svt 65 stang

[CAMAROBOY69]

Whoever put that video together on his site gets "Coolest compilation video of the century" That was a very impressive video. I have made many of these and I know how much time it takes to put them together. Then to make the pics switch with the music is just beyond impressive!!!
If you guys havent seen the video you HAVE to watch it!!

[SN65]

Hi All,

Two steps forward, one step back.... :-(

Yesterday, I wanted to help make some headway on the bodywork. I decided that the best place for me to concentrate my efforts was on the front valance. I had already cut the ductwork for the vents. All I had to do was fit them up to the inside of the valance, tack them up, and then wait for Wayne to weld the seam. Simple right? Well after I did the final fit up and tacked them in place, I decided, what the hell, I can weld the seam. After all, I know how to weld. It can't be that hard. That was my big mistake. I followed all the proper procedures and after about 30 minutes I had everything welded up. I then started to examine my work and found that the piece had warped at the end of the passenger side vent. I didn't think it was that bad, but after Wayne looked it over, we decided that we should order a new valance and do it over again....



I was so depressed. I thought I was helping out and, when all was said and done, all I ended up doing was creating more work. :-( On the other hand, my little excursion into the realm of Wayne's world has been a revelation. There is more to properly crafting steel than a basic understanding of the proper procedure. Also, just because you can weld, does not mean that you have the "touch" required to weld these thin sheet metal panels. I guess I will limit my welding to heavier brackets and structural items until I develop a lighter "touch" with the welder.

On the plus side, it does serve as a nice "mock up" of the final piece. When in position on the front of the car, it shows us what the finished panel will look like. It is going to look killer. Also, it has revealed a slight interference with the ductwork and the heat exchanger plumbing. We are going to resolve the interference issue by relocating the fittings on the exchanger from the front of the unit to the sides.

On another note, Wayne did get the front window pillars painted last night so that I can start on the final dash assembly. I will be working hard on this aspect of the build while I leave the bodywork in the hands of the experts.



It is now after lunch and I have been working on the dash assembly all morning. The defroster vents gave me a bit of a fit, but (after a bit of trimming) I was able to get the ducts installed and aligned. We should now be able to run the defrosters as we drive around the Chicago area this winter. :-)




Catch ya'll l8r

[Diognes56]

Me -> to SN65

David

[SN65]

Hi All,

This weekend while I worked on the car, Wayne was involved on a new project. A customer brought in a 70 Camaro that he wants built into a ground pounding, earth shaking, 504 cubic inch big block beast. I could not help but listened to him and his son talk to Wayne. And while he says his intentions are only to do a bit of cruising and joy ridding and maybe hit the local car show circuit, I cannot help but feel that he has no good intentions toward all my faithful Ford brethren. And, even though it is a (cough) Chevy, it is going to be one beautiful ride when finished.

So, while Wayne was busy with a paying customer, I worked on modifying the pony door panels. I needed to remove the raised areas that interfered with the ends of the dash and also, I needed to remove the entire ribbed center section. While, on the surface, this sounds like a relatively easy project, It ended up taking most of the morning. And, I still have to fit the panels up one more time to check the clearance. Also, since I am not using any of the chrome trim, the edges have to be ground to a nice consistent lip all the way around the panel and then I need to radius all the edges (they currently come to a sharp edge). When I am done, they will go off to the upholstery shop where they will be covered in the same leather that was used on the dash panels. The center section will end up with a padded insert. The only hole in the panel will be for the standard Mustang door pull.





I also spent time mounting the two 6 volt batteries. I picked batteries that were gel filled and mountable in any position. Originally, we were going to hang them in the trunk from the cross member that runs the width of the car just in front of the deck lid. This proved to be a poor location. The batteries are quite heavy and we felt the area had to much flex. If we mounted the batteries there, there was a strong possibility that the weight would pull that area of the car down so that the body no longer lined up with the deck lid. After much consideration we decided to mount them under the internal cross bracing where the rear seats used to be.



Well, enough for now. It is time to get back to work.

Catch ya'll l8r

Bob

[SN65]

Hi All,

I am getting ready to turn the key for the first time. I am currently reviewing all the electrical connections. Anyone out there have any recommendations as to possible electrical issues I should be on the watch for. I am currently looking at all the grounds. any other issues you are aware of would be very helpful.

[67Fastback]

Originally Posted by SN65

Hi All,

I am getting ready to turn the key for the first time. I am currently reviewing all the electrical connections. Anyone out there have any recommendations as to possible electrical issues I should be on the watch for. I am currently looking at all the grounds. any other issues you are aware of would be very helpful.

In my experience, smoke = bad

Seriously, good luck! I'm guessing you already have the PATS stuff covered, or you are using the OEM everything for the ingition switch?

Jeff

[SN65]

Originally Posted by 67Fastback

In my experience, smoke = bad

Seriously, good luck! I'm guessing you already have the PATS stuff covered, or you are using the OEM everything for the ingition switch?

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

We are using all the factory "everything" as far as the electrical goes. The original harnesses, etc...

[MaxHarvard]

Awesome progress, love the new door panels!

[SN65]

Hi All,

Well... After reviewing all the wiring over and over and over and over again, I finally resolved the "buzzing" dash issue. It appears to have been a sticking "turn signal relay". It looks like I will have to replace that item. If it still buzzes with the new relay, I will have to re-work the grounds for that part of the wiring.

With that said, if all goes well today, we will be lighting this cracker this afternoon. I have all the fluids on order. I want to get the initial firing on tape for posterity. I better check the film in my good old Kodak super 8 movie camera. Does film have a shelf life? Oh, what the hell, I am sure that the film is still good. After all, it is only about 22 years old. :-)

[SN65]

Hi All,

She's ALIVE!!!

After checking all the fluids and adding some premium petrol, inserting the key, depressing the clutch and turning the key, the engine turned over for about 10 seconds, sputtered a bit and then fired up. We only let it run for about 10 seconds before shutting it down. I still needed to complete the intercooler plumbing so we did not want to run it for long.

I will be posting a video of the whole affair once I figure out how to edit these movie clips down to something smaller that 30 meg. :-)

I have been pretty busy completing the intercooler plumbing and bleeding the air out of the cooling system. I will be posting an update with photos, etc as soon as I can pull myself away from all these fun filled details.

Catch ya'll l8r.