Progress Thread The "grátis" 1966 Coupe - rotisserie action

[02 281 GT]

A '74? Good thing you aren't trying to save those pistons then...I think the compression ratio on the mid 70s "Smog Dogs" was like 8:1...good for 20+psi of boost....but not for anything else.

I was surprised to find valve reliefs in the pistons from an engine of this era.

I’m thinking they may not be original. The heads have “289” cast into the valve area. My buddy says this engine was pulled from a ‘66 coupe. I need to take a look at the piston I removed so far for any markings. I removed it with a length of tubing and a BFH. I may need an air hammer to get the rest.

I’m thinking it was a V8 conversion that it was pulled from. No other way to account for the hodgepodge of parts.

 

[02 281 GT]

Finally. Not a single bit of this thing came apart by hand.

 

[2Blue2]

Flippinn boat anchor

 

[02 281 GT]

Flippinn boat anchor

Probably.

 

[2Blue2]

Your gonna save it right?

 

[7991LXnSHO]

Finally. Not a single bit of this thing came apart by hand.

That looks really bad. Do you know if it was sitting outside with the carb or intake open to rain?

 

[02 281 GT]

That looks really bad. Do you know if it was sitting outside with the carb or intake open to rain?

Not sure. My buddy said all he knew was that it came out of a ‘66 coupe that was purchased by a friend of his. I got it for free, so it’s no big deal if it’s junk. I still have the 302 I got from the Pick-n-Pull last year if I need it.

 

[02 281 GT]

This is the cleanest cylinder. This doesn’t look like cross hatch, but it looks a little too uniform to be rust pitting? I honestly have no idea. What do y’all think?

 

[RaggedGT]

R

This is the cleanest cylinder. This doesn’t look like cross hatch, but it looks a little too uniform to be rust pitting? I honestly have no idea. What do y’all think?

Run a set of stones through it and see if it cleans up

 

[wicked93gs]

R

Run a set of stones through it and see if it cleans up

This is probably the best advice...but chances are if you want to save that it needs a bore at the least.

 

[02 281 GT]

This is probably the best advice...but chances are if you want to save that it needs a bore at the least.

I don't have a hone, so I'll have to get one. Never done that before.

My plan was to take it to a machine shop as it sits and just have them look at it and tell me if it's a boat anchor. I still have the '95 302 next to it. I was planning to take both at the same time to evaluate the '74 302 and have them freshen up the '95 302. I don't think the '95 302 will need much at all to get it going. I was wanting to use that engine along with the GT40 heads and Cobra cam I acquired in my Grand Marquis. I just need to sort out transmission/computer upgrades. I can then either keep the '74 302 after it's rebuilt, or repurpose the Mercury's engine block for future use in the '66 after swapping in the '95 block.

 

[2Blue2]

30 thou over and she'll be like new.

 

[02 281 GT]

Well, that’s not a bad looking wel—


Ohhhh.

The slog continues. I can’t for the life of me figure out why I have such a tough time welding new metal to original metal. I’m working on the torque box gussets. This is attempt number two on the driver’s side.

I have gone over the metal multiple times with a flap wheel. Maybe it still isn’t clean enough.

 

[horse sence]

Thicker metal more heat . It looks like you are filling the hole but not welding the lower metal . Make sure to start your weld in the hole and not around the hole if that makes sense

 

[RaggedGT]

What he said ^^ lol. Might also Try preheating the thicker old metal with a hand torch

 

[02 281 GT]

Well, I finally managed to finish the fender repair. It looks much worse in person. If a shop did this, I'd refuse to pay. Much filler will be used. I'm happy with it. Not bad for a beginner.

I did manage to sort the issue with the lack of weld penetration. I was running into issues where the gusset meets the bottom lip of the frame rail. I ended up going over both sides twice more with the flap wheel, turned up the heat another notch, and drilled larger plug weld holes so I could get more weld bead onto the frame rail. It worked fairly well. Turned the heat back down to the recommended setting to weld the gusset to the torque box. No issues with the new metal.

With that done, I started preparations to get the rotisserie assembled. Didn't get much prep done before I ran into an issue. I bought a Mustang mounting kit from Eastwood that I thought would fit this rotisserie. Apparently, it's made for a different model of rotisserie. The Mustang-specific mounting pieces won't work with the transverse arms on the rotisserie.

The good new is that it should be fairly simple to sort out. The mounting arms that come with the rotisserie are 2" ID. I'm going to check some local suppliers to see if I can get a few feet of 2" OD trailer hitch tube. I'll use that to fit the mounting arms that come with the rotisserie with the arms from the Mustang kit. I'll have to call around to a few local steel suppliers tomorrow morning. Hopefully I'll be able to get some tubing quick and will have a solution fabricated by the end of the day. Probably should have just made my own mount kit to begin with.

 

[horse sence]

I build my own rotisseries ,hitch and reciever tubing is the easiest and everything slides together ,and it is very strong

 

[02 281 GT]

I went to a local engine builder today to drop off the engines for rebuilding. The place has a lot of experience and was recommended by a few people I’ve talked to around here.

He took one look at the ‘74 302 and said it probably would need too much work to be worth it. I took it back home and tucked it in a corner for now. I may yet still use it when I have more cash laying around.

He said the ‘95 302 will probably need to be bored. The Cobra cam had some metal flaking off some of the lobes that he only caught under a bright light. I’ll see about another cam.

On the way over I drove past a custom trailer shop. I stopped in to see if they had any extra 2” OD square tube; they had an almost 9’ length they let me have for $20. It’ll be more than enough to get the car on the rotisserie.

 

[horse sence]

You got a deal ,that tubing is expensive

 

[02 281 GT]

Almost there.

Also, pro-tip: don’t stand too close to the drill when you’re drilling through metal while using a non-round shank HSS bit. Feel like I was just in a fist fight.

The car should be in the air tomorrow. I still have to weld up my modified mounting brackets.