37 Ford build--IE: old Header issues thread /37 Ford/5.0/GT40P heads

[randyr]

Hey Dave,
You back from beautiful downtown Burbank yet?
I got my engine back Friday. Now I have to bolt all the extraneous stuff to it. I have my new firewall fitted but not welded yet.
Here's a quick pic of both.....

[Irelands child]

Hey Dave,
You back from beautiful downtown Burbank yet?
I got my engine back Friday. Now I have to bolt all the extraneous stuff to it. I have my new firewall fitted but not welded yet.
Here's a quick pic of both.....

Hi Randy,
Made it back safely from Beautiful Burbank - but am still about an hour off kilter as far as time.

The engine looks nice and clean - what rockers are you using? They don't look like my Crane Energizers. Time for a paint job on it - and that's always a bundle of fun.

The firewall sure looks a lot better than that piece of Swiss cheese you had originally. Fits up real nicely. Did you get the trans tunnel as well?

Gotta finish getting my taxes ready today for my accountant - so will be basically off-line for most of today.

[Deuce Don]

Interesting thread to anyone who has ever put a Ford in a Ford street rod. I am new to this site and hope you don't mind an unrelated question. I recently sold my 32 5 window (302/C4) and am in the market for my next project. I am thinking real hard about a Brookville 30/31 A on their 32 chassis with a 302 or 351/AOD combination. Brookville says that I do not need a recessed firewall with this combination but I would need to use the Motorsport short water pump. My 5 window was a Downs body and chassis combination and there were some clearance issues on the front of the engine and the fan shroud. Since you have experience with Brookville products, do you think a 302/AOD would fit without a recessed firewall (it will be on a 32 chassis)? I have had good luck with the Cooling Components electric fan and shroud combination (it gets hot down here) and I would like to use that on this car. Thanks.

[Irelands child]

Interesting thread to anyone who has ever put a Ford in a Ford street rod. I am new to this site and hope you don't mind an unrelated question. I recently sold my 32 5 window (302/C4) and am in the market for my next project. I am thinking real hard about a Brookville 30/31 A on their 32 chassis with a 302 or 351/AOD combination. Brookville says that I do not need a recessed firewall with this combination but I would need to use the Motorsport short water pump. My 5 window was a Downs body and chassis combination and there were some clearance issues on the front of the engine and the fan shroud. Since you have experience with Brookville products, do you think a 302/AOD would fit without a recessed firewall (it will be on a 32 chassis)? I have had good luck with the Cooling Components electric fan and shroud combination (it gets hot down here) and I would like to use that on this car. Thanks.

Don,
There is one thing about Brookville - that sometimes they do NOT know their own product. Even with a '32 chassis, the '30-'31 firewall will need to be recessed. The '32 firewall is to a certain extent, already recessed about an inch plus for all intents and purposes, flat. The '30-'31 firewall intrudes into the engine compartment ~3". Take a look at the attached and even with the added couple of inches or so of chassis does NOT make for a fit. If I were to do it again, I would purchase my Brookville with no firewall or a stock type if they insisted I have one, then install a Bitchin' or Direct if they make one. Both are neater looking then the OEM style. I am using a CCS fan with a '32 Walker radiator with a Brookville '32 grille shell. Do a search in CHR on my name to see some of my other Brookville complaints as well as here: http://hotrodders.com/cgibin/rls/mag...1&icon-status=
If Brent deletes this competitors link, PM me and I'll send it to you.

Good luck if you go this way

[Deuce Don]

Thanks Dave, that helps a lot. I have built two Downs 32s, a roadster and a 5 window, and have been pleased with them. I did purchase both cars with recessed firewalls and the only issue I have had was that the motor mounts were too far forward on the 5 window and that was corrected with the short waterpump. What I should have done was to move the motor mounts back to where they should have been. Live and learn. Thanks again.

Don

[Irelands child]

Thanks Dave, that helps a lot. I have built two Downs 32s, a roadster and a 5 window, and have been pleased with them. I did purchase both cars with recessed firewalls and the only issue I have had was that the motor mounts were too far forward on the 5 window and that was corrected with the short waterpump. What I should have done was to move the motor mounts back to where they should have been. Live and learn. Thanks again.

Don

I had a bit of the same problem with my TCI chassis - but they were an inch plus too far back. The guy that I bought it from (Dick Spadaro) now advises customers to order a chassis with the mounts not welded in place - which would have saved me a lot of added work.

[Deuce Don]

Good point! I think I will try that next time.

[randyr]

Hi Randy,
Made it back safely from Beautiful Burbank - but am still about an hour off kilter as far as time.

The engine looks nice and clean - what rockers are you using? They don't look like my Crane Energizers. Time for a paint job on it - and that's always a bundle of fun.

The firewall sure looks a lot better than that piece of Swiss cheese you had originally. Fits up real nicely. Did you get the trans tunnel as well?

Gotta finish getting my taxes ready today for my accountant - so will be basically off-line for most of today.

Welcome back Dave. Hope you had a good trip.

My rockers are Scorpion 1.72 rollers. They came highly recommended by the guy who designed my cam. I don't have all the specs handy at the moment but can fill you in later on that...

They painted my engine the new Ford Gray. It doesn't photograph as well as it looks in person. I kinda wanted to go with a pewter/stainless steel look on the cast iron parts and add subtle bling with polished alum valve covers, coated headers etc. The plug wires and dist. cap are red.

I got the entire floorboard to go with the new firewall. Once I started cutting, it just seemed to make sense...lol....I'm also moving the master cylinder back under the floor and putting the shifter on the floor instead of column. On my old setup the column shifter linkage cleared the exhaust manifold by about 1/4 inch. The floor shifter makes sense to clean up the congestion in that whole area.

I decided to buy a little Lincoln welder. It should be here tomorrow. It's a wire feed mig with the hoses & guages to add the gas. I'm excited to get it so I can do this stuff myself rather than trying to schedule time and money to get someone else to do it.

Anyway, glad you're back online. Good luck with your taxes. I still have to do mine too.....Egad!

Later,
Randy

[Irelands child]

Randy,
I like that engine color - it looks like gray cast iron.

I've not heard of Scorpion rockers but they appear to be fairly hefty. My Cranes are the 1.7 version - which will, hopefully, give me the low end with the mild SVT -E303 cam and a bit of economy. At least our gas here isn't over $3/gallon yet like yours is now. I saw for self serve as low as $3.11 in Burbank to $3.85 in Beverly Hills for 87 octane (phew).

From what you are saying, you have the bases covered with new floorboards, master cylinder relocation and floor shifter. You are right that it will clean up the area - a lot. It's amazing that when you start on an update how many other areas get done as well. There is just so much more "stuff" available now then when the car was originally built plus there may be some more discretionary cash as well.

With your replacement master cylinder - are you using one of the new style 'vette designs with the double sided outlets? They came out a couple of years ago, right after I did mine, and make the plumbing job much neater, as you don't have to loop the tubing as much to get back to the frame.

I'm using a 16" Lokar floor shifter as the brackets seem to be much more rigid then the Gennie. The Lokar e-brake handle also bolts to the floor shifter bracket - another item to consider.

Not sure which 110V Lincoln welder you are getting, but I have run the H@## out of mine and am happy with it - but have to know its limitations. A 2# roll of wire and a 40 cu ft gas bottle run about the same length of time. Just make sure you shut the gas off even if you aren't welding for 15-30 minutes. The internal (handle) valve seems to always leak a bit. You will need a decent auto darkening hood, a pair of Mig pliers, a pair of heavy welders gloves and a heavy cotton long sleeve shirt (no poly - if it were to catch fire, it will melt into your skin, causing 3rd degree burns). Then, unless you already know how to weld, practice, lots, or take a short course.

I've gotten all the tax paperwork together and off tomorrow @9:00 to the tax man. Nothing unusual this year so it should be straight forward and maybe I wont owe (too much). Then back to the car if the weather would turn - rain and cold (and some snow) predicted for the next few days again. Regardless, I still have some handle and latch holes to weld up (with my Lincoln welder) on my hood sides and can do that in the basement. Good for a few hours.

[randyr]

Randy,
I like that engine color - it looks like gray cast iron.




With your replacement master cylinder - are you using one of the new style 'vette designs with the double sided outlets? They came out a couple of years ago, right after I did mine, and make the plumbing job much neater, as you don't have to loop the tubing as much to get back to the frame.

I'm using a 16" Lokar floor shifter as the brackets seem to be much more rigid then the Gennie. The Lokar e-brake handle also bolts to the floor shifter bracket - another item to consider.

Not sure which 110V Lincoln welder you are getting, but I have run the H@## out of mine and am happy with it - but have to know its limitations. A 2# roll of wire and a 40 cu ft gas bottle run about the same length of time. Just make sure you shut the gas off even if you aren't welding for 15-30 minutes. The internal (handle) valve seems to always leak a bit. You will need a decent auto darkening hood, a pair of Mig pliers, a pair of heavy welders gloves and a heavy cotton long sleeve shirt (no poly - if it were to catch fire, it will melt into your skin, causing 3rd degree burns). Then, unless you already know how to weld, practice, lots, or take a short course.

Yeah, Dave, the master cylinder does have double sided outlets. Shouldn't be that big a deal. I am going to have to cut off the brake pedal they sent since I got the big block firewall. I think I'll take that to a welding shop though. I don't want to risk my brakes & life on my being a novice welder...lol...

I am going with a Lokar shifter. I'll consider the E-brake handle as well.

The welder I'm getting is the Lincoln HD 3200 Weldpak which is the SP-135T or something like that, with all the gauges, hoses, gun, etc....I actually bought it new on Ebay for $352 plus $60s/h. The same package sells at home depot for $459 plus tax. I think I ended up saving close to $100 that way....It's supposed to be here tomorrow. I'm excited to check it out.

Still need to get my taxes finished.....argh!!!

Later,
Randy

[Irelands child]

a novice welder...lol...

I am going with a Lokar shifter. I'll consider the E-brake handle as well.

The welder I'm getting is the Lincoln HD 3200 Weldpak which is the SP-135T or something like that, with all the gauges, hoses, gun, etc....
Still need to get my taxes finished.....argh!!!

Later,
Randy

Randy,
A couple of pictures of the shifter with the e-brake handle might help make up your mind -

You will be happy with that welder - it is one size larger then mine and the one I often wish that I had bought.

Taxes are due in less then 2 weeks - 17 April. Gulp

[randyr]

Randy,
A couple of pictures of the shifter with the e-brake handle might help make up your mind -

You will be happy with that welder - it is one size larger then mine and the one I often wish that I had bought.

Taxes are due in less then 2 weeks - 17 April. Gulp

Great pics, as usual, Dave! My only reservation about that E-brake is taking up that much more floor space. Of course the only other option is a pedal or hand lever under the dash where the original was. That gets pretty congested over there with my hood release & electric wiper motor being in close proximity, not to mention the fuse block, etc. Maybe I can just carry a brick in the car and chalk the wheels when I stop......LOL! Hell, if I'm going that far, maybe I should just leave the floorboards out and stop it Flintstone style......ouch! Don't think my feet are up to that! LOL....

It appears that I may be getting screwed on my rear disc brake conversion. I bid on a used kit on ebay that was the same style as the one offered by Ford Motorsport with the E-brake housed inside the back of the rotor with little brake shoes. I didn't win the auction but the seller contacted me after saying he had another one he could sell me for my bid price of $126. For $250 total, he would upgrade it with new rotors, pads, ebrake shoes plus include backing plates, hoses, fittings, etc. There was $40s/h on top of that. I agreed and paid him thru paypal. That was Feb 14. After a series of empty promises and excuses, I still have no parts and he has my money. I've contacted ebay & paypal but nothing has been resolved yet,.....so beware of bills90lxcoupe@aol.com or forgottenfoxford@aol.com or a guy named Darrell Payne from around Kansas City. He seemed like a nice honest guy with a 100% satisfaction rating on Ebay but now he's no longer a registered user for some reason.......I smell a rat!