Projects Im getting Married! Project 46 ford begins!

Well **** here we go! cars swapped around and got the hood pulled and hung on the wall. Think im going to pull the toe boards next just so everything is out of the way before I start pulling wires and hoses.

hopefully pull the drivetrain a week from today after picking at it during the evenings all week.

 

Carpet, rubber Matt, jute, trans tunnel, gas pedal and toe boards out.

think I’ll pull the shifter tomorrow and start making marks with chalk on the meeeeeeega tight X member where I need more clearance after 11 ish years of settling.

want this engine and trans 100% out by Sunday

 

Shifters out, new hardware to buy list started.

rad should be out by tonight. Hope to drain it before work and pull it after

 

Tell me more about the coupe in the background!!

 

Pretty much a stocker with big and littles and I think some playing with the leafs. It’s his daily for the most part. I’ll see if I have more pix

 

I would greatly appreciate it! Its exactly what I'm hoping to find.

 

That’s all I got

 

@Tim thank you so much! I dig everything about it, except that its not mine! I appreciate you taking the time to post the pictures.

 

Took about 40 minutes to remember that I have to cram my fat hands in between it all and pull the fan before the rad can come out. But the coolant is out, the rad hoses are off, etc etc

fan, rad and rad shield/ shroud are off. Trans cooler lines off and plugged.

feels like progress I think.

tomorrow I think I’m marking all the lines and hoses and linkage etc and disconnecting and tucking them out of the way.

then it should just be pull the carb, motor mount and trans mount bolts, pull the rear u joint so I can yank drive shaft.

think I can manage that in a night or two.

 

Picked up a big catch can for the mess of trans fluid I’m gonna make pulling this thing out and a few more bolts.

that’s that’s left to pull is motor mount bolts, trans mount bolts and I’m thinking I might pull the rear u joint because I don’t know how feasible it’s going to be to sit the trans in and skip the yoke in at the same time. I’ll make that call tonight when I’m getting filthy now I’m going back threw old posts trying to see where exactly that trans mount bolts to lol

 

Well, my hoist was a full 10” shy of reaching. Would you believe it’s 36” from the front of the bumper to the carb pad? Big reach.

so I enlisted my professional sketchy **** friend -pipe fitter- and we plucked it out!

Made a surprisingly small mess and only broke an exhaust manifold/ head pipe gasket donut seal thing and I bent the **** out of the pan/ valance that runs from the bottom of the grill to the bottom of the rad. Nothing a trip to… I’m ***uming any exhaust shop, and some muscle won’t take care of.

got it sitting on some blocks. I’ll split them apart and dump the trans fluid out this week in prep for the trip. And in a few weeks when schedules allow Austin and I will tear into the motor.

for now I’m gonna clean up the shop and start prepping for the next stage

 

Quick update

trans drained. Headed out shortly to split the trans from the engine.
Cleaned up some clearance holes and made a little more room on some. You have to notched the X member to clean the trans pan.

also decided to make a 1/4” plate cover over the extended hole I created for the id er floor mustang master cylinder I originally put in. It hasn’t moved at all in 10 years but I still feel embarr***ed and sketchy when I see it so I cleaned it up best I could and I’ll Use existing bolt holes to bolt the plate over the hole. In my head it will add strength back and look better

I also mocked up the 47 upper shock mounts and found that height wise they are the same as I have now but they are waaaaay further
Inboard so I think even that will give me a other inch of travel. If not they will bolt on and off and we can stretch them taller if need be.
Also found this. Buddy that was helping
Me pull the motor thought I wanted him
To drive the stud out of the manifold, he did t see the flange ring under it at all. Didn’t notice til today that he smashed it right off. I’ve got a set of hogged out 2.5” vette ram horns on the shelf I’m
Going to see if they’ll bolt to my existing head pipes. And yes. On top of a million reference photos of each thing together before I took it apart I am
This ****. Lol.

trans heads to Omaha Thursday afternoon. I’d better get after it

 

Replacement ram horn found in stash
Motor split from trans and blocked up
Torque converter removed and covered
Steering box filled with oil

gonna call it a night!

 

What's wrong with no hood for a bit lol. I hear all the Kool Kids run hoodless in fat fenders haha. But really I wouldn't stress over that. Just leave your og hood off until you get the new one painted. My .02

Also I was thinking back trying to figure out why I didn't have any problems pulling my motor in my 47 when I rebuilt it and then it hit me I used a 2 ton chain hoist hung from the structural I beams of our shop. Maybe a overhead lift point in the ceiling for future projects is in order.

Have a good trip to Omaha. Maybe I can convince the wife to just drop me off in KC on our way to Iowa in a couple weeks and I can help you thrash for a night while she takes the kids the rest of the way lol. I do think I'm going to try and get out of town early enough to at least stop by like you offered on our way up.

Party on Wayne. Get after it.

 

Yeah I found a bigger hoist to borrow to put it back in but I sure am eye balling the ceiling
For structural points lol

I’ve got a couple ideas in the hood. Nothing I can’t figure out.

 

Alright back from Omaha with the heavy trans baking in the back of my car still. Don’t feel brave enough to heft it out quite yet lol. It’s been a broiler out today but I don’t think heat is going to hurt it any. Ralph and Julie broke the trans down partially as soon as we had it out of the car and we found everything looked pretty brand new. Steel clutch discs, hardened races etc. it had clearly been gone threw before.

the next day I got the call that the case had been cracked when an incorrect bolt had been used. I actually knew the exact bolt they referred to. When I pulled the converter off it was a game of “on of these things doesn’t look like the other” it was a quick game lol when I came for pickup they also showed me that this p***ageway - dead center of photo, kinda caramel colored- had been filled flush with epoxy so a donor case was found and they got after it.

new converter etc and I’m out the door. Hit speedway in Lincoln right after they’ve at least doubled it in size since I’d been last and the new addition they just started is absolutely m***ive always a favorite.

met up with a buddy and checked out his hotrod build before heading back home they are still out there even found an antique spot along the way and grabbed a few things

 

Looks like a productive day.

 

Was about 4! Lol you know how it goes. They said one day turn around, I found somewhere to stay for four. Not my first rodeo with old car parts haha. They did get it done in a day like they said they would though

gotta grab a helicoil for the intake and stuff to put the engine together Sunday. Now that’s gonna be a full day!

 

Kicking *** man. See you at the roc?

 

That’s the plan!

Figure we took the entire family for a 4 day trip with all our meals and kitchen stuff packed so when I unpacked i put it all right into the 46 to see if it would fit.

With room to spare!

rebuild the engine, put the drive train back in, front shock mounts, electric wipers, e brake, buff some paint, paint the new hood… finish at least the back seat upholstery and put in car seat anchors.

just a few things to do

 

Presto change o’ getting closer

 

Got the exhaust manifolds cleaned up and found a crack in the “good one”

gonna pre heat it and braze it shut soon as we can fill up on gas

 

Go... go.. go.. go..... Johnny Go.

 

Well last night the manifolds wee getting cleaned up. Took the casting flashing off the top of them, and cut the little bit of generator mount - I’m ***uming- off the replacement manifold so they match closer.

when we found a little crack in the manifold I had already been using! It will get beveled out and brazed up as soon as we get some gas for the torch.

 

Yeah more like pause.
Tested positive last night and feel like dog ****. Went into the garage and moved the jack stands so it doesn’t have the front axle hanging from the spring - really don’t like having cars on jack stands, but had it with the suspension dropped to get to the frame rail for shock mount work- and felt like I was pushing boulders in a sauna.

rest of the fam is ok so I’m locked away in my bedroom for the next while

 

Ok back at it got the frame
About 90% of the way ready for mocking up the new shock mounts. Long story but almost there. Got some leads on some longer shocks as well but need to have it sitting on the ground under full weight before I order anything
Got the shock mounts painted and the exhaust manifolds get brazed this week. engine gets torn down and built back up this Sunday so I set about making @Austin kays work station almost there, keep on truckin!

 

Came home to a little puddle of gas squeezing past the clamp for the filler cap last night. I’m gonna say my vented cap isn’t venting and the 105 deg temp on the other side of the garage door isn’t making for a great combo. I filled the tank aaaaaalllllll the way up before it got parked. Never had this issue before but it’s also never been in a hot garage during the summer in about a decade.

planning on engine work Sunday hopefully
It’ll cool off by then and I can use up this fuel the traditional way

 

Delayed for another week for engine work, it happens. Got the exhaust manifold brazed up and should be ready to paint them soon

 

Well, after a couple hours to find an engine stand and get it Together we got the engine mostly
torn apart. I’m not having any luck by myself getting the last two rod caps off but these photos tell the tale

@Austin kays was less than thrilled when we found that all but one ring was busted.

his hunch that this motor was worn out on our last drive together was correct. Not sure how much longer this would have held together.

Hoping to sneak in one more day this week and fire it this weekend maybe.
Progress is progress

 

Never know what you're going to pulling things like that apart lol. Saw this on IG and was hoping that it was the old rings that broke and nit your new ones trying to put them on.

What's up with the rod caps or did the rona just make you weak haha