Build Thread Want To Blow 5 Years And $50k On A Foxbody? Step By Step Instructions Inside!

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I made some progress tonight in the name of....progress.

The machine shop clearanced the front plate for me and removed the 0.20" off the input shaft collar.
DSC_4117_zpsguwpxqpl.jpg

Because of the fact that the collar was pressed on and I didn't feel like pressing it off or messing around with it, I couldn't use the magnetic indicator base. Luckily a local Mustang friend had a machined block of aluminum with the indicator shaft mounted to it.
DSC_4115_zpsljgkd7wz.jpg

I installed the front plate on the bellhousing, torqued each bolt to 35 ft. lbs and checked for parallel. Dead nuts 0 all around. Maybe .0005 in one area. Well within the .002 TIR for parallel alignment. No need to have the powder coat machined off the bellhousing mounting surfaces. Happy happy.
DSC_4112_zpsd9jc7zyg.jpg

Then I had to check for concentric alignment. Pain in the ass. Zero fun. It took a lot of adjustments of the indicator before I could get it to go around a full revolution and return back to zero where I started. The groves in the bearing retainer sleeve made it difficult, even with tape. After many revolutions an tinkering, I got some accurate and repeatable readings. The numbers came in at .010 TIR, which is right at the limit of maximum runout spec. If this was a high RPM race car, I would get .007 dowels and get that number down, but because street car... I'm fine with that number.
DSC_4106_zpsqy4ldpuc.jpg

Then I finally got this beast of a trans mocked up and mounted. No flywheel, clutch, or pilot bushing yet. I just wanted to get it in there to check my clearance to the trans tunnel and measure my driveshaft length. By the way, the Stifflers crossmember is awesome. Fit like a glove.
DSC_4118_zpsqohqerrz.jpg

The front shifter bolts do hit, like many have said they will. They are hitting a double panel in the trans tunnel, so I can cut out that section of the outer panel. The alternate shifter mounting cover bolts are hitting the tunnel as well. I may remove that plate and have the bolt holes machined down so I can recess button head bolts in there. I'd rather do that than beat the crap out of the trans tunnel.
DSC_4122_zpsl0cuzcdw.jpg

Before the trans comes back out, I need to extend some of the wiring for it. The reverse connector is on the other side of the transmission and both the electronic and mechanical speedo senders are too far away now.

I also have to drop the rear end because I'm switching to a 1350 strap-style pinion yoke instead of the 1330 flange that is on the pinion now. That swap will require re-adjusting the pinion clerances, so it has to come out.
 
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I made some progress tonight in the name of....progress.

The machine shop clearanced the front plate for me and removed the 0.20" off the input shaft collar.
DSC_4117_zpsguwpxqpl.jpg

Because of the fact that the collar was pressed on and I didn't feel like pressing it off or messing around with it, I couldn't use the magnetic indicator base. Luckily a local Mustang friend had a machined block of aluminum with the indicator shaft mounted to it.
DSC_4115_zpsljgkd7wz.jpg

I installed the front plate on the bellhousing, torqued each bolt to 35 ft. lbs and checked for parallel. Dead nuts 0 all around. Maybe .0005 in one area. Well within the .002 TIR for parallel alignment. No need to have the powder coat machined off the bellhousing mounting surfaces. Happy happy.
DSC_4112_zpsd9jc7zyg.jpg

Then I had to check for concentric alignment. Pain in the ass. Zero fun. It took a lot of adjustments of the indicator before I could get it to go around a full revolution and return back to zero where I started. The groves in the bearing retainer sleeve made it difficult, even with tape. After many revolutions an tinkering, I got some accurate and repeatable readings. The numbers came in at .010 TIR, which is right at the limit of maximum runout spec. If this was a high RPM race car, I would get .007 dowels and get that number down, but because street car... I'm fine with that number.
DSC_4106_zpsqy4ldpuc.jpg

Then I finally got this beast of a trans mocked up and mounted. No flywheel, clutch, or pilot bushing yet. I just wanted to get it in there to check my clearance to the trans tunnel and measure my driveshaft length.
DSC_4118_zpsqohqerrz.jpg

The front shifter bolts do hit, like many have said they will. They are hitting a double panel in the trans tunnel, so I can cut out that section of the outer panel. The alternate shifter mounting cover bolts are hitting the tunnel as well. I may remove that plate and have the bolt holes machined down so I can recess button head bolts in there. I'd rather do that than beat the crap out of the trans tunnel.
DSC_4122_zpsl0cuzcdw.jpg

Before the trans comes back out, I need to extend some of the wiring for it. The reverse connector is on the other side of the transmission and both the electronic and mechanical speedo senders are too far away now.

I also have to drop the rear end because I'm switching to a 1350 strap-style pinion yoke instead of the 1330 flange that is on the pinion now. That swap will require re-adjusting the pinion clerances, so it has to come out.
You're funny. Beautiful underbelly, all detailed right down to the gold cad plated Grade 8 bolts.

I hope one day the both cars can be put side by side.

It'd be like some bizarro miss universe of cars thing.

Your car would be of course be Miss USA.
Nothing out of place,...The car gleaming in its own politically correctness, everything fits, nothing is cobbled, everything is the best. The car reeks of status.

Mine would be Miss Uzbekistan.

Wearing communist issue hand me downs, mine has mis matched bolts, " That'll do pig" undercarriage detail, overflowing with Ripleys believe it or not solutions to complex problems, and a "it's weird, but somehow it works" kind of vibe.

It'd be like Buckwheat standing next to Collin Powell.
 
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You're funny. Beautiful underbelly, all detailed right down to the gold cad plated Grade 8 bolts.

I hope one day the both cars can be put side by side.

It'd be like some bizarro miss universe of cars thing.

Your car would be of course be Miss USA.
Nothing out of place,...The car gleaming in its own politically correctness, everything fits, nothing is cobbled, everything is the best. The car reeks of status.

Mine would be Miss Uzbekistan.

Wearing communist issue hand me downs, mine has mis matched bolts, " That'll do pig" undercarriage detail, overflowing with Ripleys believe it or not solutions to complex problems, and a "it's weird, but somehow it works" kind of vibe.

It'd be like Buckwheat standing next to Collin Powell.

yx6b6.jpg
 
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I don't ever want to install a transmission that requires that kind of ass pain to do.

If you ever sell the car, you're going to need to print out this thread as a reference guide for maintenance. lol
 
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You're funny. Beautiful underbelly, all detailed right down to the gold cad plated Grade 8 bolts.

I hope one day the both cars can be put side by side.

It'd be like some bizarro miss universe of cars thing.

Your car would be of course be Miss USA.
Nothing out of place,...The car gleaming in its own politically correctness, everything fits, nothing is cobbled, everything is the best. The car reeks of status.

Mine would be Miss Uzbekistan.

Wearing communist issue hand me downs, mine has mis matched bolts, " That'll do pig" undercarriage detail, overflowing with Ripleys believe it or not solutions to complex problems, and a "it's weird, but somehow it works" kind of vibe.

It'd be like Buckwheat standing next to Collin Powell.

Does Miss Uzbekistan have a hairy ass? I bet she does.

I don't ever want to install a transmission that requires that kind of ass pain to do.

If you ever sell the car, you're going to need to print out this thread as a reference guide for maintenance. lol

I've actually had to reference this thread a few times to recall what the heck I did with wiring, etc.

wait, this thread is still going on :confused:

It literally never ends. I apparently hate myself.
 
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Does Miss Uzbekistan have a hairy ass? I bet she does.
.

Not the last time I checked. ( I'm constantly working around that part) I'd know first hand if there was any hair, and there ain't.

Now, the cat lays on the blanket when the hood is off . That would in theory make that the chest.....I can say that there is hair there.
 
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I had my machine shop take care of the recessing of the shifter plate for me. I'm glad they did it for me. He said the casting wasn't exactly top notch and two of the corners broke when he was machining them. He had to weld them back into place and then machine the bottom true again. Better him than me! $20 saved me what probably would have been a headache.
DSC_4135_zpssulczain.jpg

The area where the front shifter bolts hit was cut away to allow access to the whole shifter from inside the car. The recessed bolts will allow me to not have to hack up more of the trans tunnel than I needed to.
DSC_4138_zpsmqmqwgm5.jpg

DSC_4137_zps3bk4dbky.jpg

Flywheel went in. This is an SFI billet steel flywheel from RPM. $150 shipped. They apparently make the flywheels for a lot of the big name brands who just add another $100 to the price. Same stuff, just without a fancy sticker in the box.
DSC_4143_zpsfcjcmstg.jpg

Ceramic disc and floater plate.
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Organic disc and pressure plate.
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And just a view that I thought was cool.
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The current situation. Rear end is out so I can have the pinion preload re-adjusted after installing a 1350 strap yoke to replace the 1330 pinion flange yoke.
DSC_4153_zpsvt2z2zuy.jpg
 
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