well, I decided i would start another log(since the last time when my SHO engine was stolen)
This time, this is the plan, the basics:
66 coupe
4 wheel disc brakes
8.8" rear end
4.6L DOHC engine
t5 transmission
mustang II front suspension
Now keep in mind...these are some ugly welds,I'm not a professional welder and I havent cleaned them up yet(they may be ugly but they are strong, that much I can say) , its only painted to prevent rust....anyway some pictures....
this picture amused me...you dont see it in this stage too often...I have decided I absolutely HATE spot welds....there were about 20 on each shock tower assembly at the bottom holding it to the frame, the top part I just cut away rom the sheet metal with a grinder and a cut off wheel, like butter. I actually cut from the wheel well, since I was planning on welding in the patch panels, you can just follow the line of the shock tower at the back....if you go the other way and bolt them in, you wouldnt be able to do it this way
this picture always makes the frame rails look so spindly, but I will tell you....there is no way this actually compromises the structural integrity of the front end....the shock towers transfer all the load to the frame...its the only possible thing that can happen...the sheet metal of the inner fenders is so thin there is absolutely NO WAY it can bear any load whatsoever...and if it did, the patch panels will bear the same amount of load, besides the boxing plates of the heidts kit go a long way toward making the frame stronger than it was originally anyway...I have no doubts about the strength of the setup...howerver I will be running firewall to fram re-inforcement anyway because there is one thing the shock towers do....triangulation in the form of the export brace....so to get that back I plan on tubing running from the firewall, behind the patch panels, then down to the frame, just so i can get some strength to mount an export brace and monte carlo bar to.
On another note...I left the stock sway bar mounting brackets in place, thinking they wouldnt get in the way...wrong, ended up having to cut them out to mount the heidts sway bar later on...more spot welds
the patch panels welded in(dont get m started on my crappy mig welder...this job was a huge headache because of it...I tried to install the frame stuff with it, but it did such a crappy job I had to go out and buy an Arc welder and redo the entire install...my welds are still ugy though...anyway, the mig welder sometimes does an ok job on sheet metal)
worse than the welder though is was this...the f#$%*^& coil spring....getting this damn thing compressed without an engine weighing down the front end was enough o drive me crazy...it took me 8 HOURS to get one compressed with a combination of a jack under the lower ball joint and a sring compressor....the spring compressor by itself didnt work...and if you used the jack my itself it would pick the car up off the jackstands and make it try to fall. In fact it did fall once, but I luckily had wheels under the frame rails to catch it, so no harm done(other some nicks in the ugly wheels)...anyway, it was a delicate process, but once I got one side done, the other side was easy...one other thing here...lower shock mounting points were too close together for the shock to fit it...I actually had to grind the lower shock mount a bit to get them to fit
one of the tie rod ends(cant see it in this picture) was threaded incorrectly and would not go onto the steering rack, I had togo buy a new one, looks just a little different, but has a lifetime warranty
and here we have the mostly completed install....the welds on the patch panels mostly ground down, the holes filled, etc etc, the suspension components have to all come off again at some point to be painted, I just wanted to get it all together first so i could roll it around as needed
my impressions with the Heidts mustang II kit:
its as strong as the stock setup, without additional bracing, the only thing it lacks is the triangulation provided by the export bace...I'm working on that by adding additional bracing.
very good quality welds, good workmanship on all the parts made by Heidts.
very poor instructions...the things were vauge almost to the point of uselessness, no pictures...just a general assembly diagram with no details...they could definately work on their instructions...its a good thing I have had years of experience in this type of deal(other than the welding) otherwise I might not have been able to finish the install without a dozen phone calls
Poor customer service...Ok, well thats not really true...I only made one call to Heidts(mainly because they arent open weekends which is when I did most of the work) I called asking about 4.6L engine mounts...was told they had never been asked about that before and they thought they may be the same as 5.0L mounts(which may be the case...still waiting on my engine) but they claimed people were installing them without a problem. Ok, not a problem for me yet...was expecting to fab my own anyway, I then asked for torque specifications and was told they dont provide torque specifications...some liabaility issue...thats fine too, except it seems to me they would be more liable by NOT providing specs when someone goes and just hand tightens everything...I could see them providing specs, just providing a legal disclaimer too...that would make more sense, they told me they provide general torqu specs for the grade of bolt used...which doesnt help me much, so now I have no idea what to torque my bolts to...not an issue for months to come, but the whole call made me come away feeling like they were pretty much worthless for information
other than the instructions and customer service, I think its a very good kit, and is definately worth the money spent....that being said, if I had to do it again i would seriously think about going with a R&C or TCI kit...but I was able to get this gt for $1800 shipped to my door...however I didnt get the fancy brakes or coilovers
On to other things beside the MII kit....I already hav e the 8.8" rear installed and have for years...it already has rear disc, so that part is finished. I have the T5, just waiting for my engine to arrive so I can adapt it, fab up some mounts, I plan on pushing the engine as far back as possible to try to push back the shifter loation...this combined with my 1" deeper bellhousing should result in a more favorable shifter location...still may end up having to build a shift linkage an remote shiffter similar to what mustangs plus sells and build a console to cover it, we'll see whether 2-3 inches will make enough difference
This time, this is the plan, the basics:
66 coupe
4 wheel disc brakes
8.8" rear end
4.6L DOHC engine
t5 transmission
mustang II front suspension
Now keep in mind...these are some ugly welds,I'm not a professional welder and I havent cleaned them up yet(they may be ugly but they are strong, that much I can say) , its only painted to prevent rust....anyway some pictures....
this picture amused me...you dont see it in this stage too often...I have decided I absolutely HATE spot welds....there were about 20 on each shock tower assembly at the bottom holding it to the frame, the top part I just cut away rom the sheet metal with a grinder and a cut off wheel, like butter. I actually cut from the wheel well, since I was planning on welding in the patch panels, you can just follow the line of the shock tower at the back....if you go the other way and bolt them in, you wouldnt be able to do it this way
this picture always makes the frame rails look so spindly, but I will tell you....there is no way this actually compromises the structural integrity of the front end....the shock towers transfer all the load to the frame...its the only possible thing that can happen...the sheet metal of the inner fenders is so thin there is absolutely NO WAY it can bear any load whatsoever...and if it did, the patch panels will bear the same amount of load, besides the boxing plates of the heidts kit go a long way toward making the frame stronger than it was originally anyway...I have no doubts about the strength of the setup...howerver I will be running firewall to fram re-inforcement anyway because there is one thing the shock towers do....triangulation in the form of the export brace....so to get that back I plan on tubing running from the firewall, behind the patch panels, then down to the frame, just so i can get some strength to mount an export brace and monte carlo bar to.
On another note...I left the stock sway bar mounting brackets in place, thinking they wouldnt get in the way...wrong, ended up having to cut them out to mount the heidts sway bar later on...more spot welds
the patch panels welded in(dont get m started on my crappy mig welder...this job was a huge headache because of it...I tried to install the frame stuff with it, but it did such a crappy job I had to go out and buy an Arc welder and redo the entire install...my welds are still ugy though...anyway, the mig welder sometimes does an ok job on sheet metal)
worse than the welder though is was this...the f#$%*^& coil spring....getting this damn thing compressed without an engine weighing down the front end was enough o drive me crazy...it took me 8 HOURS to get one compressed with a combination of a jack under the lower ball joint and a sring compressor....the spring compressor by itself didnt work...and if you used the jack my itself it would pick the car up off the jackstands and make it try to fall. In fact it did fall once, but I luckily had wheels under the frame rails to catch it, so no harm done(other some nicks in the ugly wheels)...anyway, it was a delicate process, but once I got one side done, the other side was easy...one other thing here...lower shock mounting points were too close together for the shock to fit it...I actually had to grind the lower shock mount a bit to get them to fit
one of the tie rod ends(cant see it in this picture) was threaded incorrectly and would not go onto the steering rack, I had togo buy a new one, looks just a little different, but has a lifetime warranty
and here we have the mostly completed install....the welds on the patch panels mostly ground down, the holes filled, etc etc, the suspension components have to all come off again at some point to be painted, I just wanted to get it all together first so i could roll it around as needed
my impressions with the Heidts mustang II kit:
its as strong as the stock setup, without additional bracing, the only thing it lacks is the triangulation provided by the export bace...I'm working on that by adding additional bracing.
very good quality welds, good workmanship on all the parts made by Heidts.
very poor instructions...the things were vauge almost to the point of uselessness, no pictures...just a general assembly diagram with no details...they could definately work on their instructions...its a good thing I have had years of experience in this type of deal(other than the welding) otherwise I might not have been able to finish the install without a dozen phone calls
Poor customer service...Ok, well thats not really true...I only made one call to Heidts(mainly because they arent open weekends which is when I did most of the work) I called asking about 4.6L engine mounts...was told they had never been asked about that before and they thought they may be the same as 5.0L mounts(which may be the case...still waiting on my engine) but they claimed people were installing them without a problem. Ok, not a problem for me yet...was expecting to fab my own anyway, I then asked for torque specifications and was told they dont provide torque specifications...some liabaility issue...thats fine too, except it seems to me they would be more liable by NOT providing specs when someone goes and just hand tightens everything...I could see them providing specs, just providing a legal disclaimer too...that would make more sense, they told me they provide general torqu specs for the grade of bolt used...which doesnt help me much, so now I have no idea what to torque my bolts to...not an issue for months to come, but the whole call made me come away feeling like they were pretty much worthless for information
other than the instructions and customer service, I think its a very good kit, and is definately worth the money spent....that being said, if I had to do it again i would seriously think about going with a R&C or TCI kit...but I was able to get this gt for $1800 shipped to my door...however I didnt get the fancy brakes or coilovers
On to other things beside the MII kit....I already hav e the 8.8" rear installed and have for years...it already has rear disc, so that part is finished. I have the T5, just waiting for my engine to arrive so I can adapt it, fab up some mounts, I plan on pushing the engine as far back as possible to try to push back the shifter loation...this combined with my 1" deeper bellhousing should result in a more favorable shifter location...still may end up having to build a shift linkage an remote shiffter similar to what mustangs plus sells and build a console to cover it, we'll see whether 2-3 inches will make enough difference