ryclef331

iTrader: (7)

Whats up all. I've been lurking on the site for quite awhile, doing homework, shopping, and LOTS of searching. I wanted to get my project rolling before I posted anything on it and I think I'm ready to bring it out into the light! Anyway, a little background.

I'm doing an LQ4 Swap into my 94 Mustang GT. I pulled apart a perfectly good running 10 second ford-powered car to do this. I've own the car since 2001 since it was white and bone stock. The last combo sent me to a 10.88 at 126mph on a built 331 stroker with a 100shot and a g-force T-5. I ALWAYS wanted to swap an LSx into the car but was pretty intimidated about tackling it. Well, last month I said what the hell and took the dive and started selling off all my ford combo. As parts have sold, I've bought the new swap items and started pulling it all apart. Thanks to the classifieds here I picked up an 02 LQ4 with harness and pcm for $900 and I'm picking up a set of PRC Stage 1 LS6 heads next weekend. Enough blabbing....here are the pics.

Here is the victim.

Old 331 with AFR 185s, Trackheat intake, 100shot NX Gemini Plate kit.


The above pictures were at the shop I worked at back on the east coast. I've since been stationed in California and have downgraded to a 1 Bedroom apartment with no garage. I'm forced to operate entirely out of this storage unit. The only electricity is what I steal with my 100ft extension cord so its a bit crude as far as neccessities go. Either way, I'm making it work! You can see I've got a bit of a "toy problem." This houses not only the stang, but my harley, and my sandrail along with the girl's household stuff and all my tools.


Yanking apart the front


Don't ever trust a drunk guy to guide you onto your trailer....this happened leaving the track when the right front dropped off the ramp and onto the rad support. boo.


AJE K-member going in.

ryclef331

iTrader: (7)

And its in


Here is the new motor the day I got it home. Started the teardown to inspect it. It was suspected that it had a lifter tick or some piston slap....well....it slapped something alright


I may end up blowing my budget on beer instead of the car...

I think THIS might have made a "tick" or "slap" noise....

You can see the junk in the bottom on the piston here.


No sure what it was. The other cylinders had a little bit of marks too. It definetly swallowed something in the intake. I don't know what or how but at least the bearings and cylinder walls looked good. This was the reason for the purchase of the PRC heads and the soon-to-be purchased forged pistons and probably rods.

Summit came and dropped this off!


I'm going to top it with a plate kit and either an AED or CSU Carb. I'm going to run a carb simply b/c I never played with one and always wanted to. I'm keeping all the efi stuff I got in storage along with the truck mani's for the day that I want to boost it.

More front progress. I got it back to a roller, yanked unessecary wiring, cleaned and rattle bombed the inner fenders and under the hood for some touch ups.



MMR coilovers with 14" 175lb springs on Lakewood 90/10s



finally dropping the tank to have it sumped!


and yes the manager of the storage unit actually lets me do this there!

I'm still waiting on selling a few other parts then I'll be ordering some headers. I'm going to probably use MAC 351swap headers, and modify them. I MAY order dynatechs if I can sell the parts I need to. I also am going to pick up a TH350 or 400 with a brake for it. I'm still up in the air on the cam. My goals for the car are to go solidly into the 6s in the 1/8th. I'd love to see a 5.9 when I'm done. Fingers crossed!

lt4malibu

iTrader: (39)

nice looking car, always like the SN95 with the cobra front cover.

i built my car in the same conditions as you(1 car storage space in my apartment complex) it can be done, just takes longer!

bluethunder364

iTrader: (5)

Looks real nice!! To bad you have to work in such cramped quarters. But hey thats what hot rodding is all about. Heck my second best piece of furniture is card board for lying on my back on the cement floor. Good luck and keep us posted!!

ryclef331

iTrader: (7)

Well this is proving to be VERY slow going. I have sold the engine BUT instead of using that money BACK into the car, I've decided that I need to get the **** out of an apartment and into a house SO...the next installment of this project will be it moving to its new 3 bedroom house with a 2 car garage. BUT I haven't stopped buying parts yet! I did obtain a set of PRC Stage 1 LS6 heads with Patriot double springs. Also picked up a set of Accufab 1 7/8 primary mid length headers for a 351 (gonna chop the flanges off and weld on some LS1 flanges) and finally a set of Mahle Flat Top 4.060" Forged Pistons. Still looking a set of rods on a deal. Pick up some bearings and rings and drop it all off at the machine shop to build my forged 374! So the project has come to a slow and tedious pace but the end result should be MORE power than I initially planned. I'm considering attempting some heads up class racing in the Pacific Street Car Association but I don't know that I'd have the budget to be competitive with some of those guys....really i just want to put it up on the bumper one time!

Sandmann120

iTrader: (1)

Looks very nice. I've been looking around for a Mustang around the same year to do this to when I get back home. Very cool, good luck.

billyflantos

iTrader: (6)

beautiful color....

djquik88

iTrader: (20)

Nice car ryclef ! Can't wait to see more .

ryclef331

iTrader: (7)

Thanks man. Your threads were a HUGE learning tool for doing my swap! I probably wouldn't have sacked up and done it with out reading them first!

jw33

iTrader: (8)

good job...

BlackTA96

iTrader: (3)

Lovin the car!
I'm actually thinking about selling my 98 TA and buying a SN95 roller and throwin in the 6.0 I have.

Desicions desicions.....

ryclef331

iTrader: (7)

AAAAANnnnnnd we're BAAAACK!

Well a little update.

I picked up a set of eagle h-beam rods with arp bolts. They're the standard arp bolts but I'm going to buy a set of arp 2000s for them. Mate them to the Mahle 4.060 pistons. Made a call to Redneck Performance for one of their TH350s with reverse manual valve body, t-brake, and a custom 9" converter for the combo (told them 250-300 shot). Also got a f-body pan, pick up, and tray as well.

Also ordered up a flaming river manual rack for a fox body. I know its going to be narrower but flaming river sells 1" over tie rod ends and a swivel joint to eliminate the rag joint on an sn95. HOPEFULLY, it will get me in the ball park of the extra width of an sn95's front a-arms with no welding. If it does, it will be a sub $300 full manual steering vice the near $600 for an SN95 specific set up.

I'll be making a call to tick performance for one of their Polluter cam packages as well today.

I bought a Hobart 187 Handler 230v MIG as well. I'm going to buy a tubing bender and Bentech PRO software and tackle redoing the entire cage of the car myself. If the cage goes well, then I'll probably start building another one off custom (29-31 Model A) traditional hot rod...think american graffitti but more gangster...not rat.

Picks to come this week as the parts come in. Once the tranny gets here, I'm going to mock up the block and tranny to fab the crossmember and headers.
Ok well, today is about that point where I looked at the car and said "WTF did I get myself into?"




Pretty much just spent this morning gutting the car and cutting out the old cage. I got a couple of surprises with the cage. Now, keep in mind, I had this cage put in when I was little younger and much more naive.

ANYWAY, this is the driver's side door bar where is mounts to the floor....not that the plate is NOT 6X6....



GREAT welding job. Not how cleanly they cut the pipe at the perfect angle to make it meet with the pla....oh..wait.


Here is where is WAS mounted....I pulled it off the floor with MY HAND.

And here is the thickness....that says .097. I asked for .120 mild and go this. Anyway, live and learn. You want it right do it yourself. I'm waiting on my new JD2 Model 32 Bender to get here along with Bendtech Pro and I'll be designing and welding in my OWN 10pt Cage.

I also picked up this little 810in-lbs bad m'*****. I LOVE this thing. It ripped apart my interior in NO time and its tiny. Its got some *** to it as well!


Finally in the new garage....

GlennNo50

You can also swap out your a-arms for fox body a-arms. Fairly common trick to help with that issue.

At6texan

iTrader: (1)

awesome build

ryclef331

iTrader: (7)

Well, all the parts came in. I'm starting on fabbing up everything and mocking before I drop the engine off at the machine shop. First up, a flaming river manual rack for a fox, 1" longer fox tie rods, and an adapter knuckle. SN95's are 3/4" wider on the front track compared to a fox as well as having different steering shafts and thread pitches on the tie rods. About the ONLY thing they'll do is bolt up to the same k-members. With this setup, my GOAL was to find a way to convert to manual steering but with out paying 600 bones for the SN95 specific setup. WELP, after getting it all put in, its got a bit of toe in and I'm not comfortable with losing any more thread engagement on the tie rods BUT I did just buy a welder so i'm going to go down the metal supply and pick up some .120 wall tubing, cut, sleeve, and plug weld the tie rods to get it back to the factory width. YES i know I coulda just gone with FOX control arms BUT i already bought the SN95 tubular ones. Regardless, I'm 300 bucks into it for full manual steering conversion.
Stock power steering rack and rag joint.

Flaming river unit mounted

1" over flaming river tie rods

This is the knuckle that adapts the SN95 steering shaft to the fox flaming river rack. You cut off the factory rag joint and slip this on. It secures with setscrews but I decided to weld it on to be SURE it wouldn't come off when I come down from putting this bitch on the bumper.




and done

ryclef331

iTrader: (7)

Onto sumping the factory tank.
The Jegster Sump was too big. SO I decided to make some pie cuts and make it work




I don't have pics of it on the tank yet BUT its on there now. Its gotta be painted still but leak checks are good on it. Only took my rookie *** two times to weld it right.

THIS also came in....JD2 MODEL 32 Manual Mandrel Bender.

Goes from this...



into this. Just gotta get it anchored down and start bending!!!!



Other goodies.

Hobart 187 230v MIG welder. Miller helmet and some gloves. Got a miller jacket as well.

ryclef331

iTrader: (7)

I decided to check on the fitment of everything now that I got all the parts. I put on my junk 317 heads on the bare block. Got an oil pan, pick up, and tray from an 02 SS for clearance. the headers I bought are 1 7/8 primaries into a 3" collector Accufab Midlengths. I was THOROUGHLY surprised, they fit like a GLOVE. Just gotta swap out the flanges. I picked up a set of JEGS 3/8th LS-1 Flanges. For anyone looking for BIG port header flanges, these are the ticket. under 100 bucks for the set and 2" openings. Most I found were MORE exspensive and only 1 3/4". Also got my Redneck Performance TH350 in....note the rattle canned camoflauge paint...I dig it. I'm thinking of painting the whole engine and tranny when I put it in for the last time like a Bass Boat metal flake green....I'm serious.

Going in for the mock up.

Here are the headers



Passenger side clearance.


Hits the subframe a bit. A little bit of grind work will solve it. Other than the flanges, the headers will be untouched.


Driver's Side around the steering shaft. It LOOKS like its touching, but it does have a slim bit of clearance. HOWEVER, due to the motor mounts being universal between Small Block Chevys and LSx's, there is excess material on the back of the AJE Mount that hits the 3rd primary. A quick chop will tuck them in tighter to the block and away from the steering shaft. I may have to dimple the tube a bit but nothing severe. I was worried about it due to the fact that I've never known anyone that uses these headers on a ford motor, let alone for this so I knew I was taking a risk but for the bigger primaries and 3" collectors, it was a relatively cheap risk that paid off.






And finally my "custom" top mount cross member and shifter for the tranny. This will be replace with the stock cross member, modified and the Cheetah SCS Shifter I just got in. TIP: IF you have the option of the length of tail shaft you get on your tranny, go with the 9". Its almost the EXACT same length to the mount as the T-5. I should be able to get away with just some notching of the factory crossmember.



More to COME!!! I'll be starting and hopefully finishing the headers tommorrow and the tranny.

ten5nova

Good man, Good man!!!!! Don't get me wrong, I like Windsors, but you have definatly seen the light!!! Damn good looking car. I can honestly say I've yet to see an LS transplant in a 94+ Mustang? Tons of 79-93s. Turbo, Nitrous... whats the set up? I've read the best way to weld a tank sump is with silicon bronze TIG rod. I tig welded bronze in a foundry for 5 years, and its the easiest tig rod I've ever run. And from what I've read, it penetrates steel better than steel rod, hence creating a better seal around your tank sump. Bitchin' project!!

ryclef331

iTrader: (7)

TIG is obviously optimal BUT i don't have that so I migged it. I leak checked it with alcohol. IF a leak comes up later, then I'll either take it to a radiator shop and have it done...PROFESSIONALLY or I'll get a kit from POR-15 and seal it up my self. I just did the POR 15 on the tank for the bike I'm building and its frickin bullet proof. SO if it comes down to that, thats the route I'll good.

The motor is going to be .060 over (375ci), PRC Stage 1 heads, Eagle H-Beam rods with ARP bolts, Mahle Flat top pistons, carb intake, 850 carb, and a plate kit. Backed by the TH350 from redneck performance w/ 9" Converter. Should be good into the low 6's in the 1/8th on a 275-60R15 Mickey T Radial. I'd LIKE to get into the 5's with the combo.

ten5nova

Sounds good man, love the radial idea. I don't see why you couldn't get into the 5's? How big of a shot do you plan on? The car is stock suspension I assume? Again, cool project, should be nasty!! What cam?