Project 347 (Started)

golf4283 · Dec 4, 2003

Project 347 (UPDATEics uploaded)

Well here it goes. This past thanksgiving my friend and I embarked on a long and strenuous journey of fully converting my car to a V8. The P.O. decided that he would throw in a tired 302 without updating any brakes or springs or any suspension. The rear-end is junk also so that will have to go. It started out on Wednesday when Drew(thats my friend) and I headed out to the junkyard in search of a new rear-end. We went to three different places and at the third we found 5 different ones to choose from. I am going the Explorer rear-end route so I now have an 8.8 with 31 spline axles and 3.73 gears and a POSI. I got it for 150$. not too shabby IMO. The next step was getting the engine out. The problem was that on wednesday when UPS delivered my cherry picker and engine stand, one of the boxes was torn open and a bunch of nuts and bolts had been lost by UPS. There was obviousely no solution ut to wait until Friday to go to a hardware store and pick up the nexessary bolts. So I had to wait till friday to get it. Friday came and we put the stand right up and got to work. It took us about 4 hours to get the engine out cause we had prepped it on Wednesday which was supposed to be the day for it anyways. When UPS came though they brought me another gift. My granada disk brakes that I bought off of D. Hearne. These will be a nice addition to my stang once i clean and put them up. The explorer Rear-end also has disk brakes. All we have left to do now is get that rear and front end stuff outta htere and prepare the rebuild. I just have a couple questions for you guys, I know I was long winded but if you could try and bare with me here.

1)The bolts holding the leaf-springs for the rear and holding the rear to the leafs are rusted and I cannot get them off. What would be the best/easiest way to go about this?
2)Are there any special tools I need in order to get the front spindles off of the car?

Thanks for reading through this if you did. It's exciting finally getting my hands dirty and learning about my car. Can't wait till the engine rebuild starts . Thanks again.

EDIT: I made some more progress since I have been home from college. Today and yesterday we got the rear-end partially out and we got the front suspension taken apart. We even did a little mockup of our new granada spindle to see how it looks. Heres a few pics

POSI 8.8 out of the explorer

Axles

Granada Mockup

Work Area 1

Work Area 2

1320stang · Dec 4, 2003

Well, the best way to get those rear spring bolts out is to cut the bolts off with a reciprocating saw, preferably one with variable speed. And buy quite a few good blades, not the cheap ones. A plasma cutter or a cutting torch would work as well, just be careful you don't catch seal sealer, undercoating or the rear seat padding or carpet on fire. If they don't look too awfully rusted, you might soak them with PB Blaster but chances are, the bolt is rusted to the steel insert in the bushing. That insert is hardened steel so don't try cutting it, go through the bolt. A cutoff wheel would also work, but it may not fit. A 4" angle grinder might also work.

charlies · Dec 4, 2003

or you could put an impact gun on there and turn them off, or you could probably do it with a breaker bar.

1320stang · Dec 4, 2003

charlies said:
or you could put an impact gun on there and turn them off, or you could probably do it with a breaker bar.

Only problem there is, usually the hold is rusted hard to the bushing insert. Even if you twist off the head of the bolt or twist the nut off with the end of the bolt, it's still going to be stuck there. I was able to get the nut off, but with the bolt froze in the insert, I couldn't even pound it out with a hammer.

I've done the WD40 thing, the break-over bars with cheater pipes, cutting torch, even the hacksaw method. I'm telling ya, the best method I've used is the sawzall. Slow and steady on the variable speed, used 3 blades total and that was only cause I kept bending the tip on the bottom of the car and eventually broke a couple. If you try to use it on the hardened insert, you'll just eat the teeth off the blade.

When you install the new bolts, apply a liberal amount of wheel bearing grease to the shanks before you slip them in.

Larry

66P51GT · Dec 4, 2003

For your spindles...

It may sound wacky, but it works. I replaced the front lower control arms on my Cobra and used this technique. Just be careful what you are wacking and gradually increase in force.

http://www.mustangsplus.com/tech/shockandfall/shockfall1.htm

-Chuck

allcarfan · Dec 5, 2003

Can you keep us posted on the explorer rearend conversion?

Can you do some kind of writeup when you are finished....ie mods that needed to be done, cost, etc etc?

That would be great.

I will give you a cookie if you do!

Shane

golf4283 · Dec 5, 2003

Yea Ill have a writeup once im done. I dont have a website so if someone can lend me a hand I can do the writeup for them or something.

brianj5600 · Dec 5, 2003

Do you plan to shorten the long side of the rearend?

golf4283 · Dec 5, 2003

Yea, I am going to be finding a shop that can do it and then hope they can acquire a shortened axle for me.

coolblue65 · Dec 5, 2003

Do you have air tools? I used an air hammer, with the fork attachement to pop the spindles off the ball joints, and I used the air hammer with a chisel type attachement to push the leaf spring bolts out. This is by far the fastest and easiest way for accomplishing both things.

I tried cutting the bolts and WD40 etc, then it dawned on me to use the air hammer- took seconds to push the bolts out.

If you dont have air tools try to find something stong/skinny enough to be able to place on the one side and get a nice heavy hammer and give it a couple of wacks...just dont miss.

Same goes for the ball joints, they sell a ball joint fork at any auto parts store (even sears). Same principle you put the fork in then give it a smack (or two or three) with a heavy hammer.

By the way, if you ever need another hand I am not to far away, and have done almost everything that you are doing.

oboebrian · Dec 5, 2003

golf4283 said:
Yea Ill have a writeup once im done. I dont have a website so if someone can lend me a hand I can do the writeup for them or something.

Sounds like you've been busy also. If you want, just email me the write-up and the digital pictures and i'll put them up on my site www.desertmustangs.com
oboebrian@cox[remove this].com

golf4283 · Dec 5, 2003

Thanks coolblue. If I ever get stuck I'll be sure to give you a message. Yea im up at school righ tnow so after finals next weekend I will be home again and working. I think we are going to use a sawsall on the rear end items to get it out of there and maybe I will have to buy or borrow a ball joint fork from someone i know who has one, if i know anyone heh.

Oboe, once I get it done I will email it to you right away.

golf4283 · Dec 5, 2003

I just picked up my pictures from walgreens so Ill go ahead and post them. They are a bit blurry cause I was using a disposable camera that I had film left in. Ok here goes

http://members.aol.com/golf4283/Project347/

The guy in the pic is my buddy Andrew. He helps me with the work and I pay him with food. It's a good system.

I have more pics and If you wanna see them Shoot me an E-mail and I would be more than happy to send you a .Zip file with them in it.

Question: What do you think is that junk on the pistons? One of the pistons was all rusted and looked like it may not even have been firing. It was a sad site to take off those heads. You guys think that there was some major problem with my engine before removal?

golf4283 · Dec 6, 2003

So what do you guys think of the progress so far?? you think I will be able to get this project done in a couple weeks?

pabear89 · Dec 6, 2003

Looks like typical carbon build up.
but it might be worth the $ to have teh block HOT Tanked.
The cooling passages look like their plugging up.

Progress is measured by the time spent making it right the first time.

PB

golf4283 · Dec 6, 2003

Yea im gonna have the block totally gone over. I might end up buying a shortblock kit if this engine has been bored over b4.

crushnut · Dec 7, 2003

How did those goodies you got off ebay work for you? Looks good so far Keep us updated, i always like to read and look at things like this

D.Hearne · Dec 7, 2003

golf4283 said:
Yea, I am going to be finding a shop that can do it and then hope they can acquire a shortened axle for me.

I have a short side Explorer axle if you want to stay with the "C" clip axle retention. I went with Strange axles and 9 inch bearing ends in my Ranger's 8.8 As far as the front spindles, the only way I have ever done them was to remove & replace the whole suspension at one time. You don't have to fight with the ball joint removal that way. The joints are easy to remove from the spindle once the spindles are layin on the ground, just use the BFH method then

golf4283 · Dec 7, 2003

D.Hearne said:
I have a short side Explorer axle if you want to stay with the "C" clip axle retention.

Would that be for the side that I have to shorten. If so I am interested in buying it off of you, unless you wanna give it to me Let me know.

D.Hearne · Dec 7, 2003

golf4283 said:
Would that be for the side that I have to shorten. If so I am interested in buying it off of you, unless you wanna give it to me Let me know.

I've got both the axles from the Explorer rear I had narrowed for my Ranger. I still haven't gone back to work , so all donations ARE appreciated. Make me an offer on the axles, just make sure it's something more than , say, $25 each? + shipping Gosh I hope the selling gremlins don't get me here

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