Old Bird, New Build

[truesteve]

Beast mode lite...I have yet to seriously pursue the narrowed 9 inch and tubs...but the turbo/supercharger research has resulted in adding items to the "Cart"..just haven't hit the checkout button as of yet...stuck trying to figure out how to fit the turbos behind those pricey FPA headers I purchased. The logical side of me just wants to buy the cheaper shorty headers now available and spin them around to exit forward for ease of turbo plumbing, but then I'm going to take a loss on those FPA's.
I am also considering the C6/modern auto tranny transplant as the old cruise-o-matic is lacking on ANY performance upgrades. I have to get serious on researching what's available and pricing as I would rather have more then 3 speeds but don't want to spend over 2 grand......

[62birdman]

Have you considered a Roots style supercharger? Seems like it would be an easier solution, and still provide lots of power. Contact Monster transmissions, they build some pretty wild trannys. Using a C6 requires an expensive adapter plate, over $700, when I last looked at it.

[truesteve]

Virgin test of a photobucket upload..look out this could get messy...



It looks like it worked! Photo of the bird in work with the little bird camping out in the garage, and my shop manager cracking the whip

[truesteve]

Photos of the interior during the destruction phase





Forced to go with the turquoise as the medium green is not a standard available color. I could get some of the items in green if I was going for concourse restore...which I'm not...so turquoise it is

[truesteve]

62birdman wrote "Have you considered a Roots style supercharger? Seems like it would be an easier solution, and still provide lots of power. Contact Monster transmissions, they build some pretty wild trannys. Using a C6 requires an expensive adapter plate, over $700, when I last looked at it."

The price of the roots style blowers has forced me to look in other directions. Turbos have always had a special place in my heart from my Dad putting a turbo on his 66 Triumph TT Special and seeing it launch a foot off the ground during his qtr mile run. Plus I've yet to see a dual turbo setup on the bullet bird.

In looking at prices of C6 tranny's, it seems the TCI Street Fighter may win the value/performance battle. It looks like I could get a tranny and torque convertor for around $1500. Some of the forum posts have said the COM to C6 is a fairly easy swap with a massage of the cross member and fiddling with the linkage. I don't remember seeing anything about an adapter plate to mate a C6 up to a 61 FE block

Question is the bolt up of a C6 bell housing on a 153 flexplate, as I just shelled out $250 ish bucks for a Robbs mini starter. Also drive shaft spline and length questions.

[truesteve]

Old seat base with burlap and cross wires



New seat base using 1/4 in welded wire, folded on the edges to reduce pokage, 1/8 in stiff wire attach points added to the locations of the resin paper foam/cover attach lines. Hogged ringed where possible, aircraft safety wire where easier. I plan on cleaning up the frame a bit before installing foam and covers. I approached a local upholstery shop thinking I could get me fully disassembled seats covered for a couple hundred bucks. The quote I received started at $850 with high probability of exceeding $1000. I verified this crazy amount with another local (out of a garage behinds his Moms house) shop and got the same quote. Not only are they way over priced (hourly rate $85), but they are really slow (10 plus hours). This is for installing new foam and new seat covers. Not manufacturing the covers, not molding the foam, not taking the seats out of the car, not disassembling the seats, not re-assembling the seats, not re-installing the seats...just installing seat foam (front only) and covering seats (front and rear). The shop doing my engine machining (line bore, square decking, crank turning, etc..) only charges $95 per hour, and they have invested thousands in equipment and experience. The upholstery shops largest expense is a sewing machine...Bag it, I doing it myself..I purchased a pair of hog ring pliers and a bag of hog rings... and in a months time I'll be charging $85 dollars an hour to stretch a pair of boxers over your old seat bases!
On another topic...the engine went to the machine shop yesterday and I found out they have a dyno...ooohh aaahhh...could be a dyno chart coming to this post soon!!!! Lets all bow our heads and pray to the God and creator of all things Thunder (Yes... I went there) that the chart extends north of the 400 hp range...

[truesteve]

Some details of the yet to be installed Ram Air system from Spectre...



Will look fine with a T-Bird emblem (rear seat or roof pillar) affixed to it. Whack the attach studs off and apply with the same 3M double back tape used to attach Harley tank emblems



Nice and low profile to fit in the extremely tight T-Bird under hood space. Shouldn't interfere with any fender braces, brake master or shock towers. I plan on adding a layer of stick on heat shielding/insulation to the bottom of the polished alum tubes as they cross over the valve cover and exhaust area to retain the objective of a "Cold" air intake...keeping it as "Cold" as possible



Foto of a similar Spectre system mounted in a Camaro (GM product..I think). The T-Bird air intake will mimic the T-Bolt style using inside light set with chrome funnel inlets and big bug screens. Air filters are inline units that will mount directly behind the altered light buckets. Battery is being relocated to the trunk, and possibly might have to alter the hood release bar that runs across the front (behind the light buckets)to the dual pins. May go single hood catch/pin, or a dual/split cable arrangement to replace the rod.

[truesteve]

Just ordered a coolant tank to replace the stock brass travel trunk camped out in the way of everything. CXRacing Aluminum Radiator Coolant Reservior Tank RX-7 RX7 3" x7" - $72.10 from Amazon.



To be used with a standard thermostat housing, flex hose routed to desired location. Big enough to do the job, small enough to place out of the way....now where to stick it??? Will probably go with the stock radiator (I have 2) until I find a decent deal on a 3 or 4 core replacement.

[truesteve]

Seat base cleaned up and ready for new foam and cover



Seat Back stripped of old cover and foam, ready for clean up



Spending 10 hours a day collecting bacon to trade for the babies new shoes limits the amount of serious T-Bird play time. Rear seat belts and windlace arrived yesterday

[truesteve]

Finished 1 seat lower. Here's a few tips. Save all wires, both the little ones in the burlap and the ones on the cover attach points. The new covers from Macs don't have the attach wires. I just ran over them with some scotch bright and cleaned off the surface rust. I used the thin burlap wires to run the length of the foam attach splits. Instead of just hog ring points to hold the foam, it gives the whole wire length to assist in holding the foam while you work on the cover attach areas.



Install the old wires in the cover attach strips. The originals had a seam sewn along beside the wire to keep it down low/in position while working with it. I just used normal staples to keep it in place



About 45 minutes of pulling, stretching and hog ringing and it came out fine. 1 little tear about 1/4 inch long on the rear lower corner that will never be visible



Bottom side

[truesteve]

Back of bucket seat complete...On to the next bucket



Will stop by the machine shop today to check on the progress of the engine

[truesteve]

Sad news...no dyno chart will be available. The machine shop on my engine came back with a price for the short block re-build that blew through my budget...so I won't be utilizing them for the top end completion and follow on dyno run. I could load the engine back in the truck after the top end is complete for a dyno run...but right after I bolt the carb on I will want to drop it in the car ASAP.

Worked on the second bucket seat last night, the base is prepped and ready for foam and cover.

3" round exhaust tube should be delivered in the next couple of days. I will fab a tool to "Squeeze" the 3" round tube down to an oval. Probably be a wood jig to hold the tube with guides to limit the amount of "squeeze" on the sides and height, while I apply pressure on a top plate by rolling onto with a truck or tractor. I'll try to fab a relief on the tool/jig to allow for the round to oval transition at the end of the tube.

Because of the price of the low profile ($165 AND UP), oval inlet/outlet muffler, I will fab baffles for the oval tubes using 2" perforated tubes within the oval tube with oval end plates and steel wool matting around the perforated tube. Until I can perfect the "Squeezing" of round tubes (bent or straight), I will probably be exiting the exhaust in front of the rear tires.

I'll try to film the process of "Squeezing" the 3" round tube down to an oval and post on youtube with a link on here (when successful)

[Joe Johnston]

Please post pictures or links to videos!!

A bit of creativity may well help someone else. I once helped push a rocker panel back on a wrecked car using a long 4 x 4 through the car to a backhoe on the other side!! A bit of thinking and almost anything can be done with good results!

(some guys even have used a bowling ball to make new plastic lens for their dash gauges )

[truesteve]

An end view of my first attempt at the round to oval exhaust tube squisher jig. I will use a 2x12 for the base and top. 2x4 side guides with a slice of 3/4 ply on top to give me the overall height of 2 1/2. Angled wood guide ramps on the outer edge to assist in the centering of the top board as the squishing takes place. A stud through a hole at the end edge of the tube to hold the round tube in place as the squishing takes place. I will flare one end of the jig to allow a 6 inch section to hang out and create a oval to round transition at the end of the straight tubes if needed.

Should be able to start the building of the jig tonight and I will try to remember to take photos.

I was able to finish the second bucket seat base and prep the second seat back for recover. I did forget to install my seat heaters (crap, crap, crap), so I will have to remove the hog rings on the back of the seat base (carpet area) and attempt to slide the heaters between the cover and the foam. I have sat my old and ever widening forth point of contact on heated seats and it brought a smile to my pie hole, so why not try to install them in a 50+ y/o car?

Disc brake kit is supposed to arrive today or tomorrow, and short block is supposed to be completed in the next day or 2.

[novanutcase]

Don't they already sell oval exhaust tubing?

John