Projects building a low budget bellybutton 40 ford coupe

That 40 is killer like following your build makes me want to go to the garage and get to work on my 47 keep up the good work.

 

I'd be lying if I said I didn't follow your builds via your blog for insperation. After reading your updates I generally come away with the feeling that if I have a grinder and some card board I can make just about anything happen. That and to not let my car become a shelf haha.

Keep up the good fight

 

I got one strong trigger finger Mike!
Low gloss black too does the trick.

The best thing about that picture (right now anyway)
is that there could be a flathead or a 302 in there and it doesn't matter!
Actually what am I saying,
flathead drivers are tough m-fers!
That was a good trek that day.
Thanks for reading Malcolm!

Thanks for reading the blog Tim!
A grinder, some cardboard, and a couple hours before dinner is all you need,
and the big ear protectors!

*******

Thanks again guys for all the interest.
Here's the latest.


Okay the last I left was that big ole gaping hole in the floor.
I'm gonna throw out a little warning here.
You know I love the grinder usually,
but this time I pulled out the trusty torch,
mainly cause it was a tight fit,
but also to keep down the noise for my pesky neighbors!
Well that little enclosed section of the crossmember is a trap for oil and dirt,
and holey chit it was a smoke-fest.
The kids had bug-eyes,
I'd cut a little holding my breath and then bust outta there,
over and over.
Even with the mask it was still not too much fun.
Anyway just a little warning cause it sucked!

After some grinding of the torch hole,
me and my oldest son proceeded to tuck the engine in.

And like we planned it,
the transmission fit perfectly.
The over cuts in the firewall made the eng/tranny combo fit in way easier.
I don't know if it could have slid in together if the firewall was any lower.
I'll for sure be making the removeable tranny hump all the way to the cut line,
which isn't what I had originally planned.

The tailshaft was a bit too high though.

It could have worked fine with some more cutting,
but I ended up removing the thick stock Lincoln transmission mount,
which is like 2 inches tall,
and then trimmed about 3/4" more off the crossmember center piece.

After that a simple 3/16 plate mount was whipped out,
and wow everything just slid into place.

This was when the stick welder worked wonders,
as there were only a couple deep access slots to reach the seam,
although I could have dropped the ball and cup if necessary but why?

Here you can see the trippy front end.
Way back someone had put in the later model radius rods with the drop,
and then added like 6 inches to the length to make them work.

This is where the tranny sits with only 1/4" of rubber as a spacer.
I'll probably have 3/4" of rubber later on.
Very relieved that I didn't have to do the split wishbone deal on the fronts,
everything worked with the old ball/socket.
One plus for the ford swap!


Oh yeah,
I just wanted to make a note that I did fill those exhaust holes in the heads...


Well it was a big deal to see it nestled in there,
so I threw on some old valve covers a friend had donated.
Thanks Mario!

and then cleaned up a cast iron 2-barrel intake another friend gave up.
Thanks Mike!

This is exactly what I was hoping for.
Now to find the right distributor.

With some caps thrown on the rear rims...

The couple days of thrashing really cleaned up the floor space in the garage!
Now I'm saving up for the driveshaft,
and all the little chit that adds up.
Brakes...fuel...TV cable etc...
TP

 

So it looks like you're going to be ditching the EFI in favor of a carburetor.. Is it a PITA to convert an EFI engine to carb?

I had a TBI 350 that I put in my '68 C10 that my brother-in-law and I changed over to a Quadrajet. If I recall correctly, all we had to do was pull all the wiring for it, cap off the O2 sensor in the exhaust. Is that pretty much the same thing you're going to do?

 

I'm hoping it's as simple as swap the intakes.
Amazingly the intake/coolant holes are the same from 68-90!
Hopefully the 2 barrel 2100 is sufficient,
although it would be fun to get that 3-2 offenhauser intake someday!
My big predicament is the distributor.
The 5.0 has a shaft that is 1/2" longer then the earlier models (81 and earlier I think)
The later versions all have a big computer plug,
so it's been difficult to find the correct distributor,
and the long electronic mallory is like $300.

We did a swap on a friends chevy removing the TPI for a 4-barrel,
and it was way easier then figuring out the huge wiring harness!

I'm thinking of modifying the stock lincoln sheetmetal headers too,
so yeah I'll have to cap the sensors as well.

TP

 

Awesome job Zibo... Really enjoy following your threads!!!

 

I would bet you could convert the computer controlled distributor to a conventional electronic Duraspark by swapping the guts. then it would be more like a '83 carbureted 5.0 HO (it had a 2bbl) GMCBubba would be the one to ask.

 

Great thread.

Walt

 

Looking at your photos makes me more determined to keep the original front suspension when I install my SBC. I see no reason to upgrade to IFS. Better brakes, maybe.
Your installation is top notch!
I'll bet the kids love the car.....

 

Another great thread Zibo!!

 

biggeorge!
Do you get a lot of traction with those monster rear tires on your avitar!?!

 

WOW! Those must be some sharp scissors and your forearms must look like Thors!

Neat thread btw.

Andy from STL

 

Hey Andy I only use the scissors for the corners!

I'm throwin it out there right now that I did get a disc kit.
Yeah I said it!
There are f1 or f100 brakes on it right now,
and they work fine.
At this point though I'd rather have more current brakes,
especially if it stays in the family and the kids or wife drive it.
(she never could cause the column shift!)
I never had a brake fade issue,
but I'm really light on the brakes when I drive.
Also,
the disc kits have the 4.5" lug pattern for matching front and rear rims.

Trying to get away from the newer style cap.
There are more useable aftermarket options using the male contacts.
I'll have to talk to GMCBubba for any leads.

Thanks also Chad, George and Walt for reading!

TP

 

I've done the 5.0 swap into a couple cars and used a carb. on both of them. I've used Ford Duraspark distributors in both of them and it's worked out great.

Assuming your Lincoln engine is a roller cam engine, you could use the steel gear version of the Duraspark distributor. It's part number 302831. Usually only about $50 for a rebuilt one from the parts store. Rock Auto has them for $48.79, but there's a $30 core. (..I've returned the dist. you have as a core )

There is a certain cap and rotor you can use to avoid the big bulky one that was probably on the Lincoln. I have the part numbers at home and can get them to you, if you want them.

Also, in my roadster, I wired the Duraspark distributor to a GM HEI module, instead of using the somewhat bulky and sometimes problematic Ford Duraspark ignition box.

Here's some info on the Ford Duraspar/GM HEI wiring conversion:
http://www.carbdford.com/tech/HEI/hei.htm

All reasonbly priced over-the-counter parts that work good together!

 

i love that 302,,,you can say im kinda of a nut....ive put it in everything...i leave mine efi its not as hard as you would think,,,and as far as budget ,,you had the harness right there....almost all 302/351w... stuff will innerchange...with the right years... ive found a distribtor that will fit the roller 302 and look like the old points style...ill try to find you a part #..or year.mk..mod...and mustang shorty or stock headders will fit the 302 and should fit the car....(my other hobby is early mustangs)...so any other questions/problems just hit me up im putting a 302 efi / front ifs clip from a crown vic..in a 65 ford truck now..ill do a build thread on it asap so you can check it out...

 

great info,,,,you beat me to it ,,lol

 

Hey Malcolm and redeye,
This is my problem.

The Lincoln distributor has a shaft 1/2" longer.
I'm not sure if the shorter style on the left contacts the oil pump rod,
or if it only barely contacts it.
(just got the intake on there to be able to measure it!)
The Lincoln is a low performance not roller cam engine.
Have you used pre or post 1985 engines?

Thanks!

TP

 

yea but your puttin a 352 in yours....lol good luck with that

jesters forever!!!!!!

 

it will still reach the pump rod ,,just not as much of it...ford just made it longer because the 5.0 was a high output motor and they didnt want it shearing the shaft...not perfect but it will work

 

I've used '86 and '87+ engines. The distributor part number I listed is actually for an '85 Mustang w/ efi and a 5-speed. I don't recall if the shaft is the longer version like the one in the photo.

Actually, just remembered I have an extra one at home that needs a new vacuum advance. I'll measure it tonight.

 

I don't know what all the hype is about on big and littles??

 

Okay so I've been antsy all day to check this out.

The depth of the distributor to the top of the oil pump shaft is right over 4.5"
almost 4 9/16" with my precision pencil.
This gives a contact length of minimum 7/16" on the 1/4" hex shaft.
In my reality this seems like enough,
as a 1/4" allen wrench cranking a bolt with 3/16" depth has never sheared.

Anyway,
I was thinking of possibly swapping the oil pump shaft for a longer/taller version.
This would make it much easier to find a distributor as I have one already!

After a couple minutes of research,
there are so many oil pump shaft options -
chromoly, stock, race, hardened, hi-flow, etc.
but none of them give a length!
The O'reilly website specs a stock length 90 lincoln 5.0 at 7.44 inches,
but also specs the 68 ford mustang 302 at 7.44 inches.
This doesn't seem to give that extra 1/2" I'm missing,
since the gear bottoms out on the same section.

Right now it's either leave it,
or pop the oil pan off, remove the oil pump,
and measure the shaft to see if its the same 7.44",
then try to find a longer shaft.

If anyone can take a depth measurement like in the pencil picture above,
I'd really appreciate it,
just to have a guideline of how much contact is normal in the earlier engines.
A full inch seems like overkill without any comparison.

Thanks!

TP

 

Man....I can't believe the progress that you've made!! Getting the engine and tranny dropped in there really is motivating!!!! The old, 302 looks great and right at home in the '40!! LOVE IT!!!!!

 

Thanks Bugsy!
Now it's all the nickel and dime stuff,
that looks like its adding up to about $700!

*****

Okay so I know this is a tangent,
but figuring out the distributor is on my mind right now.

I've got this 351 windsor stashed away,
either for the rusty 40 or this one depending on how long the 302 lasts.

Out of curiosity,
I checked the depth of the oil pump shaft,
and compared it to the distributor.

Barely 1/2" of insert.
The 351's have a 5/16" hex,
but they still believed that 1/2" was acceptable at that time.

Here's a pic of the stock long shaft 5.0

which would have about 1" of insert.
Now,
redeye stated that they did this because of the high-volume oil pump in later years.
After a search on the OTC parts store website,
the high-volume pump is suggested all the way back to the 60's,
when the short-shaft was standard.
Since the 1/2" works for the earlier modified 289/302's,
it's hard to understand why the jump to 1".

Without any further thinking,
I figured what the heck and popped in the mallory unilite I got from a Hamber.
This was a 1/2 price deal and man I hope it works!
Not too trusting of the electronic insides.

I'm still considering the duraspark with the pertronix that a friend suggested,
or even the stock "over the counter" duraspark just to have easy fixings on the road.
For now it's nice to have something filling the hole.

I also put on the passenger header which works fine.
The drivers one will need some cutting for sure.
These are some ugly a$$ sheetmetal headers,
but reworking them saves a bunch of time right now.

TP

 

sweet progress man. keep on pluggin away

 

I've got thousands and thousands of miles on Unilite distributors, even ran one in my daily driver pickup, and have never had one issue with any of them. You will be fine using it.

Don

 

Hey Don,
My concern isn't the driving part,
Its me or the kids accidentally leaving the ignition switch on!
They love to sit in the cars and read or pretend to drive.
TP

 

I love this thread. Thanks for posting it, Zibo.

 

redeye stated that they did this because of the high-volume oil pump in later years.



yes,,,as far as i know ALL the pump rods are the same.......ford extended the dis, shaft after they made the 5.0 ho.....for the mustangs... and the high rev motors and high flow oil pumps...the extra colar rides in the motor to keep it stable (not to keep it from shearing...( from what ive learned)...hope it helps

 

Ah that would explain this reinforced oil pump shaft.
Most of the aftermarkets aren't full hex rod like stock.

Okay guys I'm almost done with this tangent!
TP