RestoMODing aint easy

Edbert

Founding Member
Jul 13, 2002
3,548
32
109
Austin TX
Unless you are doing an OEM type car it just seems there are glitches at every turn eh? I just got home with my new power booster, it is from a 2.3 liter '92 Mustang. I purchased it for my ATand 4 wheel disc equipped 67 project. Based almost completely on the advice from this thread:

http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=582276

Anyhow, it is anything but a bolt-in. The problem is the four studs that go through the firewall and into the passenger compartment are not in the right pattern. To be honest, I was pretty suprised that in all the years FoMoCo kept the same bolt pattern. Anyhow, the old booster had four bolts that were not equally spaced and the Fox booster has all four bolts arranged in an almost perfect square, slight off so you don't accidentally fit in sideways or upside down I guess (as if the vacuum port position wasn't clear enough). I've got two new holes to drill in the firewall, got em going but will have to go buy a larger drill bit to finish.

It gets worse too. The Wilwood MC uses and abosutely HUGE rear port. I was unable to find one large enough in all the local parts stores and even online had trouble. Wilwood themselves don't sell one (that really sucks since it is their parts...grrrrr). Found one via telephone from California (Orme Brothers), the fitting was only $1.75 but I piad $7 for 1st class USPS mail. Got a brake line, cut the old standard fitting off, took it to Brake Check to have them re-flare the line and got over THAT hurdle. Then I find that the Wilwood MC does not fit the 1992 booster, the two studs line up but the non-removeable pushrod is WAAAAY too long, so I'll need a spacer or "something" to get that going.

...and I wonder why this car is taking a few years worth of Saturdays....sigh.

I'm stopping for now and getting a beer (or 10).
 
Edbert said:
Unless you are doing an OEM type car it just seems there are glitches at every turn eh? I just got home with my new power booster, it is from a 2.3 liter '92 Mustang. I purchased it for my ATand 4 wheel disc equipped 67 project. Based almost completely on the advice from this thread:

http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=582276

Anyhow, it is anything but a bolt-in. The problem is the four studs that go through the firewall and into the passenger compartment are not in the right pattern. To be honest, I was pretty suprised that in all the years FoMoCo kept the same bolt pattern. Anyhow, the old booster had four bolts that were not equally spaced and the Fox booster has all four bolts arranged in an almost perfect square, slight off so you don't accidentally fit in sideways or upside down I guess (as if the vacuum port position wasn't clear enough). I've got two new holes to drill in the firewall, got em going but will have to go buy a larger drill bit to finish.

It gets worse too. The Wilwood MC uses and abosutely HUGE rear port. I was unable to find one large enough in all the local parts stores and even online had trouble. Wilwood themselves don't sell one (that really sucks since it is their parts...grrrrr). Found one via telephone from California (Orme Brothers), the fitting was only $1.75 but I piad $7 for .

I hear you E. I bought so much stuff that ended up not fitting that if I just had a spare block, I would be 1/2 of the way to finishing a new engine. Braided stainless steel rear brake lines, billet alum timing pointers (bought both Ford Racing timng pointers at $80 each and neither fit my balancer), power brake booster, Global West monte carlo bar for HEI distributors for $125 that does not fit an HEI distrib, etc. The not fitting part really steams me. At least summit takes back the stuff that they said would fit but ending up not fitting. Other places hem and haw.
 
And QA1 coilovers have different size wrenches

or so I found out today. Jacked up the car, got the coilover wrenches out that I just ordered from Jeg's (IIRC they only had one option) and lo and behold they are too small in diameter for my coilover adjustment nuts. I was able to loosen the lower (lockring) but all I could do on the upper was round out one of the edges.

I should return these and just get one of those adjustable pin spanners. I was TRYING to get the "right" tool to make it easy . . . so much for that. I was hoping to have a lower front end this weekend, :Damnit:

Why didn't Unique Performance just ship this tool with the coilovers?? :shrug:

It never is easy, I know what you mean . . .

69Rcode_Mach1 said:
Yeah I know exactly what you mean. A project never ends up going "as planned". There is always something else you need to buy or add on to get to where you originally wanted to.
 
So, I had another day to consider my options...

The factory booster ('67 PDB) is too large to work with the huge Wilwood 4WD master cylinder. The '92 2.3L Mustang booster now fits into my firewall and works with my brake pedal. All I need is a shorter pushrod or a 0.75-1.0 inch spacer to go between the booster and the MC. Anyone ever heard of such an animal? Shouldn't be hard to make one, all I need is to buy a CNC machine and som e billet right? Either I sue the spacer or I replace the pushrod, but it seems to be 'captured' not like the 67 one which is a separate peice. Anyone know if I can take it out without breaking the thing?
 
I was talking about the spacer...LOL.

Just got off the phone with Wilwood tech support, they first told me they don;t make spacers, but then after I started giving them more trouble they said they'd send me one for free. I have seen their tech support bashed here on Stangnet before, maybe that was from a Baer employee though, other than being on the phone loinger than necessary I have no complaints.

FWIW, they also told me that the 1.12 bore versions are better for power applications, the 1.00 are geared for manual systems.

The total fluid volume of the reservior on this thing is almost 25 cubic inches!
 
Don't ever do car work on Vicodin

(responding to my own semi-hijack)

I just had my wisdom teeth out and I am stoopid. I come from the bicycle mechanic world, (worked in a shop) where you get at the lockring with the tool from the outside, not underneath. I tried sliding the tool, which I thought was for a smaller-diameter lockring, from underneath and it fit PERFECTLY. Don't work on your car on prescription painkillers, for many obvious reasons. :stupid:

Still, Unique should ship the tool and instructions with the coilover kit, and if anyone is reading it and needs the tool, it's the T114W for QA1 coilovers from Jeg's, $16.99 and $10 for one-day shipping and handling. Jeg's is cool.



70vert said:
or so I found out today. Jacked up the car, got the coilover wrenches out that I just ordered from Jeg's (IIRC they only had one option) and lo and behold they are too small in diameter for my coilover adjustment nuts. I was able to loosen the lower (lockring) but all I could do on the upper was round out one of the edges.

I should return these and just get one of those adjustable pin spanners. I was TRYING to get the "right" tool to make it easy . . . so much for that. I was hoping to have a lower front end this weekend, :Damnit:

Why didn't Unique Performance just ship this tool with the coilovers?? :shrug:

It never is easy, I know what you mean . . .