with them, 3 of the tranny pan bolts snapped off when I was trying to take them out. I was PISSED! Oh well. I still had enough time left in my day to drill out those bolts and tap one of the holes. I tried extracting the broken off bolts, but got a bad feeling when I tried backing them out. It was taking too much effort to get them to even start to turn. Instead of taking a chance on snapping off an extractor in one of the holes, I decided to drill the holes to size and tap them. tomorrow, I need to tap the other two bolt holes, but that won't take long. I still need to buy a valve body from Dan Gisldorf, but at the moment, don't have the money. It won't be long before I do though, so I want to make sure everything else has been done with the tranny. I want to have it set up so I can install the VB and be ready to go. Oh well. When I have more to report on, I'll share it with you guys. Have a great night!
LOL.I've been to salvage yards like that.They suck,but,tend to have more of the older cars on hand as well.I may be picking up my differential from a yard like that today.I know what you mean about knowing every square inch of the car.I know the Sport.....better than Ford did at this point.When I find myself with people talking about our cars,it feels good to know that I did the work,made the car what it is.Nice.Keep us posted on the work.
Your 3G is gonna throw out that many amps when all your lights, AC, wipers, and other electrical accessories are on. Another thing to consider is whether there is anything else that gets burned up at 150 amps in your electrical circuit. You may need it to pop at 120 to protect something else. Hopefully someone on here can guess if your car will even draw more than 120 amps or not.
Just wait till you have your battery ran dead from leaving your head lights on or jump someone else. The battery is just a load until charged after the car is started. A dead battery or a bad one could pull more then the cars charging system can provide.
It really isn't all that hard to come up with 90+ amps, especially if you have an electric fan, stereo system things like that. I think the electric motors are around 30 amps each if its a duel unit.
If you add up just what your lights are supposed to put out, you'll wonder how your stock alt even powered them at idle.
The way I see it, anything that is going to pull alot of amperage shouldn't fry anything except the alt and what ever is causing the amperage draw. A direct short should pull enough to make the wires melt, which is why you have a breaker/fuse. Voltage yes, but not amperage. If you used the proper wiring gauge, there is nothing to be worried about going with a 150 amp breaker on a system that is designed to hit 130+.
I wonder what the amperage rating is on the stock fuseable links? More then the alt puts out I'm sure.
Amperage is easy to "guess".
wattage divided by voltage equals amps, or something like that.
Both of you guys make some really good points. I'm gonna use high-grade, 4-gauge wire to be on the safe side. Because of that, I'll bet Haystack is right about being safe with the 150 amp breaker.
I should have more money rolling in soon, so I can finish this thing. Just posting an update to let everyone here know what's going on with my project.
Hey,good to see you're still live.LOL. I'm in the same boat.No funds.Once the weather clears,and I get some time (and about $100.00),I can install the engine and differential (and CHE control arms).Nothing going on lately,just waiting patiently.How's everything there?
I just have everything on hold, waiting on more money to come rolling in. It will start rolling in next month. Waiting like this sucks though. We might finish up our Birds at the same time. :D
Any updates?I got my differential and control arms in today.Motor mounts HOPEFULLY tomorrow.What's happening with yours?
Hey Vinnie. No updates yet, but I will have some to give soon. The money is starting to trickle in and I'll should have the money to finish this project in the next few weeks, so I'm amped. :)
I can't wait to hear how you like your LCA's and any other updates you might have.
This sucks! When you own a Lawn Treatment business and have this much snow on the ground heading into March, you know it's gonna be awhile before you're gonna be making any money. :( I'm really getting anxious to start the money rolling in again, so I can finish the Blackbird. I know Spring is right around the corner, but it sure is hard waiting for Mother Nature to do her thing.
It sure looks like it's gonna be a late start for me this year. :punchballs:
I'm in the same boat.To support the Sport,I sell parts and with the weather being total for the last 2 months,no yard trips,no parts grabbing. So,no work on the Sport.I grabbed a couple of parts off the internet,but funds are gone...totally gone,right now.I did manage to get my new headers before they were depleted.Baby steps.....and patience.