Build Thread Dusty ain't gettin' worked on...
#102
This morning I got the tank dropped. Made a stud for the drivers side tank bolt. I never had a problem on the 89 vert but I could see it could be a PITA in this car.

Another issue was a bracket on the passenger side was keeping the IRS bracket from sitting against the frame....a BFH and all better.

At the local pizza place with the wife and one kiddo. I'll get back to the car and then 5:00 Jungle Book Movie....wooohooo....a day in the life of a family man.
 
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#103
Wife happy, kids happy, I'm happy...and Dusty is happy.

When I was doing this at the shop I had a drill adapter that wouldn't allow you to do what I did.... I swear the second hole I drilled from the bracket into the trunk had to be damn near 45 degrees off. Needless to say decided not to go the the long bolt route. One trip to Tractor Supply and its all fixed. These drill files are a life saver. I traced half inch bolt washers to mark my circles. Dropped 1 1/2 half inch bolts in and BAM done...well almost. I've got to buy body plugs to fit the holes.

I found a nice way to get metal shavings out of the frame. Take the bolt off the magnet and the shavings fall off the bolt.[emoji106]

Now Dusty is back on all fours....until tomorrow.
 
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#104
Hey guys I actually forgot some info. I went to take the old automatic shifter out today. I also removed the factory e brake handle. I had forgotten that the black base for the arm rest was riveted in. Here are pics of the difference between the e brake handles. The newer 98 one has a bigger crank and a longer e brake cable end.

The front bolt hole stays the same, but the new one is longer so a hole in the hump is needed...unfortunately, the little black box has to be removed and put back to do this....just three rivets.

I was going to just slice the carpet to put the 5 speed hump adapter in, but went a different route...

The floor in Dusty is pretty good. No rust at all.

Hence, why I call'em Dusty...
 
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#105
Did a little stuff today...put in the e brake handle. This modification should be done with any fox that has a disc brake rear. The rear bolt for the shifter runs through the arm rest bracket. I used a drill bit and drilled the heads off the three 3/16 aluminum rivets.

Once removed the edge of the bracket needs to be ground down to fit over the new handle.

I drilled a 5/16 hole for the rear bolt. A nut and lock washer reside underneath. Once the bracket is reinstalled the bolt under it is accessible with a 10mm wrench to hold it still while the nut is tightened.

The e brake handle is supposed to have tension on it. In order to get the proper tension it has to be rotated and something needs to be stuck through the holes to hold it in position.

In order to keep the bracket steady I installed a bolt with washer in the original bolt location.

Tomorrow I get to chop into the tunnel. I marked and removed the sound deadener in that area. The lmr video doesn't show this step. I would not advise putting this thing above the sound deadener because water and moisture can travel behind that stuff.
 
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#106
The hump is in....the lower left bolt hole is used to align it to the trans tunnel. I must admit.... I did a better job cutting it out than Ford. Anyone that's inspected that area knows Ford did a hack job...but it got the job done. Clearance adjustments can be made from under the panel.

I used seam sealer to seal the panel and a few rivets to secure it. The seam sealer was used to seal the edges of the sound deadener material, too. Anything to keep moisture from creeping in.

This panel came out of a donor car...so you'll also see where I smeared sealer on the drilled spot welds, too.

Tomorrow I'd like to get some things mentioned earlier in this thread done. I appreciate the guys that have been keeping track of this madness. Soon the fun will begin.

Thanks to advice from here I'm ordering a 93 cobra booster. This setup stopped but not exactly on a dime. I'll be getting the brake lines ran with my trusty SLP line lock. The master cylinder and prop valve are off a 98....I'll be leaving them alone.
 
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#107
Got the interior back in today...can't wait to have new weatherstrip and carpet. That'll be a while from now.

Finally fixed the ignition actuator in my e150. I've been starting it with a push button since the snow storm.

I do have one pic to show today. I finally found a speaker box that'll stand up in a notch back trunk. This kicker comp rs is a winner.
 
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#108
Oh....I forgot about this one. I'm embarrassed to think how long it took for me to put this aluminum spare in the trunk..... After fighting for about a half an hour....glanced down and saw the picture on the spare tire cover. Never said I was a genius...
 
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#110
Unable to locate a big enough punch....or the right size tap, I decided to make my own. Figured I could take the cut off wheel and cut some slits in the piece of pipe...fill with grease and tap away. It might work.
 
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#111
Never said I was smart....

One of my kids had a doctors appointment so I was off today. Decided to punch my pan.

Everything went great...unitil I went to thread the pan. The homemade tap was a total failure. Didn't work at all. So...I made a mad dash to the next town over to find Ace Hardware....what do I find sitting on the shelf in plain view ? The correct 3/8 18 npt tap...for half the price I spent on a piece of pipe and a brass cap.

This is everything I used to successfully tap my pan.

I used the micrometer to measure the bottom of the fitting and to mark the plumb bob so I didn't go too deep.

I unscrewed the end and screwed in a 3/8 - 24 thread bolt to beat on ( kinda like the plumb bob...didn't want to kill it ). I used the smaller punch to start the hole.

I found the answer to my previous question. If you have a block girdle the measurement from the pan lip down needs to be about 1 1/2 inches not 1 3/4. It works but I'm a little close. Glad I unscrewed the point off the plumb bob or I may have had issues. the flash makes it look way closer than it is...there actually is clearance for the drain fitting...barely. [emoji15]

Good old ford wheel bearing grease held all the shavings. And its done for now. Still needs some sealant on the fitting threads. This thing is pipe thread so its tapered... The threads aren't meant to disappear into the pan.

Fuel pump comes tomorrow.... Power booster comes Friday. Dusty on its way to being a complete car again. Thanks for the inspiration guys. [emoji106]
 
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#113
The dust on Dusty is awesome. If I could put it all back I would. this stuff has preserved this car. I've never seen a rust free tank ring.

The old pump is out....in with the 340 lph.

Tomorrow I reinstall the tank and fight a booster. Yipppeee.
 
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#114
For the record....putting this booster in sucks. This has to be one of the hardest things I've ever done. * note to self....next time take the pedal assembly out. I trimmed the studs..beat the hell out of my strut tower ( not really) and this dumb #%% pedal assembly bracket won't allow the studs to come all the way through.

OK.... I feel better now....on with the install.
 
#115
Finally done. This was the only thing I had to call a friend to help with.

Underneath the dash I unbolted everything connected to the pedal bracket. He pushed and rocked from the outside while I aligned the bracket to the studs. Its over now and done. Thought it would be a simpler process.

I trimmed the studs down to 1.2 inches ( micrometer). I chose not to oblong the holes in the firewall. The strut tower had to be messaged with a BFH but you can't tell at all. Little taps ( a lot of them) go a long way. The brake lines could be cleaner but I utilized existing lines for the line lock.

This is a newer 98 prop valve. The left front brake line moves from the bottom of the master cylinder to the back of the prop valve. Plumbing for everything else stays the same. The newer prop valves have a different fitting size than foxes so lines must be cut and flared. Compression fittings worked for me for years but I will not recommend them.
 
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#116
They just don't want lawsuits....just in case they happen to find their way onto a brake line.... What else are they used for ?
 
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#117
Yesterday the car looked so good I had to take a pic. That blue tape is strong as hell....its been holding on for months. Its coming off soon so I can adjust the metal bracket that's below the tail lights, behind the bumper.

I'm starting to feel like if I don't post daily I'll loose track and Dusty will become neglected. The wheels are 2008 wheels in the rear and 04 wheels in the front ( they will be coming off for a set of 18s )
 
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#118
Finally, got everything off from test fitting.

This thing is a whole lot lighter.

The pump wasn't bolted on because I didn't know if the bolt configuration would have to change.

The Quarter Horse should be on its way this week. Can't wait !!!

Bled the brakes and it all feels good. Still have a lot to get but at least the motor will be in and the turbo stuff plumbed.

I figured I'd tackle the most expensive thing first....its a long road. If I had the money to feed my ambition the car would've been done a few months ago.
 
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#119
Edit; this is the correct bearing for putting a 4 cylinder t5 behind a 5.0.

The bearing I ordered is a perfect fit. Not used to a pilot bearing looking like this but it fit like a champ.

I didn't have an alignment tool so I used the trans.

When I hit the lottery I'll buy a dual friction clutch....and a blow proof bell housing. [emoji106]

PS. If anyone is wondering I did clean up the flywheel and pressure plate with a scotch brite pad...the flash makes everything look super rusty.
 
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#120
This is as far as I got today. Had the ol' lady pump the engine hoist so I could line up the motor mount bolts.

This thing was heavy as hell...especially with the break in oil in the pan. Smh. I need to find a friend to help me when I'm having a "He Man" moment.

Sealed and buttoned up the water pump.....and that's it for the night. Wife bought me some beer and ordered pizza.... I'm in for the night.
 
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