Author Topic: Today I... (Read 749238 times)

77 TA man · « **Reply #1000 on:** February 23, 2016, 06:07:47 PM »

Today I....
Started working on getting the early '77 shaker and the rear spoiler pieces sanded down to get prepped for white primer. I'm going to use some of my left over Royal Gloss Blue paint to paint engine call outs on the shaker with the use of a construction paper stencil. Definately not priority but doing what I can when I can...

77 Pontiac · « **Reply #1001 on:** February 23, 2016, 06:27:26 PM »

I played around with my new hvlp spraygun today - never used one before so bit of steep learning curve, but youtube came in handy for getting started.. painted some suspension parts black with agricultural enemal paint, turned out quite nice - and should be way more durable than cheap rattlecan paint

cal30_sniper · « **Reply #1002 on:** February 24, 2016, 12:39:54 AM »

Quote from: tajoe on February 23, 2016, 05:55:10 PM

When I 1st saw your reworked intake Cal, I thought it was a RAIV, or 455HO manifold. I have a set of 191, (71 455HO heads), and some-one had done the blockoff to the crossover passage like you're doing. Never had it on the road tho.
Not sure what your intent with that modification is, but if you drive it on the street, you may want to invest in a manual choke. Makes life "so" much more pleasant, when driving through the warm-up cycle.

Mainly just trying to lighten things up a bit, and I really wanted to fill the crossover in the heads. After having played with header design in college, I can't see how there wouldn't be a major impact on the exhaust scavenging by having two exhaust ports on each side of the head tied together and linked across. Whatever exhaust pulse you have going out headers would be dampened by all the interlinked passages between those 4 cylinders, much like running the old 3-tube headers. I'll be going Eddy heads when I build the larger cube motor later on, so I won't need the crossover with those either.

77 TA man · « **Reply #1003 on:** February 24, 2016, 12:00:41 PM »

It was a mix of black paint and grey primer, I'm trying to get the black off and down to the factory white paint before going any further.

Casey · « **Reply #1004 on:** February 24, 2016, 02:53:19 PM »

^Good times. I was almost tempted to dremel out the back on mine so the scoop would be opened, but since no one had hacked into it already I couldn't in good conscious.

« **Reply #1004 on:** February 24, 2016, 02:53:19 PM »

77 TA man · « **Reply #1005 on:** February 24, 2016, 08:54:01 PM »

Quote from: Box on February 24, 2016, 02:53:19 PM

^Good times. I was almost tempted to dremel out the back on mine so the scoop would be opened, but since no one had hacked into it already I couldn't in good conscious.

Not only has the scoop opening been butchered, it has also been repaired. Under the grey primer patch on it there is a fiberglass repair on it. Almost Nothing on my car hasnt been dickered with at some point by a previous owner. Although from what I've seen from the front wiring it is still untouched so thats good.

Ford5of5 · « **Reply #1006 on:** February 25, 2016, 02:00:34 PM »

Today I looked at a 2010 Silverado 2500 with long bed and 2wd. I can not believe how hard it is to find standard cab, long bed without 4x4. Everything seems to be crew cab and extended cabs these days. Any members own a 2500? What's the milage like? I never owned/needed anything bigger than a 1500/c-10/k-10 and I'm rather addicted to 6cyl these days. I like 16mpg compared to the 8 mpg that I use to get with my old v8 4x4's.

roadking77 · « **Reply #1007 on:** February 25, 2016, 04:22:48 PM »

t/a man, it looks like they filled in the drain hole. That may be the fiberglass patch you are seeing.

79GoldnTan · « **Reply #1008 on:** February 25, 2016, 06:45:28 PM »

Have a 13 GMC 2500. 4x4 get around 12. On the highway around 14. Hook up the job trailer about 8. Not sure if two wheel is much better but you won't find a better truck than a Chevy 2500.

77TAfromMO · « **Reply #1009 on:** February 26, 2016, 06:06:10 PM »

Today I committed to building a 455 for my 1977 TA. It may be a slower build as cash will be tighter than planned. Hoping to build it to about 600hp. Big dilemma is should I sell my 72cc E heads with round ports and invest in larger cc heads or just throw in some reverse dished Pistons ?

77 TA man · « **Reply #1010 on:** February 26, 2016, 07:37:21 PM »

Quote from: roadking77 on February 25, 2016, 04:22:48 PM

t/a man, it looks like they filled in the drain hole. That may be the fiberglass patch you are seeing.

. From 3 o clock to 6 o clock the whole outer edge is fibeglass. You can see the crack marks better on the bottom. For my B-Day I got an aluminum intake and an Eldebrock carb, that should make the 400 run real nice.

Casey · « **Reply #1011 on:** February 26, 2016, 10:06:54 PM »

Thinking about giving in a buying a Mustang... *shivers*

cal30_sniper · « **Reply #1012 on:** February 27, 2016, 09:59:24 AM »

Quote from: 79GoldnTan on February 25, 2016, 06:45:28 PM

Have a 13 GMC 2500. 4x4 get around 12. On the highway around 14. Hook up the job trailer about 8. Not sure if two wheel is much better but you won't find a better truck than a Chevy 2500.

I get the same mileage out of my 86 C20 Suburban (3/4 ton 2WD). Only difference being I get 10mpg towing around 9-10k lbs. 454, tri-ys, true duals, eddy intake, quadrajet, and ram air box, with a NV4500, 3.73s, and 265/70/17s on hummer H2 rims. Only thing better than a Chevy truck is an old Chevy truck!

72projectbird · « **Reply #1013 on:** February 27, 2016, 10:56:34 AM »

Quote from: cal30_sniper on February 27, 2016, 09:59:24 AM

I get the same mileage out of my 86 C20 Suburban (3/4 ton 2WD). Only difference being I get 10mpg towing around 9-10k lbs. 454, tri-ys, true duals, eddy intake, quadrajet, and ram air box, with a NV4500, 3.73s, and 265/70/17s on hummer H2 rims. Only thing better than a Chevy truck is an old Chevy truck!

Amen!

Here's my 73 I'm building up:

cal30_sniper · « **Reply #1014 on:** February 27, 2016, 01:43:52 PM »

Quote from: 72projectbird on February 27, 2016, 10:56:34 AM

Quote from: cal30_sniper on February 27, 2016, 09:59:24 AM
I get the same mileage out of my 86 C20 Suburban (3/4 ton 2WD). Only difference being I get 10mpg towing around 9-10k lbs. 454, tri-ys, true duals, eddy intake, quadrajet, and ram air box, with a NV4500, 3.73s, and 265/70/17s on hummer H2 rims. Only thing better than a Chevy truck is an old Chevy truck!

Amen!

Here's my 73 I'm building up:

The earlier squares are awesome. I'd love to do the round-eye conversion on mine someday.

Here's mine:

« **Reply #1014 on:** February 27, 2016, 01:43:52 PM »

gm muscle · « **Reply #1015 on:** February 27, 2016, 03:47:04 PM »

I think your Suburban looks great as it is.

72projectbird · « **Reply #1016 on:** February 27, 2016, 04:52:36 PM »

Quote from: cal30_sniper on February 27, 2016, 01:43:52 PM

The earlier squares are awesome. I'd love to do the round-eye conversion on mine someday.

Your burb looks great as it is!

I have a buddy with a 75 Burb and they do look really good as a round eye truck.

Casey · « **Reply #1017 on:** February 27, 2016, 06:34:53 PM »

All I heard was 454 with a stick, that's one truck I wouldn't mind driving. Then again my idea of an ideal truck is an El Camino.

79GoldnTan · « **Reply #1018 on:** February 27, 2016, 07:40:25 PM »

Yes sir. All my trucks are work trucks and I keep them along time. This one only has 43k on it, one before that was 01 Chevy 8.1 Allison trans. 200k still ran great just getting crusty,one before that 88 Chevy 350 auto 275k never a problem all my trucks haul ,tow,plow. Hopefully this will be my last new truck.will be looking for 67 to72 c10 to retire with.

restoring81t/a · « **Reply #1019 on:** February 27, 2016, 10:58:17 PM »

Finished installing my PTFB solid body bushings. I stripped the passenger cage nut and had to remove the inner fender to access it and fix it.

kali_74TA · « **Reply #1020 on:** February 27, 2016, 11:05:20 PM »

Today I looked at a listing for a 2001 TA...... Couple questions:

1. other then VIN, and possibly seeing car in person, any way to tell if car is 2001 or 1999 from just pictures?
2. what would it run for the below to fix/do and what is a decent tuneup consist of?
- Muffler is loose and rattles
- Could use a decent tune up

Casey · « **Reply #1021 on:** February 27, 2016, 11:42:39 PM »

Really no difference in '99-02 models, '98 had a one year only computer but the sail panel doesn't start bubbling on its own either. Muffler rattling should just be a hanger or the like, that or if it's been replaced and instead of welding it they used clamps they could need readjusted and tightened. Tune-up generally consists of spark plugs, air filter, oil and filter, etc... Fair warning, replacing the spark plugs on a fourth gen would drive a saint to cussing.

kali_74TA · « **Reply #1022 on:** February 27, 2016, 11:46:50 PM »

so about same as on a 95 for the tune up? pain in the ass, lol......guess I would need to have my mechanic shoot me an estimate on that. hmm, maybe I'll call the guy tomorrow...

Casey · « **Reply #1023 on:** February 28, 2016, 02:14:50 AM »

It's a little bit easier on the LS1 as it uses coil on plug versus the Opti-Spark distributor and plug wires that have to be routed a certain way on the LT1. I know on LT1 cars the book says 7 or 8 hours in labour, and the LS1 might be an hour or two less but the main cause for such a long amount of time is you're really supposed to drop the exhaust and pull the starter on the passenger side in order to get to the number 8 plug.

Wait, somebody remind me why do I want a fourth gen again?

kali_74TA · « **Reply #1024 on:** February 28, 2016, 02:47:15 AM »

Quote from: Box on February 28, 2016, 02:14:50 AM

It's a little bit easier on the LS1 as it uses coil on plug versus the Opti-Spark distributor and plug wires that have to be routed a certain way on the LT1. I know on LT1 cars the book says 7 or 8 hours in labour, and the LS1 might be an hour or two less but the main cause for such a long amount of time is you're really supposed to drop the exhaust and pull the starter on the passenger side in order to get to the number 8 plug.

Wait, somebody remind me why do I want a fourth gen again?

just because, that's the best answer i can give

btw, maybe a terrible and stupid question....but, what if you didn't replace the number 8 plug, are the other 7 easy to do? is there anything bad that could happen if you did only 7 vs 8?

FormTA · « **Reply #1025 on:** February 28, 2016, 04:48:38 AM »

I replaced the plugs on the 98 LS engine that I'm installing in my 79 TA. The plugs were burnt so bad.. The gap was huge! How and why it ran so well, I have no idea. The only downside I can see if you leave the one in is the coil pack for that plug is probably stressed and may have a shortened life trying to create a spark across the excessive gap. One of my plugs had a gap that was no longer measured by thousandths....

DeCaff2007 · « **Reply #1026 on:** February 28, 2016, 07:30:49 AM »

I haven't contributed to this thread in a while, so yesterday I...

Finally finished installing the water pump to my house's water supply. I didn't read the instructions the first time and did it totally wrong

Now I just have to pressurize the system. That involves dragging the air hose from my garage to my basement. That's going to be a pain in the ass, so I"ll do that after work tonight

Casey · « **Reply #1027 on:** February 28, 2016, 01:20:37 PM »

Quote from: kali_74TA on February 28, 2016, 02:47:15 AM

Quote from: Box on February 28, 2016, 02:14:50 AM
It's a little bit easier on the LS1 as it uses coil on plug versus the Opti-Spark distributor and plug wires that have to be routed a certain way on the LT1. I know on LT1 cars the book says 7 or 8 hours in labour, and the LS1 might be an hour or two less but the main cause for such a long amount of time is you're really supposed to drop the exhaust and pull the starter on the passenger side in order to get to the number 8 plug.

Wait, somebody remind me why do I want a fourth gen again?

just because, that's the best answer i can give

btw, maybe a terrible and stupid question....but, what if you didn't replace the number 8 plug, are the other 7 easy to do? is there anything bad that could happen if you did only 7 vs 8?

It varies from person to person, if you're small and flexible you'll have a much easier time than if you're not. You'll want to replace all the plugs, leaving the number 8 unchanged would make you one of THOSE people and it can lead to the cylinder misfiring once the plug is past usable. It's a royal pain in the ass but if you use good platinum or iridium plugs you won't have to do it again for another 50-100K miles. If it were me I'd spring for the Denso or NGK iridium plugs that you can get for $4.50-6.50 each off RockAuto so you won't have to change them for again for a very long time.

77 TA man · « **Reply #1028 on:** February 28, 2016, 03:58:16 PM »

I primed a spoiler end cap, it looks pretty good for a rattle can job. I cut out the remaining pass floor pan and fitted in the replacement along with removing the heater core.

roadking77 · « **Reply #1029 on:** February 28, 2016, 04:42:32 PM »

Worked on the pass side window adjustment some more, think I got it close enough until I put the door panel on. I also took the dr. side regulator out, cleaned all the rust off, installed the new window motor, re installed and installed the door glass. As typical, this side adjustment looks really good and the door panel should only make it better. A little bit of work is better than nothing I guess.

Ford5of5 · « **Reply #1030 on:** February 28, 2016, 05:57:22 PM »

Today, I helped my brother seperate the 55 Ford and 66 Tbird. Apparently these cars don't get along with each other.

Casey · « **Reply #1031 on:** February 28, 2016, 06:21:39 PM »

Aren't they a little old to still be having a sibling rivalry? That really bites, at least it seems the damage is mostly in removable parts. Speaking of brothers and Fords I helped mine with his '70 LTD and '76 F100 today, got a new carb on the LTD and it running again and then sorted some wiring on the F100.

79GoldnTan · « **Reply #1032 on:** February 28, 2016, 07:15:03 PM »

Today I replaced my power steering box. Was an all day job but will be safe to drive again. Spring is just around the corner. Next up is to pull the trans for a rebuild, was jumping out of 2nd letting off the gas last summer.

Pats TA · « **Reply #1033 on:** February 28, 2016, 08:12:11 PM »

Ford5of5, I hate Murphy's Law! I feel bad for your brother. With no tags on either car I'm sure they are not insured.

Ford5of5 · « **Reply #1034 on:** February 29, 2016, 12:16:12 AM »

The Tbird is registered and insured, the Victoria is not. I was told by my insurance company that in Mass the insurance company does not pay for repairs to cars of this age and would total the car; my agent stated that the salvage value is $1.00 after 20 years of age. My brother will double check with the insurance company tomorrow.

My brother was working on installing the dash, steering column and 12v conversion wiring. By silly Ford design, the 55 Vic can only be started in neutral. So, the neutral safety switch was disabled to be swapped out later for a newer unit that would start in park or neutral. The transmission is in need of a rebuild, the car/tranny needs to warm up before it can drive. What happened is that he started the car thinking it was in neutral when it was in drive. Once the tranny warmed up the Vic took off. Apparently, he forgot to hook the linkage back up.

I was in the garage grinding out welds on my 79 TA. I felt the collision more than I heard it. I was going to ignore it at first, but I didn't. I go out back and do an immediate face palm. I have no idea about availability of parts for the Tbird. The Vic is on the difficult side for many parts.

76455sd · « **Reply #1035 on:** February 29, 2016, 04:16:06 AM »

Ford5of5: wow, that's a bad day. They both look like nice cars. MA auto insurance sux.

72projectbird · « **Reply #1036 on:** February 29, 2016, 08:05:16 PM »

That sucks about the 55 and 66

They look fixable at least,

I picked up an 81 SE T/A parts car last night.

Ok-TA1977 · « **Reply #1037 on:** February 29, 2016, 08:07:08 PM »

Sorry took so long to get theses but work and weather...

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Both rear quarters and the trunk drop offs... pretty much gone..
Also ordered all the body parts today.. hopefully it won't take long to start putting back together.
BTW labor is $40 per hour is that good or bad????? He does excellent from what I've seen. I went to his shop and seen some WIP's and photos of finished cars.

scarebird · « **Reply #1038 on:** February 29, 2016, 09:29:05 PM »

$40/hour is great if the work is good.

Finished up the cam swap on the 71; quieter and smoother.

77 TA man · « **Reply #1039 on:** March 01, 2016, 07:02:01 AM »

Quote from: scarebird on February 29, 2016, 09:29:05 PM

$40/hour is great if the work is good.

Finished up the cam swap on the 71; quieter and smoother.

Screw college, I'm becoming a body man now,

« **Reply #1039 on:** March 01, 2016, 07:02:01 AM »

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