Nick's "lvndpst" Restoration (and Slight Modification) Thread

nickyb · Mar 28, 2021

95BlueStallion said:
Hmmm. I know mine is externally balanced. I was feeling pretty good until you said that part! I wish I wasn’t right in the block splitting level. With as little as I drive the car, I feel like I’d be fine with a good tune. However, that’s why I asked for the opinions of everyone. I guess I don’t dont have much to lose if I freshen up the stock block combo and it fails down the road. Swap it over now or wait and swap it when I’m forced to.

Actually ,you have the cam,heads,and more to lose. Swap it Now.( Drop wrench )

nickyb · Mar 28, 2021

Yeah blue, no one really thinks about the worst that could happen. Your ride is looking sweet and if you were going 65 mph and missed a shift, over revved, blew the rods or crank out the block, spilled oil ,spun and wreaked.Well enough said.

Cheapskate207 · Mar 28, 2021

Hope you feel better man. Idk how I’ve missed your thread for all this time I’ve been on stangnet. I just read the entire thing. You’ve done some great work! I especially love your take on the cobra bumper. Awesome car! Drive that thing and have some fun!

95BlueStallion · Mar 29, 2021

Cheapskate207 said:
Hope you feel better man. Idk how I’ve missed your thread for all this time I’ve been on stangnet. I just read the entire thing. You’ve done some great work! I especially love your take on the cobra bumper. Awesome car! Drive that thing and have some fun!

I haven’t done anything with the car for a very long time, so the thread hasn’t been relevant. I bought an old farm house to renovate in July 2019, and it’s taken up my time.

Cheapskate207 · Mar 29, 2021

I see that. Looks like a big project and a hell of a spot!

Mustang5L5 · Mar 29, 2021

I guess the question is what do YOU want to do. What’s gonna make you happy and make you enjoy the car again? You don’t seem like you enjoy it anymore like you used to when you first got your hands on it.

95BlueStallion · Mar 29, 2021

I just haven’t had time for it is all. I want a more streetable cam, and to put some 11R 190s on at the same time. I have commissioned Kevin to make me up a nice matching front and rear seat set up as well. I plan to pull the whole interior, including the dash, sound deaden everything, paint the dash and plastics, and install new carpet while deleting my console. For now, I am going to keep the stock block and pay a friend to paint the car once the interior is done. So if I can just hit the next milestone on the house, I have big plans for the car coming up. Sick of it as it sits right now.

95BlueStallion · Mar 31, 2021

Mustang5L5 said:
I guess the question is what do YOU want to do. What’s gonna make you happy and make you enjoy the car again? You don’t seem like you enjoy it anymore like you used to when you first got your hands on it.

After typing out my last reply, I decided to keep it simple. I put an order in for a custom cam from Flowtech, and will leave the rest of my combo alone. If I were to get better heads, then I need bigger headers, different valve covers, all new gaskets, possibly bigger fuel injectors... Snowball. So, gonna just do a cam swap so it’s quick and simple and focus on the rest of my list. It’s powerful enough to be fun to drive as is, I really don’t need to go down a rabbits hole like this other guy that was just freshening up his engine...

95BlueStallion · Apr 28, 2021

Well, my Ed Curtis cam has arrived and is waiting patiently. A friend of mine went to school for auto body, but ultimately ended up becoming an industrial painter for a living. He has a professional paint booth at his Dads shop and paints on the side for extra $. We struck up a deal for him to paint the upper half of my car so it’s not 7 shades of red anymore. Before he can do that, I have to get my LX grille molded in that I’ve had laying around for a couple years. Got started on that last night, but I’m waiting for my panel bonding adhesive to arrive. The local auto parts stores want $85 for the stuff, when I get it online for $43. Sucks to be stuck waiting, but I’m not spending twice as much for the convenience of having it now.

Mustang5L5 · Apr 28, 2021

That's going to be a unique look.

I still can't bring myself to cut my LX grill out to install the cobra insert i have

95BlueStallion · Apr 28, 2021

I’m not a huge fan of the Cobra inserts. The LX grille is my favorite. Probably because the Cobra inserts are just double side taped on and it seems cheap and cheesy to me. No offense to anyone, but that’s my opinion.

Also in my opinion, I’ll have the best looking front end that I can come up with. I like that the GT bumpers have the molding line run all the way across, versus the LX that has the space under the grille. Yet, I’ll have the grille that I desire and the Cobra lower.

Mustang5L5 · Apr 28, 2021

That's my hesitation. It looks "stuck" on.

I regret not bidding and buying an OEM '93 cobra grill a few years back on ebay. It was 2 peices, and had a rear reinforcement peice that helped secure it to the bumper. No double stick tape.

I've had this grill on my shelf as a paperweight for almost 20 years now.

BTW, curious to see how your FTI cam does for you. Did ed recommend a spring change to match it? One of the biggest things i'm looking forward to when i finally start my engine is to see how the cam does. I'm getting close

95BlueStallion · Apr 28, 2021

Mustang5L5 said:
That's my hesitation. It looks "stuck" on.

I regret not bidding and buying an OEM '93 cobra grill a few years back on ebay. It was 2 peices, and had a rear reinforcement peice that helped secure it to the bumper. No double stick tape.

I've had this grill on my shelf as a paperweight for almost 20 years now.

BTW, curious to see how your FTI cam does for you. Did ed recommend a spring change to match it? One of the biggest things i'm looking forward to when i finally start my engine is to see how the cam does. I'm getting close

Honestly, I am expecting some power loss from the swap, but you never know with Ed. He is good.

After dealing with the bucking of the current cam, I had told him low RPM drivability was very important to me. I haven’t opened the box to see any info sent with the cam yet. What he said in an email was that I “may” be fine with my current springs and pushrods as the cam circle is very similar, however he recommends always checking lifter preload and pushrod length.

Once it’s all done, I’ll be hitting the dyno again just to know what I have, good or bad.

Mustang5L5 · Apr 28, 2021

Interested to see if your specs ae similar to mine. I know you have more displacement, but heads are the same and i also asked to favor drivability and low end torque.

95BlueStallion · Apr 28, 2021

Mustang5L5 said:
Interested to see if your specs ae similar to mine. I know you have more displacement, but heads are the same and i also asked to favor drivability and low end torque.

I’ll open the box when I get home this afternoon and see what I have.

90sickfox · Apr 28, 2021

The 3m4747 is great on the yellow urethane OEM bumpers.

95BlueStallion · Apr 28, 2021

90sickfox said:
The 3m4747 is great on the yellow urethane OEM bumpers.

Well I already ordered the same stuff I used for the lower bumper, but thank you for the suggestion.

90sickfox · Apr 28, 2021

95BlueStallion said:
Well I already ordered the same stuff I used for the lower bumper, but thank you for the suggestion.

That stuff will work too. Just longer set up time.

95BlueStallion · Jul 25, 2022

Well old friends, here we are a touch more than a year from the last update. I've been busy working on my old house and living the family life, and the Fox collected dust. Thought I had it sold several months back, but the guy ended up being a tire kicker.

Had a front end boo boo, and messed up my home made front bumper. I had kinda been wanting to go back to the Fox GT front end anyway, the more I looked at the ol gal. So off came the front end, and I realized this is a perfect time to swap in my Ed Curtis cam I've had laying around.

Started the tear down this past Sunday to find I unknowingly had a spun cam bearing, and it fell out of place as I pulled the cam out of the engine...

So I'm at a crossroads, and want opinions. I have already ordered a custom wrap for the car that I planned to install after the front end was finished, so I don't have plans to sell the car anymore. With this engine dilemma, do I A) have the engine gone though, and have the new cam Ed ground for my current combo installed professionally and be done? (most cost effective) B) attempt to sell the new cam and TF 170 heads, and have the shop maximize this 347 while it's out of the car? C) try to sell the 347 as is, along with the T5 and aluminum driveshaft, and find a Coyote package to swap in... This would require me selling my fun 2 stroke race quad to help fund. However, after the bodywork/wrap and Coyote swap were completed, this car will be something unique I can be proud of and road trip anywhere in. So, if you read all that, what would you do in my shoes?

Mustang5L5 · Jul 25, 2022

How badly do you want a project, vs how badly do you want a completed car that you want to drive?

If the first, coyote swap. If the latter..pay someone to go through the short block and put it together and drop it in and be done.

Nick's "lvndpst" Restoration (and Slight Modification) Thread

I gotta say i never painted my nuts, Never Ever

I gotta say i never painted my nuts, Never Ever

The left one hangs a little lower

My assy trans to myself

The left one hangs a little lower

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

My assy trans to myself

My assy trans to myself

My assy trans to myself

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

My assy trans to myself

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

My assy trans to myself

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

My assy trans to myself

Wasn't a pretty sight...and I've got big hands

My assy trans to myself

Wasn't a pretty sight...and I've got big hands

My assy trans to myself

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

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