Black Jack: Fixing torque steer

Thanks, guys.

Just saw North Racecars's 5-lug conversion & Cobra brake kit in this Powernation video.

https://northracecars.com/c-clip_brakes.html





I guess he basically came up with his 'patented' bracket, brings 3rd party parts together, and gives it a small markup. I wanna follow up and compare this to my previous 5-lug swap list post, but coming in at less than $1,700 shipped seems pretty reasonable.

Not much of an update, but the only thing I've done on the car since Foxtoberfest '22 was this swap of plugs (Autolite 3924's), wires (LiveWires), cap (Motorcraft) and rotor (Motorcraft) swap. I chose the wires I saw on a few cars at the show that stood out. I've only ever ruined wires by #1 melting a wire that laid onto a header, and #2 melting the boot in a tight turbo exhaust engine bay. The Accel 9000 series wires took care of #2, and I think these will be the ticket to preventing #1. The full-length wire sleeves are apparently good for up to 1,400 degrees.

Of note: I've never before used the Taylor 10.4mm Vertical Wire Loom Kit that sends the wires straight down the valve covers to their respective plugs. It didn't turn out as sexy as intended, but at least it looks like it was organized intentionally, and gives me piece of mind that everything should stay put:






Reverse view on passenger side looking towards the front of the engine bay:



I figured it wasn't a bad thing to do on the car, given the age of the previous parts, and maybe, just maybe it might explain why there's this light ticking sound at light load, usually between 1,500-2,500 RPM, that almost sounds like it could be errant sparking, but that did not turn out to be the case.

I'd like to get that 5-lug & brake parts list down from the $3,000 I originally posted to less than 2,000, and preferably down to 1500 bucks. At that point it's pretty much a no-brainer.

I'll definitely take Mike's advice on the 94-95 spindles.

Pretty sure I have 96 spindles on one of my foxes already. Works fine. But like you and @Mustang5L5 have said, this is a stock k-member. In any case, I just got a PM with these pics and a $250 shipped offer on corral. Unless something seems off to anyone, I'llpull the trigger on em:

Alright... So, that deal is complete. 1 set of spindles down, rest of the list to go. Man... I've got this vision of a Black Jack with 5-Lugs, Cobra or better discs front and back, a T-56 with the 2.66 1st and .5 6th to tame the 4.10s, and a 150 shot wet kit. It feels pretty good! What a fun little street car!

I think the biggest ticket item I'd need in the whole list of parts is the bellhousing. Does anyone know of a bellhousing solution for a 302 SBF-to-T56 that doesn't involve the ~$900 Quicktime 8031? I wish I could come across another aluminum Tremec bellhousing like D&D used to put in front of their viper-spec transmissions.

It's a tall order, but if I could get all of that together for around $3k, I think that would feel worth doing. I mean, take a look at the market for a T56, 5-lug, cobra-braked fox. First of all, you can't hardly find 'em, and second, they ain't cheap. My spare T56 is probably worth $2-3k & my R58 Cobra R's are probably worth $1k. So, total investment here would be basically $6-7k, but if that makes Black Jack worth $15k+, then it would financially be holding its own. Do you guys think that's a fair assessment? Black Jack is probably not one of my forever foxes... so I want to make whatever I do worth it both financially & in fun.

Finances and Frivolity:
No way. Since this is a big hobby of mine, I'm sure it would seem to others on this site that I spend frivolously, but I was very frugal throughout my Army career, never any debt, and invested in stocks all the way. Combined with my pension from the army when I retire in 3+ years, I'll be financially independent of having to work, though I am unlikely to ever stop. Data science is fun, lucrative & is something I could do at any age, in-person or from home.

Yeah, Mike, that's the way I think about the Blue and Black turbo cars that will never sell. The black one is going to get a full, blow-it-apart and put it back together restoration-style paint job that will be $10k or more, I'm guessing. That, and all of the other adjustments and parts I'll do over time are definitely worth it to me.

Black Jack, OTOH, is supposed to be a car I don't have to park at the back of the lot, and don't mind giving some daily-driver abuse, to. I wanna have fun, but don't want to blow the bankroll on this car. In a way, it's really bringing me back to the light-hearted roots of where foxes began for me. The difference now is that I've learned some lessons, and blowing up a part doesn't leave me waiting for my next pay check before I can put the car back together!

Transmission info:
So, I just got off of the phone with Promotion Powertrain -- love those guys. Rick Collins there squared me away with the info that there isn't a substitute for the QT-8031. With an 03-04 Cobra style T56, it's the only game in town. He said that the Viper-Spec aluminum housing has the wrong depth. I think he said it's deeper. So, I had him sell me a 26-spline 10.5" ceramic disk to replace the KC clutch disk in the car, a reverse lock-out pigtail, and a clutch fork. I'll still need the cross member and shifter, both of which are fairly ubiquitous on the marketplace at budget costs, the driveshaft, which will need to be measured, and of course the bellhousing. I'll keep my eyes out for a deal on a used QT-8031 and would appreciate the info if any of you happen to come across one.

I'll be able to sell the T5, & Pro-5.0. Unfortunately, I wouldn't pass the FMS D/S on without making it clear to a buyer that it will come with a minor tremor. But, I imagine if I do it right and let a buyer feel out the T5, I'll be able to sell for a pretty good price. Maybe $800-$1k?