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

[randyr]

I still think you are creating a lot of work for yourself and need to make sure your clutch leg is ready for more use, I do like your progress. My preference is for a manual too, but in a '31 chassis - probably not easily accomplished

P&J are one of the premier places you can do business. A friend bought his '32 chassis and body through them and has had a very good experience. Any problems and they were overnight corrected or advice given. His chassis arrived with a bent 9" housing - P&J had it picked up, returned to their vendor and a replacement sent, all within a week.

As far as my car - it's still in the garage - and covered, waiting for a few 40* days that can be warmed (it's ~17* now with a 25+mph wind) which means my shop is maybe 32*(at the thermometer, not the floor)

Hey Dave, good to hear from you! You're right, this is a little extra work but switching to an AOD was going to be extra work too. Even if I kept the C4, I was going to have to rework the brake pedal because my cutting & bending it was trial & error gone bad. It worked but looked like crap! LOL!

Expense wise, I think it's going to be a wash. I sold the C4 for a decent price and bought the T5, clutch, pressure plate, flywheel, TO bearing (all new or rebuilt) for a package price so the only extra expense has been the new pedals. If I had gone with the AOD I would still have similar modifications to the center x-member, extra parts to attach the TV cable to the holley carb, a high stall converter (recommended by my cam designer), changes to the shifter, etc. So the AOD could have easily been a lot more expensive.

I carefully considered the clutch vs auto before making the decision by observing how I feel about drivng my 5speed Mazda truck around LA. Sure, in bumper to bumper 2mph traffic on the freeway, it can be a bit of a pain but at that point an automatic is a pain too! LOL! The clutch is easy to push and it's just habit so I don't think it will be a big deal at all. Plus the "fun factor" of having the stick should out weigh those perceived negatives.

I want to get these pedals bent into position with the body on the car so I can get it right then I can raise it up and proceed with the other stuff. It's fun figuring this stuff out. Now if I only had more time & money to get it done more quickly cause the real fun will be cranking it up and roaring down the street!
Here's a couple more pics of the engine in place with the new trans and the new shifter....
Hope you get some spring weather soon!!!!