Last night we (My buddy Lou and I) installed the Eibach pro kit 3530.140. It is specifically designed for a convertible! We also added the energy suspension spring isolators in the front and back, as well as Maximum Motorsports weight jacker lower control arms MMRLCA-102. The control arms have the poly bushings on both ends.
The installation went pretty straight forward for the rear. With the car up in the air supported by jack stands on the subframe connectors, we removed the sway bar. Next was the nuts for the front and rear pivot bolts. Then we used the jack to support the control arm and removed the shock bolt. We then removed the control arm pivot bolt at the rear axle side and lowered the control arm down slowly with the jack. The spring came along with it. Then we removed the spring and took out the chassis pivot bolt to remove the hotchkins solid lower control arm. We did the same thing for the other side as well. Then we installed the new control arm with the perches adjusted all the way down, along with the new spring and isolators and torqued to 80 ft lbs. We had to modify the bracket for the emergency brake cable (bent it upwards to relieve some tension) and the ABS sensor bracket needed to be removed from the bottom of the ebrake and a new 1/4inch hole drilled to move the bracket towards the back so the sensor wire could be mounted and not stretched.
The front was also interesting. with the car in the air, we removed the caliper (not the bracket) and hung it out of the way. Then we removed the sway bar end link nuts and moved / rotated the sway bar out of the way. Then we supported the front lower control arm with a jack and removed the strut bolts. This allowed the control arm to be lowered down slowly by the jack. Once we removed the jack we were able to pry out the spring. The driver side spring was broken - about 4 inches of coil at the end had broken off - some time ago too, judging by the rust. After cleaning out the spring perches we installed the isolators on the top of the spring, and the round one onto the spring at the bottom. Then we rotated the spring so that it would fit in the lower control arm. We had to pry the spring a bit to get it into the perch. Then we got the jack underneath the control arm and raised it up to get the strut mount bolts installed and torqued. We re-installed the brakes, sway bar end links and finally the wheels. The last thing was to torque the wheel lugs and lower the car off the jack stands.
with the car on the ground, the rear end sat really low. I needed to adjust the spring perches upwards a bit, which was done with a 1/2 inch ratchet.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Friday, July 24, 2015
94 Mustang GT: Dynamod TFI
I bought the dynamod TFI module and installed it before heading to Mustang Week. The one that came out had no issues at all - a stock motorcraft TFI that I had taken off of a foxbody distributor and modified to fit the heat sync. After taking it for a test drive I noticed a stumble between 4-5k RPM WOT. I didn't want to swap it while I was in MW, but I did when I got back. Stumble went away. So that motorcraft TFI is staying in there. I have another stock fox distributor with a known good TFI (tested it on my car by stuffing the distributor in the fender well and plugging it in), so that will be the spare.
That Dynamod TFI is now in the hands of USPS on the way back to summit. One more thing - Summit wouldn't help me out with the 25$ shipping and handling I spent - so I have to eat that. For comparision - Amazon has a ZERO questions asked full refund if you buy anything via Prime. If I can shop via Amazon, that's where I'm going.
Update: I have since learned that there was a hypertech chip installed in the T4M0 computer. This could have something to do with the incompatibility of the TFI. Also, I learned that the 94 is an ICCD (increased computer controlled dwell), so the 'increased dwell' that the dynamod TFI offers may not be for 94/95 since the computer controls it. More info in my blog post about TFI.
That Dynamod TFI is now in the hands of USPS on the way back to summit. One more thing - Summit wouldn't help me out with the 25$ shipping and handling I spent - so I have to eat that. For comparision - Amazon has a ZERO questions asked full refund if you buy anything via Prime. If I can shop via Amazon, that's where I'm going.
Update: I have since learned that there was a hypertech chip installed in the T4M0 computer. This could have something to do with the incompatibility of the TFI. Also, I learned that the 94 is an ICCD (increased computer controlled dwell), so the 'increased dwell' that the dynamod TFI offers may not be for 94/95 since the computer controls it. More info in my blog post about TFI.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
94 Mustang GT Convertible: Springs and Lower Control Arms
Not long ago, I upgraded the wheels on the 94GT convertible to the GT500s from AM. As a result of going to a bigger wheel / tire the stance sat a little bit high. I removed all the isolators and that corrected the stance. The stock springs still remained in there.
After loading the car up and heading down to Myrtle Beach, my concerns of the tire hitting the fender was realized. This only happened in the back, but did manage to leave some marks / gouges on the tire. It was nothing I could (or wanted to) fix in Myrtle Beach, almost 650 miles from my home (and air conditioned garage). Time to upgrade!!!
Springs:
I can't imagine what spring rate the stock springs are now after 239,000 miles. They have to be exhausted. Solution - Eibach pro kit with energy suspension spring isolators have been ordered. They make a kit specifically for a convertible (3530.140). I'm thinking it will give the same ride height as the stock springs with no isolators. We will see. If I don't like how it sits, I can always put the stockers back in.
Rear lower control arms:
A long time ago when I had my 90GT and this 94GT convertible, I upgraded the 90GT to a double adjustable UMI Performance lower control arm. This helped center the rear wheel in the wheel well. It was also spherical on the housing side and poly on the other, which helped with the street / strip theme of that car. I removed the Hotchkins non adjustable LCAs and installed them in the 94GT along with some non adjustable BBK upper control arms which I picked up used for 50$ shipped. I'm pretty sure I spent less than 100$ to buy those Hotchkins LCAs used at one time - but it was SO long ago I don't remember. I dont have the 90GT anymore, so there are no more hand-me-down parts. My plan is to pull those Hotchkins LCAs out and replace them with Maximum Motorsports sport series weight jacker LCAs (MMRLCA-102). These are the ones with the poly bushings on both sides. That will allow ride height adjustment when we overload the car for a road trip!
Stay tuned for the update on the installation!
After loading the car up and heading down to Myrtle Beach, my concerns of the tire hitting the fender was realized. This only happened in the back, but did manage to leave some marks / gouges on the tire. It was nothing I could (or wanted to) fix in Myrtle Beach, almost 650 miles from my home (and air conditioned garage). Time to upgrade!!!
Springs:
I can't imagine what spring rate the stock springs are now after 239,000 miles. They have to be exhausted. Solution - Eibach pro kit with energy suspension spring isolators have been ordered. They make a kit specifically for a convertible (3530.140). I'm thinking it will give the same ride height as the stock springs with no isolators. We will see. If I don't like how it sits, I can always put the stockers back in.
Rear lower control arms:
A long time ago when I had my 90GT and this 94GT convertible, I upgraded the 90GT to a double adjustable UMI Performance lower control arm. This helped center the rear wheel in the wheel well. It was also spherical on the housing side and poly on the other, which helped with the street / strip theme of that car. I removed the Hotchkins non adjustable LCAs and installed them in the 94GT along with some non adjustable BBK upper control arms which I picked up used for 50$ shipped. I'm pretty sure I spent less than 100$ to buy those Hotchkins LCAs used at one time - but it was SO long ago I don't remember. I dont have the 90GT anymore, so there are no more hand-me-down parts. My plan is to pull those Hotchkins LCAs out and replace them with Maximum Motorsports sport series weight jacker LCAs (MMRLCA-102). These are the ones with the poly bushings on both sides. That will allow ride height adjustment when we overload the car for a road trip!
Stay tuned for the update on the installation!
94 Mustang GT: Redline Hood Struts
I had a bad experience a while ago where a gust of wind grabbed my hood while it was open and nearly smashed my windshield. If it wasn't for the wiper stoping the hood, it would have been a much more horrible experience, especially with a convertible! Luckily I was left with just a gouge in my hood to remind me that hood props hold the hood up, but don't prevent it from going further!
At Mustang Week, Redline offers some good discounts - you can't find them at a better price. I picked up a set for my 94 GT and for my 03 Cobra. I decided to practice on the 94 first. The instructions that come with the struts are in depth, with pictures, and perfect. For this reason, I'm not doing a write up on this install. The instructions made the install go VERY well. One more thing to mention is the correct tools. Instructions did call for a #11 index drill bit - which I borrowed from a friend.
Pic of the hood open!At Mustang Week, Redline offers some good discounts - you can't find them at a better price. I picked up a set for my 94 GT and for my 03 Cobra. I decided to practice on the 94 first. The instructions that come with the struts are in depth, with pictures, and perfect. For this reason, I'm not doing a write up on this install. The instructions made the install go VERY well. One more thing to mention is the correct tools. Instructions did call for a #11 index drill bit - which I borrowed from a friend.
Pay no mind to the beyond dirty engine bay. It will get addressed when the engine is replaced this winter.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
94 Mustang GT: Daily Driver Motor: Valve Covers
It seems that every time I have a decent set of rocker arms, there is a need to find some valve covers that will actually fit over the rockers. The rockers are scorpion pedestal mount 1.72 ratio. They are sitting on top of GT40 Iron heads. I tried a bunch of valve covers so far. Most would require a spacer under the upper intake for them to work, or they do not clear the rockers, or the strut tower brace. Its a dance that all too many people are familiar with. I thought about going with the trick flow stock height valve covers (known to work), but wanted to see if I could make a set of foxbody covers work.
I tried a set of 1993 valve covers. They seem to fit well, but the oil filler neck on the passenger side looks like it is going to interfere with the cold air intake. The thought popped into my head - why not use two driver side valve covers! Doing this would essentially eliminate the oil fill neck and hose that goes to the cold air intake. There is still some work to do.
Modifying the driver side valve cover
I procured a 3/8 NPT female weld fitting from Jegs part number 15252. We cut a hole in the valve cover and tig welded this in. And by we I mean my buddy Lou did the tigging and I did the cutting / modification of the fitting. It had to be shortened a bit using a belt sander. I also procured a fitting from amazon.com: Banjo HB038-90 Polypropylene Hose Fitting, 90 Degree Elbow, 3/8" NPT Male x 3/8" Barbed. It's plastic and will accept the same diameter hose as what is typically on the filler neck for the passenger side valve cover. The last step is to fabricate a baffle under the fitting that was welded in to prevent the intake from sucking in too much oil.
Two driver side covers
To eliminate the filler neck on the passenger side, I decided to procure another driver side valve cover. The first valve cover I got was from ebay and was for an 86-93 5.0. The dial stamp on the inside of the cover was marked 87 meaning it came from that model year. That one didn't fit. There are some braces on the inside walls of the cover that hit the rockers. I kept an eye out on ebay and finally found a set for a decent price - passenger and driver side. So now I have two sets of valve covers from the 93 model year. That one fit as expected - no problems.
Prep and Paint
I plan to prep and paint the valve covers. While I'm working on those I'll keep the two passenger side covers on the motor - so two filler necks. The upper intake is not yet installed, so there are no clearance issues. The plan is to strip, parts wash, and prep the two valve covers for paint. I'm going to use a self etching primer and black wrinkle paint on both valve covers. This will be done after the baffle is tig welded in place.
Update:
Bung was welded in. My buddy who did the tig work also welded in a baffle that I mocked up. The covers were then taken to a shop to have them powder coated flat black. I think they came out great! They clear both sides of the rockers, no problem.
I tried a set of 1993 valve covers. They seem to fit well, but the oil filler neck on the passenger side looks like it is going to interfere with the cold air intake. The thought popped into my head - why not use two driver side valve covers! Doing this would essentially eliminate the oil fill neck and hose that goes to the cold air intake. There is still some work to do.
Modifying the driver side valve cover
I procured a 3/8 NPT female weld fitting from Jegs part number 15252. We cut a hole in the valve cover and tig welded this in. And by we I mean my buddy Lou did the tigging and I did the cutting / modification of the fitting. It had to be shortened a bit using a belt sander. I also procured a fitting from amazon.com: Banjo HB038-90 Polypropylene Hose Fitting, 90 Degree Elbow, 3/8" NPT Male x 3/8" Barbed. It's plastic and will accept the same diameter hose as what is typically on the filler neck for the passenger side valve cover. The last step is to fabricate a baffle under the fitting that was welded in to prevent the intake from sucking in too much oil.
Two driver side covers
To eliminate the filler neck on the passenger side, I decided to procure another driver side valve cover. The first valve cover I got was from ebay and was for an 86-93 5.0. The dial stamp on the inside of the cover was marked 87 meaning it came from that model year. That one didn't fit. There are some braces on the inside walls of the cover that hit the rockers. I kept an eye out on ebay and finally found a set for a decent price - passenger and driver side. So now I have two sets of valve covers from the 93 model year. That one fit as expected - no problems.
Prep and Paint
I plan to prep and paint the valve covers. While I'm working on those I'll keep the two passenger side covers on the motor - so two filler necks. The upper intake is not yet installed, so there are no clearance issues. The plan is to strip, parts wash, and prep the two valve covers for paint. I'm going to use a self etching primer and black wrinkle paint on both valve covers. This will be done after the baffle is tig welded in place.
Update:
Bung was welded in. My buddy who did the tig work also welded in a baffle that I mocked up. The covers were then taken to a shop to have them powder coated flat black. I think they came out great! They clear both sides of the rockers, no problem.
Friday, June 19, 2015
94 Mustang GT: GT 500 Wheel Install
I have had the GT500 American Muscle wheels for some time now. I finally got around to ordering some tires for them. I wound up going with Kuhmo Ecsta LX Platinum size 255 45 18. The wheels are 18x9 all around.
I brought them to a friend of mine who mounted them. When I got them home, I jacked up the 94 and pulled the back wheels. I removed the mach1 center caps and installed those on the new wheels - they are black with the mustang emblem on them. I found that impact sockets were too big for the new wheels. I threaded the lugs on by hand and had to use a 3/8 socket to torque them down. other than that, they looked pretty good. I swapped the front ones as well.
The front stance looked good. I remember when we installed the 2003 cobra front lower control arms we left the spring isolators out. The back stance looked really high. Those isolators were still installed. I jacked up the car, put the jack stands under the subframe connectors and lowered the rear. I pulled the sway bar. With a jack under the lower control arm, I removed the bolt and lowered the arm so I could remove the spring. I pulled out the upper and lower isolators. I did the same for the other side and put it all back together. The rear stance was WAY better now. Some pics are below!
I wound up selling the mach wheels / tires to a friend of mine for a good deal. He installed them on his 01GT - they look great on his car.
Before new wheels
After new wheels
After the rear isolators were removed
I brought them to a friend of mine who mounted them. When I got them home, I jacked up the 94 and pulled the back wheels. I removed the mach1 center caps and installed those on the new wheels - they are black with the mustang emblem on them. I found that impact sockets were too big for the new wheels. I threaded the lugs on by hand and had to use a 3/8 socket to torque them down. other than that, they looked pretty good. I swapped the front ones as well.
The front stance looked good. I remember when we installed the 2003 cobra front lower control arms we left the spring isolators out. The back stance looked really high. Those isolators were still installed. I jacked up the car, put the jack stands under the subframe connectors and lowered the rear. I pulled the sway bar. With a jack under the lower control arm, I removed the bolt and lowered the arm so I could remove the spring. I pulled out the upper and lower isolators. I did the same for the other side and put it all back together. The rear stance was WAY better now. Some pics are below!
I wound up selling the mach wheels / tires to a friend of mine for a good deal. He installed them on his 01GT - they look great on his car.
Before new wheels
After new wheels
After the rear isolators were removed
94 Mustang GT: Distributor Swap / Upgrade
On the way home last week car was stumbling. About a block from home, it finally died. My wife jumped in our expedition and came to the rescue. We dragged the 94 home the rest of the way. I would be cranking it when making turns so that the PS pump would run.
When we got it back to the house, I did some checking. I have the original stock coil that is known good. I swapped that and still no start. I also have a known good foxbody distributor with the TFI on the side of it. I stuffed that down in the fenderwell and unplugged the TFI, plugged it into the fox distributor - still no start. Next I unplugged the coil wire from the distributor and put a spark plug in there. While holding it against the engine (ground) I had someone crank it and it just didn't seem right to me. There was a 1-2 second pause in between sparks. The coil should be sparking way more than that. At this point I suspected the PIP sensor in the distributor.
After doing some research about replacing the PIP in the stock distributor, I realized that it would turn into a complete rebuild of the stock distributor. After feeling how much play is in the stock distributor shaft I was convinced it would need an overhaul. At some point I will rebuild it to keep as a spare. Stay tuned for that!
I wound up going with a summit street / strip distributor.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-850410
I've heard good things about the mallory and MSD and this summit distributor was almost half the price. Also, my 94 is basically stock motor (for now).
The new distributor showed up yesterday. Here is the removal:
I took the time to chalk the marking on the balancer so I could see them better. I used the 15/16 socket, short extension and rachet to turn the motor over until the timing pointer was at 0* / TDC. I made sure that the distributor rotor was at the #1 cylinder, and noted the orientation of the distributor harness. Then I pulled coil wire off the cap and unlatched the cap. I removed the distributor hold down, unplugged the harness and removed the harness from the bracket it was mounted to. Then I held the cap (with all the wires still attached) out of the way and pulled the distributor out.
Installation:
Still holding the cap and wires out of the way, I installed the new distributor so that the orientation of the distributor harness was the same. I also made sure that the rotor was pointed to the #1 plug wire (rotor turns clockwise as the distributor gear and cam gear align). I installed the hold down and plugged in the harness. I then put the old cap on the new distributor, and installed the coil wire. I jumped in the car and it started right up! I shut it off. Next I transferred the wires from the old cap to the new cap, one by one, and latched the new cap and wires to the new distributor. I pulled the spout connector out of the harness on the passenger side fender. I set up the timing light and started it up. It was running really rough! While setting the timing, I realized it was way off. The distributor wiring harness was not in the same position as the stock one once I found 10* BTDC. At this point I realized I was 1 tooth off on the distributor. It ran just fine, but it had to come out for me to be able to sleep at night. I shut the car down, set the balancer at 0*, pulled the cap, pulled the distributor hold down, unplugged the harness and slowly lifted the distributor up with one hand on the rotor. I kept pressure on the rotor (to the left) until it was free of the cam gear, then I moved it one tooth over and pushed it back down again. It never even came fully out of the engine. I plugged it back in, installed the cap and hold down and started it up. Perfect! I set the timing at 10* and it was all set.
I took it for a ride. The throttle response is noticeably more sharp! I still need to take it out a few more times. The car is alive again and with a little bit of an upgrade!
Notes:
That stock distributor and PIP sensor lasted 21 years and 237k miles!!
Ignition setup: Moroso Ultra 40 race wires, autolite#24 plugs, Mallory 29214 coil, and a stock foxbody motorcraft TFI modified to fit.
Thoughts:
1. I may pick up the dyna mod TFI to see if that offers anything else. If for nothing else I can keep that motorcraft TFI as a spare.
2. I will rebuild the stock distributor and do a write up on that. It will be a rainy day project!
When we got it back to the house, I did some checking. I have the original stock coil that is known good. I swapped that and still no start. I also have a known good foxbody distributor with the TFI on the side of it. I stuffed that down in the fenderwell and unplugged the TFI, plugged it into the fox distributor - still no start. Next I unplugged the coil wire from the distributor and put a spark plug in there. While holding it against the engine (ground) I had someone crank it and it just didn't seem right to me. There was a 1-2 second pause in between sparks. The coil should be sparking way more than that. At this point I suspected the PIP sensor in the distributor.
After doing some research about replacing the PIP in the stock distributor, I realized that it would turn into a complete rebuild of the stock distributor. After feeling how much play is in the stock distributor shaft I was convinced it would need an overhaul. At some point I will rebuild it to keep as a spare. Stay tuned for that!
I wound up going with a summit street / strip distributor.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-850410
I've heard good things about the mallory and MSD and this summit distributor was almost half the price. Also, my 94 is basically stock motor (for now).
The new distributor showed up yesterday. Here is the removal:
I took the time to chalk the marking on the balancer so I could see them better. I used the 15/16 socket, short extension and rachet to turn the motor over until the timing pointer was at 0* / TDC. I made sure that the distributor rotor was at the #1 cylinder, and noted the orientation of the distributor harness. Then I pulled coil wire off the cap and unlatched the cap. I removed the distributor hold down, unplugged the harness and removed the harness from the bracket it was mounted to. Then I held the cap (with all the wires still attached) out of the way and pulled the distributor out.
Installation:
Still holding the cap and wires out of the way, I installed the new distributor so that the orientation of the distributor harness was the same. I also made sure that the rotor was pointed to the #1 plug wire (rotor turns clockwise as the distributor gear and cam gear align). I installed the hold down and plugged in the harness. I then put the old cap on the new distributor, and installed the coil wire. I jumped in the car and it started right up! I shut it off. Next I transferred the wires from the old cap to the new cap, one by one, and latched the new cap and wires to the new distributor. I pulled the spout connector out of the harness on the passenger side fender. I set up the timing light and started it up. It was running really rough! While setting the timing, I realized it was way off. The distributor wiring harness was not in the same position as the stock one once I found 10* BTDC. At this point I realized I was 1 tooth off on the distributor. It ran just fine, but it had to come out for me to be able to sleep at night. I shut the car down, set the balancer at 0*, pulled the cap, pulled the distributor hold down, unplugged the harness and slowly lifted the distributor up with one hand on the rotor. I kept pressure on the rotor (to the left) until it was free of the cam gear, then I moved it one tooth over and pushed it back down again. It never even came fully out of the engine. I plugged it back in, installed the cap and hold down and started it up. Perfect! I set the timing at 10* and it was all set.
I took it for a ride. The throttle response is noticeably more sharp! I still need to take it out a few more times. The car is alive again and with a little bit of an upgrade!
Notes:
That stock distributor and PIP sensor lasted 21 years and 237k miles!!
Ignition setup: Moroso Ultra 40 race wires, autolite#24 plugs, Mallory 29214 coil, and a stock foxbody motorcraft TFI modified to fit.
Thoughts:
1. I may pick up the dyna mod TFI to see if that offers anything else. If for nothing else I can keep that motorcraft TFI as a spare.
2. I will rebuild the stock distributor and do a write up on that. It will be a rainy day project!
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
94 Mustang GT: Daily Driver Motor: MCRP BUILT!
It had been a while since I did anything to that daily driver motor. It seemed to me like the parts were just sitting there collecting dust. A friend of mine who is a hard core bracket racer was having his motor 'freshened' by Mike Curcio, who is the owner of MCRP in Easton Pa. I had the opportunity to talk to Mike when we both stopped in to drop off some parts.
Mike Curcio has done some serious racing engines. A quick look around his shop and you can just smell all of the horsepower. I told him my story about collecting all the parts, and not having any time to put it together. I finally asked him - would you be interested in assembling my 'little' 306 daily driver motor? He said absolutely! I asked his advice and we came up with a list of things that would be done.
First thing was to drop off my pile of parts. I got together an inventory of all the parts / part numbers and dropped off the pile at his shop. I still needed pushrods, but he could get them once he knew the correct length. The rotating assembly would be balanced, everything would be assembled and then run on the dyno to break it in / seat the rings / check for leaks and measure the output.
It turns out that I ordered the wrong size piston rings. Luckily Mike needed that size so he just swapped them for the correct size which he had on hand.
Some time passed and I got a text message from Mike showing a picture of my engine in the dyno room. He said that if everything goes well, it will be run tomorrow. I was really excited. The next day I didn't hear anything. The following day I was in his area so I stopped in to see what was up. It was not good news.
It turns out that on the first dyno pull, there was a problem. He said "on the first pull, the window on the dyno room started to shake. That always indicates a valvetrain issue because it messes with the air in the room. We shut it down immediately". They did some investigation using an IR temp gauge to see which cylinder had the problem and pulled that cylinder head off. As they put it on the bench, the head of a valve fell off onto the bench. It was a close call! If that valve would have come apart while the motor was running, it would have ben catastrophic. Disaster avoided! Now, if I would have put the motor together and put it in the car and started it up to break it in, I would have NEVER caught the issue in time. I was really grateful!
Mike gave me the rundown on the cylinder heads. It turns out that the machine shop that did the freshening / rebuild of the heads used really junk / cheap valves. They also didn't check the tolerances for the guides. That shop reamed out the guides and installed valves with an oversized stem. Basically, they did a crappy job and used sub-standard parts. I asked Mike what he wanted to do. He said he would put some thought to it and catch up with me in a day or two.
When I got the call from Mike, he gave me a few options: Edelbrock performer heads, GT 40x aluminum heads, rebuild the current heads or procure / rebuild another set of GT 40 iron heads. Mike preferred that we go with a different set of GT 40 Iron heads and rebuild them to his specs. I told him to go for it! This was a tough decision for me. On one had I wanted to go with better heads / more power. On the other hand the GT 40 iron heads were what the FTI cam was designed for, and they also had the 'set it and forget it' aspect for a daily driver.
A few days later I got the call from Mike that the first pull on the dyno went well. Later in the day he sent me a readout of the dyno sheet. He had made about 10 pulls and it was very consistent. It liked about 32* of timing. It was pretty impressive! from 4500 to 6k RPM it averaged 290 Ft-Lbs and 288 HP. Peaks were 320 Ft-Lbs at 4200rpm and 303HP at 5300RPM. These numbers were with a carb and carb intake. I'm going to assume that with the Cobra EFI intake the numbers would be different.
A few days later I went to pick up the motor. we used some 'legs' that bolt to the motor mounts, and then lifted the engine (three of us) into the back of my Expedition. When we took it out, we used an engine crane and put the motor on my engine stand. That is where it sits now.
Next step is to get some valve covers sorted out - (the stock ones do not fit over the rockers), and get the proper water pump bolts (I supplied a foxbody kit, which does not work for 94/95 water pump). Stay tuned!
Mike Curcio has done some serious racing engines. A quick look around his shop and you can just smell all of the horsepower. I told him my story about collecting all the parts, and not having any time to put it together. I finally asked him - would you be interested in assembling my 'little' 306 daily driver motor? He said absolutely! I asked his advice and we came up with a list of things that would be done.
First thing was to drop off my pile of parts. I got together an inventory of all the parts / part numbers and dropped off the pile at his shop. I still needed pushrods, but he could get them once he knew the correct length. The rotating assembly would be balanced, everything would be assembled and then run on the dyno to break it in / seat the rings / check for leaks and measure the output.
It turns out that I ordered the wrong size piston rings. Luckily Mike needed that size so he just swapped them for the correct size which he had on hand.
Some time passed and I got a text message from Mike showing a picture of my engine in the dyno room. He said that if everything goes well, it will be run tomorrow. I was really excited. The next day I didn't hear anything. The following day I was in his area so I stopped in to see what was up. It was not good news.
It turns out that on the first dyno pull, there was a problem. He said "on the first pull, the window on the dyno room started to shake. That always indicates a valvetrain issue because it messes with the air in the room. We shut it down immediately". They did some investigation using an IR temp gauge to see which cylinder had the problem and pulled that cylinder head off. As they put it on the bench, the head of a valve fell off onto the bench. It was a close call! If that valve would have come apart while the motor was running, it would have ben catastrophic. Disaster avoided! Now, if I would have put the motor together and put it in the car and started it up to break it in, I would have NEVER caught the issue in time. I was really grateful!
Mike gave me the rundown on the cylinder heads. It turns out that the machine shop that did the freshening / rebuild of the heads used really junk / cheap valves. They also didn't check the tolerances for the guides. That shop reamed out the guides and installed valves with an oversized stem. Basically, they did a crappy job and used sub-standard parts. I asked Mike what he wanted to do. He said he would put some thought to it and catch up with me in a day or two.
When I got the call from Mike, he gave me a few options: Edelbrock performer heads, GT 40x aluminum heads, rebuild the current heads or procure / rebuild another set of GT 40 iron heads. Mike preferred that we go with a different set of GT 40 Iron heads and rebuild them to his specs. I told him to go for it! This was a tough decision for me. On one had I wanted to go with better heads / more power. On the other hand the GT 40 iron heads were what the FTI cam was designed for, and they also had the 'set it and forget it' aspect for a daily driver.
A few days later I got the call from Mike that the first pull on the dyno went well. Later in the day he sent me a readout of the dyno sheet. He had made about 10 pulls and it was very consistent. It liked about 32* of timing. It was pretty impressive! from 4500 to 6k RPM it averaged 290 Ft-Lbs and 288 HP. Peaks were 320 Ft-Lbs at 4200rpm and 303HP at 5300RPM. These numbers were with a carb and carb intake. I'm going to assume that with the Cobra EFI intake the numbers would be different.
A few days later I went to pick up the motor. we used some 'legs' that bolt to the motor mounts, and then lifted the engine (three of us) into the back of my Expedition. When we took it out, we used an engine crane and put the motor on my engine stand. That is where it sits now.
Next step is to get some valve covers sorted out - (the stock ones do not fit over the rockers), and get the proper water pump bolts (I supplied a foxbody kit, which does not work for 94/95 water pump). Stay tuned!
94 Mustang GT: New Wheels!
It has been a while since I posted because things got a little busy. There was our wedding, then a crazy winter. Now that things are calming down, it seems like a good time to give another update!
Currently it has mach1 wheels on it with Kuhmo Ecsta LX Platinum tires size 235/50 17. I bought those wheels to replace the stock wheels and I told myself that they would be temporary. That was 4 years ago! So much for temporary. Fast forward to November 2014 when I finally caved in and bought the GT500 wheels for my 1994.
Here is a link to them on American Muscle: http://www.americanmuscle.com/machined-gt500-18x9-9498.html
I saw a picture online of these wheels on a black SN95 similar to mine and I really fell in love with the wheels. The tires arrived yesterday, April 15 2015 and the valve stems should be here today. Tomorrow night they should be mounted / balanced and ready to go on the car. The tires are Kuhmo Ecsta LX Platinums 255/45 18. The wheels are 18x9.
I do have a concern with how the car is going to sit with the bigger wheels and tires, but I can always adjust the stance of the car via the suspension in the future. I'll be sure to update with some pictures once they are on the car!
Currently it has mach1 wheels on it with Kuhmo Ecsta LX Platinum tires size 235/50 17. I bought those wheels to replace the stock wheels and I told myself that they would be temporary. That was 4 years ago! So much for temporary. Fast forward to November 2014 when I finally caved in and bought the GT500 wheels for my 1994.
Here is a link to them on American Muscle: http://www.americanmuscle.com/machined-gt500-18x9-9498.html
I saw a picture online of these wheels on a black SN95 similar to mine and I really fell in love with the wheels. The tires arrived yesterday, April 15 2015 and the valve stems should be here today. Tomorrow night they should be mounted / balanced and ready to go on the car. The tires are Kuhmo Ecsta LX Platinums 255/45 18. The wheels are 18x9.
I do have a concern with how the car is going to sit with the bigger wheels and tires, but I can always adjust the stance of the car via the suspension in the future. I'll be sure to update with some pictures once they are on the car!
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