Progress Thread Project: Nighthawk

Narmalee · Apr 1, 2016

Been lurking on here for awhile, figured I'd post pics and updates on whats going to go on with my car.

Bone stock '99 vert V6
Mild soon to be wild

Narmalee · Apr 1, 2016

It's dark and cold now... sun has retired so here are pictures. (yes, that is the turd in the background, '86 8mpg 460 turd... 400.00 running and driving and working 4x4, kudo's for FB swapshop)

Scope of work: K-Member, Control arms, struts, Coilovers, rack n pinion

Info on NH: started with a bone stock '99 vert V6 for a good clean foundation, something that hadn't been hot-rodded or messed with

Nighthawk before work.

Best 70.00 ever, from harbor freight, I shop there a lot, watch what you get and don't expect precision but it'll hold up, just don't get anything with electronics... it's not so good

NH in the air, she's flying!

149,xxx pretty sure these are original BJ's... started noticing noise around a month ago, now I know why

penetrating oil, USE IT

Narmalee · Apr 2, 2016

got the hard stuff done today, been a long day but I think im sitting good for being done tomorrow afternoon, wana get back to driving it Monday after alignment and find out what it can do

stock K member is out, everything metric, except for the stupid rack power/return lines... go figure

new K!

K installed and front to back dead on, diagonal / side-to-side +/- 32nd of an inch, sorry would just take too long to get it perfect and I can live with a 32nd lol

camera skills suck, yes I know

kalvick · Apr 2, 2016

NICE! im jealous! I wish I had the skills to attempt this project!

Narmalee · Apr 2, 2016

kalvick said:
NICE! im jealous! I wish I had the skills to attempt this project!

man it's not bad, just unbolting and bolting new parts in

Narmalee · Apr 3, 2016

A-arms installed now =D

installing the rack n pinion this morning, kind of a pita with the aftermarket K member BUT, you can clearly see the diff in rack placement for improved bump-steer

edit: 2003 cobra r&p new from the dealer, don't bother trying to deal with remans from napa or autozone, they both carry the same reman units and they cant guaranty they units will even be right, you may get a v6, a gt or a cobra, but more likely you'll get a low end one

The nastiest grease known to man... prothane poly-urethane grease, wear gloves or you'll never get it off

drilled the 4th hole for the C-C plates, pita slotting them

assembling the top bearing units for the coilovers and the best grease in the world imo

coilovers done and ready to put install after lunch

Narmalee · Apr 5, 2016

finished up after some plroblems, A: the 3/8 nuts for the caster camber plates exploded... literally exploded when I torqued them...

B: had to drill the spindles out from the 7/16 taper to a 5/8 straight, just didn't realize it when I started the project or I woulda accounted for it

other than that, everything is installed now

Bob is our local dealer mechanic, he was blown away... he's like "dude, idk how to set this man... it isn't stock"

I gota say... at first I wasn't sure about it, at low speed it feels normal, the grippy sensation from the tires is gone, it feels perfectly normal. Untill you do something like change 3 lanes in an instant, then it just slams you sidewise and shoots that way.... corners are insane, normally you would break the tires loose but now it just grabs and BAM throws you that way.

hoping to get the new rear in this weekend, then maybe next week get the subframe connectors welded in

Narmalee · Apr 6, 2016

figured id post a pic of the engine hoping to have in around a month or so...

454 Windsor with Holley EFI TBI

Narmalee · Apr 10, 2016

working on getting subframe connectors in today, comparison of stock vs the MM ones... double the thickness and almost double the length lol

always wear your protection, would have been ALOT worse if I didn't have my gloves on, wire wheel on the grinder, wasn't pretty

kalvick · Apr 10, 2016

Freaking nice! coil overs are next on my to do list

Narmalee · Apr 10, 2016

whew, long evening but done with the subframes!

took it out for a spin, it's amazing how much it quieted everything down... it's like going back to 60 tires, all the misc rattles and buzzes from the plastics are gone, bumps are firm yet smooth, i'll find out how it handles tomarrow...

now im ready to start the next phase for the rear, the torque arm install! had to have the subframe connectors in before I could do it cuz it mounts to the connectors, so now it's time to change the rear end out to the 8.8 ive got sitting in the dark and change everything over to the torque arm setup... then suspension work is done, and it's time to start focusing on the motor swap

things to do left for that is tranny swap xmember, motor mounts, and the fuel return from front to back, that's gona be annoying to do.

edit: btw jackstand welding SUCKS... don't do it if you don't have to ><

kalvick · Apr 11, 2016

With the exception of the kmember, (which is the only thing I am scared to even attempt by myself) I have done everything you have done. That whole new rear end is gonna feel AMAZING!!!!!
is the 8.8 just a complete stock setup or are you upgrading that to 31 splines and an aftermarket diff? what gear size are you going with?

Narmalee · Apr 12, 2016

kalvick said:
is the 8.8 just a complete stock setup or are you upgrading that to 31 splines and an aftermarket diff? what gear size are you going with?

no, I wana be able to run R tires if I want, it's 33spline Moser axles, Strange billet steel caps, ARP2000 studs and ring bolts and 3:42 gears, watching everyone on various racing forums seem to drift towards 3:42, the old car had 2:72 so it'll be a hellva upgrade lol and I have no desire to run 4:56's and get horrid top end, plus with a manual i'll shift 3 times and only be up to 30mph xD

in retrospect, I shoulda had 9" ends put on and ran 35 spline axles, my s10's has those and Moser guarantees them for life

Narmalee · Apr 15, 2016

did some trading around and picked up this little beauty, 10" Sundown SD3v2, will be perfect for Nighthawk's tunes.

next to my old Rockford Fosgate Hx2's

Getting ready to paint the box, 2.5cu tuned to 28hz, installed hurricane nuts for swapping subs, I tend to do that a lot lol

Narmalee · Apr 15, 2016

oh yeah, saw this nastiness at Lunch today, wish I coulda heard it take off...

Narmalee · Apr 16, 2016

working on swapping the rear end out atm... old rear is 100% loose now and pulling atm

Narmalee · Apr 16, 2016

the new rear end is in, only about 40% done tho, still have to install the TA and PHB

original driveshaft, using a 1330 to 1350 conversion Ujoint to fit the new rear end cuz im using a 1350 yoke instead of the factory style flange

installing in!

you can never have too many jackstands... I think I have 10+ lol

revvv · Apr 17, 2016

This build gives me too many ideas.

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

Ogre · Apr 17, 2016

Nice build! Sub'd...

Narmalee · Apr 17, 2016

glad today is going better than yesterday, finished getting the PHB installed today and buttoning up the diff

PHB has been annoying cuz nothing is there, it's 100% new install so im having to read and re-read the instructions to make sure I get things right, BUT... it's all been worth it when I got it in and everything looks perfectly square and parallel to the rear end.

I gota say, for the not-much-more than competitors, Maximum Motorsports stuff really does fit well, you get everything you need and then some, everything is WAY overly well-built and fits in there like stock, worth every penny for these kits

Drilling holes for the special brackets for the PHB mount

Special sleeved bracket that keeps the subframe rails from collapsing when torqueing the bolts down

bracket finally in and almost done!!!!

Progress Thread Project: Nighthawk

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