Progress Thread HeHateMe gets bent

First, I appreciate your concern and unfettered use of caps. 2nd, I daily drove a 83 Regal with a 455 Buick with a 9 inch rear end we fab'd ourself on a table in a shop with more beers than a bar. I took that car from daily driver to back halved, caged, tubbed, with a fuel cell in pretty much less than 12 days. It was 4 straight weekends, from 5pm til 1 or 2am Sat morning, then from 7 or 8 am Sat til 1 or 2 am Sunday then from 7 or 8 am Sunday til about 10 or 11pm Sunday night then back to work Monday.

2nd, my biggest hangup on working on this car has really been lack of direction. I couldn't decide what to do with it. If I get a Maverick or Falcon, I KNOW what I want to do with it. Leaf springs may be 1800 tech, but for not a lot of money they can easily be made to work. Oh wait, that's right every 69 Camaro on the drag strip took out the leaf springs. I forgot.

In fact, years ago, I already back halved a Maverick and notched the shock towers. Was no big thing. But went off to college and my brother sold that car. I worked at the machine shop starting at 16. By the end of the summer I was doing complete head jobs. I'm sure I can stick some sheet metal together and cobble some bondo if need be. I figure easy thing is to start by relocating the leafs, get some 2 piece leafs and Caltracs and then if the need ever arises, just buy a jegster back half ladder bar or four link clip. But I think the leafs will work fine in up to a 9.90 car. After that, probably going to need more than a 2.3 and more bars on the cage.

3rd, this guy deserves this car back. I know it has a lot more sentimental value than cash value, but hey, I am a big softie. So if we can work out a deal that is favorable to both, then I'll do it.

I like to be different. I didn't pick a 455 Buick to put aluminum heads and methanol injection because it was easier than building a BBC. It was cool to beat BBC and then have those oaf's try to figure out what kind of engine it was.

I didn't run OS/2 back in the day instead of Windows because it was so easy a computer illiterate baboon could write term papers on it. I don't choose to be a Mississippi State Bulldog fan and watch us get killed every year by Alabama, Auburn and LSU because I'm in the "IN CROWD."

Finally, I really wanted a Maverick when I bought this 4 eye, but TOLD MYSELF, get the Mustang. It's a Fox body. There's tons of parts and it will be easy. Easy got boring, so I installed fuel injection. I made my own fuel sender to make my gauge work correctly with a late model efi tank. I made nylon efi lines connect up to the factory carb hardlines. Easy would have been to buy an 86-up.

So who knows....we may not make a deal. And Fox body cage is sitting in my shopping list at Jegs and Summit. But so is one for Falcon and Maverick.

In any event, I hope within the next month to know which way to go....after I have to spend $10,000 or so on a roof.

Well then.....You go boy.

If you want to go “ Over the river and through the woods” to get to grandmothers house even though they put an interstate to get there back in 1978....I get it. Believe me....I get it. I’m the king of taking the long way to get there.
Im the guy that decided to cram a 393 into a Mitsubishi Starion...for the purpose of drag racing. Everything on that car had to be fabbed..there simply wasn’t a single thing on that car that could be kept on it. Everything, including the struts, brakes, steering, rear, and electronics, had to be replaced with some sort of aftermarket thing.

Despite that, would I tell somebody “ Yeah sure! I’ve done two of those things..it was easy!
Nope...it was a giant pain in the ass.
Twice.

I know people make leaf spring cars work..certain leaf spring cars work better than anything they could put under the car to support it ( read...Mopar B body) .but they also have more than just that going for them when they do. A 69 Camaro has the aftermarket, a 69 Camaro has the engine compartment, a 69 Camaro has a reared that fits, and the factory wheel tub to handle a decent sized tire,...and nobody argues about a 12 bolt being able, or made to handle a bunch of power.
If you had stated that you were gonna race a 67-69 Camaro...There’d been not a peep from me..that would’ve made sense..
( Excepting ...what bonehead would take such a coveted bodystyle car, and devaluate it by beating on it at a drag strip)

My rant revolves around the fact that you have a better solution to the problem in the garage already. It doesn’t require any thing to make any engine fit. Cobra brakes already fit, an 8.8 already fits, it already has a proven great working factory suspension, and if it’s one more 85 mustang that gets cut up and relegated to drag race duty, so what? There are scads of them at every track in the US on any given weekend, and more than a few of them here on this very forum.

P.S. And I wouldn’t let the “ Guy wants his original car back” or whatever thing sway me one bit. Judging from the pics of his property, it’ll be one more car that the mice will move into and make their home soon enough.
 
Last edited:
  • Sponsors (?)


Do you go back and edit your posts after you post them for spelling or for the....oh I probably should reword this or say it a tad bit nicer?? :oops:

I get what you are saying, and as I have said, I will move forward with the 85 if the deal falls thru. But for about the last 3 years, I've been trying to figure out how to get rid of the 85 and get what I really want. I could have cut bait but I think this transaction will be a little better dollar wise other than just dumping my car as is with all the flaws I know it has. Flaws he doesn't care about, because he knows it needs paint and he plans on competely rewiring the car stem to stern and putting a 418 stroker in. LOL And BTW that's not his property...that the place he dug the Fairmont out of.

I like the look of the Falcon, but straight up I'd take a 70-71 Maverick any day...or a later one with all the pieces to convert it to small bumpers. It's hard to but there's Fiberglass parts available for 60-63 Falcons and of course Mavericks. Sectioning and box a frame rail and installing tubs is no big deal. I'd even tackle that in my attached garage. I told my brother I would even make a plywood wheel rotisserie so he doesn't have to lay on his back and do all the final welding of the subframes etc....because I am a nice guy. Either that, or I will build some risers and buy him a welding blanket to cover up in.

I do plan on it being street legal and driving it some. I really want to do drag week. Not to win, no chance of winning ANY class, but just to take part in it, not spectate. If I can drive it the whole week and have it run low 10's or better, and drive it back home, I'd be king of the world for a week or two. Then I'd probably start scheming how to be competitive in some class. Won't happen with the 2.3...looks like they would put that in SMALL BLOCK power added. Seems a 140 should get a weight break or something.
 
Do you go back and edit your posts after you post them for spelling or for the....oh I probably should reword this or say it a tad bit nicer?? :oops:

I get what you are saying, and as I have said, I will move forward with the 85 if the deal falls thru. But for about the last 3 years, I've been trying to figure out how to get rid of the 85 and get what I really want. I could have cut bait but I think this transaction will be a little better dollar wise other than just dumping my car as is with all the flaws I know it has. Flaws he doesn't care about, because he knows it needs paint and he plans on competely rewiring the car stem to stern and putting a 418 stroker in. LOL And BTW that's not his property...that the place he dug the Fairmont out of.

I like the look of the Falcon, but straight up I'd take a 70-71 Maverick any day...or a later one with all the pieces to convert it to small bumpers. It's hard to but there's Fiberglass parts available for 60-63 Falcons and of course Mavericks. Sectioning and box a frame rail and installing tubs is no big deal. I'd even tackle that in my attached garage. I told my brother I would even make a plywood wheel rotisserie so he doesn't have to lay on his back and do all the final welding of the subframes etc....because I am a nice guy. Either that, or I will build some risers and buy him a welding blanket to cover up in.

I do plan on it being street legal and driving it some. I really want to do drag week. Not to win, no chance of winning ANY class, but just to take part in it, not spectate. If I can drive it the whole week and have it run low 10's or better, and drive it back home, I'd be king of the world for a week or two. Then I'd probably start scheming how to be competitive in some class. Won't happen with the 2.3...looks like they would put that in SMALL BLOCK power added. Seems a 140 should get a weight break or something.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cBNCT4AvzMc

That 2.3L car ran small block power adder...

And won:

 
Last edited:
Do you go back and edit your posts after you post them for spelling or for the....oh I probably should reword this or say it a tad bit nicer?? :oops:

I get what you are saying, and as I have said, I will move forward with the 85 if the deal falls thru. But for about the last 3 years, I've been trying to figure out how to get rid of the 85 and get what I really want. I could have cut bait but I think this transaction will be a little better dollar wise other than just dumping my car as is with all the flaws I know it has. Flaws he doesn't care about, because he knows it needs paint and he plans on competely rewiring the car stem to stern and putting a 418 stroker in. LOL And BTW that's not his property...that the place he dug the Fairmont out of.

I like the look of the Falcon, but straight up I'd take a 70-71 Maverick any day...or a later one with all the pieces to convert it to small bumpers. It's hard to but there's Fiberglass parts available for 60-63 Falcons and of course Mavericks. Sectioning and box a frame rail and installing tubs is no big deal. I'd even tackle that in my attached garage. I told my brother I would even make a plywood wheel rotisserie so he doesn't have to lay on his back and do all the final welding of the subframes etc....because I am a nice guy. Either that, or I will build some risers and buy him a welding blanket to cover up in.

I do plan on it being street legal and driving it some. I really want to do drag week. Not to win, no chance of winning ANY class, but just to take part in it, not spectate. If I can drive it the whole week and have it run low 10's or better, and drive it back home, I'd be king of the world for a week or two. Then I'd probably start scheming how to be competitive in some class. Won't happen with the 2.3...looks like they would put that in SMALL BLOCK power added. Seems a 140 should get a weight break or something.
I always go back and edit what I write. Most of the time for spelling, but a lot of times because I have something additional I wanna say. Rarely do I worry about the pissing in the wheaties part.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: 1 user

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cBNCT4AvzMc

That 2.3L car ran small block power adder...

And won:



I bet Huber spent more money on that engine than I could even imagine if I were getting Lebron James money.

I always go back and edit what I write. Most of the time for spelling, but a lot of times because I have something additional I wanna say. Rarely do I worry about the pissing in the wheaties part.

Oh deep down you're a big softie.
 
Seriously...I can put some gasoline in the tank and fire this mother up. Before I put the 1 3/4 longtubes on it, I had it dyno'd and it made 275/275 at the rear tires. It ran 9.13 in the 1/8th. After I put the longtubes on, I haven't had it dyno'd but it ran a 8.51 in the 8th. Best passes were both with about a 2 60ft time.

Why is it time to sell it you ask? Well, a box came in yesterday.

box brad.gif


Well, besides what looked like a :leghump:ing brown recluse......that didn't like drinking brake clean from a fire hose.....


IMG_20200329_111157.jpg
IMG_20200329_111446.jpg
IMG_20200329_111447.jpg
IMG_20200329_111454.jpg


A Beanman SS T4 2.3 header. Well, Drew, your HX35 is a T3. Yeah, bummer. I guess I need more turbo!!! :oops: :mg:

Or an adapter. But I'm making all kinds of cool turbo and BOV noises in the garage right now!!!!

I also picked up some ARP head studs (which were half price and I didn't realize they were brand new!) to hold all this boost in.

Dude that wants the 85 back is building a house, so that's on hold. But I am going to put the 2.3 in the 85 and go to town, save for any cutting and welding on the car. I think the Futura has grown on me....and I've been steadily snapping up more Fox suspension stuff. About to make an offer on manual rack and brake setup that's local. So I'm going to reach back out to dude and see if we can work something out on the Fairmont. He has a bunch of stuff that I may not want, but could sell to recoup some cash and he wouldn't be out any cash.
Big things were a fully built C4 with brake and about a 5000 stall converter and a Fab 9 housing with no ends or brackets. I could use the C4 but it wouldn't be as fun as driving a stick.

But if I want to bracket race this beotch, that's where it is at.
 
Ahhhhh, I thought you had toilet paper in the box and was going to tell you how much I admired you in your scavenging abilities.....

No, I've got enough TP to shop for a Lenco. Actually, my wife is worried the world will end without us having enough TP, coffee creamer, half and half or dish soap. If these things become currency, I've got Warren Buffet's ass on a platter!
 
  • Haha
Reactions: 1 users
All I can say is DAYUM! Joe Exotic is innocent. Carole Baskin is a bitch and for sho killed her husband.

If Quentin Tarantino made Tiger King, people would say, whoa boy, you have to back off a bit. It's so far off of reality no one will believe it.

After seeing how much money is in big cats, I need to sell my money car and build some cages!!
 
All I can say is DAYUM! Joe Exotic is innocent. Carole Baskin is a bitch and for sho killed her husband.

If Quentin Tarantino made Tiger King, people would say, whoa boy, you have to back off a bit. It's so far off of reality no one will believe it.

After seeing how much money is in big cats, I need to sell my money car and build some cages!!
Lol, i’ve met Joe a couple times a few years ago. He has, shall we call it “a reputation”. He may be innocent in one area, but there are a bunch of others that the word innocent would never be used.

Oklahoma always seems to have some of the best and brightest hit national attention. Last one was the person that started a meth lab inside of walmart.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Since I haven't done :poo: since November when the weather cooled off, I figure it's about time to get started again and sweat to the oldies! I think I am pulling the 302 and selling it. I'll put the 2.3 in the 85. If the guy comes back to me and still wants it, we'll work out a deal. Time to start figuring out the plumbing. Even if we swap and I get the Futura, all the plumbing will transfer over.

I've seen a lot of guys on the 2.3's take the upper intake, cut off the flange and rotate it 90 to it faces forward to make plumbing the intercooler easier. I've been thinking about making an adapter for the lower. It's basically the same opening size as a 4150 with a wildly different bolt pattern. So I was thinking, make an adapter then use a standard 4150 style throttle body elbow. The elbows are pretty cheap and so are big throttle bodies.

I've paid $100 to get the lower ported. S'posedly it's good for 500 hp. If I exceed that and decide to stay on the 2.3 path, I'll fab...well, I'll get my brother to fab an intake.

So today, time to clean this dirty pig. 2 cans of Gunk spray cleaner later and it's workable. I'm stopping to eat lunch and then I'll pop the pan off and see what is inside. Yes, 4 rods and pistons and a crankshaft. I need to buy or borrow a press so I can swap pistons onto these other rods I bought that already have been resize with arp rod bolts and polished. Pick up some rod and main bearings, check the clearances and put it back together.

I'll probably dingle ball the cylinders and get a new set of rings. I've debated making a kickout for the oil pan to get a little more oil capacity since I am going to fill the block to about 1 inch of the deck and know it will run on the warm side. But Speedway has a couple of circle track pans with trap doors pretty cheap...so rather than deal with a leaky homemade pan, may just buy one. We'll see when I get that far.

Also, if you've never checked out the Record Company. Do so. Now! I had never heard of them and saw them in a club in Nashville 2 or 3 years ago and was BLOWN AWAY. 3 piece band that rocks their asses off.

Screenshot_20200404-123207.jpg



IMG_20200404_132853.jpg
IMG_20200404_132859.jpg
IMG_20200404_132902.jpg
IMG_20200404_132905.jpg



Yes that's a bath towel. I prefer the soft scent of Downey on all of my engine parts!
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: 2 users
And to think...Back when the red car was still blue, I had a 2.3 t engine, and a Volvo B234 head that I paid 300.00 dollars for. I fully intended to use it in that car....But I put it on the curb, and threw it all away when I couldn’t give it away.
 
And to think...Back when the red car was still blue, I had a 2.3 t engine, and a Volvo B234 head that I paid 300.00 dollars for. I fully intended to use it in that car....But I put it on the curb, and threw it all away when I couldn’t give it away.

Yeah, the Folvo seems pretty easy to do. I've spent more money on this than I ever planned when I fell into a Black Friday hole and ordered a ported head from Bo-Port. BUT, it was on sale.

I'm guessing someone was into this before and decided if a little top ring-ring gap is ok, A LOT is better! It has about .040 top ring gap and .020 2nd ring.

I couldn't find my bore gauge last night and I was tired. My Mother in law arrived from LA (Lower Alabama) yesterday. My wife drove halfway to Scooba, MS to meet her sister and make the trade. MeeMaw has some mild dementia going on and the sister n law and her were about to come to murder. So Meemaw is with us for about a month. Pefect time to make a trip like that...in the apocalypse lockdown. She was calling all of her peeps up here and trying to get someone to take her to church today. I guess she didn't believe my wife or the sister n law who told her, when you get to Memphis, it's on lockdown. Churches are cacnelled. No one can get out unsless it's to the doctor or store. So she had to sit here last night ON SPEAKERPHONE yelling to all her peeps. I went and worked in the garage with my Chinee AirPods in.

I might just spend some more money on this. I found a 2.3T shortblock that's got less than 1000 miles on it with a fresh bore, forged pistons and aftermarket rods. He wants $500 for it but it's been listed for at least 7 months. So if I can get him down under $400, it will probably be mine.

I guess it's time to get out in the garage before MeeMaw gets up. But she's like a teenager...she stays up all night watching tv and sleeps til noon.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
Fresh shortblock is in Maine or Mass now. Oh well. This one is in good shape. Original Ford rod and main bearings in decent shape. Some minor scoring on one of the rods. Number one piston is sticky on the pin. I've got to clean the pistons up, as the rings were a bit carboned up. Looks like maybe some cheap oil or extended oil changes. Other than that, the bores are great. Dingle ball, swap the pistons to the polished/ARP rods, new rod and main bearings and snap it all back together.

AFTER I get the damn crank gear off. I'm trying not to damage the aluminum front seal holder, but the cut off wheel is about to come out. Good excuse to get rid of the stock one and go with a round tooth belt and adjustable cam gear.

I'll get it apart tomorrow, remove the oil pump and wash the block again. Order some rings, bearings, gaskets and put the shortblock together.
 
Monkeytrucker....the crank timing gear was a total beotch to get off. If you're not familiar with the Ford Lima Pinto 4 holer power terrorizers, there is an aluminum plate the bolts on the front of the block and holds the front crank seal. And it totally prevents any useful tool from accessing the timing belt sprocket. Of course Ford had a special tool for it, but I don't have it.

So I finally just go the 3lb sledge and a cold chisel and bent it to my will. Several (dozen) hard wacks and it cracked and fell off.

I gave the block another good bath, WD40'd the cylinders, and tapped the head bolt holes. Tomorrow I'll chase the waterpump and some other holes. I ordered rod bearings, main bearings, and the aux shaft bearings, a gasket kit, and some misc stuff from RockAuto. Need to bust down to Harbor Freight and buy a little press to swap the pistons over and see if number 1 is salvageable. It's sticking on the pin.

Today it was all about beating the :poo: out of that gear until it (literally) cracked under pressure. As good of a reason now to upgrade to an adjustable cam pulley with a round tooth belt.


IMG_20200411_174346.jpg
IMG_20200411_174357.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
I tried putting a wide flat screw driver in between the block and gear then driving a chisel in, but that didn't work and I was worried about marring up the crank snout. I can't take credit for the splitting idea. I read it on Turbo Ford. It said they usually can be persuaded to pop off with a little penetrating oil and maybe a little heat. But one guy said he had been a Ford tech and if that didn't work, just split it with a chisel. Evidently that gear is pretty hard and brittle.

Also, damn, the camera on the OnePlus 7t closeup mode FTW!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Ok, so I meant to take some pics and throw this whole thing into a tizzy, but I forgot. I spent most of the afternoon at my brother's house breaking down a 94 IDI 7.3 he bought to rebuild for his son's 93 F350 LWB 4X4. It was cheap, but putting water in the oil. We tore it down and it was hard to see (evidently we are old and need better glasses) but once he got his jeweler's magnifiers it was clear the headgasket failed at the fire ring.. So, alas, no pics, so no jokes that I decided to roll coal.

Anyway, I bought the little 12 ton press at HF today so I can swap the pistons over. But they are pretty carboned up. I don't have any of the good old toxic, cancer causing carb cleaner to soak them in. So I looked on good ol Amazon and saw this stuff called Piston Kleen. We shall see tomorrow if this is a great name or false advertising.

I am soaking the pistons, the aux shaft seal plate, the crank front seal plate and the aux shaft. I threw the other stuff in mainly for more mass to get the level as high as the entire piston.


IMG_20200418_215613.jpg
IMG_20200418_215616.jpg
IMG_20200418_215618.jpg
IMG_20200418_215827.jpg



Also, I really love RockAuto. If you're not dead in the water, the savings they offer on name brand parts is staggering. I ordered a wild array of parts this week: main bearings, rod bearings, aux bearings, 2 head gaskets (might as well have an extra when I send ALL the boost), gasket set, oil pump, oil pump drive shaft and a water pump. The prices were awesome and the shipping was cheap too. But I can't help but wonder if having all these warehouses costs them money.

Case in point:

IMG_20200418_100729.jpg


In this roughly 18"x30" box are the 2 head gaskets and the rod bearings and a packing list...not even a magnet. All 4 other boxes had a different magnet in them! I think the box weighs more than what was in it and has at least 300% empty space. But everything I ordered Monday night showed up Wed, Thurs. and Friday. So I can't complain! I'm waiting on the Moroso block fill coming from Summitt. Then it's time to build the long block. Time to pull the 302 and start the swap soon!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user