Progress Thread The Northwoods Notch

Cheapskate207 · May 7, 2020

Well, I CAN WALK! It's been a long 6 weeks of recovery.. ALC/Meniscus surgery sucks! I was cleared to walk tuesday. Got the car running wednesday. I reset the valve lash using the EOIC method I have in the past. I verified that rocker roller was directly in the middle on the valve stem . All rockers were torqued to 20 ft/lbs in 1/4-1/2 turns. What I did find (and the source of the noise) both lifters on cylinder 4 were bled down and one on cylinder 3. Upon firing it up it still made the noise! At this point I decided to take it down the street and eventually the noise went away! Very happy. I've since put 50 miles on the car. It sounds normal and does not "overheat" like before. Best yet, the new headers sounds great, the car makes more power, and it idles WAY better. I attribute this to the new injectors, a better maf, and its possible I fixed some vacuum leaks? Man, did it feel good to drive the car!

Cheapskate207 · May 7, 2020

I almost forgot! After 3 years of looking I finally found a car being parted with Crystal Blue interior. It was advertised as a 1990 convertible but turned out to be a 1991. Seat pattern is a little different but the color is the same, though a little faded. They were badly stained but after a lot of scrubbing and steaming they cleaned up ok. I also drilled out the rivet so they could recline fully and removed the seatbelt loop. I'm happy with the look.. they're much better and more comfortable than the knock off Corbeau's I had previously. Now that I have the frames, I will likely put new foam and upholstery in... maybe the cobra/mach1 upholstery and SVO foam? That's way down the line though.. they're expensive!
Before:

After and installed:

Cheapskate207 · May 12, 2020

Well, as embarrassing as it is, I must confess I neglected a key tune up component... the distributor cap! I’m still learning about these old cars; coming from an era of modern cars with coil packs. When I was swapping head gaskets I noticed it was pretty beat up. I’m not sure How bad it actually was, but what I do know is that it runs MUCH better and smoother now. Live and learn.

I also got some new parts to install and more on the way. Waiting for the vent gauge pod, harmonic balancer, solid motor mounts, and transmission mount.

Cheapskate207 · May 15, 2020

Mechanical oil pressure gauge is in. Vent Gauge pod worked great. I’m not happy with the routing of my feed line, but that’s my fault. I measured wrong. I wanted it to go under the upper intake but it was abut 6 inches short. Maybe someday I’ll get a 6 foot line. Oh well. The car makes great oil pressure.. 50 psi hot idle. Happy about that.

Cheapskate207 · May 18, 2020

Pics does the talking. Unfortunately, the new mounts studs both stripped when I was tightening. Very cheap product made by Anchor. I’m going to return it and get another mount. I also installed the solid motor mounts and new harmonic balancer. The motor mounts were a pain in the azz. The old motor mounts were cracked, but not completely trashed. The old harmonic balancer was dry rotted and I believe it had slipped. Hopefully I can get a new trans mount tomorrow and take it for a spin. Interested to see the difference.

95BlueStallion · May 18, 2020

Solid engine mounts eh? Here I thought my poly mounts made the car rattle. Curious to see what you think.

Cheapskate207 · May 19, 2020

@95BlueStallion I have no experience with solid mounts so I decided to try them out. The benefits looks ok, so It'll be a fun experiment. If they don't work out I will go to poly like you.

95BlueStallion · May 19, 2020

Cheapskate207 said:
@95BlueStallion I have no experience with solid mounts so I decided to try them out. The benefits looks ok, so It'll be a fun experiment. If they don't work out I will go to poly like you.

You may like it just fine. Each car and person is different.

Cheapskate207 · May 19, 2020

Well new rubber trans mount is in. Here's my thoughts. There is def more vibration. While it's noticeable, it is not that bad. I mostly notice it in 5th gear cruising. My girlfriend could not even tell the difference. There is a noticeable increase in torque down low though. It's probably not significant, but it spins the tires easier and quicker now. Overall, I like the solid mounts so far. The vibration is hardly noticeable for me. Keep in mind though, I ride an old harley When I got back from the test drive I checked my timing with the new harmonic balancer. 10 degrees!! IIRC my tuner set it to 12 degrees a couple years ago, so It had slipped a couple degrees. Maybe it was before he tuned it or after, hard saying. I set it to 12 degrees.. WOW. It was fast before....

General karthief · May 19, 2020

Shovel Head?

Cheapskate207 · May 19, 2020

No no, not that old. Twin cam Dyna. Before that, rigid evo sportster.

General karthief · May 19, 2020

Those are not old. I have a 82 fxrs.
I have a 'shovel head' patch on my jacket and people think that is my nickname.

Cheapskate207 · May 19, 2020

I know, but not as smooth as the new ones. Or even close to my buddies victories. But hey, it’s coming up on 20 years. I’m jealous, I’ve always wanted a evo fxr. I can’t seem to part with my FXDXT though.

Cheapskate207 · May 22, 2020

Car is running better than ever. I ordered a fuel level sender a couple days ago as mine has never worked. Here’s the most recent pic of the car.. went for a cruise with a buddy last weekend.

Mstng93SSP · May 22, 2020

Those cars are not 6 feet apart...I am calling Janet Mills!

Cheapskate207 · May 23, 2020

Today I did a wire tuck on the left side. I’ll do the right side tomorrow

Ryuk · May 23, 2020

Cheapskate207 said:
Today I did a wire tuck on the left side. I’ll do the right side tomorrow

Someday I'd like to see a detailed how to on this because it looks great!

Cheapskate207 · May 23, 2020

@JD08 Thanks! The best resource I found was foxcast media’s YouTube videos. He also has a write up on his website that was helpful.

Steel1 · May 23, 2020

Car looks good , but you're not concerned about having a mechanical oil pressure gauge in the cabin ?
I know you have a braided line so odds it ever leaks are reduced but crap happens.
Anyways nice work .

Cheapskate207 · May 24, 2020

@Steel1 no. I did my homework before and decided it was worth the risk. The equivalent auto meter phantom in electric form wouldnt have provided the accuracy I desired.

Progress Thread The Northwoods Notch

The left one hangs a little lower

The left one hangs a little lower

The left one hangs a little lower

The left one hangs a little lower

The left one hangs a little lower

My assy trans to myself

The left one hangs a little lower

My assy trans to myself

The left one hangs a little lower

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

The left one hangs a little lower

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

The left one hangs a little lower

The left one hangs a little lower

You have a nice rear end there Dave.

The left one hangs a little lower

I love your drawers

The left one hangs a little lower

Mustang Master

The left one hangs a little lower

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