Build Thread 1978 Fairmont. I bet somebody back home’s thinkin’…I wonder why he don’t write..?

[CarMichael Angelo]

I’m guessing Kate didn’t let ya.

She did as a matter of fact.
But again, I spent the majority of the day doing very little. The top of the tunnel is sealed. There is a removeable plate that surrounds the shifter, so that the shifter can be accessed. The “dogleg” that came with the shifter was drilled so that the shifter handle angled backwards slightly when it was in the forward gears, I wanted it straight up. I made a new one to correct that. Lastly, the driveshaft length was measured, and as of today, a new one is getting built. The new driveshaft has to be 4.25” longer than the previous one.

 

[02 281 GT]

Well for better or worse, I’m going to try and tackle the rear gear change myself.
( One more thing that I pile on myself that’ll consume an entire day or more to do)

Ive made the cover plate for the rectangular cut at the top of the tunnel. It’s painted on the bottom in bed liner just like the rest of the floor. I figure i’ll rivet it in place as opposed to welding it for the sake of being able to remove it if i ever need to.
That’ll leave a round hole in the floor where the shifter pokes through. And Ill have to come up with some rubber-ized foam surround to seal that hole from heat and fumes. Making the shifter fit so tightly into the floor has its own “ bad idea” downside though, as being able to remove that shifter may now be impossible, and not being able to remove the shifter will not allow the transmission to go back any further.......( See what I just did there?... I just talked myself into making part of the larger plate removable to be able to unbolt the shifter. It’s good to think things through out loud before fcking things up silently).

I called Spec about the Sleeve that is now installed on top of the Slave cylinder, that is now between the pressure plate and the front face of that slave cylinder,......trapped inside the J3 bellhousing. The tech guy had no idea. His advice was that if it was in there, it was probably intended that I use it.

” Unless it causes a clearance issue between the slave cylinder and the diaphragm on the pressure plate...”

Great. And how exactly am I supposed to know that?

It’s a “ If Kate‘ll let me“ day again, so I don’t know what if anything i’ll accomplish. There is soooo much to do.

Considering the level of intricacy and complexity you've already involved in your car, I have no doubt that you can handle setting up a ring and pinion.

I have three 8.8's that need (read: I want) different gears and/or rebuilds. I still need to acquire tools, but I'm definitely going to give it a crack.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

So as the new title implies, I think the new transmission is gonna have the shifter so freakin far back, I’m gonna have to almost reach behind me to put it into reverse. I mock up the shifter location, and sure enough, the hole for the shifter seem much further back than the old shifter. I mount the thing, and get the console, and just put the thing in there temporarily to see how far back it’s really gonna be.

It’s sitting in the same hole the old shifter sat in.

Now to tell the truth, it ain’t right. The old hole in front of the shifter handle tells the tale…,it still sits back about 2-3” from where the old shifter would’ve been, and there is still that big assed hole in front of the shifter that no boot is gonna cover.

Nor would I consider trying that.

Fortunately, the new mesh arrived to allow me to correct that.

You’re looking at 65.00 worth of perforated steel mesh. Exactly the same thickness, the same hole diameter, the same hole spacing as the stuff it replaces. I’ll use the existing mesh to lay out the shifter hole location, build a bezel to allow me to get that boot properly mounted and secured, and then transfer over those cut dimensions to the new piece. Tomorrow is day off day again, and that, and a tail shaft mount are the goals for the day. If for some reason I get more done than I hope for, I’ll drain and drop the rear end out, so I can attempt to fck up, I mean set up the rear gears.

 

[7991LXnSHO]

$100 bucks is a deal to make sure the gears are installed and set up right the first time. I know that’s not why you have this car, but some things are not worth the effort if you do not do them regularly.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

$100 bucks is a deal to make sure the gears are installed and set up right the first time. I know that’s not why you have this car, but some things are not worth the effort if you do not do them regularly.

“ Regularly“ may not be the right word here.

I asked that mechanic how many 8.8 rears he’s setup, and he thinks about it for a second.....” three”.

How many sets do you have to do before this becomes regular?

I ask him if he’s ever used a setup bearing on the pinion instead of pressing the one on and pulling it back off if the pinion depth is wrong....” Nope, I just use the one that was in the old gear set,....if i have to pull it back apart, I pull the bearing back off. We have a press here”.

So do I. Seems to me like I could do that.

 

[02 281 GT]

“ Regularly“ may not be the right word here.

I asked that mechanic how many 8.8 rears he’s setup, and he thinks about it for a second.....” three”.

How many sets do you have to do before this becomes regular?

I ask him if he’s ever used a setup bearing on the pinion instead of pressing the one on and pulling it back off if the pinion depth is wrong....” Nope, I just use the one that was in the old gear set,....if i have to pull it back apart, I pull the bearing back off. We have a press here”.

So do I. Seems to me like I could do that.

Is he saying he just reuses the old pinion bearing and shims? Is the wear and tear on it negligible enough that it doesn’t make a difference?

 

[a91what]

This is exactly what we do.. or I should say my pops does. if the old pinion was correct and the bearing is fine it all gets reused.

 

[WhiteCobra95]

Are you sure that you don't want to drive it once or twice with the new trans and the existing rear gear? It might break up the projects a bit and give you chance to see what it's like before you commit to the gear change.

P.S. The biggest thing I HATE about ring and pinion or third member swaps is the gear oil - I despise that smell, especially the friction modifier. It permiates your drain pains and if it spills on the floor you'll be smelling it for years. I highly recommend putting plastic down or performing that work outside if possible.

 

[Rdub6]

This is exactly what we do.. or I should say my pops does. if the old pinion was correct and the bearing is fine it all gets reused.

Man...... could’ve used that info a few months ago! Would have save me a lot of time! Oh well, hopefully I got it done right.

 

[Essn95]

This is exactly what we do.. or I should say my pops does. if the old pinion was correct and the bearing is fine it all gets reused.

Solely switch just the ring gear and pinion gear? If so, I think I can handle that, my pinion seal is leaking and that would be a good while you're in there.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Kate made me come out of the garage at 5, although if left to me, I woulda stayed down there at least a couple of additional hours. She asks me if I got done what I wanted to get done while we set out on my deck listening to Jazz, and having a drink.

”Nope”.

” Did you get anything you wanted to get done, done?” She asks.

Half....I got half of what I wanted to get done...

” Which was “what“ exactly?”

sigh...

A boot and a bezel....that’s what I got done, I made a shifter bezel, and a shifter boot to cover the shifter.

“Why can’t you just buy a shifter bezel, and that boot thing?”
( At least she is feigning interest in what I was doing down there)

Because it’s a custom interior, they don’t make a shifter bezel for this car...and even though I bought a boot, it was generic,...it still needed to be made to fit.

”What happened to the custom shifter bezel that was on the car....you know, the car that’s been finished already”?

Ball bustin time....

Theres a new transmission in the car,..the old one was for an automatic, now there’s a 6 speed in there. So, that said, I had to make a new one.

” And that took all freakin day”?..

Yes,....because as with all things, I had to cut apart, and shorten the version that was ready for paint, because it was too long, and I couldn’t make the boot fit.

” What were you doing with the needle and red thread?”

Sewing the boot back together that I cut too much out of...in essence, redoing what was already done in the first place.

” Seems to me you’d double check this sht before you get to the “ ready for paint stage””.

So....that’s how this conversation goes...Me trying to tell her that I have to make sht,..but because it’s me, I have to do it more than once for whatever reason on the planet.

Maybe if i measured twice, and cut once...
Guess that all depends on what I’m measuring...trust me when I say,...I measured the freakin thing numerous times...it just was a judgement miscalculation.....( it’s always a judgement miscalculation).

But here the freakin thing is,...still needing a final sanding before adding paint,..This being the after version that is now 5/8” shorter than the previous version..

and..

This Volcano lookin thing..( the horizontal stitches are where I had to sew the thing back together)..There is a metal frame inside that fits inside the bezel, and will rivet in place...Once installed, will be pushed down to cover the shifter and allow for movement of the shift lever.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Is he saying he just reuses the old pinion bearing and shims? Is the wear and tear on it negligible enough that it doesn’t make a difference?

He’s sayin he re-uses the shim with a new bearing.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Are you sure that you don't want to drive it once or twice with the new trans and the existing rear gear? It might break up the projects a bit and give you chance to see what it's like before you commit to the gear change.

P.S. The biggest thing I HATE about ring and pinion or third member swaps is the gear oil - I despise that smell, ecpecially the friction modifier. It permiates your drain pains and if it spills on the floor you'll be smelling it for years. I highly recommend putting plastic down or performing that work outside if possible.

The first gear in a CD009 transmission has a 3.78 first gear. Compare to the 4l80’s 2.48 gear ( which delayed destroying the tires till the engine got up to 4000 rpm) ,..A 3.78 first gear will be useless. Additionally, 6th gear in a CD009 is .79 compared to the 4l80’s .75 ( which isn’t that much of a change). Changing the rear gear from the current 3.73, down to a 3.31 will make first gear useable, and at the same time enable me to kill myself at triple digit speeds where the engine will only be around 3000 rpm.

But it is a good thought...leaving the rear alone for now will allow me to drive it sooner than later,..making sure all the rest of the sht works again. But....

Itll be mid July....Who wants to drive a car like this in Mid July?

 

[xecute]

Well, kick me in the stick and call me Just Dean. That's what happens to me each day I work on any of the three Toyota's I'm working on....and am stupid enough to tell my wife....Its not me, its just discussing. Im not me Im Just Just Dean. Au Justine Stoopid, that's me. Glad I'm not alone.

PS The "Scroat Bag Stick Disguise" lookes nice and very well done Sir. Ain't nothing to be ashamed 'bout!

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

The hydraulic system for the clutch is bled. ( I think).

I can literally operate the pedal with my hand. I can feel the diaphragm operate on the pressure plate. It’s so soft though....i’ll bet it feels like a freakin Sentra when i put my foot on it.
It feels like there is about .75-1.00” of free play before i feel resistance. If i extend the pushrod and eliminate that, that’ll raise the pedal higher than the brake pedal...Dont think I’ll like that either.

one things for sure,..I’m not cutting the pedal to change that.

 

[xecute]

Typical of all Center hole punch sl@v€ cylinders. My Hino 2712 and the FZ Isuzu 6 speeds and the Eaton 11 speed Suzu I drive at Fliway are crazy light, and aren't like a Hays 11 inch clutch TopLoader I built in 1987. The heaviest was the Borg and Beck GT40 based clutch on the Pantera and the yellow 4.9 liter Bora I debated back in 2015. Something like a 70 pounds release load.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Back in the 90’s it seemed that I was building a new race car every 2-3 years. Starting with the Black and white Zephyr in 91, I had an 80 Notch with a 460/C4, a 79 Fairmont ( that had the running gear out of the notch when I wrecked it) and another 80 Zephyr w/a SBF/C4 through the end of the decade.
I used the same place to build the drive shaft in all three cases.
In the early 2000’s I had 2 additional drag cars, and one that started as a street car, that I fcked up, and converted it into a drag car.
(An 87 351w/PG Mitsubishi Starion, a 87 Chrysler Conquest, ( a 347 N/A/TR 3550 powered street car that ended up as a twin turbo’d drag car with a R block 363) and the 86 hatch that had the meth fueled R 363, but with a gigandor single 95 mm wheezer instead.))
In every instance above, I used a different guy to build my drive shafts.

Now that I’ve wasted your time with my automotive memoirs, I’ll get to the point of today’s update.

The new driveshaft guy moved his shop to a place about 30 miles north of the city. I called that guy a couple of weeks ago to get an idea of how much a new shaft was gonna cost me. He tells me between 300-400.00.

Last Monday, I was prepared to make the trip up there and have him do it, when it dawns on me that there was a shop I used to use 15 minutes away…So I call them instead.

This morning I go to pick the completed driveshaft up from the original shop, and he gives me the bill.
“ I had to charge you for a new joint, because the one on the yoke end wouldn’t work, otherwise it’d be a little less..How about 185.00?”

I threw 200.00 at him and said “keep the change.”

Another brick in the wall…..

 

[02 281 GT]

Did you literally throw the money at him?

 

[90sickfox]

The guy that shortened my aluminum driveshaft charged me about 40 bucks....from a real shop. I was so happy I gave him a 40 dollar tip. That shaft has been riding in front of this IRS for a long time. They got all of my rim repair and heavy welding business.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Did you literally throw the money at him?

It was a “literal” figure of speech to indicate how happy I was.