Build Thread My 1986 T-top Build - Lasting Memories

[FoxMustangLvr]

I've got a question for you engine bay smoothers. I was talking to one of the body men at work today about smoothing the engine bay, he said that I might want to use seam sealer to smooth out the welds along the shock tower due to flex from body twist on more aggressive launches. He says he has seen cracking along that seam. While there is some logic in my mind concerning this idea, have any of you had an issue with just using bondo to smooth the seam?

Looks like you're off to a good start with the engine bay smoothing. After I got the panels and holes welded up I used grinder over most of my seam welds to get them nice and low. I then used Evercoat Metal 2 Metal which is very workable and strong along all seams and holes that had any deviations in them. This stuff sands nicely too! After that was some light bondo then Etch primer. I'm sure you know how the rest goes.

Check out this page in my build thread,
http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-for...had-to-do-it-90-lx-hatch-thread.878656/page-4

 

[FoxMustangLvr]

One more thing as your doing your panels. Have you thought about what intake setup you'll be using? If you can mock up the intake now and cut your hole for a true cold air intake now would be the time to do it before you paint the engine bay. I went with the AFM 3.5" naturally aspirated power pipe. You can mount your MAF in the fender well (you'll likely need to extend the MAF wires).

I didn't have a MAF for this car since my aftermarket ECU was speed density and doesn't require one. Some food for thought for you, good luck!

 

[RaggedGT]

Carburetor.

Few pages back he mentioned going with a Carb. Though with enough peer pressure he may go Fuel injected. That Tubular intake @hoopty5.0 has would look great in that smoothed bay lol

 

[Davedacarpainter]

One more thing as your doing your panels. Have you thought about what intake setup you'll be using? If you can mock up the intake now and cut your hole for a true cold air intake now would be the time to do it before you paint the engine bay. I went with the AFM 3.5" naturally aspirated power pipe. You can mount your MAF in the fender well (you'll likely need to extend the MAF wires).

I didn't have a MAF for this car since my aftermarket ECU was speed density and doesn't require one. Some food for thought for you, good luck!

Jeez that's a pretty engine bay!

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Few pages back he mentioned going with a Carb. Though with enough peer pressure he may go Fuel injected. That Tubular intake @hoopty5.0 has would look great in that smoothed bay lol

Yes Sir, Carburetor. Too late to go back, wires are cut and gone.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Looks like you're off to a good start with the engine bay smoothing. After I got the panels and holes welded up I used grinder over most of my seam welds to get them nice and low. I then used Evercoat Metal 2 Metal which is very workable and strong along all seams and holes that had any deviations in them. This stuff sands nicely too! After that was some light bondo then Etch primer. I'm sure you know how the rest goes.

Check out this page in my build thread,
http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-for...had-to-do-it-90-lx-hatch-thread.878656/page-4

Thanks man, I'm eager to get back on it.
Too nice of weather here to pass up the chance to finally seam seal the inside and POR the undercarriage. I'll be back on the engine bay next week. I'll post some of my seam sealing stuff because I am finding under the original seam sealer that seems perfectly fine quite a bit of rust!
+1 to the evercoat.

 

[RaggedGT]

Yes Sir, Carburetor. Too late to go back, wires are cut and gone.

Two Words- "Painless Wiring".

Lol

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Two Words- "Painless Wiring".

Lol

I don't know why I'm so stuck on carburetored motors at the moment. I do understand the benefits of fuel injection and won't rule it out for a future power plant for my car. I've kind of committed myself for what I'm doing right now since I have to get this thing running and tagged by mid summer....course I said I wasn't going to smooth the engine bay when I painted it the first time. Jeez

 

[Noobz347]

Don't listen to all of these "fuelies".

I had to go back and see what your engine build was like. Injection would have been nice to easily boost that combo.

I've always wanted to do a high compression, solid lifter, carb motor. What cam did you choose? and what ended being your compression ratio?

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Don't listen to all of these "fuelies".

I had to go back and see what your engine build was like. Injection would have been nice to easily boost that combo.

I've always wanted to do a high compression, solid lifter, carb motor. What cam did you choose? and what ended being your compression ratio?

9.5-1, I'll dig up my cam card and give specs. It's somewhere around here.....maybe underneath, uhhh....no, it's over by the, uhhhh...
I will find it though, I am now on a quest.

 

[Boosted92LX]

I don't know why I'm so stuck on carburetored motors at the moment. I do understand the benefits of fuel injection and won't rule it out for a future power plant for my car. I've kind of committed myself for what I'm doing right now since I have to get this thing running and tagged by mid summer....course I said I wasn't going to smooth the engine bay when I painted it the first time. Jeez

Believe it or not, my current fox is my very first injected one, and i did that because i wanted to boost it. I've put the whoopin to a looooot of people with a carbed fox.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Believe it or not, my current fox is my very first injected one, and i did that because i wanted to boost it. I've put the whoopin to a looooot of people with a carbed fox.

And you probably would put one on me as well!
At this stage, I'm not going for lots of power, if I get 300 at it's feet I'll be happy for this first summer it drives.
Next year, however, may be a totally different story. I like dart blocks a lot, kind of fond of the idea of a 351 based stroker too.
Immediate plans for the current engine upgrades might be things like a small turbo, not too much though, I wouldn't want to split my freshly built engine in two. Maybe a different set of heads, who knows.
I believe now I would have built it differently than it is now with my ever evolving views on what power is.
Before I really paid much attention to what is happening now days, I had a seventies mentality on horsepower. I was amazed how easy it was to go to the mid 300's! And for god's sake, I was thinking, it'll have 340-350 horsepower! That used to be a lot of power for a dependable street car (back in the day).
Getting older really provides an interesting view of how things change. I really like where they're going (car wise at least).
As a kid in the sixties I thought those were the days of the hot rods....Jeez, now is.
I'm glad to be relatively young enough to get a kick out of it.

 

[Noobz347]

I've been watching this off and on as you know. This project doesn't look like one that destined for the race track for anything other than test and tune.

With that out of the way, I think we would end up talking you OUT of the turbo and into something more simple (in terms of well... nearly everything), and reliable for a stop light warrior.

 

[A5literMan]

I've been watching this off and on as you know. This project doesn't look like one that destined for the race track for anything other than test and tune.

With that out of the way, I think we would end up talking you OUT of the turbo and into something more simple (in terms of well... nearly everything), and reliable for a stop light warrior.

Agreed.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I've been watching this off and on as you know. This project doesn't look like one that destined for the race track for anything other than test and tune.

With that out of the way, I think we would end up talking you OUT of the turbo and into something more simple (in terms of well... nearly everything), and reliable for a stop light warrior.

That's a ways down the road anyhow. As said,"all it takes is money".
I think I'll focus just getting it on the road right now, a cool car with a brand new drive train is a good thing.

 

[TOOLOW91]

Love your work man. With that said when your ready to make some power Relatively easy and bolt on - Blower

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Love your work man. With that said when your ready to make some power Relatively easy and bolt on - Blower

I was just looking at your car thread, red looks spectacular, nice ride.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Ok, I'm using some fiber wheels on my drill to remove all of the old seam sealer from the interior. Finding spots of rust here and there under what looks like perfectly fine factory seam sealer. I'm seriously considering using POR 15 on the interior sheet metal.
And BTW, what the hell was ford doing with their seam sealing robot?! That thing went apes**t with enough seam sealer to seal up three cars. Why spread out two inches on each side of the connecting panels....stupid robot....not the programmer @Noobz347 !
I've been using Eastwoods rust converter on the surface rust I find. It seems to work real well.
So, anyhow, I'm going to finish off removing the seam sealer, POR 15 the floor, then re-seam seal the whole interior.
Any thoughts about the method or order of how I'm tackling the inside?
I'll attach some pictures of this this weekend when I have enough to show.

 

[FoxMustangLvr]

Ok, I'm using some fiber wheels on my drill to remove all of the old seam sealer from the interior. Finding spots of rust here and there under what looks like perfectly fine factory seam sealer. I'm seriously considering using POR 15 on the interior sheet metal.
And BTW, what the hell was ford doing with their seam sealing robot?! That thing went apes**t with enough seam sealer to seal up three cars. Why spread out two inches on each side of the connecting panels....stupid robot....not the programmer @Noobz347 !
I've been using Eastwoods rust converter on the surface rust I find. It seems to work real well.
So, anyhow, I'm going to finish off removing the seam sealer, POR 15 the floor, then re-seam seal the whole interior.
Any thoughts about the method or order of how I'm tackling the inside?
I'll attach some pictures of this this weekend when I have enough to show.

Check out the link below. This guy did just about the best job I've seen on this site for interior restoration including treating his bare floor which had mild rust.

http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/threads/1990-lx-5-0-restomod-build.860098/

 

[Davedacarpainter]

These two will be my friends this morning, I have to finish stripping out the seam sealer and get the POR 15 down. Im not sure how far I will get.
My grandkids are coming over at 1:00 this afternoon and will spend the night tonight. We're going to Chucky Cheese with them (hence the beer). Someone told me that Chucky Cheese started serving beer! I can just hear me now after a couple,"HEY! Get that big da*n mouse to bring me a cold one....".
And before I hear anything about it being too early for beer, I will point out that it is past 5:00. AM, PM, whatever.