64 Restoration

[JPierson]

I didn't know of the popping in to gear issue until it happened with me at the top of a gravel driveway that led to a busy street and a house facing across the street. By dumb luck I was in it, but the choke was on, and 4200lbs leapt into motion. I locked the brakes and the momentum it already had would have had me t-boning into traffic or hitting my 21 window bus (back when they could be had for what a rational human would consider a fair price of a rusty VW). The VW left me and the TBird stayed...

[JPierson]

Mechanical refurbs under way - The goal was to drive and preserve it, so anything that didn't need to be messed with wasn't. Opinions will vary - If we went down to every nut & bolt on the thing, it would have been insane on cost. As it is, it's good enough for me - cleaner than expected, overall. Cracked leaf springs were a surprise. I liked its droopy rear. The new springs didn't hurt that much. Not sure yet how the front will sit having lost a few hundred pounds of iron intake and heads. Safety upgrades were a must - I've lost the brakes on this thing before, which I don't want to do again...Front sway bar was upsized...

[JPierson]

First run since 1990 https://youtube.com/shorts/Y8DRrDYxfAk?feature=share

[Dunk67]

What cam did you use? I used the same pistons, Lunati 10330701LK 252/262 cam and expect about the same powerband. Was dyno test using headers or the logs you're running? I used Sanderson headers.

[JPierson]

I'll get the cam spec from the builder and share it. It's thumping a bit more than you'd expect for an OE spec. The request there was as built as we can get and still have it run smooth and reliable on pump gas, but with the known upgrades done for FE blocks. Before we thought it would be saved, I was looking at one of those Shelby aluminum 427 FE blocks, but heard back pretty quickly that they could save the original, so we went with that. Pretty sure they dyno'd it with the stock iron exhaust manifolds, which we're still using for the final version of the build. Exhaust will be stock spec as well. I have no idea why they went with a GM hydraulic pump, but did ask them to spec the mechanicals for mileage and reliability over show points. An AC will get wedged in there at some point, too. I think a stock 64 setup can likely be had a piece at a time from ebay, but trust these guys since they have built a few Mille and Carerra runners.

[JPierson]

Cam is the Comp Xtreme Energy, Hydraulic Roller Tappet, Duration 294/300, Lift .521/.521. Heads are Edelbrock RPM 60065, and the intake is the Edelbrock Performer 2105. Harland Sharpe rockers, Trick Flow lifters. Pistons are not spec'd on this sheet, just tagged as 'engine kit.'

[Dunk67]

Interesting. That would be a Comp 33-443-11. That's a lot of duration, advertised RPM range is 2800-6100. What heads are you running? The performer intake is a mismatch for this cam and if heads give a 9:1-9.5:1 compression with those pistons as I suspect the compression will be a mismatch for that cam as well (low). Combined with the log manifolds that could account for peak HP about 1000 RPM less, and likely sacrificing low end torque for high end HP you can't get with that combination.

Changing to a Performer RPM and adding headers would likely get you appreciable more HP. Similarly changing to a milder cam such as the Comp XE roller 33-422-11 would be a better match for the intake and logs, giving appreciably more low end torque without sacrificing much if any HP.

[stubbie]

That is a big cam and the Performer RPM should be a better intake for an FE. I can't remember exactly but I think my hydraulic roller cam is something like 232/238 .580 lift.

[JPierson]

Thanks, dunk67 & stubbie - I'll chase up what you've mentioned with the builder. I know they have rotated other parts through in other areas, so it might be they realized the same as you mention and swapped in something different but have not updated the specs. As it is, it dyno'd at 443.6 lb-ft of torque at 3500 RPM and 365.7 hp at the crank at 5200 rpm. I was hoping for 400 hp but still have it run well with stock exhaust and pump gas. I remember they were trying to get parts for about 7 months at the tail end of the plague, which was tough going for awhile..

[JPierson]

- More drama in the steering column - All the bushings and anything plastic was completely perished. All rebuilt.
- First time it has had tight exhaust since the 80s.
- Stock valve covers would not clear the new rockers, so we swapped these in.
- Final bleed on the brakes means its just about ready to drive again - Last time I drove it was probably 1994. Also, that beefier sway bar mentioned earlier...

[jtschug]

Interesting exhaust. Are you running resonators in the front and mufflers in the back, or just resonators with no mufflers?

[JPierson]

The configuration I remember originally had long resonators under the floors, then the cans under the rear quarters - These baby resonators are something different, but I'm not sure the ones I remember were stock. They didn't photograph them, but the new exhaust was spec'd to also have the stock cans under the rear quarters. I'm not a loud exhaust guy - I'll let the paint and body lines do the talking!

[Rt.146]

Mechanical refurbs under way - The goal was to drive and preserve it, so anything that didn't need to be messed with wasn't. Opinions will vary - If we went down to every nut & bolt on the thing, it would have been insane on cost. As it is, it's good enough for me - cleaner than expected, overall. Cracked leaf springs were a surprise. I liked its droopy rear. The new springs didn't hurt that much. Not sure yet how the front will sit having lost a few hundred pounds of iron intake and heads. Safety upgrades were a must - I've lost the brakes on this thing before, which I don't want to do again...Front sway bar was upsized...

I'm going to change the leaf springs on a 66 Landau, looking at, General Springs and Eaton Detroit springs, price for the springs is considerably lower from General Springs, don't know if the steel for General's springs is the same as Eaton's. When you bought your springs did you take into account the less weight of the intake and heads?

[jtschug]

I got my rear springs from Eaton Detroit spring and I was living in Michigan at the time so I picked them up right at the factory. It looks like they make the springs right there in downtown Detroit in Corktown right across the street from where Tiger Stadium used to sit. Unless General Spring buys them from Eaton, I doubt they use the same steel.

[Rt.146]

jtschug from what i been learning about spring steel, you have a quality set of leaf springs. What would be interesting to know or how to find out, would be, the SAE grade of the original leafs that came with the 64 through 66?