bufmatmuslepants

iTrader: (3)

$250 is a reasonable price for a 3.42 geared 10 bolt. Make sure to pull the cover and inspect the gears, I bought a dud with chipped teeth once.

What mufflers are those?

I see some easy weight reduction, ditch the fog lights and bumper supports while you are in there, having the front bumper off with the supports off also makes it easier to get to everything while swapping.

BradyD

We're probably holding off on a rear end for now - we're VERY close to our max budget of $2000 and need to sell some stuff off before getting ears. It's on the list, though. I see you're right down the road from me...let me know if you happen across any rear ends locally. I'm checking craigslist every day.

The mufflers are these puppies: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-630810/overview/

Dirt cheap and probably won't make it much quieter than having open headers. As far as weight reduction - we're going BIG there. The entire interior is getting stripped and every ounce of extra weight is being eliminated.

Does anybody here know if you can cut 1/2 a coil or a whole coil out of the shocks to lower the car a little bit? This was a popular redneck mod in the Fox Mustang community when I had an old fox body.

bufmatmuslepants

iTrader: (3)

You can cut 1 rear coil off, and put a heater hose on it instead of the cup and drop it an inch. I would not cut the fronts. I got down to 3010 with an iron 9" and rod ended steel rear suspension without doing any cutting. With all the weight removed it looked like a 4x4, I could fit 5 fingers between the tires and fenders. I ended up finding BMR springs for $150 for all 4 corners just to get it back to a stock height. I have some 99 WS6 springs and the rears have 1 coil cut off, ill sell them to you for $20, they are stiffer than stock and will help handling a lot combined with new shocks, I work in ashburn so let me know and ill meet you after work one day if you want. I've also got a JEGS driveshaft loop ill sell for $20 if you want, safety first with shitty stock driveshafts.

I've got a single 3x18 magnaflow bullet off my y pipe and its loud, my neighbors hate me, and it drones on the highway but sounds great at WOT, those will probably sound the same. Ill keep an eye on Craigslist, my whole car was built on Craigslist. We should meet up at a track when you are ready, I am dying to go to MIR again, sucks Old Dominion is gone but 79/80 still exists I think.

bowtienut

iTrader: (1)

In experimenting with ride height on my son's 1996 V6 car, we cut 1.5 coils from the fronts and 1.25 from the rears. Both fronts and rears have kind of a "progressive" wind at the end, as you can see in the pic below, so the 1.5 and 1.25 numbers sound "bigger" than they really are if you're thinking of a pure linear wound spring.
The car looked great, handled the roadcourse fine with the Bilsteins and stiffer bars, but on sharp braking autoX turns rubbed the 274/40/17 fronts on the inner plastic fenders, hit the bumpstops, and drug a corner of the air dam. And it would bottom on the bumpstops and scrape the air dam if you weren't careful on dips, gutters, and speedbumps.
The rear was perfect with nobody in the back seat.
It sat about 1.5" lower in front and 1.0" lower in rear than stock.
It now has BMR's at all corners and can handle anything Sits about an inch lower than stock front and rear. The stock "cups" were left in place throughout all this.

Since you're lightening the car, even with the V8 I'd bet you're lighter in the front than his car, so I'd suggest no more than 1 coil from the fronts and 1.25 from the rears. You can see from the "progressive" wind, than 1 coil from the fronts would be about half the height of 1.5 coils cut as we did.

rechtien

Link

Do you have to include gas for picking up parts in your budget? Has gears and posi. Tulsa, OK. Not affiliated. Just stumbled across it on my Craigslist shopping.

BradyD

Sweet, I think I'd love to take those springs and the DS loop off your hands. I work in Reston, so maybe one day this week we can plan to meet up. 75/80 is still around in MD, I think they just opened it back up. The closest drag strip to me is probably Mason Dixon in Boonsboro, MD. I used to race my '92 Mustang there a lot in my teen years.

BTN - Thanks for that info - definitely gives us a lot of food for thought. We found out we can keep parts we've bought but aren't going to use and subtract their 'fair market value' out of the total budget - so we now have a few hundred freed up again.

rechtien - No, it doesn't count, and neither does shipping. Unfortunately Tulsa is about an 1,200 mile drive. Appreciate the link, though.

bufmatmuslepants

iTrader: (3)

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/n...483585571.html

Here's some rockers, if they are 3/8 SA they would be perfect for you.

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/pts/5471254023.html

And these heads may be worth a look even if its to steal the springs and sell the cores again.

Ill throw the springs and driveshaft loop in the trunk and try to meet up with you this week at lunch or something.

BradyD

Thanks for those links. Right now our engine is all put together and in the car. We're using the stock heads with TFS springs, a CC503 cam, TFS stock length pushrods, and stock rockers. Have 2 extra sets of aluminum heads too. We're going to be building a backup engine though...so those things may be an option for that.

BradyD

Hey Bufmat - check your PMs when you get a chance. Would like to meet up with you and get those springs and DS loop. Do you happen to have any other goodies that might be for sale?

BradyD

Currently researching a probably ludicrous idea....

Putting an 8.8" Ford form an Explorer in our car - usually 31 spline, 3.73s and posi (traction lock). After searching it seems like it's been done plenty of times. What I can't find is if you can use the stock Explorer directly in the F body, or if the pumpkin is slightly offset. Most people seem to weld their 10 bolt tubes to the 8.8 center section. It appears the explorer axle is a bit narrower too...would this affect the usability? Looks like 2" narrower on each side. Could we get a spacer of some sort?

Having to weld up all the brackets is not a big deal....

Again, probably a ludicrous idea.

bufmatmuslepants

iTrader: (3)

Apparently the outer diameter of the 10 bolt tube is the same as the inner diameter of the 8.8 tubes, so you slide the 10 bolt tubes inside the cut off 8.8 tubes, giving you stock location for the LCA, phb and shock mounts and stock brakes. Then you just need to fab up the torque arm mount and get new axles. There is a guy who makes the torque arm mount already, you just need to weld it together, ill find his info for you.

Forgot to put the parts in my car again, I can try to remember them tomorrow or you can swing down to warrenton after work one day if you are impatient.

BradyD

So close to firing it up....we got it to crank over this weekend. Sounded great. All we've got to do is get the gas tank back in and install the upper and lower radiator hoses. BTW - I don't want to be that guy who says "Ford does it better"....but Ford definitely makes gas tank removal / install a hell of a lot easier. Such a pain in the *** in this F body!

Question though - I cranked it over for about 15 seconds hoping to see some oil pressure on the gauge, but didn't see any. Is this typical?

Puck

iTrader: (17)

Are you reading from the bottom port above the oil filter or the top one in the intake?

Did you remove the plastic drive gear tab under the intake? If so, it can easily break if overtightened.

BradyD

We have a brand new sensor on the port behind the intake. I was watching the oil pressure gauge on the dash while cranking it, so I was also curious if that'll actually register pressure when it's not running. We will probably get a manual gauge to read before the actual firing.

I'm honestly not sure what you mean when you day plastic tab. I don't remember seeing anything plastic inside the engine.

BALLSS

the oil pump drive gear housing top is plastic. It can easily crack if over TQ. mostly because of age/heat makes the plastic brittle (see pic)

the other plastic part is the collar of the oil pump drive shaft. original old ones can crack/break re-installing so most just buy a new ARP solid metal drive shaft (pic)

BradyD

Thanks! We torqued everything to spec according to this LT1 rebuild book we have. I think we would have noticed a crack in that. I guess my question is should I actually see oil pressure on the dash gauge while cranking (ie does the pressure sensor engage when cranking)? Or should I use a manual gauge?

Puck

iTrader: (17)

Use a manual gauge - I don't recall the stock gauge showing anything while cranking, just when the car is running.

bufmatmuslepants

iTrader: (3)

It was good to meet you Brady, can't wait to see it with those 18s all around. Sorry I didn't have paper for a bill of sale for the Grassroots challenge, but hopefully my acknowledgement on here that I sold you those c5 wagon wheels and driveshaft loop for $150, if not ill mail you a signed bill of sale.

BradyD

No need to mail one, the forum post should do. Thanks again for the deal!

I also just found this on Craigslist:

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/m...516077474.html

Are SS shocks and springs different from Z28? Would I benefit from picking these up? Also very interested in his rear end...probably gonna give the guy a call and get the low down.

Fast350Z

iTrader: (2)

Those are just stock camaro Decarbon shocks. They are the same as Z28 shocks. You are better off getting some used Bilstein shocks. Not sure if the springs are different.